The best deals on Select’s Giftable Tech Awards Winners
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Black Friday is officially here, and retailers are offering notable discounts on many of NBC Select’s Giftable Tech Awards winners. Many of these sales run through Cyber Monday, and you can also find deals on fitness, home and kitchen products.
We compiled the best deals on our Giftable Tech award winners that we think you’ll want to know about. We’ll continue updating you about new savings opportunities throughout the next few days. We also compiled a list of Black Friday bestsellers, so you can see what other Select readers are shopping for during the sale event.
Best Black Friday deals on NBC Select Giftable Tech Award winners
All of our recommendations below are based on our previous coverage and reporting from the Giftable Tech Awards. We’re running deals through price trackers like CamelCamelCamel to ensure each product is either at its lowest price ever or its lowest price in at least three months.
Soundcore Life Q30
Soundcore Life Q30
Award: Best budget headphone
4.5-star average rating from 59,243 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
If you need a great pair of noise-canceling headphones, these are one of the best options under $100. They have automated noise canceling that helps reduce loud sounds that come from air conditioners or planes, in our experience. The headphones get up to 40 hours of battery life, and a quick five-minute charge gives back four hours of use, according to the brand.
Apple AirTag
Apple AirTag
Award: Best tracker for Apple users
4.7-star average rating from 153,629 reviews on Amazon
Apple’s AirTag is great for anyone who tends to misplace their keys, purse, backpack or anything else. The coin-sized tracker connects to Apple’s FindMy app and can point to the precise location of the AirTag. It does not come with a strap, so buying a holder like this one from Belkin may be helpful.
Anker Nano 621 Power Bank (Lightning)
Anker Nano 621 Power Bank (Lightning)
Anker Nano 621 Power Bank (Lightning) $ at Anker Innovations Limited
Award: Best wire-free power bank
4.3-star average rating from 1,666 reviews on Amazon
This pocket-sized portable charger is specifically designed for Apple devices like iPhones, iPads and AirPods. The power bank has a built-in lightning connector so you can plug it into compatible tech without needing an extra cord. You can recharge the power bank as needed with the included USB-C cable.
Apple iPad (10th Gen)
Apple iPad (10th Gen)
Award: Best Apple tablet
4.8-star average rating from 7,331 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
This latest tablet from Apple has tons of improvements over the 9th gen model, including a larger, higher resolution screen, two built-in speakers (instead of one), better cameras for video chats and more. It’s also compatible with Apple accessories like keyboards and styluses.
JLab Go Air Pop
JLab Go Air Pop
Award: Best value earbuds
4.4-star average rating from 38,353 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
At $20, these fun earbuds are a great value. They maintain a steady connection with your devices, sound surprisingly good considering the price and have a charging cable built into the case. They don’t have noise-canceling or transparency modes, but at this price, that isn’t a surprise.The buds and charging case combined get up to 32 hours of battery life, according to the brand.
Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones
Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones $ at Amazon
Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones $ at Best Buy
Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones $ at Target
Award: Best noise-canceling headphones
4.4-star average rating from 252 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
These are the headphones I use most often at work — they have the strongest noise cancellation, perfect for when you need to focus and get things done. They have physical buttons on the ear cups that control noise-cancellation modes, volume and playback. Included in the clamshell hard case is an audio cable you can use to physically plug the headphones into computers and airplane seatback players.
The previous model of these headphones, the original Bose QuietComfort 45, are also steeply discounted.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C)
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C)
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C) $ at Amazon
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C) $ at Best Buy
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C) $ at Target
Award: Best Apple earbuds
4.7-star average rating from 2,511 reviews on Amazon
AirPods Pro are some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. Multiple Select staff members use these earbuds daily for commuting, making calls and listening to music while working out. They have crisp sounds and excellent noise-canceling features, in our experience. These second-generation models come with multiple ear tips in the box, a lanyard loop on the charging case and touch-sensitive volume controls on the earbuds for easy adjusting. This version has a USB-C port for charging instead of a Lightning port. (This isn’t the best price we’ve seen for these AirPods, but only by $1.)
JBL Clip 4
JBL Clip 4
Award: Best portable speaker
4.8-star average rating from 25,630 reviews on Amazon
This Bluetooth speaker is one of our favorite tech gadgets for travel — it’s great for hikes, bike rides, camping trips, picnics or beach days. It’s designed to clip onto a bag (or really anything) using its built-in carabiner. The speaker is also water and dustproof, with an IP67 protection rating. Plus, it has up to 10 hours of battery life, according to the brand.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with clock
Echo Dot (5th Gen)
Award: Best smart speaker
4.7-star average rating from 53,018 reviews on Amazon
The Echo Dot is Amazon’s flagship smart speaker and a favorite of NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin’s. An avid baker, Malin uses this speaker in her kitchen to set timers via the built-in Alexa voice assistant, get news alerts, play music, control smart lights and more. You can buy it in a bundle with a smart bulb included for free.
