The AirPods 4 and Google’s 4K streamer are just two of this week’s best deals
Happy Saturday, folks! After a few weeks of middling deals, we’re starting see things pick up. Some of our favorite deals of the holiday season have returned in some fashion, making now a great time to pick up deal stalwarts like the AirPods 4 with ANC or Google’s TV Streamer (4K). We also stumbled upon a deal that knocks $5 off a pair of Lego Roses, as well as another that lets both new and returning subscribers snag a month of Apple TV Plus, completely free of charge.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
If you can afford it, I highly recommend the AirPods Pro 3, which are on sale at Amazon and Walmart right now for $199 ($50 off). However, if you’re an Apple user looking to save some cash, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation make for a surprisingly good alternative, especially since they’re on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $119 — about $20 shy of the all-time low we saw during Black Friday.
Despite their open-style design, the AirPods 4 with ANC offer the best sound of any AirPods to date (save the Pro models). The noise cancellation is remarkably effective at lowering the volume of the outside world, and because they’re an Apple product, they’re loaded with all the usual ecosystem tricks. That means you’ll get support for head-tracking spatial audio, automatic device switching, and live translation courtesy of iOS 26. The ANC also packs a few Pro-level features, including wireless charging and a built-in speaker on the charging case that lets you track it via Apple’s Find My app.
Read our AirPods 4 review.
Ready or not, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Per usual, we’ll be publishing several gift guides in the run-up to the main event on Sunday, February 14th; however, if you want to get a head start on shopping for your supposed sweetheart, Lego’s Roses are on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Target for around $9.91 (about $5 off), nearly matching their best price to date. Lego does sell more robust floral sets — hell, you can currently buy a dozen stems for around $55 — but this 120-piece kit feels like a more subtle surprise. Just pair it with an actual vase, and voila: instant brownie points.
These days, most TVs are equipped with a way to access Netflix, HBO Max, and a laundry list of other streaming apps. That said, a dedicated device like Google’s TV Streamer (4K) — which is now available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Google for $79.99 ($20 off), nearly matching its all-time low— can provide better customization, faster performance, and more advanced search functionality than many 4K TVs.
Google’s speedy Chromecast follow-up supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, along with a handy Find My feature that lets you locate the remote when it inevitably falls between your couch cushions. It can also cobble together recommendations from across streaming services, and thanks to its built-in support for both Matter and Thread, you can leverage it as a smart home hub, making it easy to control your lights or view livestreams from connected cameras. We just wish it weren’t limited to Wi-Fi 5, even if the built-in ethernet port does help.
Read our full Google TV Streamer (4K) review.
Google TV Streamer (4K)
Where to Buy:
In case you weren’t aware, Apple TV Plus has basically become the streaming service if you’re a sci-fi fan, with recent standouts like Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus further cementing its status in recent months. Thankfully, if you hadn’t had an opportunity to dig into the streamer’s movie and TV catalog, both new and qualified returning subscribers can currently sign up for a free 30-day trial for a limited time.
If you’re not into interstellar travel or hive mind antics, rest assured that you have other options. The second season of the high-stakes wine drama Drops of God and the third season of Shrinking — an excellent comedy starring Jason Segel — are now underway, and the next season of Ted Lasso is (finally) set to premiere this summer after a three-year absence. Just be sure to cancel your membership before the trial period ends; otherwise, it will renew at the current rate of $12.99 a month.
More ways to save this weekend
- Anker’s MagGo charging puck has returned to $14.99 ($15 off) at Amazon, matching its lowest price to date. The Qi2-certified charger only outputs up to 15W of power, and while the newest iPhone models technically support up to 25W wireless charging, you’re likely going to have to pay a premium for the privilege. Anker’s Qi2 offering is cheap, effective, and comes with a five-foot cable you can plug into either your laptop or a power adapter.
- My go-to smart speaker rec for family and friends, the Sonos Era 100, is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos’ online storefront for $179 ($40 off), its second-best price to date. The feature-packed speaker sounds noticeably better than the last-gen Sonos One, with improved bass response and support for stereo playback. It’s also equipped with Bluetooth, and like the larger Era 300, it lets you listen to wired audio sources via line-in — assuming you pick up a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter, that is. Read our review.
