Google brings back Black Friday prices for earbuds, phones, and more
Google’s Pixel Buds 2a come in a stylish purple shade that stands out. Google just launched its holiday sale, and it’s basically Black Friday and Cyber Monday revived. From smartphones to smart security devices, plenty of great gifts have returned to their Black Friday prices, with some third-party retailers in some cases offering better deals than Google. Prices for a few of our favorite gadgets are even matching their all-time lows, including the Pixel 9a, Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and the latest Nest Doorbell. So if you’re still holiday shopping, here are the deals that genuinely stand out. Google Pixel 9A The Pixel 9A adds more robust water resistance and a brighter, bigger screen to what was already a winning formula for a good midrange phone. Read our review. Where to Buy: $499 $349 at Amazon $499 $399 at Best Buy $499 $399 at Google First up, the unlocked base Pixel 9a is one of...
Google’s Pixel Buds 2a come in a stylish purple shade that stands out. Google just launched its holiday sale, and it’s basically Black Friday and Cyber Monday revived. From smartphones to smart security devices, plenty of great gifts have returned to their Black Friday prices, with some third-party retailers in some cases offering better deals than Google. Prices for a few of our favorite gadgets are even matching their all-time lows, including the Pixel 9a, Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and the latest Nest Doorbell. So if you’re still holiday shopping, here are the deals that genuinely stand out.
Google Pixel 9A
The Pixel 9A adds more robust water resistance and a brighter, bigger screen to what was already a winning formula for a good midrange phone. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
$499 $349 at Amazon
$499 $399 at Best Buy
$499 $399 at Google
First up, the unlocked base Pixel 9a is one of the best smartphone deals we saw on Black Friday, and it’s back at its all-time low of $349 ($150 off) at Amazon. It’s our favorite midrange phone, offering a 6.3-inch OLED screen and a great camera for the price, even if it lacks the Pixel 10’s telephoto lens or Pixel 9’s low-light performance. It’s powered by the older but still snappy Tensor G4 chip and the battery can easily last a full day, even with the always-on display enabled. You also get wireless charging, a robust IP68 rating, and seven years of software updates, which matches the support Google offers on its pricier phones.
Pixel Buds 2a
Google’s latest pair of wireless earbuds feature crisp sound quality, a comfortable design, and solid active noise cancellation, which is great considering the budget-friendly price tag. They even offer built-in support for Gemini and, unlike the entry-level AirPods, a purple option! Read our review.
Where to Buy:
$129 $99 at Amazon
$129 $99 at Best Buy
$129 $99 at Target
Speaking of cheap gadgets that offer a lot of value, Black Friday brought the first meaningful discount on Google’s Pixel Buds 2a before the deal disappeared. Now, once again, though, you can snag them at their all-time low of $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. Even at full price, the buds are impressive, offering a useful active noise cancellation that reduces most background noise, along with a natural transparency mode. They deliver crisp, pleasant sound for the price and include built-in Gemini support. Plus, they come in a unique purple color option that looks fabulous, making them an overall great pick for Android users on a budget. Read our review.
Google Pixel Watch 4
The Pixel Watch 4 has a bigger display, longer battery life, more repairable design, and new Satellite SOS mode. It also leverages Google Gemini, and introduces an AI Health Coach. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
$349.99 $299.99 at Amazon (41mm, Wi-Fi)
$349.99 $299.99 at Best Buy (41mm, Wi-Fi)
$349.99 $299.99 at Target (41mm, Wi-Fi)
Smartwatches make for popular gifts, and the Pixel Watch 4 is one of the best on the market particularly for Android owners. Right now, you can buy the Wi-Fi-enabled version of the 41mm Pixel Watch 4 from Amazon, Google, and Best Buy starting at $299.99 ($50 off).The wearable brings a number of impressive improvements over the Pixel Watch 3. Along with full support for Gemini, it’s faster, lasts longer, and is twice as bright thanks to its new domed Actua 360 display with slimmer bezels for more screen real estate. Both the display and battery are now replaceable and repairable, and Google added thoughtful perks like a side-mounted charger that turns your watch into a small at-a-glance display for things like battery percentage. On the health and fitness side, you get dual-frequency GPS, retroactive AI activity recognition, and improved sleep tracking. Plus, LTE models get a new Satellite SOS mode that lets you call for emergency services even without cellular service. Read our review.
Google Nest Doorbell (third-gen)
With 2K video, support for the Gemini for Home AI a**istant, 24/7 recording, and some free smart alerts, Google’s third-generation wired doorbell is a great option for home monitoring.
Where to Buy:
$179.99 $139.99 at Amazon
$179.99 $139.99 at Best Buy
The latest Google Nest Wired Doorbell is ideal if you want to keep an eye on packages, and it’s down to $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Released in October, the wired model is the upgraded version of our top pick for a video doorbell. It adds noticeably sharper 2K video along with a wider and taller field of view, letting you see more of your porch. It’s also built to work with the new Gemini for Home AI a**istant, which can handle more complex tasks than the older Google a**istant. And it still offers the perks that made its predecessor stand out, like free smart notifications that tell you whether it’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle outside of your door. And, if you pay extra for a subscription to Google Home Premium, you can get facial recognition along with 24/7 recording.
