$300 off a MacBook Pro and 11 Other Back to School Tech Deals to Score Right Now
The start of the fall semester is right around the corner, which means new classes, late nights, and back to school tech deals.
If you’re still looking for the right computer, or a couple of extra gadgets to help you inside or outside the classroom, we’ve got you covered. Below you’ll find deals on the everything from speakers and headphones, to room essentials like TVs and coffee machines. While these deals are perfect for students, almost none of them are tied to an official “back to school” sale, so their prices can return to normal at any time.
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For even more deals, check out our more extensive guide to back to school sales, which covers discounts on clothes, furniture, and bedding in addition to tech.
1. Apple iPad Air (5th Gen)
Amazon
Apple’s iPad Air is one of our favorite tablets, and it’s currently $40 off. The 5th Gen has an upgraded 12MP Ultra Wide FaceTime HD camera, which makes your background look a little brighter if you’re still taking virtual Zoom classes. You can also shoot and edit 4K video on the 10.9-inch display, making it a breeze if you’re a film student, or just want to capture this semester’s memories. It’s also the easiest (and lightest) way to carry around your required reading list, class notes, and personal book library.
Buy: Apple iPad Air (5h Gen) $559.00
2. AirPods Pro
Apple rarely discounts its tech, but you can save $69 on its AirPods Pro right now. The totally wireless earbuds support ANC (active noise cancellation) offer up to five hours of music playback on a single charge, and come in a wireless charging battery case. The battery case charges your AirPods when they’re inside, and can add up to 18 additional hours of playback time.
Buy: Apple AirPods Pro $179.99
3. Insignia 32-Inch Smart HD Fire TV
Amazon
Insignia’s 32-inch Smart HD Fire TV is the perfect set for dorm rooms, and it’s just $99.99 right now.
It has a resolution of 720P (HD), so your videos will look very clear, and it has Fire TV built right in, so you can access popular streaming services without plugging in a media streamer. This TV has three HDMI ports (enough for you to connect all of your gadgets at once), one USB port, an Ethernet port, and support for both Wi-Fi and Alexa.
As a bonus, the TV uses DTS TruSurround audio system, so you’ll get that total immersion surround sound.
Buy: Insignia 32-Inch Smart HD Fire TV $99.99
4. MacBook Pro
Amazon
We consider the MacBook Pro the gold standard for Apple laptops, and it’s currently available for $300 off.
This model comes with Apple’s powerful M1 chip that enhances battery life and performance, 16GB (gigabytes) of memory, 512GB of storage and a 14-inch high resolution “Liquid Retina” display. These specs are more than good enough for writing papers, creating presentations, streaming videos in HD or 4K, or light image, music or video editing.
The computer has a 1080P HD webcam, so you can video chat without plugging in an external one, and a Thunderbolt port, which allows you to plug in accessories like an external monitor. All of this power comes in a laptop that weighs 3.5 pounds.
If you need a college laptop that’s going to last longer than your four years of school, this is a great pick.
Note: If you know you need even more power, you can save $200 on a 16-inch MacBook Pro. It’s available for $2,249 on Amazon.
5. Sony LinkBuds S
Sony
Sony updates it’s best-in-class noise-cancellation with its latest LinkBuds S, which are on sale right now for $52 off.
The earbuds’ smart features actually learn from your behavior, and automatically adjust sound settings to provide the right sound for the moment. That means it’ll pump up the noise-cancelling when you’re on public transport, but as soon as you start walking to class, it’ll let in a bit more ambient noise so you can stay aware of your surroundings.
The new Integrated Processor V1 gives you crisp, balanced sound quality so your tunes sound great with or without noise-cancellation. This is a solid pick if you want earbuds that’ll help you stay productive throughout the semester.
5. Canon imageCLASS Wireless Printer
Amazon
If I could only recommend one tech accessory to college students based on personal experience, it’d be a printer. Canon’s imageCLASS LBP6230DW is a compact, space-saving printer and is on sale for 6% off.
It can print at a rate of 26 pages per minute, and supports Wi-Fi, so you can print from your computer, tablet, or phone without a cable. Finally, since it only prints in black and white (you won’t really need color when you’re printing pages for class readings), you’ll only need to replace one kind of toner cartridge, which can save you a few bucks down the road.
Buy: Canon imageCLASS Wireless Printer $159.00
6. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Amazon
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 is one of the most well-rounded Windows PCs available right now, and it’s currently $455 cheaper than normal.
