Let the home, personal tech deals begin
TVs, smartphones and robot vacuums are among hottest annual deals of Black Friday, Cyber Monday
How’s this for an understatement: If there was ever a year that we — and our homes — could benefit from a sale, it’s this one.
And while next week’s Black Friday shopping event may look a little different during a global pandemic, there are deals to be had Nov. 27 (online, too, if that works better for you) followed by Cyber Monday, Nov. 30.
Retailers won’t likely be too picky about dates this year, so you can expect many of these deep discounts available leading up to these dates.
So, if you’re looking to pick up some holiday tech items, here are some examples of the hottest deals:
For TV lovers: LG NanoCell 75-Inch 4K UHD HDR LCD webOS Smart TV
Price: $1,499.99. Savings: $1,000
Where: Best Buy, BestBuy.ca If you believe bigger is better, but don’t want to necessarily pay for the luxury, LG’s massive 75-inch television (model no. 75NANO80) offers up to 4K resolution (more than eight million pixels, or dots) for a crystal clear picture, as well as support for high dynamic range (resulting in better contrast, brightness and colour).
Even though it’s not one of LG’s top-of-the-line and stunningly thin OLED televisions, these NanoCell LCD televisions are real lookers.
As a Smart TV, this television runs LG’s own webOS platform, which lets you download apps and stream from popular video services (such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TVplus, Disney Plus, YouTube), most of which require a subscription, as well as access to social media.
Bundled is a “magic remote” that offers both voice support and mouse-like navigation. For photography fans: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Price: $764.99. Savings: $185 Where: Samsung.ca From November 18-30, you can score Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE (“Fan Edition”) 5G smartphone, for $185 off the sticker price.
Available in several colours — navy, lavender, mint, red, white, and orange — this smartphone was designed for those who like
to snap photos or shoot video. It boasts several camera lenses on the front and back, a 30x “Space Zoom” to clearly capture a subject from afar, impressive nighttime shots thanks to a bigger sensor and smart artificial intelligence (A.I.), and up to 8K video capture.
Other features include a 6.5inch, Full HD+ screen that can run video (and games) at a silky smooth120Hz (“hertz”) refresh rate; a huge 4500mAh battery to give you all-day performance; and support for 5G cellular networks for faster uploads and downloads.
For busy homeowners: iRobot Roomba 614 Floor Vacuum Robot
Price: $249.99. Savings: $100
Where: Best Buy
You don’t need to spend upwards of $1,500 for an iRobot floor vac when the Roomba 614, on sale for $250, can do a comparable job.
With its three-stage cleaning system and dual multi-surface brushes, this circular ’bot will navigate around your home, clean debris and dirt from carpets and hard floors, while the edge-sweeping brush is specially designed to tackle corners (essentially knocking out the dust bunnies and pet hair into its path). Thanks to its sensors, the Roomba 614 can navigate under and around furniture, and won’t fall down the stairs if it detects a drop.
Once it’s done its job or if it needs a recharge (after about 90 minutes), it’ll drive itself back to the base to begin juicing up for the next time.
For audiophiles: Sony WH-1000X M3 Headphones Price: $299.99. Savings: $150
Where: Sony.ca
While they’re two years old, Sony’s WH-1000X M3s are still one of the best pair of headphones money can buy — and
now for $150 off.
In fact, the notoriously tough reviewers at CNET.com also consider the M3s in their top picks for wireless, noise-cancelling headphones, rivalling Bose, and netting a score of 4 1⁄ stars
2 out of 5.
Whether you’re listening to music, podcasts, or radio shows, these headphones block out ambient noise around you thanks to the company’s proprietary HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1.
They’re also ideal for taking calls hands-free via your mobile phone (especially for those who work from home), PC gaming, or can be paired with a Bluetooth-enabled TV for private listening.
Along with the premium sound quality from 40-mm liquid crystal polymer drivers, Sony’s 1000X M3 are super comfortable and have a battery life of up to 30 hours between charges, plus a quick-charge
feature that gives you fivehours of playback from just a 10-minute charge.
For gamers: Nintendo Switch Bundle
Price: $399.99. Savings: $90 Where: TheSource.ca (after Nov. 22).
Usually $399 by itself, the Nintendo Switch is a versatile console that can be played on the go — to help reduce the “are we there yet?” in the back seat — as well as at home since it can be docked into a TV to play on a big-screen. The system now supports more than 2,000 games.
Available on Black Friday, Nintendo Switch Bundle ($399) includes a download code to play the popular Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game ($79) and a three-month membership to Nintendo Switch Online, a pay service that supports multiplayer games, “cloud” save files, a companion app for mobile devices, and special offers.
Additionally, several Nintendo Switch games will also be available for $49.99 each, which is $30 off their regular suggested price. This discount is available on games, such as Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and others.
For iPhone owners: Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) with Charging Case
Price: $187. Savings: $32 Where: eBay
While $32 may not seem like a big discount, sought-after Apple products — like AirPods — rarely go on sale.
Open the small, white charging case of the 2nd Gen Apple AirPods and your nearby iPhone (or Apple Watch, iPad or Mac) will immediately find and connect these trendy inear headphones. AirPods can even sense when they’re in your ears and pause when you take them out.
To perform actions like making a call, getting directions or skipping between songs, simply say “Hey, Siri,” followed by your request. Or, when you wear one or both AirPods, you can also play or skip forward with a double-tap.
Powered by Apple’s H1 headphone chip, AirPods deliver about five hours of listening time and three hours of talk time, plus the charging case holds multiple charges (totalling more than 24 hours of listening time).
And yes, you can use them with an Android or Windows device, too.