- I regret to inform you that most of the standout titles from Woot’s so-called “Video Game Mega Sale” have been snapped up at this point, though you can still grab a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for $44.99 ($15 off). I’m a big fan of the game’s chibi miniature-style art design and its clever open-world formula, which, while a little formulaic, is still fitting for Princess Zelda’s first solo outing on the Nintendo Switch. Read our review.
Cassette Boy forces you to see its world in a whole new way
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Since the warped Wikipedia-clone launched late last October, Grokipedia technically remains a minor source of information overall. Glen Allsopp, head of marketing strategy and research at SEO company Ahrefs, told The Verge the firm's testing found Grokipedia referenced in more than 263,000 C …
A nice upgrade for Apple’s simplest gadget
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 114, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, send Arc Raiders tips, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I've been reading about wind turbines and phishing scams and oboes, keeping organized with the ultra-minimal Attn app, testing the lovely Aeronaut Bluesky client, spending too much time researching electric snow shovels, finally upgrading my trusty podcast headphones to a new Beyerdynamic pair, starting my umpteenth rewatch of Superstore, and debating whether to swap my iPhone 16 for an iPhone 17 or a Pixel …
The latest Instax printer is a pricey but worthy upgrade
FujiFilm's Instax Mini Link 3 printer is a much-loved $100 accessory in my travel journal kit. I often tape a printed image next to my handwritten thoughts to preserve a moment in time. The prints produced by the instant film can, however, be soft and muddy - something the new $169.95 Instax Mini Link+ promises to improve.
The big upgrade is a new Design Print mode. It's supposed to make text and intricate illustrations crisp and legible, but I didn't see much of an improvement, despite that being a big selling point. I did, however, find that the improved processing inside the Mini Link+ enhanced contrast, colors, and sharpness, to reveal …
Senate passes budget with two more weeks of Homeland Security funding
The Senate voted on Friday evening to pass the federal budget, funding everything except for one entity: the Department of Homeland Security, which was given a two-week funding extension in order to negotiate new guardrails around Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If no agreement is reached, DHS funding will lapse and the department will face a shutdown.
The agreement - the result of frenzied negotiations between a united Senate Democrat caucus, their Republican counterparts, and the White House - passed 71-29. DHS will remain unfunded over the weekend, however, until the House of Representatives reconvenes on Monday to approve th …
Jeffrey Epstein was permanently banned from Xbox Live
Would it surprise you to learn Microsoft booted Jeffrey Epstein from its online gaming platform? As spotted by XboxEra, the latest batch of Epstein's emails shows that in December 2013, he was "permanently suspended due to harassment, threats, and/or abuse of other players."
But it appears the real reason may be simpler: A second email from Microsoft to Epstein the very same day shows he was banned because he was a registered sex offender, and because Microsoft was among the companies that agreed to purge registered sex offenders from their systems.
While Epstein became a registered sex offender years earlier, another email shows he ma …
Peloton lays off 11 percent of its staff just a few months after launching its AI hardware
Peloton said on Friday that it's cutting around 11 percent of its staff, mostly impacting "engineers working on technology and enterprise-related efforts," reports Bloomberg.
Last August, Peloton laid off six percent of its workforce and told investors it would continue layoffs globally in 2026, in an attempt to cut at least $100 million of annual spending by the end of the fiscal year.
Peloton's latest strategy shift to reverse the effect of its pandemic-era boom stalling out has also brought new hardware with Peloton IQ AI features. The Cross Training Series that debuted last October includes a new Bike, Bike Plus, Tread, Tread Plus, …
Video game company stock prices dip after Google introduces an AI world-generation tool
The stock prices of some major video game companies, including Take-Two Interactive, Roblox, and Unity, had notable declines on Friday, just a day after Google announced its Project Genie tool that lets users prompt AI to generate interactive experiences, Reuters reports. Take-Two's stock price closed at $220.30 (down 7.93 percent from yesterday), Roblox's closed at $65.76 (down 13.17 percent), and Unity's closed at $29.10 (down 24.22 percent).