I turned a nearly 10-year-old laptop into the most useful machine in my home lab
Despite spending my teenage years drooling over enterprise-tier hardware, my current home lab mostly consists of consumer-grade systems, with the only outlier being a Xeon workstation from 2016. In fact, running a few Proxmox experiments on my old gaming PC proved that I don’t need top-of-the-line specs to access its...
Despite spending my teenage years drooling over enterprise-tier hardware, my current home lab mostly consists of consumer-grade systems, with the only outlier being a Xeon workstation from 2016. In fact, running a few Proxmox experiments on my old gaming PC proved that I don’t need top-of-the-line specs to access its virtualization features, and today, I’ve got everything from mini-PCs and thin clients to x86 single-board computers fueling my tinkering escapades to some extent.
Robert Young Australia
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Trevor Noah is hosting Google’s Pixel 11 launch event
Google is set to host its next live Made by Google hardware launch event on August 12th, and the company says in a new video that comedian Trevor Noah will be hosting the show. The video indicates that the event will feature other celebrities and influencers as well, including Call...
Google is set to host its next live Made by Google hardware launch event on August 12th, and the company says in a new video that comedian Trevor Noah will be hosting the show.The video indicates that the event will feature other celebrities and influencers as well, including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper (who was at the 2025 event), Indian cricketer Shubman Gill (who has starred in Pixel ads), Japanese actress Ayami Nakajo (who has also starred in Pixel ads), and NBA star / Google Performance Advisor Stephen Curry. (Cooper and Noah are also bringing shows to YouTube.)Jimmy Fallon hosted the show last year, an event that my colleague V …Read the full story at The Verge.
Amna Kvistad Norway
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I switched from Docker to Proxmox LXCs, and managing my home lab finally stopped being a chore
Docker has been my go-to tool for self-hosting ever since I started building a home lab. It made deploying new applications incredibly simple, so I rarely considered using anything else. That changed after I started exploring Proxmox LXC containers. I initially expected them to be a lightweight alternative to virtual...
Docker has been my go-to tool for self-hosting ever since I started building a home lab. It made deploying new applications incredibly simple, so I rarely considered using anything else. That changed after I started exploring Proxmox LXC containers. I initially expected them to be a lightweight alternative to virtual machines, but they ended up becoming my preferred way to run most of my self-hosted services. They offer the isolation of separate systems without the overhead of full VMs, while keeping everything easy to organize and manage. I now choose Proxmox LXCs over Docker for most of my home lab.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
My favorite Notion alternative isn’t Obsidian, it’s something I can actually self-host
When people talk about replacing Notion, Obsidian is usually the first app that comes up. I tried it too, and while it's an excellent note-taking app, it wasn't the replacement I was actually looking for. I wanted something that felt closer to Notion while giving me complete control over where...
When people talk about replacing Notion, Obsidian is usually the first app that comes up. I tried it too, and while it's an excellent note-taking app, it wasn't the replacement I was actually looking for. I wanted something that felt closer to Notion while giving me complete control over where my data lived. That search eventually led me to AFFiNE. After using it for a while, I realized it offered a better balance between flexibility, ownership, and everyday usability for my workflow. AFFiNE has become my favorite Notion alternative, rather than the one most people expect.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I gave up on Firefox for a browser nobody talks about, and it’s the best I’ve ever used
Firefox had been my default browser for so long that I never really thought about replacing it. Whenever I tried another browser, I always ended up coming back. That changed when I decided to give Zen Browser a try. I expected it to be another Firefox alternative that I'd use...
Firefox had been my default browser for so long that I never really thought about replacing it. Whenever I tried another browser, I always ended up coming back. That changed when I decided to give Zen Browser a try. I expected it to be another Firefox alternative that I'd use for a few days before uninstalling. Instead, it slowly became the browser I open for everything. Before I realized it, Firefox was no longer my default choice. Here's what made Zen Browser stand out and why I think it's one of the most underrated browsers you can use today.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Every time a movie disappears from streaming, I’m glad I already own it on Blu-ray
We live in the streaming age where movies and TV shows are available with a click of the remote. It's more convenient than manually dealing with physical media. However, nothing is more annoying than a service removing content I enjoy. So, I have my most cherished content on Blu-ray.
We live in the streaming age where movies and TV shows are available with a click of the remote. It's more convenient than manually dealing with physical media. However, nothing is more annoying than a service removing content I enjoy. So, I have my most cherished content on Blu-ray.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Jony Ive’s first OpenAI gadget is reportedly a hockey puck-sized smart speaker
The AI device OpenAI is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive is "essentially a smart speaker without a display" that's battery-powered, doughnut-shaped and roughly the size of a hockey puck, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The device, expected to launch in 2027 for a price over $300, reportedly...