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Bundle
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Bundle
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Bundle $ at Amazon
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Bundle $ at Best Buy
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Bundle $ at Walmart
Award: Best handheld gaming console
4.8-star average rating from 5,180 reviews on Amazon
Gamers and non-gamers alike can find something to love in this handheld gaming console. Nearly half of the NBC Select team own a Nintendo Switch, and use it at home or when traveling — you can play it handheld or dock it and hook it up to a TV. This bundle includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of Nintendo Online membership at no extra cost.
Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K
Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K
Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K $ at Amazon
4.5-star average rating from 9,440 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
Have you ever run out of charge on a plane, train or bus? I have, and this portable power bank has saved me from being stranded with a dead phone. It has both a USB-A and a USB-C port, meaning you can connect all sorts of cables for charging various devices (it also comes with both types of cables in the box).
Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Series 9
Award: Best Apple smartwatch
4.6-star average rating from 480 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
The new Apple Watch Series 9 has a few new tricks that make it my favorite model yet. It has a new hands-free gesture called “double tap” that lets you control the watch by pinching your index finger and thumb together, which can be faster and simpler than tapping, in my experience. Like the previous models, it syncs with Apple’s Health and Fitness apps to provide useful data to stay informed about workouts and sleep habits. The watch comes in two sizes with dozens of watch bands to choose from.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 $ at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 $ at Best Buy
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 $ at Samsung
Award: Best Android smartwatch
4.2-star average rating from 131 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
The Galaxy Watch 6 is a stylish and sophisticated smartwatch. It has a flat, circular display and soft-touch wristband that makes it comfortable, too. It tracks notifications, heart rate, BMI, sleep zones, workouts and so much more. It comes in two sizes, as well as a Watch 6 Classic option with a rotating dial around the bezel of the frame.
Tomtoc 360 Protective Laptop Sleeve
Tomtoc 360 Protective Laptop Sleeve
Tomtoc 360 Protective Laptop Sleeve $ at Amazon
Award: Best laptop case
4.8-star average rating from 20,031 reviews on Amazon
This protective laptop case has saved my computer from many falls and tumbles. It has a zipper closure and extra layers of padding around the corners — it feels soft yet secure. The zipper pocket on the top of the case can store cables, chargers or earbuds. The sleeve comes in multiple colors and is available in 13-inch, 14-inch, 15-inch and 16-inch sizes.
Roku Streambar
Roku Streambar
Award: Best overall soundbar
4.5-star average rating from 11,011 reviews on Amazon
The Roku Streambar is a soundbar and streaming stick in one. With it, they can stream their favorite TV shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and more, all in 4K resolution (3840 by 2160 pixels). Dialogue sounds crystal clear — I don’t have to turn the volume to hear voices or turn it down during blaring action sequences. It connects over HDMI, and is easy to set up, similar to other Roku streaming devices.
Google Pixel Tablet
Google Pixel Tablet
Award: Best Android tablet
4.4-star average rating from 221 reviews on Amazon
Dhawan uses the Google Pixel Tablet at home and loves the easy integration with Google Home smart gadgets — she uses Google Assistant to control her smart lights with voice controls. It comes with a speaker dock that charges the tablet and boosts its volume when attached.
Marshall Emberton II Portable Speaker
Marshall Emberton II
Award: Best overall speaker
4.7-star average rating from 1,161 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
This speaker sounds great and looks even better, resembling a tiny, shrunk-down amplifier you might see at a concert. Despite its small size, it has room-filling sound even at 50% volume, says former associate commerce editor Nishka Dhawan. Even at the lowest volume setting, thumping EDM tracks and wistful vocals sound crisp and clear, according to Dhawan. The speaker gets up to 30 hours on a single charge, according to the brand and has an IP67 dust and water resistance — so you don’t need to worry about accidental pool-side splashes.
When is Black Friday 2023?
Black Friday takes place every year the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday 2023 falls on Nov. 24. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer just 24-hour events, experts say. They’re morphed into weeks of doorbuster deals, and some early sales start in October or November. Throughout the next few days, we’ll continue updating you about new savings opportunities, as well as tips about what to buy during the event and what you may want to wait on purchasing.
Why trust Select?
Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter for NBC Select who has covered deals and sales for over two years. To round up the best Black Friday Giftable Tech deals, he found discounted products either at their lowest price ever or their lowest prices in three months.
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