Ars Technica
While Presidents’ Day weekend isn’t known as an especially bountiful time for tech deals, the Dealmaster has dug up a few actually-good discounts on worthwhile gadgets, gear, and games all the same.
Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes the best price we’ve tracked on Bose’s QuietComfort 45. The noise-canceling headphones are down to $279, which matches the price we saw on Black Friday and marks a $50 drop from Bose’s MSRP. While not our top pick among wireless noise cancelers (that honor goes to Sony’s WH-1000XM4), the QuietComfort 45 are an alternative pair we recommend to those who are willing to trade some battery life and extra features for a lighter and more comfortable design. Bose also addressed one of the headphone’s shortcomings this past week by adding a customizable EQ feature, which lets users adjust the QuietComfort 45’s sound profile more to their liking.
Besides that, we also have deals on the 512GB versions of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro laptops. Both the 14- and 16-inch models are $200 off Apple’s MSRP, which brings the former down to $1,799 and the latter down to $2,299. The notebooks are still on the expensive side, to put it mildly, but both discounts represent the lowest price we’ve tracked to date. Our review called the new Pro the best laptop you can buy for heavy-duty content creation and software development last October; if you can live with its high price (and that display notch), the Pro’s blazing performance, premium build quality, ample port selection, and excellent display should be up to the mark.
Elsewhere, our roundup includes the lowest price we’ve seen for Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8, which our review called the best Surface for people who want a Surface device. We’ve also got strong discounts on Apple’s AirPods Pro and iPad mini, recommended Samsung microSD cards and SSDs, Dell gaming monitors, and more. You can see our full curated list of noteworthy deals available ahead of the holiday below.
Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
Featured deals of the day
- Presidents’ Day Sales: various electronics discounted at Target, Best Buy, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, HP
- Bose QuietComfort 45 wireless ANC headphones for $279 (
$310) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Apple MacBook Pro 14.2-inch laptop (3024×1964, Apple M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,799 (
$1,985) at Amazon, Best Buy - Samsung Evo Plus (512GB, U3, A2, V30) microSDXC card for $55 (
$73) at Newegg (use code: 93XSN34, Amazon-exclusive version for $60) - Samsung Pro Plus (128GB, U3, A2, V30) microSDXC card for $19 (
$23) at Amazon, Samsung, Best Buy - Apple AirPods Pro true wireless ANC earphones for $175 (
$190) at Amazon, Target - Dell S2721DGF 27-inch monitor (1440p, 165 Hz, IPS, FreeSync) for $300 (
$370) at Best Buy - Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Core i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for $860 (
$1,000) at Amazon, Staples (with Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,000 at Best Buy) - Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition (PS4) for $10 (
$15) at PSN - Samsung T7 (1TB) portable SSD for $110 (
$127) at Amazon, Samsung, Best Buy (2TB for $230)
Jeff Dunn
Electronics deals
Samuel Axon
Laptop and desktop PC deals
- Apple MacBook Pro 14.2-inch laptop (3024×1964, Apple M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,799 (
$1,985) at Amazon, Best Buy - Apple MacBook Pro 16.2-inch laptop (3456×2234, Apple M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $2,299 (
$2,470) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H - Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Core i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for $860 (
$1,000) at Amazon, Staples (with Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,000 at Best Buy) - Dell S2721DGF 27-inch monitor (1440p, 165 Hz, IPS, FreeSync) for $300 (
$370) at Best Buy - Samsung 980 Pro (1TB NVMe) PCIe Gen 4 internal SSD for $150 (
$175) at Amazon, Samsung (2TB for $280) - SK Hynix Gold P31 (1TB NVMe) PCIe Gen 3 internal SSD for $93 (
$130) at Amazon
Andrew Cunningham
Video game deals
Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Cuphead (PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch) for $15 (
$20) at Amazon, Steam, GOG, PSN, Xbox, Nintendo eShop - Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition (PC) for $18 (
$30) at GOG, Steam - Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (PC) for $16 (
$25) at GOG - Max Payne 3 (PC) for $7 (
$15) at Steam ($9 at Xbox) - Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PC) for $3 (
$10) at GOG ($4 at PSN) - Gears 5 (Xbox) for $10 (
$20) at Best Buy (also on Game Pass) - Spec Ops: The Line (Xbox, PC) for $6 (
$15) at Xbox, GOG, Steam (XBL Gold required)
Accessories and miscellaneous deals
- Samsung Evo Plus (512GB, U3, A2, V30) microSDXC card for $55 (
$73) at Newegg (use code: 93XSN34, Amazon-exclusive version for $60) - Samsung Pro Plus (128GB, U3, A2, V30) microSDXC card for $19 (
$23) at Amazon, Samsung, Best Buy - SanDisk Ultra (400GB, U1) microSDXC card for $40 (
$47) at Amazon - SanDisk Extreme (1TB, U3, V30) microSDXC card for $149 (
$175) at Amazon - Aura Mason digital photo frame for $179 (
$195) at Aura Frames - Apple Leather Case with MagSafe (Midnight) for iPhone 13 for $40 (
$50) at Amazon, Walmart
