We found 20 Verge-approved gifts on sale ahead of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is coming up fast, and if you haven’t started shopping yet, there are a lot of great gifts on sale that should still arrive in time if you order soon. Several Verge-approved gadgets are seeing some of their best discounts since the holidays, with options we think will appeal to a wide range of interests, from thoughtful picks like digital photo frames to e-readers, smart speakers, smartwatches, massagers, and even practical stuff like vacuums. While some are bigger-ticket items, quite a few cost under $100, so there’s something here for a range of budgets, too.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best Valentine’s Day gift deals you can shop right now across a range of categories and prices, whether you’re buying for a partner, a friend, or yourself.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
The latest Powerbeats Pro are a no-brainer for athletes. They pack fantastic sound and thumping bass, along with active noise cancellation, IPX4 water resistance, and heart rate monitoring. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The Amazon Echo Dot Max is on sale for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which matches its best price. In her review, my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy called it “Amazon’s best all-around smart speaker,” improving on the fourth-gen Echo with a new elegant look that features a flat face wrapped in 3D knit fabric. It also includes an LED light ring and touch controls on the front, along with a two-way speaker system that delivers richer bass. Plus, it works with more smart home devices thanks to support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee. It includes the upgraded Alexa Plus voice assistant, which can handle more complex requests. Read our review.
- Speaking of Alexa-enabled gadgets, Amazon’s fourth-gen Echo Show 8 is down to $149.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, marking a new low. The smart display can show photos, play music, set reminders, and control compatible smart home devices without a separate hub, thanks to Zigbee, Matter, and Thread support. It also adds Alexa Plus, a faster chip, and new sensors, so it handles more complex tasks than its predecessor, though bear in mind it doesn’t always do so reliably. Read our hands-on impressions.
Google TV Streamer (4K)
Google’s terrific TV Streamer (4K) is the company’s best attempt at a streaming device yet, with built-in ethernet, an excellent interface, and smart home compatibility with both Matter and Thread. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The Lego Roses will last far longer than a real bouquet, and they’re probably cheaper, too. They’re now available for $9.99 ($5 off) at Amazon and Target, about $3 more than their best price to date. The 120-piece kit lets you build two red roses with adjustable stems and green leaves, so you can arrange them in a vase or pair them with other Lego botanical sets.
- The Kobo Libra Colour is $209.99 ($20 off) at Rakuten Kobo and Target, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. It’s a great e-reader if you’re not embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, offering a similar 7-inch color display to the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition while adding physical page-turn buttons, stylus support, and wider support for more file formats. Read our review.
- The Theragun Mini 3 is on sale for $179.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, one of its better prices to date. Although it weighs about a pound, the three-speed massage gun is powerful and includes three interchangeable attachments to target different muscle groups. The latest model is also quieter and smaller than its predecessor, so it’s even easier to travel with. You can connect it to Therabody’s app for personalized recovery plans and treatment guidance.
Sonos Era 100
Sonos’ Era 100 smart speaker is a replacement for the older Sonos One, utilizing two tweeters (left and right) and one larger woofer. In addition to Wi-Fi, the Era 100 also supports Bluetooth audio and line-in playback via an optional 3.5mm to USB-C adapter.
Where to Buy:
- The Sonos Arc Ultra is on sale for $899 ($200 off) from Sonos, Amazon, and Best Buy. Designed for larger spaces, it delivers powerful, room-filling sound thanks to its upward-firing Dolby Atmos drivers, which create a more immersive experience with audio that feels like it’s coming from above. It also improves on its predecessor with added conveniences such as Bluetooth and Trueplay tuning, making it a great option if you need better home theater audio. Read our review.
- If you’re shopping for something cheaper, the Sonos Beam is also on sale for $369 ($130 off) directly from Sonos, at Amazon, and from Best Buy, which is just $20 shy of its all-time low. It’s a good fit for apartments or smaller living rooms, offering Dolby Atmos support with virtual height channels that create a fuller sound than Sonos’ entry-level Ray, though it doesn’t produce the same overhead effect as the Arc Ultra. Like the Arc Ultra, it boasts HDMI eARC and doubles as a smart speaker, so you can stream music and control smart home devices with Amazon Alexa.
Amazfit Active 2
The Amazfit Active 2 delivers outsized value for the price. It looks spiffy and has a wide array of health tracking features, plus built-in GPS and AI chatbots to provide extra context to your data. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The 41mm, Wi-Fi–enabled Google Pixel Watch 4 is down to $299.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, matching its best price to date. The smartwatch stands out for its great health and fitness tracking features, which include dual-frequency GPS and retroactive AI-powered activity recognition. It also offers Gemini support, along with handy features like raise-to-talk and a side-mounted charger that turns the watch into a small, at-a-glance display. iFixit also named it the most repairable smartwatch, in case you ever break it. Read our review.