This version of the machine has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of Memory, 128GB of storage, and a 12.3-inch high resolution touch screen. The laptop comes with a keyboard, which can be detached to put the Surface Pro 7 into “tablet” mode. This two-in-one approach is great if you prefer using touch screens for general tasks, but need a keyboard for productivity work. Like a tablet, the Surface Pro 7 has both a back-facing camera (8 megapixels) and front-facing camera (5 megapixels), which can be used for video conferencing.
The Surface Pro 7 has one USB-C port, USB-A port, and one Surface Connect port for connecting peripherals, and a MicroSD card slot that lets you expand its storage with a memory card. This computer weighs 1.7 pounds on its own, and 2.4 pounds with its keyboard attached.
If you need a sleek, powerful, 2-in-1 Windows laptop, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 is a great choice.
Buy: Microsoft Surface Pro 7 $874.99
7. Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones
Amazon
Beats’ Solo3 on-ear headphones give you practically unbeatable all-day listening capabilities. The headphones, which are currently $70 off, supports Siri controls, gets up to 40 hours of battery life per charge, and supports Apple’s Spatial Audio, which means it can create an even more immerse experience for music, movies, and games.
They feature Apple’s W1 chip, which reduces lag when they’re paired with Apple devices, although they can be paired to any phone, tablet, or computer over Bluetooth. Beats’ drivers sound great (we’ve tested several of their headphones), but what sets the Solo3s apart is how it optimizes sound quality for the longest listening sesh possible. If you’re trying to make it through a study sesh, or want a pair of headphones that sound and look great, this is your best bet.
Buy: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones $129.95
8. Samsung 28-Inch UE570 UHD 4K Gaming Monitor
Amazon
One of the easiest ways to boost your productivity is connecting your computer to an external monitor.
This 4K monitor from Samsung is $30 cheaper than normal, and doesn’t skimp on features. Its high resolution will make images, video, and text look extremely clear. It has a one DisplayPort and two HDMI ports, so you can hook up your computer and two additional gadgets (a game console, for instance) and use the monitor as a 4K TV.
One feature that helps distinguish this monitor from its competition is its “eye saver mode,” which gently reduces the amount of blue light it emits, so your eyes don’t get irritated after a long night of schoolwork.
Buy: Samsung 28-Inch UE570 UHD 4K Gaming Monitor $439.99
9. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 Gaming Laptop
Amazon
Acer’s offering a $110 discount on its Nitro 5 gaming laptop, and it’s the perfect fit if you’re a PC gamer who needs a portable machine.
It has a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H processor running at 4.5GHz, 8GB of memory, 256GB of storage, a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, and a 15.6-inch 1080P display. It may not have a touch screen, but the Nitro 5’s display has a 144Hz (hertz) refresh rate, so games will run super smoothly. The laptop has an RGB keyboard, which you can customize to show the color you like, which is a nice piece of flair.
This laptop has two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, and one HDMI port. From a power and connectivity perspective the Acer Nitro 5 is well-equipped to handle just about anything you throw at it. Whether you play a lot of games, do graphics-intensive work like video and image editing, or need a machine with a lot of power under the hood, you won’t be disappointed.
Buy: Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop $729.90
10. Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers
Amazon
Edifier’s R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers are the perfect all-in-one dorm room audio system, and they’re 20% off right now.
The speakers have two drivers (the part of a speaker that produces sound) a 4-inch woofer to handle midrange and low frequencies, and a 13mm silk dome tweeter to handle the highs. By spreading sounds across two drivers, you end up with more detail in your audio.
The main reason we’re recommending these speakers (besides great sound) is that they’re active (also known as powered) speakers. That means they’ve got an amplifier built inside of them, so you don’t need a separate one for your system. The speakers have two sets of RCA inputs, an optical input, and a coaxial input, so you can connect a turntable and TV to them at the same time.
If you want a great-sounding compact stereo system for your dorm, this is the set to get.
Buy: Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers $95.99
11. Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker
Amazon
Great for dorm rooms, and smaller kitchen spaces, supply your semester’s caffeine habit with Keurig’s K-Slim coffee maker — and this deal gets you $45 off so you can score this machine for under $100. This compact single-serve coffee machine is less than 5 inches wide, but can brew up to 4 cups at a time without needing a refill for the 46 ounce reservoir.
Choose from three different sizes to whip up the coffee that best suits your level of midterms or finals burnout. It even accommodates travel mugs, so you can take that fresh cup to go when you’re running out the door to class. You won’t have to wait on line and risk being late for class either — the K-Slim has your coffee ready in minutes.
Buy: Keurig K-Slim Single Serve Coffee Maker $97.00
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