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Dealmaster —

The weekend’s best deals: Apple MacBooks, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, 4K TVs, and more

Dealmaster also has PC accessories, gift card deals, and some of our favorite wearables.

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The weekend’s best deals: Apple MacBooks, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, 4K TVs, and more
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Ars Technica

It's the weekend, which means it's time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5, the company's speedy T7 portable SSD, solid options for TVs in a range of sizes from TCL, LG, and Samsung, and $150 off the latest-generation MacBook Airs in different configurations.

Further Reading

MacBook buying guide: The right M1 or M2 laptop for each use case
The MacBook Air deal brings the new M2-powered laptop down to its lowest price only a few months after its June release. Both the 256GB and 512GB are available for $150 off at $1,049 and $1,349, respectively. While storage is the main difference to consider here, you can also grab a 2021 MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage for $1,049 and gain a bit better performance for sustained workloads and a nicer display.

We break down all the differences to consider in our MacBook buying guide, but the 2021 13-inch MacBook Pro falls right in between the 2022 MacBook Air (our pick for most users' basic needs) and the 2022 14-inch MacBook Pro (our pick for developers, engineers, and researchers) in terms of performance. While we feel the Air and 14-inch Pro are best for their target demos, the value of this deal may just tip the scales a bit further for the 13-inch Pro, which we feel strikes a balance between the two.

Further Reading

The best smartwatches for every type of user
Samsung has earned a couple of spots in our featured deals list with a $50 discount on the Galaxy Watch 5 ($250), and a modest discount on the T7 rugged portable SSD ($100). The Galaxy Watch 5 currently represents the best smartwatch available for Android users, particularly those with Samsung devices. With sensors for blood oxygen, heart rate, and ECG monitoring, it's a very capable fitness companion, although ECG monitoring does require a paired Samsung phone. After teaming up with Google to create one unified wearable OS on the Galaxy Watch 4, third-party app compatibility was greatly improved (although still nowhere near the compatibility an Apple Watch enjoys), and the OS is as smooth as ever.

Samsung's well-rounded QN85B 85-inch 4K QLED TV (2022) is also on sale at the lowest price we've ever tracked ($400 off). The $2,598 TV represents a strong value at its size. It performs well for gaming with HDMI 2.1 on all ports and refresh rates to match. Competent HDR performance and glare reduction make it a great choice for movie watching, as well. If you're looking for something smaller with comparable performance, LG's C2 48-inch OLED TV (2022) is a respectable contender in the mid-size range. Right now, the C2 is on sale for $1,197 ($220 off), with an additional $100 gift card to sweeten the deal. TCL's budget-conscious 5 Series 65-inch TV is also on sale for $550 (typically $700).

Heading off video game deals, we have a $20 discount that brings Super Smash Bros. Ultimate down to $40 with code SBSPMR10. There are also a handful of price cuts on some of our favorite games, like Cuphead, and a mix of computer components, smart home devices, gift cards, and deals on much more. You can check out our full curated list of deals below.

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

Featured deals of the day

<em>Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</em>.
Enlarge / Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Electronics deals

Google's second-generation Nest Hub is <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/07/googles-nest-hub-is-the-best-bedside-smart-display-and-sleep-tracking-helps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my favorite</a> bedside device and sleep tracker.
Enlarge / Google's second-generation Nest Hub is my favorite bedside device and sleep tracker.
Corey Gaskin
Fitbit's Sense has all the sensors you could ask for in a fitness tracker and deeper health insights and guidance than Apple Watches in some ways, particularly with Fitbit's Premium membership.
Enlarge / Fitbit's Sense has all the sensors you could ask for in a fitness tracker and deeper health insights and guidance than Apple Watches in some ways, particularly with Fitbit's Premium membership.
Corey Gaskin / Ars Technica

Laptop and desktop PC deals

The 2022 MacBook Air has MagSafe and two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.
Enlarge / The 2022 MacBook Air has MagSafe and two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.
Samuel Axon

Video game deals

Cuphead remains one of the most artistic, stylish, and freakin' hard games of recent years.
Enlarge / Cuphead remains one of the most artistic, stylish, and freakin' hard games of recent years.

Gaming deals

Apple's MagSafe case slips on easily and adds grip, and it works with Apple's MagSafe leather wallet.
Enlarge / Apple's MagSafe case slips on easily and adds grip, and it works with Apple's MagSafe leather wallet.
Corey Gaskin

Accessories and miscellaneous deals

Corey Gaskin Corey Gaskin is a Senior Commerce Writer with a huge soft spot for wearables, phones, VR, and overly-ambitious technology. He lives in Los Angeles and visits New Jersey (home) often.

Channel Ars Technica

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