Amazon's Kindle Scribe dips back to an all-time low, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

The base model Kindle Scribe, Amazon's ereader/e-paper tablet hybrid, is back down to its lowest price since last year's Black Friday sales. After a 29 percent discount, it's going for $240. For reference, it's been bouncing between full price and $245 for much of the past few months. The deal applies to the base model with 16GB of storage and includes the Basic Pen. A bundle that combines the higher capacity model, a leather cover and the Premium Pen, which has an eraser and programmable button, is on sale for $340. That's about $6 more than the set went for over the shopping holiday. 

Engadget's Cherlynn Low gave the Scribe a review score of 85 when it came out a couple years ago, praising premium design and smooth, low-latency writing experience. The Scribe is also our current pick for an ereader E Ink tablet in our guide to E Ink tablets. We like the excellent integration with Amazon's vast Kindle library and the roominess of the screen that allows plenty of room to get down your thoughts and ideas. While we wish the pen could write in the margins of more books (as opposed to just making sticky notes) and think a waterproof build would be nice, the Scribe is still a versatile e-paper device — that's even more attractive when it's on sale. 

The Beats Fit Pro earbuds are on sale for $160 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy, which is a price they've hit quite a few times. The $40 discount is not an all-time low, but equals the best price we've seen for most of the past year. 

These are the top workout pick in our wireless earbuds guide, because they stay put during sweaty sessions and give you many of the features you'd get with a set of AirPods in a sportier design. You can check out our full review in which Engadget's Billy Steele gave them a score of 87 back in 2021. 

The discount is part of a larger Beats sale at Amazon, in which Beats Studio Buds are 47 percent off and down to $80, and the Powerbeats Pro are 36 percent off, putting them at $160. 

Google set the new Pixel 8a phone loose earlier this week, timed up with its I/O developer conference. Units are already shipping but Amazon, Best Buy and Google's own storefront are still offering the deals that first appeared alongside pre-orders: Each store will toss in a free $100 gift card to spend at their respective sites if you order the handset from now through Sunday, May 15. 

The deal applies to the base model, which costs $499 and has 128GB of storage, or a new 256GB variant, priced at $559. 

Before covering Google's AI-laden conference, Engadget's Sam Rutherford managed to have time to fully review the Pixel 8a, and awarded it a 90 review score. He was impressed with the screen, the battery life and slick design. Plus the new handset has a processor that can handle Google's new AI tricks. The only caveat is that often the Google Pixel 8 goes on sale for around $549 — just $50 more than the 8a. But right now, the more powerful phone is currently full price, and there's no telling when it'll be discounted again. If all you need is a midrange Android phone that's plenty capable, the 8a is, as Sam says, "a damn good deal." Particularly when you can snag a free gift card, too. 

Apple's new iPad Air with an M2 chipset is currently $30 off if you order through Amazon. Last week, Apple refreshed its iPad lineup and now, the latest iPad Air is powered by an M2 chipset and now comes in two sizes. The discount makes the base 11-inch iPad Air with 128GB of storage just $570 in every colorway except Starlight. You can also save $50 on the largest-capacity, 1TB model bringing it to $1,049, again in any color except Starlight. A few variations of the 13-inch Air are on sale too, including the 512GB model in Purple for $1,049, another $50 discount. 

Engadget's Nathan Ingraham reviewed the new iPad Air and gave it a healthy review score of 91. After also reviewing the new M4 iPad Pro, he ultimately said the new iPad Air was the one to get. 

Compared to the previous generation, the new Air has a faster M2 chip that replaces the M1, it works with a new Apple Pencil Pro, the front camera has moved to the landscape edge and it starts with 128GB of storage (double the prior model). What that means in practice is a capable tablet with a great screen that can more than handle browsing, gaming, watching media and doing productive, workday activities. 

And just to be clear, it wasn't that he didn't like the iPad Pro, in fact, Nate called it "so very nice" in his review — the screen is lush, the performance is insane and the thinness of the device almost feels impossible. But it's expensive. Amazon right now is shaving a small percentage off the price of the 11-inch Pro, bringing the 256GB model in Silver down from a pricey $999 to an ever-so-slightly-less pricey $949. 

With the announcement of the new M4 iPad Pro and the M2 iPad Air, Apple's tablet lineup looks a little different. The company discontinued the ninth-generation iPad and cut the price of its 10th-generation model to $349. But now that standard 10th-gen iPad with 64GB of storage is going for $334 on Amazon — that's a record-low price.

