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The best Black Friday tech deals under $50
Grab earbuds, streaming sticks, security cams and more while they're cheaper than ever.
The giant TVs and high-end laptops might get the lion's share of attention on Black Friday, but the smaller tech devices are worth checking out too. We put the cap at $50 and came up with over 20 deals on inexpensive gadgets along with a few peripherals and accessories you'll need for this year's higher-end buys. Some gadgets are going for all-time lows, like the new Echo Dot. Others, like the Google Nest Mini and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K are half off their usual price. We added a few storage cards that are seeing big price cuts too, since you can never have too many of those. For less than $50, there's a lot of great tech out there, and here are the best Black Friday deals we could find.
Amazon Echo Dot
When Amazon's Echo Dot first unveiled its new spherical shape in 2020, we tried it out and thought it was a well-rounded speaker in all senses of the word, awarding it a score of 88. Right now it 50 percent off, putting Amazon's smallest smart speaker down to just $25, which is the lowest it's gone since its release. The speaker has the full power of Alexa behind it, letting you control your music, lights, thermostats and more with your voice. The Echo Dot even acts as a WiFi extender, adding up to 1,000 square feet of extra coverage, if you use the brand's Eero WiFi routers.
Google Nest Mini
If you prefer dealing with the Google Assistant over Alexa, the Google Nest Mini is a good way to go. Right now the smart speakers are just $20 each, which is nearly 60 percent off the usual $49 price tag. Like the Echo Dot, the Nest Mini is a small, round and unobtrusive device that pumps out music and podcasts on demand from a slew of apps (Apple Music, YouTube Music and Spotify among them). You can use it to control other members of your smart home domain, like your Chromecast TV or your Nest Thermostat, and it does a good job pairing up with third party smart home devices too, such as lightbulbs and alarms.
Buy Google Nest Mini at B&H Photo - $20
SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD
Usually $49, Black Friday brings the price of a SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD down to just $22, which is a steep 55 percent off and the lowest we've ever seen it. If you need a little more storage for your photos, videos and files and more, this gives you room for hours of full HD video and transfer speeds of up to 120MBps.
Buy SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD at Amazon - $22
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
To turn just about any screen with an HDMI port into a smart TV, you have options. One of them is Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K, which is half price for Black Friday. For just $25, the dongle will stream 4K images to your 4K TV or monitor, while the remote lets you ask for Alexa's help in finding what to watch. The Fire TV interface is straightforward and is compatible with every streaming service out there.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon - $25
Amazon Fire TV Stick Max
If you've got a 4K screen and you've already upgraded to WiFi 6, you'll likely want the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Its down to $35 from its usual $55 price tag, which matches its price during Prime Day in October. In addition to delivering super high def images, it's also designed to work with the latest WiFi network protocol. If you're getting it as a gift and aren't sure if your giftee has WiFi 6, it'll still work with earlier versions as well. It does everything the other Fire TV sticks do, including turning your TV into a screen for displaying feeds from other Alexa devices like doorbells and cameras.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon - $35
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
For anyone who doesn't need 4K resolution or WiFi 6 support, the Fire TV Stick Lite is a notably cheap way to convert a screen into a smart TV. It's just $15 for Black Friday, down from its usual $30. Just keep in mind, while the bargain version of the Fire TV Stick does offer Alexa's voice assistance, it can't control the power or volume functions for your set. If you plan on using your TV's original remote, then that limitation probably isn't a concern.
Buy Fire TV Stick Lite at Amazon - $15
Blink Video Doorbell
Amazon acquired the home monitoring camera company Blink back in 2017 and added its first doorbell just last year. The Blink Video Doorbell is the least expensive doorbell in Amazon's lineup, and right now is down to $35 from its usual price of $50. You can use it wired to your existing doorbell wiring or run the unit on two AA batteries. Your first set of batteries is included and can last up to two years. The unit wakes up with a doorbell press or when it detects motion, enabling two-way talk. Wiring the unit allows it to activate your built-in doorbell chime. On batteries, you'll get alerts when someone rings via the Blink app.
