Maybe you panicked over what to get your friend that has everything, or your cousin is bringing their significant other to your family’s holiday gathering and you feel like you ought to get them something. Maybe it feels like autumn just flew by. Whatever the reason, we’re here to help. We’ve gathered up some of the best deals we could find that also have a good chance of making it to your home before Christmas.
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Tech and Accessory Deals
Some folks on the WIRED team have had their iPad orders delayed a few times, so keep that in mind if you’re choosing shipping. But this is a solid deal for our favorite iPad. The 9th-generation slate (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is powerful enough for most users, and it’s compatible with the majority of our favorite accessories.
The iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our go-to tablet for travel. This deal is a match of the discounts we saw around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The slate is small enough to slip into a backpack and fits perfectly on an airplane tray table. With an 8.3-inch display, it’s great for watching movies or reading ebooks, as well as sketching and taking notes with the second-generation Apple Pencil.
The Amazon price is $30 cheaper than we saw during Black Friday. We just added this slate to our Best Tablets guide. It’s a relatively snappy Android machine that comes with a stylus—it’s great for catching up on shows, browsing your favorite apps, and even some light work. The price is a little high but this deal makes up for it somewhat. The smaller Tab S9 FE is also on sale for $399.
Various versions are on sale at different retailers, but this is a match of the pricing we saw during Cyber Monday. The current Apple Watch is the Series 9, but last year’s Series 8 is virtually the same and $100 cheaper, which is why we say it’s a great buy at $300. You get all the features you need in Watch OS 10, which has Crash Detection to alert emergency responders if you’re in an accident and unresponsive, along with the usual health and fitness tracking features.
This is our favorite gaming mouse for under $50, and right now it’s even more affordable than usual. Certain colors will arrive in time for Christmas from each retailer as of press time, so if the color you want is out of stock at one store, check others out. The mouse has six customizable buttons, RGB lighting, and solid performance for most gamers.
This is a match of the best price we’ve seen for this solid little Bluetooth speaker. It has nice, punchy sound and is available in a few different colors to boot. The battery lasts up to 16 hours on a single charge.
Clip the on-page coupon to save a bit of money on this excellent, tiny power bank. Most gift ideas aren’t one-size-fits-all, but a power bank is nearly universally useful. This model from Anker is featured in our guide to the Best Portable Chargers. It’s affordable, it arrives before Christmas, and the compact footprint means it can travel anywhere. Just be sure to get the correct version for your giftee—the Anker Nano is available in both Lightning and USB-C versions.
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones (9/10, WIRED Recommends) have been a stalwart pair of wireless headphones for years now, and the reason for their success is plain. With excellent noise canceling, warm and detailed sound, and a ton of modern features in a comfy design, they’re among the best travel headphones you can buy. This deal is even better than what we saw on Cyber Monday.
Sony’s priciest wireless headphones, the WH-1000XM5, had a lot to live up to coming after the remarkably popular WH-1000XM4. Luckily, they deliver the goods with upgraded noise canceling, a posh new design, and a more refined sound signature that adds up to a great package, especially on sale.
We thought the Beats Studio Pro headphones (7/10, WIRED Review) were good, not great, but that was before they dropped to this price. This deal is just $10 higher than we saw during Cyber Monday. These headphones have excellent noise canceling, solid sound quality, and a USB-C plug for high-resolution audio. They pair easily with Apple and Android devices and even have head tracking for spatial audio. There are a few different colors to choose from.
This is $5 more than we saw during Cyber Monday, but the deal is still alright if you’re in the market for a streaming stick and you consume a lot of content on Amazon Prime. It does still work with other streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, but the operating system is skewed towards Amazon content. This device was just released at the end of September. It’s faster and has more storage than the Fire TV Stick 4K—also on sale for $30 ($20 off).
This is a slightly better discount than we tracked during Cyber Monday. The Galaxy Watch6 Classic (7/10, WIRED Review) has some features that are exclusive to Samsung phones—like the electrocardiogram—but technically any Android owner can use this smartwatch. It has better battery life than an Apple Watch, smooth performance, and a fun mechanical rotating bezel. If you don’t care for the mechanical bezel, you can save some dough and opt for the standard Galaxy Watch6 instead.
This deal is a match of the lowest we’ve seen. Fujifilm’s Link Wide is our favorite Instax printer, if only for its size: Those gloriously big Instax Wide prints just look better. They are pricier, though, at around $1.20 per print (print price varies by quantity). The Instax Wide has its own dedicated app that works well and has plenty of fun layouts and premade templates. Note that this does not include film, so you’ll also want to grab a pack of Instax Wide Film.
