It’s time for another Dealmaster. Leading today’s roundup of the best tech deals we can find is a new low price on the latest Apple AirPods, as the third-gen model of the popular wireless earbuds is currently down to $140 at Amazon. The full discount should appear at checkout. This price is also available at Costco, though you’ll need a Costco membership to take advantage of the deal. Either way, this is $39 off Apple’s MSRP and about $30 off the average street price we’ve seen since the earbuds launched in October. As of this writing, Amazon’s listing says the AirPods will ship before Christmas, though that could change as more orders are placed.

We’ve had a pair of the newest AirPods on hand for a couple of weeks. While we don’t think they’re the absolute best value among wireless earbuds, they could still be worthwhile for the right person. Namely, if you prefer an “open-back” design that rests outside of your ear canal instead of inserting within it, the third-gen AirPods have a richer and more balanced sound than most of their peers. They let in too much outside noise to sound better than the best true wireless in-ear headphones, but if you find this kind of fit more agreeable, that might be worth the trade-off. They’re a definite upgrade over the previous AirPods in terms of audio quality; just be aware the wider earpieces here might not fit certain ear shapes as comfortably as the older pair.

In general, the third-gen AirPods borrow heavily from the AirPods Pro. The open-back design means there’s no active noise cancellation, but the earbuds have the same IPX4 water resistance and “force sensor” control scheme. The latter still isn’t perfect, but it’s more responsive than merely tapping the earbuds to take calls and pause your music. The same host of Apple-friendly features are here as well: the new AirPods pair quickly with other Apple devices and can automatically switch between them if you, say, take a call on an iPhone while listening to music on an iPad. The included case supports wireless charging and can power up the earbuds about four times per charge, while the earbuds themselves last a little over six hours on their own. That’s decent, if not world-beating.

The new AirPods are still not ideal for Android users, and again, there are other true wireless models we like that offer more for the money. But if you’re an iPhone owner that can’t stand the feeling of in-ear headphones, they may be the right fit for you.

If you’re all set on the headphone front, though, our deals roundup also includes a returning Black Friday deal for Google’s Ars-approved Pixel 5a phone, a new low price on a board game we like in Mysterium, a Best Buy deal that gives $20 in store credit when you buy a $200 Apple Gift Card, and several deals on well-reviewed video games that released earlier this year. You can find all of those and many more deals we like in our full list below.

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

Featured deals of the day

Electronics deals

TV and media streamer deals

Laptop and desktop PC deals

• Lenovo Yoga 6 2-in-1 laptop for $550 ($725) at Best Buy—Ryzen 5 5500U, 13.3-inch 1080p, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop for $2,001 ($2,200) at Microsoft—Ryzen 9 5900HX, 14-inch 2560×1440 165 Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
• Razer Book 13 laptop for $1,000 ($1,200) at Razer, Walmart—Core i5-1135G7, 13.4-inch 1080p, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• Apple Mac Mini (2020) desktop PC for $570 ($650) at Amazon, Costco—Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• Samsung SSD 980 (1TB NVMe) PCIe Gen 3 internal SSD for $100 ($120) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Samsung 980 Pro (1TB NVMe) PCIe Gen 4 internal SSD for $160 ($185) at GameStop (discount in cart)
• Samsung T7 (1TB) portable SSD for $110 ($140) at Amazon, Best Buy

Video game deals

• Death’s Door (Xbox, PC) for $15 ($20) at Microsoft, Humble, Steam, GOG
• Hitman 3 (Xbox, PC) for $24 ($35) at Microsoft, Humble
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) for $50 ($65) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
• The Last of Us Part II (PS4) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) for $30 ($45) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5, PS4) for $28 ($40) at PSN

• It Takes Two (Xbox) for $20 ($30) at Microsoft (also on Game Pass)
• Alan Wake Remastered (PS4, Xbox) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PS4, PS5, PC) for $16 ($20) at PSN, Humble, Steam
• Life is Strange: True Colors (PS5, PS4, Xbox) for $30 ($55) at Amazon, GameStop
• Loop Hero (PC) for $9 ($15) at Humble, Steam, GOG
• The Forgotten City (PC) for $20 ($25) at Humble, Steam, GOG (also on Game Pass)

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• Celeste (PC) for $5 ($15) at Steam
• Death Stranding (PC) for $18 ($45) at Humble, Steam
• Lost Judgment (PS5, PS4, Xbox) for $30 ($55) at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop
• Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Best Buy, GameStop
• Persona 5 Royal (PS4) for $25 ($40) at Best Buy, Amazon, PSN
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5, PS4) for $20 ($40) at Best Buy, GameStop

Gaming deals

Smart home device deals

Accessories and miscellaneous deals

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