Buy Blink Video Doorbell at Amazon - $35
Amazon Fire 7 tablet
Already among the cheapest tablets on the market, the Amazon Fire 7 tablet is down to $40 with a 33 percent discount off of its $50 MSRP. While it's not going to handle intense multitasking or become your go-to productivity slab, it'll handle casual couch surfing, e-books and streaming your shows. This is the 2022 version of the 7-inch screen, which improves the battery life over the previous model, giving you up to 10 hours of use on a charge.
Buy Fire 7 tablet at Amazon - $40
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Right now the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is half price. At just $25, it matches the price of Amazon's 4K stick, and it's our current favorite streaming device. With the Roku stick, voice control is handled by your choice of Siri, the Google Assistant or Alexa, and the Roku interface is straightforward with the widest selection of streaming options. We're also fond of the Roku app, which allows for private listening, which means you can watch a show on the big screen, but have the audio come through your smartphone-connected headphones. The universal search function is also accurate and refreshingly impartial, not prioritizing any one streaming service when you search for shows and movies.
Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon - $25
Amazon Echo Show 5
Imagine your bedside alarm clock and a smart display combined forces. That's the idea behind Amazon's Echo Show 5. It usually goes for $85, but right now it's been cut by a substantial 59 percent to make it just $35. As the smallest of Amazon's smart displays, it'll fit nicely into small spaces, like small kitchens or a bedside table. And if you're concerned with the potential creep factor of bringing a camera into the bedroom, there's a physical camera shutter built-in. We gave the Echo Show 5 a score of 85 in our review, impressed with the quality of sound for its compact size.
Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon - $35
Blink Mini security camera
The Blink Mini security cameras usually retail for $35 each, but the Black Friday sale brings the price of two cameras down to $30. It's a great time to snag one of these sleek in-home cams for every corner of the house, especially if you're planning on adding an Echo Show (like the one above) to your smart home landscape. The Blink cameras plug in so you never have to swap the batteries, they offer night vision capabilities and two-way audio.
Buy Blink Mini at Amazon (2-pack) - $30
Anker 511 power bank
Having the ability to recharge a dead phone when you're far from an outlet feels priceless, but Black Friday puts that price at $25 for Anker's 511 Power Bank. The compact rectangular prism shape has a retractable plug and short strap to make it easy to store and retrieve from a pack. It's a 5,000 milliampere hour battery, which should give most modern smartphones one extra charge. Note that it doesn't come with a cable. You'll need to supply one with two USB-C connectors or a USB-C-to-lightning cable, depending on the model of your phone. Also, this price on Amazon is only for Prime members, but it's too great a deal not to mention.
Buy Anker 511 Power Bank at Amazon - $25
Anker 511 charger
Not all chargers are created equal. Since Apple stopped shipping chargers with their phones, some people learn this when they notice their phones charging unusually slow with lower-power plug. The Anker 511 charger is a 20-watt charger that can deliver full-speed charging to a smartphone and are specifically designed to work with Apple devices. Right now it's on sale for just $13. Anker's tests showed late-model iPhones going from zero to 50 percent in 25 minutes. It's got a USB-C port, for which you'll need to supply your own charging cable.
Buy Anker 511 Charger at Amazon - $13
Logitech G435 gaming headset
Logitech's G435 gaming headset typically goes for $80, but Black Friday brings it below the $50 threshold at $49.88. They connect via Bluetooth or with the USB-A dongle for a lower-latency wireless connection. The built-in mics allow for in-game chat and post-game Discord discussions. They'll pair up with a PC and both PlayStation 4 and 5 using the wireless dongle, or via Bluetooth with PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. You can pair them with your phone too, but keep in mind these don't have active noise cancellation.
Buy Logitech G435 gaming headset at Amazon - $49.88
Jabra Elite 3 earbuds
We were impressed with the Jabra Elite 3 earbuds at their list $80 list price, giving them an 88 in our review. Now that they've just dipped below $50, it's a good day to get a pair. We called them the "new standard for affordable wireless earbuds" because they offer detailed and balanced sound with a booming low end. We got right around the estimated seven-hour battery life and liked Jabra's comfortable new design for the Elite 3 buds. We think they're an incredible value for the price, especially right now.