Engadget's Nathan Ingraham gave the 10th-gen iPad an 85 in our review when it debuted in 2022, praising USB-C charging port and landscape-oriented front-facing camera for better framing on video calls. It's also our budget iPad recommendation in our guide where we consider which Apple slates work best for which folks. 

Now that the new iPad Air has arrived, the previous, 5th-gen iPad Air has been discontinued by Apple and lost its spot on our list of the best iPads. Which is almost certainly why Amazon is unloading models for $200 off the list price. 

Despite being replaced by something shinier, the 5th-gen iPad Air is still a powerful, capable tablet that we called future-proof upon its debut. It has a gorgeous screen and a light design that's easy to hold. And the M1 chip is fast enough for just about any compatible app or game. 

For comparison, the new, 6th generation iPad Air has a faster M2 chip, the camera has been moved to the landscape edge, it works with the new Apple Pencil Pro and starts with 128GB of storage (double the prior model) all for the same $599 starting price. But, of course, the brand new Air isn't on sale right now for $399. This one is. 

When the OnePlus 12 came out earlier this year, Engadget's Sam Rutherford pointed out in his review that the phone had a starting price of $200 below the list price of the similarly equipped Galaxy S24+. Now the OnePlus 12 is seeing a $100 discount, bringing the base model to $700 and the 12GB/512GB model to $800. The deal is valid directly from OnePlus, as well as from Amazon and Best Buy

For reference, right now Samsung is running a promotion on the Galaxy S24+ for a free storage upgrade, making the higher capacity model $1,000 and Amazon is selling the base model for $850. That makes the One Plus 12 $150 cheaper right now than the S24+ is currently. 

Yeah, that's a lot of numbers to look at. The bottom line is, you might want to make the OnePlus 12 your next smartphone if you're just in the market for a simple, well-built device with a nice screen, good cameras, great performance and an excellent battery life. One that doesn't gum up the works with a bunch of AI tricks and flash. As Sam said, "the OnePlus 12 is a straightforward alternative [to the big names] that handles all the most important things with ease." 

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $34 at Amazon, which is a savings of 32 percent and one of the best prices we’ve seen all year. It's on our list of the best streaming devices thanks to it's easy-to-grok interface and the tons of free and live content available on the Roku channel and elsewhere.  

The Roku interface does a good job of organizing paid subscriptions too with an uncluttered design. The 4K version supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and Apple AirPlay 2 for streaming audio and video from a tablet or phone.

Anker's Soundcore Motion 300, one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers is 20 percent off at Amazon or with a clipable coupon on Anker's site. That brings the speaker down to $64, a 20 percent discount that matches the low price we saw a couple times this year. 

We like the bright and punchy sound. While it's not super bass-heavy it's 30-watt output is still loud and thumpy for its size. It’s also IPX7 rated so it can handle a dunk and the companion Anker Soundcore app allows for a fair amount of customization with EQ settings.

For many, warming weather means it's time to cook food outside. If that describes you, check out the deals Solo Stove is currently offering on its outdoor pizza ovens ahead of Memorial Day. It's part of a sitewide sale with up to 30 percent off everything, including the Pi Ultimate bundle which includes the dual fuel (wood or gas) oven, plus a stand, two peels, a thermometer, cover and other accessories for $600 instead of $880. A bundle with the wood-only version of the oven is $480, which is $270 off the $750 full price. 

One thing to note is that, despite this being a Memorial Day sale, units won't ship until June 3, after the holiday has passed. That still gives you about a month to practice for Fourth of July pizzas. 

The gas and wood model of the Solo Stove Pi is the runner up pick for the best multifuel outdoor pizza oven in our guide. It can reach temperatures of up to 850 degrees Fahrenheit when burning wood and 900 degrees when using gas, according to Solo Stove. 

Will this be the year you finally get that firepit you've been thinking about? If so, you might want to check out the Memorial Day sale that's already live at Solo Stove. 

The sale takes up to 30 percent off on some of the company's popular fire pits that reduce the amount of smoke that billows out through a recirculating double wall exterior that reburns the particulate so you get less of it in your face. 

Deals include the $30 off the Ranger 2.0, which brings the price to $200 instead of $230. This is the smallest ground-based model good for taking with you for a party or sticking in a smaller area of your personal yardspace. 

