Guess who hasn’t even started their holiday shopping yet? Yours truly. But I know, statistically speaking, surely I can’t be alone. Luckily I’ve hunted down some Walmart deals on gear that the WIRED team has hand-tested and would recommend to a friend. Today those friends are you and me. May the odds be ever in our favor.
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Tech Deals
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
This discount comes close to what we saw during Black Friday. The Samsung S90D (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our very favorite TVs out of the dozens and dozens we’ve tested. The colors are vivid, but not too vivid, and the contrast and black levels are perfect. It also comes equipped for gaming with a bevy of ports and support for Samsung’s Game Hub.
This is another great deal that’s a holdover from Black Friday sales. The Sony Bravia (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite QLED TV. The mini LEDs give it super bright backlighting, and it’s also packed with dimming technology to ensure contrast and black levels stay optimal. We wish it had a few more ports, but overall you’re getting stunning picture quality in nearly any environment at a price that could justifiably be higher.
This MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the cheapest MacBook you can buy, and the discount makes it even more attainable. It’s a little older now, but it’s still a great laptop for everyday tasks like getting work done, browsing the web, or binge-watching video essays on YouTube. If you just need a computer that’ll do the job without costing an arm and a leg, this is a very good option.
Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
On the hunt for a great-looking Chromebook? That’d be the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). Chromebooks often look bulky or dated, but the CX34 is sleek and svelte with an all-white design that belies its affordable price tag. It can handle multiple tabs and open apps, and the webcam looks great too. We wish the keyboard was backlit, but this is still an excellent, affordable option that might make a great gift for your household’s chief homework-doer.
Everybody should have a soundbar. The Bose Smart Soundbar (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is nice and compact, and despite its small footprint it packs in great, expansive sound that’ll immerse you in whatever you’re watching. Since it doesn’t have a subwoofer, you won’t get room-shaking bass, but it’s still going to sound much better than your TV’s tinny built-ins. Learn more about it and get additional recommendations in our Soundbars Buying Guide.
The new Beats Pill (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has the hallmark thumping bass that’s characteristic of Beats audio gear. And it packs all that sound into a portable little capsule-shaped package that’s got a 24-hour battery life and one-touch pairing for Apple and Android devices. It’s dust- and water-resistant and it can even charge your phone through its USB-C output. If you’re looking for a portable party, this Bluetooth speaker is absolutely worth checking out, especially at this price.
Photograph: Fitbit
The Fitbit Charge 6 is our favorite fitness tracker, and this is a very solid deal if you or a loved one have some health-related New Year’s Resolutions coming up. The tracker can help keep tabs on your steps, your heart rate, your skin temperature, and your sleep to name just a few key categories. Some features are locked behind a $10/month Fitbit Premium subscription, but we still think this offers a great suite of features for a very reasonable price. Find more recommendations in our Fitbit Buying Guide.
We’ve seen better discounts for it, but if you’re in the market, you can save a decent amount on the best gaming headset. The sound quality and fit are great. It has very low latency—important when you’re trying to figure out where you’re landing on the Fortnite map—and crystal-clear audio quality for when you’re trying to tell your teammates to heal you. And it does it all wirelessly. Read more about it in our Gaming Headset Buying Guide.
This deal beats Black Friday’s discount by ten bucks. It used to be hard to find cheap headphones at stocking stuffer prices, but that’s exactly what you’re getting here. Resident audio expert Parker Hall keeps a pair of these in his gym bag as a backup in case he forgets his usual cans. He says they sound totally decent, and the price tag is icing on the cake. A few different, fun colors are on sale. If your kid is always losing their earbuds or you just want a reliable backup pair, it’s hard to go wrong with this deal.
Home and Beauty Deals
Photograph: Dyson
This discount beats what we saw on Black Friday by a staggering $130. The Dyson V12 Detect (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite cordless Dyson vacuum for small spaces. It’s got a small canister, which makes it best suited to tasks like cleaning the kitchen or the living room rather than the entire house (unless you’re in a studio or one-bedroom in which case it might be able to handle the whole shebang). It’s compact and easy to store, and it has a few different attachments as well as a neat bright-green laser to help you spot any missed dust bunnies.
If you want a higher performance vacuum than the V12, you could check out the Dyson 15 Detect, which is the best Dyson vacuum overall. It’s lightweight and easy to maneuver, and it also has the eye-catching neon green laser that shines a spotlight on missed dirt and dust. The vacuum intelligently adjusts suction levels as you clean, and it can run for an hour before needing to be charged. It’s expensive but it’s high-quality and might be the best choice for folks with allergies.
The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a godsend when it comes to my chapped lips in harsh Midwestern winters. The balm-like texture is thick and sticky at first, but it quickly melts and sinks into those painful grooves and cracks, leaving behind soft and soothed skin. My jar has lasted for years because a little goes such a long way. It also makes a great cuticle cream in a pinch. We haven’t seen it sell for less.
This little gadget is our favorite blow-dry brush. It’s a revamped version of the original and it’s faster and smaller than the older model. It’s easy to use and gets your hair styled quickly, leaving behind volume and movement that’ll make your blowouts look fresh out of the salon. The brush is also detachable if you don’t need all that airflow but you still want to tame your tresses.