Buy Jabra Elite 3 earbuds at Amazon - $49.99
Chromecast with Google TV
Like the Fire TV and Roku sticks above, the Chromecast with Google TV HD turns a "dumb" TV into a smart one, and right now it's just $20 for Black Friday. When the latest HD model came out this October, we tested it out and liked the straightforward setup and easy interface. Unlike the Fire TV Lite, the Chromecast remote can be programmed to handle TV functions like volume and power. If you've got a 4K TV, the Chromecast with Google TV 4K dongle is on sale for $40, down from $50. We reviewed it when it first came out and gave it a score of 86, particularly impressed with the Google Assistant integration.
Buy Chromecast with Google TV HD at B&H Photo - $20 Buy Chromecast with Google TV 4K at Amazon - $40
JBL Clip 4
Usually retailing for $80, the JBL Clip 4 is just $45 right now. The Clip 4 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that can handle life away from the relative safety of home. It's rated IP67, which means it's dust-tight and can handle full, but temporary, submersion in water. Delivering 10 hours of playtime on a charge, there's even a carabiner to clip it to whatever's at hand for outdoor listening.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon continues to expand their smart home offerings, anchored by Alexa's increasingly sophisticated AI. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is already one of the more affordable smart thermostats out there with a usual list price of $60. Right now it's $42 for Black Friday. This model doesn't come with a C-wire adapter, so you'll want to check the pop-up compatibility window on the product page to make sure your system will work with the device. If it does, you'll get an app-controlled thermostat that can potentially save on energy usage.
Buy Amazon Smart Thermostat at Amazon - $42
Razer Kishi mobile controller
Razer's Kishi mobile controller turns your smartphone into a Switch-like gaming device. It's usually $100, but Black Friday is knocking 55 percent off the list price, bringing the sticker to $41.50 for the Android version and $45 for the iPhone version. It connects via your phone's charging port, as opposed to via Bluetooth, so there's no wireless latency. Note that this is the original version of the device, not the recently released V2. That version isn't budging from its $99 MSRP, even for Black Friday.
Buy Razer Kishi mobile controller at Amazon - $41.50
Razer Orochi gaming mouse
The Razer Orochi gaming mouse has an MSRP of $70, but Black Friday is knocking that down by half. This mobile mouse made the cut in our search for the ultimate productivity mouse. Even though we called it the most "forgettable-looking option," we were impressed by how lightweight and capable it is. It connects via Bluetooth or wireless dongle and runs on ether an AA or AAA battery, with up to 950 hours on a battery.
Buy Razer Orochi gaming mouse at Amazon - $35
Tile Pro tracker
The Tile Pro tracker usually goes for $35, but is down to $28 right now. The BlueTooth tracker has a convenient lanyard hole making it ideal for a set of keys, but you can also attach it to a pack or luggage. Regardless of what item you attach it to, the Tile app makes sure that item never goes missing. Using Bluetooth when it's within 400 feet, you can make the Tile Pro ring to find things that way. When an item is farther away, the Tile app uses the Tile network to locate the item by anonymously pinging the phones of other Tile users.
Buy Tile Pro tracker at Amazon - $28
Kasa smart video doorbell
If you want a doorbell that works with either Alexa or the Google Assistant, the Kasa Smart Video Doorbell is on sale for just $42, down from its usual $60. In addition to offering app-controllable two-way audio and 1296p video from the 3MP camera, the Kasa doorbell comes with a plug-in chime to let you know when someone rings your bell. This model doesn't have a battery option, so it'll only work by hooking up to your existing doorbell wire.
Buy Kasa Smart Video Doorbell at Amazon - $42
Samsung EVO Select MicroSD card
This Samsung microSD card is also on sale, with a 38 percent discount on the 256GB size bringing it down to just $25. It offers transfer speeds of up to 130MBps and even includes a SD adapter so you can use it with more of your devices.
Buy Samsung EVO Select MicroSD card at Amazon - $25
Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.
