The easiest Apple Watch to recommend is $50 off
The Apple Watch SE 3 is the smartwatch that we recommend for most people because it’s affordable, yet packed with most of the features found in pricier versions. We spotted Amazon October Prime Day discounts across the lineup, including both the 40mm and 44mm sizes, and GPS only or cellular options. The Wi-Fi and GPS model is $199 for the 40mm size (matching the lowest price to date), and $229 for the 44m size. If you also want a cellular connection, the 40mm version is $249, and the 44mm version is $279.
Apple Watch SE 3

Where to Buy:
When it released in late 2025, the more budget-friendly Apple Watch 3 SE caught up with all the core functionality that had built up on the higher-end models of the time, including the always-on display, wrist flick and double tap gestures, 5G connectivity, and on-board Siri.
Read our Apple Watch 3 SE review.
window.HYPE_DESK_CONFIG = { productImageUrl: "https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/ChatGPT-Image-Sep-16-2026-12_50_24-PM.png", productImageAlt: "Roborock F25 Steam", productTitle: "Roborock F25 Steam", shortDescription: "A wet-dry floor cleaner combining high-temperature steam with powerful suction for sticky messes, stains, and pet hair.", longDescription: "When unexpected messes happen, F25 Steam is ready to clean them instantly — especially in high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms. The Roborock F25 Steam is designed for busy households and pet owners who regularly encounter wet spills, dried stains, grease, and hair. Its 356°F VaporFlow steam helps loosen stubborn messes without harsh chemicals, while 25,000Pa suction and the JawScrapers anti-tangle system collect wet and dry debris with minimal hair wrapping. It also offers up to 80 minutes of runtime, a 1,000ml clean-water tank, a low-reaching FlatReach design, and automated thermal roller cleaning with 203°F hot-air drying.", purchaseUrl: "https://fas.tl/4b4d2515", purchaseLinkText: "SHOP AT AMAZON" };The planetary wave headed for California isn’t what you think it is
A rather strong "planetary wave" recently slammed into South America and is making its way toward California. In case you're worried about headlines warning of the supposedly "freak" phenomenon "bringing trouble," it's worth understanding what this wave really is and isn't.
Called a Kelvin wave, it's carrying warm water to the Americas that's typically trapped farther west. That's raising sea levels along already vulnerable coastlines. These kinds of waves are common. When they do arrive, they can exacerbate existing problems. And this particular Kelvin wave could have more dramatic consequences than usual.
But "If you're going to be out …
The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL phones are $250 off
During Amazon’s October sale, the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL are discounted by $250 or more. The base model Pixel 11 Pro with 256GB of storage is only $849 (originally $1,099), $50 lower than the usual price for the base Pixel 11, while the 256GB 11 Pro XL is $999, a $300 price break.
Even the regular Pixel 11 with 256GB of storage is cheaper, selling at $749, $150 off the normal price. But with the Pro at just a $100 premium over the Pixel 11 right now instead of $200, its superior cameras alone is a pretty convincing reason to spend more.
We praised the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL for their new camera modes, as well as the Magic Capture mode. We liked some of the Gemini-assisted features, like Rambler for smoothing out voice texting, but others, like proactive assistance, felt a bit more narrow.
Read our Pixel 11 Pro review and our Pixel 11 review.
window.HYPE_DESK_CONFIG = { productImageUrl: "https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/ChatGPT-Image-Sep-16-2026-12_50_24-PM.png", productImageAlt: "Roborock F25 Steam", productTitle: "Roborock F25 Steam", shortDescription: "A wet-dry floor cleaner combining high-temperature steam with powerful suction for sticky messes, stains, and pet hair.", longDescription: "When unexpected messes happen, F25 Steam is ready to clean them instantly — especially in high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms. The Roborock F25 Steam is designed for busy households and pet owners who regularly encounter wet spills, dried stains, grease, and hair. Its 356°F VaporFlow steam helps loosen stubborn messes without harsh chemicals, while 25,000Pa suction and the JawScrapers anti-tangle system collect wet and dry debris with minimal hair wrapping. It also offers up to 80 minutes of runtime, a 1,000ml clean-water tank, a low-reaching FlatReach design, and automated thermal roller cleaning with 203°F hot-air drying.", purchaseUrl: "https://fas.tl/4b4d2515", purchaseLinkText: "SHOP AT AMAZON" };The Verge’s guide to the best October Prime Day deals
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days (also known as October Prime Day) is here, serving as a precursor to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are a ton of good deals, and bundling them all into this package is the easiest way to keep the blast of upcoming coverage under control.
Below, you’ll find every deal that we think is good enough to warrant its own article, and of course, our huge flagship article containing over 100 deals and spanning categories from noise-canceling headphones, e-readers, laptops, gaming gear, and more.
- The AirPods Pro 3 are a fantastic deal at $179
- Apple’s new M6 Mac Mini is over $100 off
- The MacBook Air M5 is $200 off for the first time in months
- The iPad Mini is slightly cheaper again during Prime Day
- The easiest Apple Watch to recommend is $50 off
- The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL phones are $250 off
- The best October Prime Day tech deals we found
Breakout Tech Deals
- Apple’s new M6 Mac Mini is over $100 off
- The MacBook Air M5 is $200 off for the first time in months
- The AirPods Pro 3 are a fantastic deal at $179
- The iPad Mini is slightly cheaper again during Prime Day
- The easiest Apple Watch to recommend is $50 off
- The stylish Nothing Headphone 1 are cheaper than ever
- The Sonos Beam 2 soundbar is $140 off
- The earbuds with the best call quality are cheaper than ever
- The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL phones are $250 off
- The Pixel Watch 5 is a better value at $60 off
- Grab an Anker universal travel charger for $64
Roundups
The best October Prime Day tech deals we found
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event has begun, and it lasts through 3AM ET on Thursday, October 8th. We’ve spun through the company’s huge list of deals to find products that Verge readers will like (and that we personally like, too). Prime subscribers can get in on plenty of headphone deals, plus some great products in the home entertainment space. Also, the discounts are spectacular on Pixel 11 phones, the A17 Pro-equipped iPad Mini, and the M5 MacBook Air.
We’re changing up how we’re presenting the deals. Usually, these posts are huge and require a lot of scrolling, but we wanted to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. All of the deals are in a table that you can sort by category.
We’ll add more deals as we find them, and we’ll also include links to various category-specific roundups we’ll be publishing throughout the sale.
.duet--layout--rail { pointer-events: none; } .duet--layout--rail div { pointer-events: auto; }iPhone Air