Home, Kitchen, and Outdoor Deals
Photograph: Google
It was $10 cheaper earlier in December, but that’s a relatively small price difference to pay this close to Christmas. This second-generation Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) doesn’t have a camera, so it’s a bit more privacy-minded than some other smart displays. It is compact with a 7-inch screen, which makes it ideal for your bedside table. It also has sleep-sensing tech to track your sleep quality.
Another match of a Cyber Monday discount we saw a few weeks back, this gadget is best if you frequently use other Amazon products and services. The Amazon Echo Show 10 is the best Alexa Smart Display. It can connect with other Echo speakers, and the 10-inch screen swivels around so you can keep a recipe or a Zoom video call within easy view.
This is a match of the lowest price we tend to see for this little green machine, which made our list of the Best Carpet Cleaners and the Best Viral TikTok Gadgets. It’s great for cleaning furniture, stairs, and vehicles.
Photograph: Lodge
We saw this discount during Cyber Monday a couple of weeks ago, and as of press time it applies to all three colors. The enameled Dutch oven is user-friendly. The nonstick, nonreactive surface is perfect for slow-cooking stews, oysters, and practically anything else for long periods. It’s oven-safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
This would make a great gift for bikers, campers, or preppers. The LifeStraw filters contaminated water without batteries or other accessories. Grab a BPA-free bottle to filter into and you’ll get out 99.99 percent of waterborne bacteria for up to 1,000 gallons of water. This price matches the lowest we usually see.
Deals on Everything Else
Photograph: Specialized
This deal matches the price we shared during Cyber Monday. We tested the premium version of this bike (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and loved it. The best way to describe it is that it’s one of Specialized’s cushiony, comfy mountain bikes but with a motor and some adjustments to make it an all-around awesome ride.
Best Buy is offering up to 50 percent off a selection of goodies that youngsters will probably enjoy. Many of these toys are sized perfectly to fit inside stockings, too. I’m partial to this stuffed Rockhopper Penguin—just look at him.
There are over 200 games to choose from for Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles. If you’re stuck on which title to get, go with a family-friendly option like Just Dance 2024 for some Christmas evening entertainment.
It may be a last resort to pick up plastic tchotchkes for the kids in your life, but I’m here to tell you that we’re officially in last-resort territory. Luckily this sale has over 700 discounted items to choose from, so no matter their age or interests, there’s probably a gift in here that they’ll like.
Clip the on-page Target Circle offer to get this deal. Target Circle is free to join and very worthwhile if you frequently shop at Target. We like Target’s cat scratchers and houses, and this is a solid deal for those trying to celebrate the holidays with their cats—as if they won’t get distracted by all the wrapping paper flying everywhere.
Other Gifts to Consider
Photograph: AirBnB
From gift cards to game subscriptions, we have an entire guide dedicated to the Best Digital Gifts you can buy. There’s something for every person at every price point. If your deadline is approaching fast, these gifts can be delivered in just a few minutes.
Does it count as procrastination if the gift arrives in six to eight weeks on purpose? Subscription boxes are gifts that keep on giving. There are hundreds of boxes available for all sorts of hobbies and interests. The options are nearly endless. We have roundups of the best subscription boxes for gifting, the best subscription boxes for kids, the best snack box subscriptions, the best coffee bean subscriptions, and the best meal kit delivery services.
Some Advice for Last-Minute Shopping
Finding a gift at the last minute can be tricky. You’re in a race against the clock—and other procrastinating shoppers. These tips might be of some use.
- Look for in-store pickup: Amazon has a convenient badge that says whether or not an item will arrive before Christmas, but stores like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target may have local pickup available so you can circumvent shipping altogether. Amazon also offers locker pickup in some locations, but they usually aren’t any faster.
- Check alternative retailers: We’ve done our best to find the stores that have in-stock items with fast shipping times, but if your heart is set on something and it won’t get delivered on time from a certain store, check other stores as well as the manufacturer’s site.
- Consider similar items: The phone you want in space grey might be back-ordered, but the sky blue version may be able to get to you sooner. Or maybe the laptop with a little more or less hard drive space is in stock. If a timely gift is more important than its exact specs, tweak it.
- Honesty is the best policy: Chances are your friends and family will understand if you tell them, “Hey I got you something but it won’t be here until the 27th.” Mine certainly have!
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