Other AI tools have received significant pushback from artists and creators over allegations of theft of their work to train the underlying AI models, AI's water and electricity usage, and what this …
Sonos’ Super Bowl sale knocks hundreds off its audio gear
Sonos isn’t exactly synonymous with the Super Bowl, although the brand discounts its gear every year around this time like clockwork. It’s knocking 20 percent off many of its marquee products, including soundbars and standalone speakers — all of which can be paired together to improve sound quality and to put audio in more places at home.
Through February 16th, the company is keeping its prices in place on the Era 100 and the larger Era 300 speakers, the Beam and Arc Ultra soundbars, as well as its selection of wireless subwoofers. To put the prices in context, some of these discounts match — or beat — the current costs of Sonos’ certified refurbished gear.
The Era 100 very well may be the best, most feature-packed smart speaker around in its price range. In our 2023 review, we praised its stereo sound playback and improved bass response over its predecessor, the Sonos One. Notably, it supports Bluetooth playback (in addition to Wi-Fi connectivity) as well as line-in audio via USB-C, in case you’d rather plug in a wired audio source. While this model typically sells for $219, it’s currently available for $179 through Sonos, as well as Amazon and Best Buy.
The Era 300 is Sonos’ modern spin on the Sonos Five, offering bigger sound than the Era 100. Its specialty is spatial audio, which sounds incredible when you find a song that’s been mixed just right (the thing is, not all Dolby Atmos tunes are mixed equally). Like the Era 100, this model offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connections, as well as line-in via USB-C. Our review notes, however, that stereo playback is an area where the Era 300 actually falters compared to its predecessor. But given its improvements overall (and since the Five that launched in 2020 is no longer on sale), the 300 is a great speaker to consider if you really want to feel immersed in your music. It’s $379 during the sale period at Sonos, Amazon, and Best Buy, down from $479.
Jumping to soundbars, the second-gen Beam is on sale for $369 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos, down from its original price of $499. While it’s definitely not the most feature-packed soundbar that you can get at around this price, its ability to tie-in with other Sonos products, plus its improved soundstage over the first-gen model might make it worth considering for you. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos is its marquee feature, although we noted in our review that it’s a virtualized effect since it lacks upward firing speakers that truly enable the vertical sound effects to shine. Note that it’s lacking in physical connectivity compared to most other models, with just a power plug, an HDMI eARC port, and an ethernet jack. In the event that you wish to connect the Beam to your TV or receiver via optical audio, you’ll need to purchase this $25 HDMI-to-optical adapter.
The Arc Ultra is a much better soundbar than the Beam, though it also carries a larger price tag of $899 (down from $1,099) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos. Our reviewer noted that the bass improvements in this model are such that it can stand on its own without the purchase of a wireless subwoofer. It also boasts more immersive sound quality, plus Bluetooth connectivity, which was missing in the original Arc. The Arc Ultra’s sound can be further enhanced by connecting other Sonos speakers to the mix, although its older Play:1 and Play:3 speakers are ineligible to join the speaker family for surround sound.
If you’re considering either the Bean or the Arc Ultra (or if you already own one of its soundbars), their performance will benefit greatly with the addition of a Sonos subwoofer, of which the company makes two models. The Sub 4 is its high-end option, which is $759 during the sale period (down from $899) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos’ online store. Anything this close to $1,000 is extremely expensive for a subwoofer, especially considering that most companies include one with their surround sound systems. The Sub 4 is able to lay horizontally or sit vertically — however suits your room best.
For almost half the cost of the Sub 4, you can get the Sub Mini. It’s available for $399, down from $499, from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos. You may be thinking that even this one is still pretty costly, and I agree. Although, it’s a product that Sonos loyalists were begging for, as before it there was no other choice than to spring for its more expensive subwoofer. In our review, we deemed it unworthy for filling large rooms with bass, but totally sufficient in most other ways. Something cool about its design is the force-canceling effect that reduces floor vibrations, which could be great if you’re worried about disturbing neighbors or other people in the house.