Where to Buy:
iPhone 16E

Where to Buy:
Belkin Charging Case Pro

Where to Buy:
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Where to Buy:
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2

Where to Buy:
Anker Laptop Power Bank

Where to Buy:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Where to Buy:
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro

Where to Buy:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Where to Buy:
Roku Ultra

Where to Buy:
Roku Streaming Stick Plus

Where to Buy:
WiiM Mini

Where to Buy:
Sonos Sub 4

Where to Buy:
Sonos Beam (second-gen)

Where to Buy:
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

Where to Buy:
Samsung Galaxy S26

Where to Buy:
Google Pixel 11

Where to Buy:
Google Pixel 11 Pro

Where to Buy:
Google Pixel 11 Pro XL

Where to Buy:
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (second-gen)

Where to Buy:
WiiM Amp

Where to Buy:
Apple AirPods Max (second-gen)

Where to Buy:
Roku Pro Series 4K TV

Where to Buy:
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

Where to Buy:
Kindle Scribe 32GB

Where to Buy:
Kindle Colorsoft (16GB)

Where to Buy:
Kindle Paperwhite

Where to Buy:
Beats Powerbeats Fit

Where to Buy:
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Where to Buy:
Beats Studio Pro

Where to Buy:
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (M5)

Where to Buy:
Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M5, 2026)

Where to Buy:
iPad Mini (2024)

Where to Buy:
Bose SoundLink Max

Where to Buy:
Bose SoundLink Plus

Where to Buy:
Bose Soundlink Flex (second-gen)

Where to Buy:
Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2

Where to Buy:
Belkin MagSafe 15W 2-in-1 wireless charging dock

Where to Buy:
Asus ProArt 27-inch 1440p USB-C monitor

Where to Buy:
Belkin Qi2.2 25W 2-in-1 foldable charging dock

Where to Buy:
Xreal xbx A01 Plus

Where to Buy:
Nothing Ear 3A earbuds

Where to Buy:
Eufy FamiLock S3 Max

Where to Buy:
Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow

Where to Buy:
Roborock Saros 20

Where to Buy:
Aqara Smart Lock U400

Where to Buy:
Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 with chime

Where to Buy:
Hatch Restore 3

Where to Buy:
Kodak Charmera Keychain Digital Camera

Where to Buy:
LifeStraw personal water filter

Where to Buy:
TP-Link Tapo Matter-Certified Smart Plug Mini

Where to Buy:
TP-Link Tapo 2K Outdoor pan/tilt wired floodlight camera

Where to Buy:
Ugreen two-bay DH2300 NAS

Where to Buy:
Apple Watch SE 3

Where to Buy:
AirPods Pro 3

Where to Buy:
Anker UFO 3-in-1 Qi2 15W charging dock

Where to Buy:
Anker Nano 100W universal travel adapter

Where to Buy:
Anker Nano 45W charger with display

Where to Buy:
Philips Hue Festavia string lights

Where to Buy:
Philips Hue Essential four-pack of bulbs

Where to Buy:
Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus carpet cleaner

Where to Buy:
Govee Lightwall

Where to Buy:
Govee outdoor lamp post light

Where to Buy:
Govee Table Lamp 2

Where to Buy:
Baseus AM52 power bank (with built-in cable)

