A very special Dealmaster: Last-minute deals you can still grab

We’re entering the last week of the year and, as you might’ve guessed, there’s still a fair amount of last-minute gifts to grab at some of the best prices you’ll find all year. In this week’s Dealmaster we have some of our favorite big-ticket items matching their all-time low prices, including the latest iPad, Google Pixel’s (6, 6a, and 7), Sony headphones and earphones, and the latest Apple AirPods Pro, to name a few.

iPads are the best tablet devices for most people. At their full retail prices, the regular iPad is usually in an awkward position that makes the iPad Air a slightly better buy. With the current discount, the base iPad moves further away from that odd territory and more squarely into frame as a solid all-around buy for tablet seekers. The iPad Air is also on sale for just $100 more at $499 if having the M1 processor is important to you.

Google’s Pixel phone lineup has previously had a similar situation, but the main “issue” here is that the lowest-end Pixel, the Pixel 6a is just too darn good a bargain. That’s still the case at its currently discounted $299 price, but we couldn’t fault you for buy a $499 ($100 off) Pixel 7 to gain that more buttery 90 Hz refresh rate and, to some, slightly nicer styling.

There are also a few solid deals on 4K TVs to grab that span from mid- to higher-end. For the gamers out there, the gift of VR via the $350 Meta Quest 2 Resident Evil and Beat Saber bundle will save a decent chunk of change, as well as some time trying to figure out what games to get. Otherwise, you can always go the “old-school” route and pick up an Xbox Series S for $250 from Target.

Elsewhere around the web, we have discounts on Google’s entire smart home lineup, the Apple Watch SE, Samsung SD and microSD cards, headphones by Beats, Sony, and Bose, and much more. Check the full curated list below. Just be advised, some items may arrive after Christmas, but New Year’s eve is a great time to exchange gifts too!

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured deals of the day

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate three-month membership digital code for $38 ($45) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro (second generation) true wireless ANC earphones for $199 ($250) at Amazon
• Hisense U6GR (2021) 55-inch 4K ULED TV with Roku TV for $370 ($600) at Best Buy
• Roborock E5 robot mop and vacuum for $200 ($360) at Amazon (after clipping $160 coupon)
• Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless ANC earphones for $178 ($248) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Google Pixel 6a (128GB) smartphone for $299 ($450) at Amazon
• Apple iPad 10.9-inch (2022) Wi-Fi, 64GB for $399 ($447) at Amazon
• Google Pixel Watch smartwatch for $300 ($350) at Amazon, Target
• Microsoft Xbox Series S console for $250 ($290) at Target
• Meta Quest 2 (128GB) + Resident Evil 4 and Beat Saber Black Friday bundle for $350 ($400) at Target, Walmart, Best Buy
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Core i5 Intel Evo Platform, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $800 ($1,000) at Amazon, (with Surface Pro Keyboard for $855 at Walmart)
• Bose QuietComfort 45 wireless ANC over-ear headphones for $249 ($329) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Sony LinkBuds S true wireless ANC earphones for $128 ($198) at Amazon
• Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh router two-pack (latest generation) for $122 ($269) at Amazon (three-pack for $180)

Electronics deals

• Hisense U6GR (2021) 55-inch 4K ULED TV with Roku TV for $370 ($600) at Best Buy
• Sony A80J (2022) 55-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,000 ($1,198) at Best Buy
• LG C2 (2022) 48-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,050 ($1,420) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart
• LG B2 (2022) 65-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,299 ($1,498) at Best Buy
• Samsung QN85B (2022) 85-inch 4K QLED TV with Alexa built-in for $2,349 ($2,798) at Walmart
• Apple Watch SE first-generation (40 mm) smartwatch for $199 ($230) Walmart
• Apple iPad 10.9-inch (2022) Wi-Fi, 64GB for $399 ($447) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Air 10.9-inch (2022) Wi-Fi, 64GB for $499 ($551) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Apple iPad Pro M1 11-inch (2022) Wi-Fi, 128GB for $729 ($800) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Pro M1 12.9-inch (2021) Wi-Fi, 128GB for $800 ($999) at Best Buy
• Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch for $210 at Amazon
• GoPro Hero 11 Black 4K camera + one-year GoPro subscription for $400 ($550) at GoPro
• GoPro Hero 8 Black 4K camera for $200 ($300) at Best Buy

