Independence Day is here, and along with a three-day weekend (which you hopefully get to enjoy), now’s also a fine to go shopping with 4th of July sales like the Best Buy 4th of July Sale
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (32GB, Wi-Fi)
— $120, was $150
Apple may rule the tablet realm, but if you’re not into iPads (and their steep price tags), then by far the best alternative is the Samsung Galaxy Tab line. The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is the 8-inch model that hits a nice sweet spot in size and price with an HD display that’s perfectly fine for reading, viewing, and browsing. Its quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM are capable enough, but what sets the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 apart from other cheap tablets is its superb battery life and Android software that lets it share a common app ecosystem with your phone — great news for those who don’t own an iPhone.
For its Best Buy 4th of July Sale price of $120, the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 gives you a lot of tablet for your money.
Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus
— $170, was $200
Even people who didn’t get swept up by the “smart home revolution” hype have to admit that a smart home security device like the Ring video doorbell is a pretty good idea. This brand is a pioneer in this growing smart home security niche, and the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is one of its newer upgraded models. It does a lot more than just deliver a crisp 1080p video feed of your front porch to your phone or other connected device (although that’s obviously its primary purpose): The Video Doorbell 3 Plus has motion-tracking, night vision, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, and frankly the best mobile app in the smart doorbell game. The primary difference between the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is that the 3 Plus features Pre-Roll, which lets you watch four seconds of video recorded before a motion event is triggered.
At $170 after a $30 discount, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is a no-brainer.
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones
— $200, was $350
Few gadgets are as essential as a good pair of headphones, preferably wireless ones. The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones might just be our favorite set of wireless noise-canceling cans: They sound fantastic, boast excellent all-day battery life, feature a great companion app that lets you customize settings to your liking, and boast world-class active noise-canceling. In other words, these headphones pretty much hit every note perfectly — which means, as you can imagine, they’re quite expensive at their normal price of $350.
Worry not, though, because the Best Buy 4th of July Sale has them on markdown for just $200. That’s a worthy deal on some of the best headphones money can buy.
HP 14 Touchscreen Chromebook
— $219, was $319
Chromebooks, laptops that run on Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS instead of Windows or MacOS, really came into their own last year owing to the sudden increase in people working and studying from home. Not only are Chromebooks impressively affordable in contrast to more common Windows laptops and MacBooks, but the Chrome operating system is also perfect for online work, group projects, and team communications. Chrome OS can also run many Android apps, which is a nice bonus if you have an Android phone. The HP 14-inch Chromebook combines all of that convenience with a handy touch display, adding even more versatility.
Most attractive of all is its price: A $100 July 4 discount lets you score this Chrome OS laptop for just $219 right now.
iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
— $250, was $275
Robot vacuums could be considered one of the first true “smart home” devices, and the Roomba name is practically synonymous with these handy little helpers. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a name-brand robo-vac, though, as the iRobot Roomba 675 proves. Instead of pricey bells and whistles, the Roomba 675 sticks to what these robot vacuums do best — cleaning your floors — with its three-stage cleaning system and dual scrubbing brushes that work on both carpeted and solid flooring. The companion app lets you program and schedule the bot, and it can even learn your cleaning habits and propose optimized schedules.
At just $250 for the Best Buy 4th of July Sale, the iRobot Roomba 675 can be your cleaning companion without breaking the bank.
50-inch Hisense A6G Android 4K TV
— $350, was $380
Ultra HD smart TVs are more affordable than ever, and Hisense is one of the top brands for budget-friendly 4K televisions. This 50-inch Hisense A6G 4K Android TV ticks all the boxes: Along with a crisp UHD HDR panel, it comes with a Google Assistant voice remote for hands-free operation, pre-loaded Android streaming software that lets you enjoy your content from all the popular apps and platforms, and built-in Chromecast that lets you effortlessly stream and broadcast to your TV from your other devices. Auto Low Latency Mode also reduces input lag for video games so you don’t have to fiddle around with any settings when you switch from streaming to gaming.
For $350, the Hisense 5-inch 4K Android TV is a great way to upgrade your home theater setup on the cheap.
Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Security Camera Bundle (3-Pack)
— $500, was $600
Home security is arguably the best application for smart home tech, and security cameras in particular are a dead simple way to protect your castle or at least keep a better eye on it. The Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight security camera setup simplifies things even further, altogether ditching the bulky “hub” that other systems require. All you have to do is set up the cameras (easy to do in a few minutes with basic tools), connect directly via local Wi-Fi, configure the Arlo app, and you’re set. We named the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight the best home security camera thanks to that simplicity and its array of great features including weather resistance, indoor/outdoor versatility, easy battery swapping and charging, great 2K video quality, and night vision.
A $100 discount for the Best Buy 4th of July Sale lets you grab the Arlo Pro 4 three-camera system for $500.
70-inch Samsung 7 Series 4K TV
— $680, was $750
If your motto is “go big or go home” but you aren’t the type to drop a grand or more on a TV, then the Samsung 7 Series 4K is made for you. At 70 inches, this model is big enough for serious home cinema enthusiasts, and it’s built-in Wi-Fi and Tizen software give you everything you need to start streaming your favorite content right out of the box. You can even sync up your PC or other compatible device to access and broadcast content via Bluetooth, and the included OneRemote can connect to and control multiple devices across your home.
Samsung is one of the top names in the 4K TV market, but you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for this one: The Best Buy 4th of July Sale is your chance to grab this 70-inch beast for just $680.
Apple iPad Air (256GB, Wi-Fi)
— $700, was $750
There are four iPads on the market nowadays (five if you count the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro separately), and it’s easy to get choice paralysis. Let us make things easy for you: The 2020 iPad Air is the best one for the money, hands down. In fact, it’s so good, you might wonder why anybody would pay hundreds more for the Pro in the first place. The new fourth generation model sports a gorgeous and up-sized 10.9-inch display that’s paired with powerful hardware. It also has a connector for the Magic Keyboard that lets you use it like a lightweight 2-in-1 laptop.
One of our few complaints with the 4th gen iPad Air was its 64GB of base storage, but Best Buy has the 256GB model on sale for $700 ($50 off) for its July 4 sale.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with Type Cover Keyboard
— $699, was $959
Apple’s iPads are great, but until recently, Windows users looking for a good tablet didn’t have many options. Microsoft’s own Surface lineup changed all that, and the Surface Pro 7 is one of our favorites. Its 12.3-inch PixelSense touch display is gorgeous with a perfect 3:2 aspect ratio, its modern hardware is more than capable of handling daily workloads, and when paired with a Type Cover Keyboard, it makes for a nearly perfect 2-in-1 ultrabook.
One of our early gripes with these is that they don’t come bundled with the keyboard, but this Best Buy 4th of July deal solves that problem by giving you the Surface Pro 7 with a Core i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and black Type Cover for $699 — a $269 savings.
Asus ROG Strix G15 GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Gaming Laptop
— $900, was $1,000
You probably know Asus for its budget-friendly work computers, but this brand is no slouch when it comes to gaming. The ROG Strix G15 is a perfect example with its striking design, muscular hardware, and smooth 144Hz IPS display that lets you crank up the framerate. This high-value gaming machine packs an Intel Core i7 CPU with an Nvidia GeForce 1650 Ti mobile GPU, which are excellent specs for modern gaming. On top of that, you’ve got 8GB of RAM and and a nice big 512GB SSD for your game library.
The Best Buy 4th of July Sale is your chance to snatch up the Asus ROG Strix G15 gaming laptop for $900 and save $100.