- You can buy the AirPods 4 for around $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, which is about $16 shy of their all-time low and one of their better prices to date. The entry-level buds deliver the best sound quality of any Apple entry-level earbuds to date, while also improving call quality and offering a comfortable, lightweight design. Read our review.
Aura Aspen
The Aura Aspen digital frame lets you upload photos via the companion app, cloud services, or email from anywhere. Its 12-inch LCD display features slim bezels, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and an antiglare screen that mimics the look of real photos.
Where to Buy:
- The Roborock Saros 10 is one of the best robot vacuums you can buy, and right now it’s down to $1,099.99 ($500 off) at Amazon and directly from Roborock, matching its best price to date. The Saros 10 combines 22,000Pa of suction with a vibrating mop and did an excellent job in our testing, picking up everything from Cheerios to pet hair. It can also lift itself by 10mm to cross taller room thresholds and retract its LiDAR tower to slide under low furniture.
- Hoto’s rechargeable AutoCare Air Duster & Vacuum is on sale for $59.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, which is its lowest price to date. The handheld vacuum offers three adjustable suction levels (8,000Pa / 15,000Pa / 20,000Pa) along with five interchangeable attachment heads you can swap out depending on whether you’re cleaning hard-to-reach areas in your car or digging dirt out of a keyboard.
iPad Mini (2024)
The seventh-gen iPad Mini comes with Apple’s A17 Pro chip and support for Apple Intelligence. It’s also compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and offers faster Wi-Fi and USB-C speeds. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- Anker’s Laptop Power Bank is on sale for $89.99 from Newegg (with code EPF366) and directly from Anker (with code VergeYWP0QJDE), which is $2 shy of its best price. The 25,000mAh / 90W power bank delivers up to 165W total output, enough to charge a laptop and up to three other devices simultaneously via three USB-C ports and one USB-A port. It also features a retractable USB-C cable, a second built-in cable for carrying, and an LCD screen that shows power levels.
- The Unihand rechargeable hand warmers are on sale for $16.99 ($13 off) at Amazon. They offer three heat levels and reach up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmers are also pocket-friendly and can last up to 20 hours on a single charge, with an LED indicator so you can easily check battery and heat status.
Apple AirTag
Apple’s AirTag is unobtrusive, waterproof, and taps into the massive Find My network for out-of-range locating. Read our original review.
Where to Buy:
Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay
CarPlay users could soon be able to use their chatbot of choice instead of Siri. As Bloomberg reports, Apple is working to add support for CarPlay voice control apps from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others. Previously, users who wanted to access third-party chatbots in the car would need to go through their iPhone, but soon they may be able to talk with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini directly in CarPlay.
However, Apple reportedly "won't let users replace the Siri button on CarPlay or the wake word that summons the service." So, users will need to manually open their preferred chatbot's app. Developers will be able to set their apps to autom …
This is the Trump Phone
Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. This time, surprisingly, we received a response - and an interview.
The Trump phone is real - maybe, sort of, soon? - and I've seen it. Not in the flesh, but during an hourlong video call with two Trump Mobile executives who showed me a phone, and told me more about why it was delayed, when it might actually reach buyers, and why its spec sheet has changed again and again.
I spoke to Don Hendrickson - yes, the one who had seemingly ghosted me last time - and Eric Thomas, two of the three executi …
There isn’t even a cynical explanation for Jeff Bezos destroying The Washington Post
300 journalists have lost their jobs at The Washington Post. Over 300,000 readers have canceled their subscriptions. Owner Jeff Bezos, who purchased the legendary publication in 2013, has driven his reputation into the ground by using his vast empire to churn out content designed to make President Donald Trump happy: Amazon MGM Studios spent $40 million to produce a fawning documentary about Melania Trump, which premiered days before the Post sent out mass layoff notices. And yet, he's gotten nothing out of his attempts to suck up to Donald Trump - at least, nothing that's a net positive to his bottom line.
Which begs the cynical question: …
The Jeffrey Epstein Fortnite account is fake
Fortnite developer Epic Games says the account some people believed to be linked to Jeffrey Epstein is a "ruse." In a reply on X, the developer writes, "an existing Fortnite account owner changed their username" to "littlestjeff1," an alias spotted in several emailed receipts from YouTube in the Epstein files.
