We’re a week away from the next Amazon Prime Day — wait, I mean Amazon Prime Early Access Sale. But you don’t have to wait until then to get great deals that don’t require a Prime membership. Amazon is selling a selection of its Fire TV sticks up to 50 percent off. The cream of the crop, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, costs $34.99, and you can even get an extra 20 percent back when you trade in an old Fire TV stick. But even if you don’t have an older device to trade in, this $20 discount equates to the cheapest price ever on Amazon’s very best Fire TV Stick — matching the lightning deal price we saw from Prime Day a few months ago.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is packed with good specs for its price, including 4K resolution and HDR support with Amazon Alexa voice control. Notably, it also has Wi-Fi 6 for faster speeds if your Wi-Fi router supports it. It got a nod in our buying guide for being the very best streaming device in Amazon’s ecosystem, and at $35 price tag, it’s an easy recommendation. Read our review.
Select iRobot Roomba vacuums are available for purchase at multiple retailers — and that includes our top pick, the Roomba j7 and j7 Plus. The standard j7 retails for $399 ($209.99 off) at Amazon, Targetand wellbots. Or, if you’d rather opt for the j7 Plus and the included auto-empty docking station, it currently costs around $599 (the same $200.99 off) at Amazon, Targetand wellbots.
The Roomba j7 gets our top pick for robot vacuums thanks to its great balance of size, suction, features and price. It’s a very smart bot with a camera that uses AI to actively avoid obstacles, and the mapping software creates a customizable map of your home – complete with optional no-go zones to keep it from getting stuck in tricky areas. The roller and brush design also allows for easy hair removal. Don’t forget to budget for replacement brushes, rollers and filters a little further down the road (and bags too if you get the cleaning station with it).
If you have a little more leeway in your budget, the older Roomba s9 Plus is worth considering. This model may not be as new as the j7, and it lacks the AI obstacle avoidance, but it has a higher suction power which is especially good for deep-pile carpets. It also has a D-shaped chassis, so the flat front should be able to get into more nooks, crannies and corners with a little less bumping or jamming. It is currently on sale for $799 ($209.99 off) at Amazon, Targetand wellbots.
Looking for a gaming monitor that isn’t obscenely expensive or bulky? Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey G5 gets a day discount at Best Buy for $249.99. That $150 discount gets you crisp QHD resolution (up to 2560 x 1440) and up to 165Hz refresh with FreeSync (and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility) to counteract screen tearing, with adaptive refresh rate. It’s also a fast monitor with a 1ms response time, which is great for nervous shooters and fast on-screen action.
27 inches for a monitor isn’t huge, but it’s still a respectable size for anyone without a lot of desk space. The Samsung Odyssey line is known for its quality performance, but good prices like this are not that common. (Note, though, that the port selection here is pretty sparse, as the one HDMI port and one DisplayPort feel like they could have used a little more company.) It’s fine for one computer and one console, but don’t expect that. you make it the hub of your multi-console and PC setup unless you get an extra switcher.