Where to Buy:
The Blood of Dawnwalker

Where to Buy:
Elgato Key Light

Where to Buy:
Retroid Pocket 5

Where to Buy:
Google Pixel Watch 5

Where to Buy:
Nothing Headphone 1

Where to Buy:
Corsair Xeneon Edge screen

Where to Buy:
Lenovo Slim 7i Aura Edition laptop

Where to Buy:
Toniebox 2 music player for kids

Where to Buy:
Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro wireless mouse

Where to Buy:
Elgato Prompter

Where to Buy:
Elgato Stream Deck MK. 2

Where to Buy:
Anker Laptop Wall Charger (140W)

Where to Buy:
Samsung Q990F Soundbar System

Where to Buy:
Sonos Era 300

Where to Buy:
Acer Aspire Lite 14

Where to Buy:
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

Where to Buy:
Star Wars Zero Company

Where to Buy:
WiiM Sound Smart Speaker

Where to Buy:
Meta Quest 3S

Where to Buy:
Microsoft Surface Laptop (13.8-inch, 2026)

Where to Buy:
Ozlo Sleepbuds 2

Where to Buy:
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo

Where to Buy:
LG C6 OLED TV

Where to Buy:
Microsoft Surface Pro (13-inch, Snapdragon X2 Elite)

Where to Buy:
Apple iPad Air M4

Where to Buy:
Fujifilm Instax Mini 13

Where to Buy:
iPad (2025)

Where to Buy:
Sony WH-1000XM5

Where to Buy:
Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones

Where to Buy:
Sony Bravia 6 OLED TV

Where to Buy:
M6 Mac Mini

Where to Buy:
Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds

Where to Buy:
Nothing Ear 3

Where to Buy:
Apple Watch Series 12

Where to Buy:
AirPods 4

Where to Buy:
Amazon Alexa Plus keeps creepily singing ‘lalala’ for minutes on end
An unsettling Alexa Plus bug has seen some Amazon Echo smart home speakers reduced to saying - and sometimes singing - nothing but "lalala" on repeat for minutes at a time, often in the middle of conversations with users. When quizzed about the behavior, Alexa is apparently entirely unaware of what it's been doing.
The issue has been reported on Reddit repeatedly over the last few weeks, as recently as three days ago, across multiple types of Echo speaker. Multiple users have uploaded videos of the speakers' strange behavior. Here's one that Android Authority uploaded to YouTube:
Amazon is aware of the issue, and told Android Authority in …
This remote-controlled wagon is silly but so very useful
Confession: When BougeRV told me about its remote-controlled wagon with animated lighting, I called it in for a laugh, expecting to eviscerate it in a review. It's ridiculous, to be sure. But the DuneRover also proved very capable, with enough torque to flatten hills even when carrying over 200 pounds of gear. It can also traverse soft sand that defeats conventional wagons.
As someone who regularly uses a variety of wagons to haul all sorts of gear, the DuneRover is an epiphany. But what BougeRV sent me was a Kickstarter prototype - and it shows.
Production units won't ship until February 2027. So, what follows is less of a review and mo …
Gemini Call for Me might tell your mom you’re running late
Google may be expanding its "Call for Me" AI feature beyond business calls so you can use it to send messages to friends and family. Android Authority reports finding a "Gemini Calling" introductory screen in an APK teardown with examples that include "Call Mom and tell her I will be 15 minutes late" and "Call John and ask if he is coming for dinner."
Based on those examples, even with this expansion, Gemini would likely be limited to basic, text message-like calls. While Google's AI might not automate an entire catch-up phone call with your relatives, it could deliver quick messages to people who prefer a phone call, miss texts often, or …
Reverse-engineered games: All the news on video game decomps, recomps, VR and web and 3D ports
It’s a wild time for retro gaming. Thanks to decompilations and recompilations of classic titles, those games are becoming unshackled from their proprietary code and original hardware to be ported to new devices or updated in ways to completely change the original game. Ever imagined skateboarding in Call of Duty? Or playing the original Halo right in your web browser, complete with multiplayer?
These are unofficial versions of games, so they may sit in a legal gray area. It seems unlikely that Nintendo, for example, is particularly happy about people finding ways to play The Legend of Zelda on non-Nintendo hardware. Many of these projects are also made with the assistance of AI, which, for some people, is a non-starter given ethical or environmental concerns surrounding the technology.
Below, you’ll find our coverage of gaming decomps, recomps, and all the other ways gamers are reverse-engineering games to go previously unimaginable places.
The Matic is the first robovac to get an FCC ban waiver, not that it needs it
The Matic is our favorite robot vacuum and robo-mop, and it's also now the first to escape the FCC's Roomba ban.
Well, sort of - because the Matic wasn't banned to begin with.
Here's what's actually happening: On October 2nd, the FCC added the original Matic, model 4MA0001, and its charging dock model 4DK0008 to its ban waiver list. That allows the FCC to approve these radio products for import, marketing, and sale.
But the Matic doesn't need a waiver, because its radios were already approved years ago. The FCC's foreign drone, robot, and router bans only keep future products from getting imported into the United States, not existing o …