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (Apple M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $799 ($950) at Amazon
• Apple MacBook Air (2022) 13.6-inch laptop (Apple M2, 2560×1664, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $999 ($1,199) at Amazon, ($1,049 at Best Buy)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Core i5 Intel Evo, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $787 ($1,000) at Amazon, (with Surface Pro Keyboard for $850 at Walmart)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) with Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,099 ($1,300) at Costco
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 from $500, up to $150 off, at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 from $650, up to $646 off, at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13-inch tablet PC (2880×1920, Core i5 Intel Evo, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $900 at Amazon
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8 from $800, up to $500 off, at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 from $900, up to $400 off, at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 from $1,000, up to $300 off, at Microsoft
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio from $1,350, up to $500 off, at Microsoft

• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 13-inch Chromebook ‎(1920×1080, Intel Core i3-1115G4, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for $328 ($420) at Amazon
• Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch curved gaming monitor (240 Hz, FreeSync, G-Sync (5120×1440) for $945 ($1,200) at Amazon
• Samsung M8 Series 32-inch 4K smart monitor & streaming TV, AirPlay-compatible ‎(3840×2160) for $400 ($729) at Amazon
• Dell G2722HS 27-inch gaming monitor—(1080p,165 Hz, IPS, FreeSync, G-Sync compatible) for $150 ($250) at Amazon
• Crucial X8 (2TB) portable SSD USB-C 3.2 for $140 ($180) at Best Buy
• WD My Passport (1TB) portable SSD for $95 ($128) at Amazon
• Logitech StreamCam webcam for PC and Mac for $100 ($130) at Amazon
• SanDisk Extreme V2 (1TB) portable SSD for $100 ($120) at Amazon
• Samsung T7 Shield (1TB) rugged portable SSD, IP65 water-resistant for $95 ($109) at Amazon
• Crucial P5 Plus (1TB) SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for $88 ($110) at Amazon
• AMD Ryzen 5 4500 3.6 GHz six-core/12-thread processor for $79 ($130) at Best Buy
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 4.8 GHz 12-core/24-thread desktop CPU processor for $340 ($400) at Amazon

Headphone deals

• Apple AirPods Pro (second generation) true wireless ANC earphones for $199 ($250) at Amazon
  
• Beats Studio Buds true wireless earphones for $90 ($135) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart
• Beats Powerbeats Pro true wireless ANC earphones for $150 ($200) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Beats Fit Pro true wireless ANC earphones for $160 ($195) at Amazon, Target
• Bose QuietComfort 45 wireless ANC over-ear headphones for $249 ($329) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Bose QuietComfort II wireless ANC true wireless earphones for $249 ($300) at Amazon
• Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless ANC over-ear headphones for $348 ($400) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart
• Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless ANC over-ear headphones for $275 ($350) at Amazon
• Sennheiser Momentum 3 true wireless ANC earphones for $200 ($230) at Amazon
• Sony LinkBuds S true wireless ANC earphones for $128 ($198) at Amazon
• Jabra Elite 3 true wireless earphones for $50 ($70) at Amazon, Best Buy

Smart home and home audio deals

• Google Nest Hub Max smart display for $164 ($229) at Target, Walmart
• Google Nest Hub 7-inch smart display for $50 ($90) at Target, Best Buy
• Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh router three-pack (previous generation) for $130 ($200) at Amazon
• Google Nest Wi-Fi mesh router two-pack (latest generation) for $122 ($269) at Amazon (three-pack for $180)
• Google Nest Doorbell battery-powered video doorbell for $120 ($180) at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy
• Google Nest Security Cam indoor wired second generation for $70 ($100) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• Google Nest Security Cam outdoor or indoor, wired second-generation for $128 ($170) at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy
• Google Nest Cam with floodlight outdoor security camera for $200 ($250) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Google Nest Mini smart speaker for $25 ($50) at Target, Best Buy
• Google Nest Hub smart display for $50 ($100) at Target, Best Buy, Walmart
• Google Nest Thermostat for $90 ($130) at Amazon
• Google Nest learning smart thermostat for $189 ($250) at Amazon

Video game deals

Gaming deals

Accessories and miscellaneous deals