The AI device OpenAI is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive is "essentially a smart speaker without a display" that's battery-powered, doughnut-shaped and roughly the size of a hockey puck, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The device, expected to launch in 2027 for a price over $300, reportedly "will have a unique look, complete with moving parts," including some that will move on their own to show when the device is responding or interacting with the user, along with lights, a camera system, and other sensors.Gurman's sources also say the "battery-powered" device is designed to be "easy to carry around the home wit …Read the full story at The Verge.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The AirPods Pro are $60 off, their best price since late June
AirPods Pro 3 | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Best Buy kicked off a sale on Apple products with discounts on its latest smartwatches to phones. Another deal that caught our eye is on the latest AirPods Pro, Apple’s flagship wireless earbuds, which are down to $189.99...
AirPods Pro 3 | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Best Buy kicked off a sale on Apple products with discounts on its latest smartwatches to phones. Another deal that caught our eye is on the latest AirPods Pro, Apple’s flagship wireless earbuds, which are down to $189.99 ($60 off), with retailers like Amazon and Walmart matching the price. That’s their lowest price since Prime Day in late June, and just $20 shy of their all-time low.AirPods Pro 3The AirPods Pro 3 have a new design that improves their fit, superior noise cancellation, better bass, and fairly accurate heart rate sensors. Read our review.Where to Buy: $249 $189.99 at Amazon $249 $189.99 at Walmart $249 $189.99 at Best BuyThe AirPods Pro are our favorite wireless earbuds to recommend for iPhone owners because they offer better sound quality than Apple’s entry-level AirPods. Our A/V reviewer John Higgins uses them more often than other pairs because of their, praising their excellent audio, best-in-class active noise cancellation, and just how easy they are to use. They also provide a tighter fit, making them more comfortable for some people, especially during workouts.Beyond how good they sound, they offer a number of perks for Apple users. They can automatically sync with other Apple devices you’re signed in on, so you can move from taking a call on your iPhone to watching a show on your iPad. They also feature a built-in heart rate sensor that works with more than 50 workout types in Apple’s Fitness app, so you can use them as a fitness tracker of sorts. Read our AirPods Pro 3 review.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The best thing about the ZimaCube 2 isn’t the drive bays: It’s the PCIe slots
A six-bay NAS is easy to understand at a glance. You load it with drives, build a storage pool, install the services you need, and start throwing data at it. That’s a big part of the ZimaCube 2’s appeal, but the drive bays aren’t the part I keep coming back...
A six-bay NAS is easy to understand at a glance. You load it with drives, build a storage pool, install the services you need, and start throwing data at it. That’s a big part of the ZimaCube 2’s appeal, but the drive bays aren’t the part I keep coming back to. The two PCIe slots inside are much more interesting because they leave room for the ZimaCube 2 to become something quite different from the NAS you bought on day one.
William Garcia Boston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
This Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x laptop we rated 9/10 just dropped to $800, and it’s built for everything
This Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x laptop features a beautiful display, a slim design, and comes in at a price that's easy to afford right now. The usual $1,300 price tag is now slashed by $500, bringing it down to just $800 for a limited time. We don't think you'll be...
This Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x laptop features a beautiful display, a slim design, and comes in at a price that's easy to afford right now. The usual $1,300 price tag is now slashed by $500, bringing it down to just $800 for a limited time. We don't think you'll be disappointed with what this has to offer, especially at this price.
William Garcia Boston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The last generation of fully upgradeable PCs is being built right now
The most memorable PC I've had was the one I bought in 2013, and it stayed with me till 2023, until I built my new PC from scratch. Over the course of a decade, this PC went through three GPUs, two CPUs, and even a motherboard upgrade, evolving with the...
The most memorable PC I've had was the one I bought in 2013, and it stayed with me till 2023, until I built my new PC from scratch. Over the course of a decade, this PC went through three GPUs, two CPUs, and even a motherboard upgrade, evolving with the times (and, of course, my bank balance). This PC was never really finished, and it almost felt like a sibling that grew up with me in the same house.
Rute Rezende Brazil
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I bought cheap server hardware for my home lab, and the electricity bill taught me an expensive lesson
Having built my first home server using components cobbled together from older builds, I realized fairly quickly that an experimental workstation doesn’t need cutting-edge specs to drive my virtualization projects. As time went on, I started grabbing outdated machines from flea markets, and with a little coat of Proxmox, they...
Having built my first home server using components cobbled together from older builds, I realized fairly quickly that an experimental workstation doesn’t need cutting-edge specs to drive my virtualization projects. As time went on, I started grabbing outdated machines from flea markets, and with a little coat of Proxmox, they became reliable nodes for my home lab, self-hosting, and DevOps experiments.
