it’s just about The time when back-to-school deals began to appear. That means big discounts on student-friendly gear like laptops, phones and backpacks. We’ve found a few this weekend, but you’ll also find some goodies like our favorite TV and one of our favorite tents.
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Laptop, Home Office & Gaming Deals
Check out our guides to the best laptops, cheapest laptops, and best gaming laptops to learn more.
That’s the lowest price we’ve tracked on Apple’s 2021 MacBook Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommended). It features a sleek redesign, offering a slightly larger 14-inch screen, a better 1080p webcam, incredible performance thanks to the M1 Pro chip and 16 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD.It has far more ports than previous MacBooks – an SD slot and HDMI output.
This Inspiron is a great all-around laptop with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. The 14-inch 1,920-by-1,200-pixel screen isn’t the brightest, but it gets the job done. The 2-in-1 design means you can use it as a laptop or tablet by flipping the screen over. This deal is also available on eBay. (The seller is Best Buy.)
Lenovo’s IdeaPads regularly top our lists of the best budget laptops. We haven’t tested this exact model, but based on the specs and similar IdeaPads we’ve tried, it’s a good, cheap, all-around machine. You’ll get an AMD Ryzen 5 (5600H) processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD, and a 16-inch 2.5K (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) display for less than $500. This is sold through eBay, but the seller is Microsoft.
This is a cheaper version of the Corsair K100, and we love its media wheel feature. The K55 doesn’t have a scroll wheel, but has the same keyboard layout and RGB backlighting. It may look like a mechanical keyboard, but it’s a membrane.
This ASUS 15-inch gaming machine features an AMD Ryzen 9 (5900HX) processor, Radeon RX 6800M graphics, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. We haven’t tried this exact model, but we like the very similar 14″ version (8/10 WIRED recommended).
This HP gaming monitor features a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel screen with a 165 Hz refresh rate for smooth graphics and a 1ms response time for low input lag. If your PC has an AMD graphics card, AMD FreeSync Premium is supported to ensure your games look as smooth as possible. The monitor supports VESA, so you can mount it on a monitor arm.
Courtesy of Nintendo
WIRED contributor Julie Muncy called Super Mario “the kind of dizzying, absurd victory that Nintendo hasn’t delivered in years.” Five years later, that’s still a good assessment. This is your chance to get a physical copy for the Switch.
This 1080p monitor is a very affordable way to expand your screen real estate. You get VESA compatibility so you can mount it on your arm and get rid of the stand. If you don’t want to do that, the stand is adjustable – you can even place the monitor in portrait orientation. The bezels are thin, the screen looks good, and there are built-in speakers (though it doesn’t sound great).
The exterior of this portable monitor is plastic, and the IPS display is a bit dull, but it’s still relatively slim, offers a large screen, and has a sturdy built-in stand that can easily be propped up anywhere. With just a single USB-C cable, you can have a second screen experience wherever you go, including in a coffee shop.
Home and Outdoor Deals
This 2022 model is one of our favorites, especially if your living room gets really bright. You get a central base stand, which is great if your media console isn’t very wide, a 120 Hz screen refresh rate and a Mini-LED backlight for excellent contrast.
Here’s a ninja’s take on a single-serving blender. We haven’t tested it yet, but it’s getting good reviews online. The design is similar to the Nutribullet we love, and the downward-facing blade helps prevent food from escaping from the chopping action.
We’ve long recommended the 4-person version of this tent because of its unusual combination of light weight yet affordable. 2 people are the same story, this deal makes it cheaper. Most of the mesh design provides good ventilation on warm summer nights (keep away from rain flies and you’ll have a great view of the stars, weather permitting). One thing to note about this tent is that MSR doesn’t stitch and seal its lightweight tents at the factory, so you’ll need to buy some yourself. If you need more space, a 3-person tent is also on sale for $292 ($110 off).
One of our favorite budget phones, the Nokia XR20 (7/10, wired recommendation) is a great, rugged smartphone that supports wireless charging. With a two-year warranty, the phone will get three Android OS upgrades. Mind you, it doesn’t work on Verizon, nor on AT&T’s 5G, but it’s a solid phone for T-Mobile users, especially at this price.
This is a great low chair to relax on the beach. It’s well made, folds up for easy packing, and has stood the test of time for six months.