The table top Mesa XL is $79 after a $30 discount and represents the deepest discount of 30 percent. It runs on pellets or small pieces of wood. 

The brand's second largest fire pit, the Yukon 2.0, clocks in at 27 inches around so it works best as a permanent fixture in your outdoor space. It's now $100 off and down to $399. Meanwhile, the Bonfire 2.0, which strikes a balance between portability and fire-side gathering potential, is $70 and down to $230.

An older version of one of our favorite meat thermometers, the Meater Plus, is on sale for $70, which is a 30 percent discount and its lowest price ever. You can get the same deal from Amazon or from Meater directly.

The Meater 2 Plus, a newer model is the pick in our latest guide to the best grilling gear as it offers some upgrades like a waterproof design for use in deep frying and sous vide. But the original Meater Plus is still plenty capable, allowing you to monitor temperatures with your smartphone from up to 1,000 feet away — as long as there's a relatively unobstructed path. It can also provide step-by-step directions to follow, give you time- and temperature-based alerts, and notify you on your phone, tablet or smartwatch.

There's a larger sale right now on Amazon-owned Blink smart home security devices. One highlight is the Blink Outdoor 4 cameras, which are up to 50 percent off. The deepest discount goes to a five-pack set which is usually $400 but now $200 after the discount. The set comes with mounts, the required Sync Module and batteries for the cameras, which should run the units for two years before you need to swap out for fresh cells. 

If you just need one camera, the one-camera system is 40 percent off and down to an all-time low of $60. For a longer battery life, the Outdoor 4 single-cam system can also be bundled with a battery pack that extends the run time from two years to four. That version is $80 after a 33 percent discount.

The Shark AI robot vacuum and mop combo has dropped to a record low of $230 at Amazon after a 52 percent discount. This particular model isn't one of the picks in our guide to the best robot vacuums, but it's a similar model from Shark, makers of our overall winner. 

The vac has an easy to use app and is pretty much plug and go out of the box. We liked the way other Shark models accurately mapped the space using on-board lidar, which this model also shares. As a mop and vac combo, the robo vac uses a sonic scrubber on hard floors and powerful suction and a self-cleaning brush roll for carpets. Just note that this one doesn't have a self-emptying base. 

From now until July 14, new and returning subscribers can get a year of Paramount+ with Showtime for $60. That's half off the usual price of an annual plan for the premium tier of Paramount's streaming service, which has no ads, except for live content, lets you download shows to your mobile device and comes with Showtime. 

Showtimes gets you access to current shows likeYellowjackets andThe Chi as well as older series like Dexter, Homeland and Nurse Jackie. A Paramount sub will get you almost everything Star Trek as well as Twin Peaks, Ghosts UK and all the MTV and Comedy Central shows you can handle. 

Just note that the subscription will auto-renew at full price ($120) when the year's up, so you may want to set a reminder to cancel.

In Engadget's guide to power banks, I mention Anker's 30W Nano 10K mAh option as an alternative to the smaller Nano bank with the foldable connector. The clever design here includes a built-in USB-C cable that doubles as a carry handle. There's also a display to indicate the remaining charge. With its 10K mAh capacity, it should refill a smart phone about one and a half times. Toss it in a bag and you'll be able to avoid the anxiety that comes from having a near-dead phone and no place to charge — and you don't have to remember to bring a cable (as long as whatever you're charging has a USB-C port) 

Right now, Amazon is selling the 30W Nano 10K for $32, which matches the low price we saw about a month ago. You can also get the same deal from Anker, thanks to a clickable coupon.  

One of Anker’s MagGo power banks is on sale for just $32 after a 21 percent discount at Amazon. It has a 10,000 mAh capacity and is MagSafe compatible to wirelessly recharge iPhones (series 12 models and later). It also has a couple of ports so you can refill other accessories using a cable.

A different Anker MagGo charger made the list on our guide to the best power banks. That one has Qi2 wireless charging technology and an LED display — but it's currently almost $60 more than the one that's on sale here. 

Apple's AirPods lineup has been seeing various discounts over the last few months. Right now, the second-gen AirPods are down to $80, the second-gen AirPods Pro are going for $190, and the over-ear AirPods Max are on sale for $450. Those aren't all-time low prices but are the best prices we've seen lately. 

Even at $450 the AirPods Max are still pricey and don't match the audio quality or comfort of the top pick from our wireless headphones buying guide. That said, the ANC and sound quality of the Max headphones are still excellent.