Technology

Today’s best deals: Amazon Kindles and Fire HD tablets, LG OLED TVs, and more – Ars Technica

Today’s best deals: Amazon Kindles and Fire HD tablets, LG OLED TVs, and more

Ars Technica

It’s time for another Dealmaster! Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a new sale on Amazon’s Kindle e-readers. The deals include the newest Kindle Paperwhite marked down to $105, which is the lowest price we’ve seen to date and matches the deal we saw on Black Friday.

As a refresher, we gave the Kindle Paperwhite a rave review when it launched last fall, calling it the best Kindle—and thus the best e-reader—for most people. There’s no need to upgrade if you’re happy with a previous Kindle, but compared to its predecessor, the 11th-gen Paperwhite has a more spacious display (now at 6.8 inches [17 cm] instead of 6 inches [15 cm]), a USB-C port, a better frontlight, more consistently responsive performance, and improved battery life (which Amazon rates at roughly 10 weeks per charge). It’s still waterproof, and if you can live with Amazon’s locked-down ecosystem, the Kindle library remains extensive. This offer includes three months of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited e-book service, too, though note that this will auto-renew by default.

The sale also brings the Kids version of the Kindle Paperwhite down to $115. That’s only $5 higher than the best price we’ve tracked. While this variant is marketed to younger readers, it features the same hardware as the standard Paperwhite, plus a case, a longer two-year warranty (compared to one with the standard model), and no ads on its home page or lock screen (which costs an extra $20 otherwise). The base Kindle Kids e-reader, which is discounted to $65 today, may be the better value for most children, but the Paperwhite Kids model may be worth it for those willing pay a little extra.

Also on sale is Amazon’s line of Fire HD 8 tablets. The standard 8-inch slate is down to $45, while the Kids edition is available for $70. Both deals match the best prices we’ve tracked. These devices are admittedly getting a bit long in the tooth, Amazon’s OS is still self-serving and devoid of Google apps, and overall performance and build quality remains light years away from that of an iPad. But if you just want a tablet for basic web browsing, video viewing, or children’s entertainment, these still do the job—and they’re even better values when discounted this way.

Elsewhere, our roundup has a new low price on the 55-inch version of LG’s C1 OLED TV, which is down to $1,197 at various retailers. LG announced pricing details for its 2022 OLED sets just this week, so the company is clearing out inventory for 2021 models like the C1 here. Still, as we’ve noted before, this is typically a great time of year for TV bargain hunters to pounce.

LG’s new C2 TV should be an improvement, to be clear; the company says its upgraded “OLED Evo” panel will improve peak brightness, the four HDMI 2.1 ports will support 48 Gbps of bandwidth (up from 40 Gbps), and there will be a new 42-inch model for those who want a smaller set. But the 55-inch model will retail for $1,800 at launch and likely won’t hit the C1’s current price for several months. The C1 is still a near–universally praised TV, sitting in the middle of LG’s OLED lineup but still delivering inky blacks, excellent contrast, wide viewing angles, smooth motion, and gaming-friendly features. If you’re looking to upgrade to an OLED TV, the C1 might be the better value at this price.

Beyond that, we also have discounts on Apple’s new iPad Air, AirPods Pro, Apple Watch Series 7, and MacBook Pro, Xbox consoles, Razer gaming accessories, a bunch of video games across PC and consoles, Philips Hue smart lights, and much more. You can see our full curated roundup below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured deals of the day

The Signature Edition of the latest Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.
Enlarge / The Signature Edition of the latest Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.

Andrew Cunningham

Electronics deals

Amazon's Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, complete with its protective bumper case.
Enlarge / Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, complete with its protective bumper case.

Jeff Dunn

The 2022 iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
Enlarge / The 2022 iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.

Samuel Axon

The LG C1 OLED TV.
Enlarge / The LG C1 OLED TV.

LG

Laptop and desktop PC deals

The display on the 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Enlarge / The display on the 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Samuel Axon

Video game deals

Everything in the excellent RPG <em>Disco Elysium</em>—from basic chats to melee encounters—hinges on dialogue and on D&amp;D-like dice rolls.
Enlarge / Everything in the excellent RPG Disco Elysium—from basic chats to melee encounters—hinges on dialogue and on D&D-like dice rolls.
The heartfelt and hardcore platformer <em>Celeste </em>was our game of the year in 2018.
Enlarge / The heartfelt and hardcore platformer Celeste was our game of the year in 2018.
Nintendo's <em>Legend of Zelda</em> Game and Watch handheld puts three classics (<em>The Legend of</em> <em>Zelda</em>, <em>Zelda II: The Adventure of Link</em>, and <em>Link's Awakening</em>) in a miniature, retro-style handheld that can also double as a <em>Zelda</em>-themed clock 
Enlarge / Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda Game and Watch handheld puts three classics (The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Link’s Awakening) in a miniature, retro-style handheld that can also double as a Zelda-themed clock 

Jeff Dunn

Gaming deals

L-R: Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S.
Enlarge / L-R: Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S.

Sam Machkovech

Accessories and miscellaneous deals

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