8 Great Deals on the Nintendo Switch, iPads, and Apple Watches

Retailers love to theme sales around holidays. Between the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, this weekend is a good time to save on all sorts of WIRED-approved gadgets. We’ve highlighted our top picks and coverage below. Expect to see more themed discounts throughout the next week as we approach President’s Day. 

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Snag $20 off the Nintendo Switch 

As we say in our Nintendo Switch Deals Roundup, the console itself rarely goes on sale. And since the pandemic started, even finding a Switch at its MSRP has been difficult. Right now, Woot has the Nintendo Switch on sale for $280—a $20 discount—with free shipping. The deal is only available for Amazon Prime members. (You can use the free 30-day trial to snag it.) Click “Login with Amazon” to apply the discount during checkout. The console is brand-new and comes with a full manufacturer’s warranty. It’s no Switch OLED, but it is the Switch V2 model with slightly better battery life than the original from 2017. Woot says the deal runs through February 28 while supplies last.

This deal may not seem all that great, but saving any money on a Switch is very rare. If you snag it, we recommend you pick up some essential accessories, like a MicroSD card. Check out our Best Nintendo Switch Games roundup for ideas on what to play first. Speaking of games, Target is running a “Buy 2 get 1 free” promotion on select Switch games, but it expires today.

Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day Deals

You likely won’t receive anything we listed in our Super Bowl Deals and Valentine’s Day Deals in time for those respective days, but if you’re just on the hunt for a discount, that won’t matter. (You can also say their gift is on the way!)

Need (or want) some new home theater equipment? Some of the lowest prices we tend to see all year are happening right now. You’ll find plenty of discounts, even on streaming sticks.

Whether the special someone is yourself, a significant other, or both, our Valentine’s Day Gift Deals and Sex Tech Deals can help you set the mood.

Tech Deals

I love to use the AirPods Pro as an example of a bad deal. The headphones have been “on sale” for about $197 since before October, with minor fluctuations up and down in price. If something is discounted for months on end, it’s not really a deal. But right now the AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are actually on sale at Amazon. This is the cheapest they’ve been since around Black Friday. This is also the updated version with the MagSafe charging case, so you can stick it to MagSafe wireless chargers to ensure it’s recharging. The buds are comfortable, sound good, and have great noise-canceling tech. We recommend them in our Best Wirefree Earbuds guide.

The Fitbit Charge 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best fitness tracker for most people. It usually sells for between $180 and $130. This deal has been around since late January, but the price is still the lowest we’ve tracked. The tracker packs a ton of competitive sensors and functionality into a very affordable package, though it’s important to note that some features are only accessible via a $10 per month Fitbit Premium subscription. 

Most Amazon devices are on sale right now, including the 2019 Kindle (8/10, WIRED Recommends). This is the best Kindle for most people. It’s lightweight, has an incredibly long battery life, and the built-in backlight makes it possible to read in the dark. Today’s price is only $10 more than the best we’ve seen.

The Apple Watch Series 7 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartwatch for iPhone owners. The GPS model has dropped down to $339 a couple of times over the past few months, but this is still a pretty good deal on the brand-new watch. There are a few discounted colors to choose from. The cheaper, also-good Apple Watch SE is on sale as well, but the deal isn’t as enticing, based on historic price data. You can read about the differences between these two models in our Apple Watch Buying Guide.

This is a great price on the current-generation iPad Air. It’s a nice size for anyone who wants to use it for schoolwork or work-work. It’s powerful, and Apple has made strides over the past few years in making iPadOS easier to use for heavy-duty tasks. It’s still not quite a laptop replacement, but it’s very, very close. Read more in our Best iPads guide. This deal is also available in different colors at Best Buy.

Fire tablets aren’t usually the speediest or snazziest slates, but the new Fire HD 10 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a pretty darn good affordable tablet. You can use it for some light work, but it’s best used as a secondary screen for reading or watching videos. Our Fire Tablet Buying Guide has additional information on the many various models. This deal is a part of a larger sale on Amazon devices. Keep in mind that Amazon’s gadgets drop in price pretty frequently.

This is one of the best portable storage drives on the market. As the name implies, this drive can take a beating. It has IP67 water and dust resistance, and the padded outside combined with the super small design makes the LaCie Rugged perfect for backing up footage in the field.

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