Best Buy’s President’s Day sale ends on Monday, so you have the weekend to look over offers. The retailer sells everything from fridges to electric scooters, but as usual we focused on mobile offers.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is $50 off. Only 128GB units are available in new condition, though there are also 256GB open-box ones for $565. The FE is no match for the shiny new Galaxy S24 in terms of performance and lacks the new LTPO display, but the S24 is $800 for a matching 8/128GB unit.
Additionally, you can pick up the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE alongside the S23 FE for $50 more. The buds have an MSRP of $100, though they can often be found for $80 or so. Anyway, $50 is a solid deal for TWS buds with noise cancellation. They promise 21 hours of play time with the case and have an IPX2 rating.
Next up, we will look at a selection of Apple tablets. Starting with the budget option, the iPad 10.2 from 2021 has an Apple A13 chipset (7nm+, iPhone 11 generation) and a 10.2” IPS LCD (60Hz) with 1st gen Apple Pencil support. Note that this one uses a Lightning port.
The Apple iPad 10.9 from 2022 gets a newer Apple A14 chipset (5nm, iPhone 12 generation) and while the display is slightly larger, it’s basically the same (down to the 1st gen stylus support). However, the 2022 slate has a more modern look with no Home button on the front (the fingerprint reader is on top) and a USB-C connector (with DisplayPort video out). The 2022 model is $100 more.
For another $100 more we are looking at the Apple iPad Air (5th gen) also from 2022. It has the same display as the iPad 2022 – 60Hz is slow given the performance available on tap. And that is the venerable Apple M1 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM (double what the iPad 2022 has). Also, StageManager is supported on external displays over USB-C. The display does have one difference, actually, it supports 2nd generation Apple Pencils.
The Apple iPad mini hasn’t been updated in a while, the 2021 one is still the latest model. It launched with a newer chipset, the Apple A15 (5nm, iPhone 13 generation), though it still has only 4GB of RAM. The 8.3” IPS LCD runs at 60Hz and does support 2nd gen Pencils. The mini also has a USB-C with DisplayPort.
The original MacBook Air 13.3” with the Apple M1 chip is available for $750 (this is for the 8/256GB configuration). It has a 2,560 x 1,600px display, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A ports, 30W charging over USB-C and Wi-Fi 6 (ax) connectivity.
For $200 more you can upgrade to the Apple M2 powered MacBook Air (also with 8/256GB). This one has a slightly larger 13.6” display, but the camera is in a notch. Connectivity includes 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-C, 67W charging over USB-C, though MagSafe is supported as well.
If you want a larger laptop, the 15” Apple MacBook Air has the same M2 processor and a larger 15.3” 2,880 x 1,864px display. It has a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C ports, 67W charging over USB-C and MagSafe. This larger model is only $50 more than the 13.6” one.
If you’re going to work at a desk, you can have the M2 performance for half the price – the Mac mini is $500 with the same 8/256GB configuration. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (which can drive two displays), HDMI, two USB-A, Wi-Fi 6E (ax) and Ethernet (gigabit on this model, though some have 10Gb ports).
For better or for worse, the smartwatches that work best with iPhones are made by Apple. The second generation Apple Watch SE from 2022 lacks the ECG and other advanced health tracking features of pricier models, but it has an aluminum frame, a 1.78” LTPO OLED display, 50m water resistance and tight integration with iOS.
The Apple Watch Series 9 does have ECG and temperature sensing, plus a larger 1.9” LTPO OLED display with always on functionality. It also supports UWB 2 for tracking Apple AirTags. On the downside, it’s $160 more.
Finally, Apple upgraded the AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C port and lossless audio – though that only works with the Apple Vision Pro. More usable is the IP54 rating (the original Pro 2 model had IPX4, i.e. no dust resistance).
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