The email suggests that "littlestjeff1" may have been connected to Epstein's YouTube account, prompting online sleuths to search for the username on other platforms. Users later uncovered a "littlestjeff1" account on Fortnite, along with a 2019 email that mentions purchasing VBucks in Fortnite - though the sender and recipient are red …
Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now
If you know where to look, you can often score deals on Apple’s ever-expanding AirPods lineup. Both the AirPods Max and AirPods 4 (with and without ANC) now consistently receive discounts, as do the newer AirPods Pro 3. And while recent shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday delivered some of the steepest discounts we’ve seen, there are still good deals to be found on every model in January.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best deals currently available on each set of AirPods, including both iterations of the AirPods 4, the third-gen AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Max.
The best AirPods 4 deals
Apple AirPods 4
Where to Buy:
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
Where to Buy:
At the end of 2024, Apple introduced the AirPods 4, a pair of wireless earbuds available in two variations: a $129 standard model and a $179 noise-canceling model. Both versions represent significant upgrades over the third-gen AirPods, with a more comfortable design and improved audio performance. They’re also better for taking calls thanks to Apple’s Voice Isolation feature, which focuses the mics on your voice so you can be heard more clearly in noisy environments.
The $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation offer a surprisingly effective noise-canceling mode, a helpful transparency mode, and several other Pro-level features. The latest AirPods Pro do a better job of tuning out noise, but the AirPods 4 with ANC still do a good job of reducing sound. They also feature other perks formerly reserved for Apple’s top-of-the-line earbuds, including wireless charging and a case with a built-in speaker that allows you to easily track it down via Apple’s Find My app.
Given they’ve been out for over a year, we consistently see discounts for both iterations of the AirPods 4. During Black Friday, we saw the standard model drop to a new low of $74. But right now, they’re $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. The AirPods 4 with ANC are $139.99 at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $139.99, which is well above their all-time low of $99.
Read our full AirPods 4 review.
The best AirPods Pro 3 deals
AirPods Pro 3
The third-gen AirPods Pro add a new built-in heart rate sensor and live translation feature. They also improve upon their predecessor with enhanced noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and a fifth swappable ear tip.
Where to Buy:
At its “Awe Dropping” event in September, Apple introduced the AirPods Pro 3. In addition to improved ANC and sound, the third-gen earbuds include a built-in heart rate sensor that syncs with the iPhone Fitness app, allowing you to track your pulse and calories burned across more than 50 workout types. They’re also more comfortable and secure than their predecessor, thanks to a redesigned, angled fit and five ear tip sizes — including a new XXS option. Additionally, they carry a more robust IP57 rating and support Apple’s new live translation feature, which, in our testing, generally conveys the gist well but still can’t beat a human interpreter.
Given how recently they launched, we’ve been surprised by how frequently the AirPods Pro 3 have been discounted. Recently, we saw the AirPods Pro 3 drop to as low as $199, which was less than their Black Friday and Cyber Monday price. As of this update, they’re available for $229.99 (about $19 off) at Amazon and Walmart.
Read our full AirPods Pro 3 review.
The best AirPods Max deals
Apple AirPods Max
Where to Buy:
The AirPods Max aren’t the iconic in-ears that have become synonymous with the AirPods name. They’re large and luxurious, comprised of aluminum, steel, and mesh fabric that remains comfortable during extended listening sessions. They also sport excellent noise cancellation, Apple’s spatial audio feature, and expansive, balanced sound, even if they lag behind some of their peers when it comes to bass response and features. They’re not the best noise-canceling headphones for most people — blame the sticker price — but it’s hard to find a better pair of Bluetooth headphones if you’re an iPhone user.
Toward the end of 2024, Apple replaced the first-gen Max with a new model that features support for USB-C charging and a few new color options. In the past, we’ve seen them drop to as low as $399, but right now they’re only on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $449.99 ($100 off), which is still one of their better prices to date.
Read our original AirPods Max review.
Update, February 6th: Adjusted pricing and availability.
Spotify’s About the Song offers context and trivia about your favorite tracks
Spotify is launching About the Song in beta today, which offers context and facts about the song you're listening to. Premium users can scroll down to the new About the Song section for information while in the Now Playing view. At launch, it's only available for a limited number of tracks, but there are plans to expand it.
Bits of trivia and background about songs are presented as short, swipeable cards with information harvested from "third-party sources." The text is generated using machine learning, but Spotify at least cites its sources on the About the Song cards. The company declined to say whether the feature would eventually be ava …
Aura’s Aspen digital frame is a great gift, especially now that it’s $30 off
Aura’s Aspen digital photo frame is a great Valentine’s Day gift if you want something that’s slick and sentimental, and right now it’s on sale for $199 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Aura’s online storefront. That’s the lowest we’ve seen the frame sell for since the holidays.
With its paper-textured, antiglare matte display and adjustable metal stand, the 12-inch Aspen looks remarkably similar to a classic picture frame. It lets you upload and share photos from anywhere. It also has features that help photos feel more personal, like a sharp 1600 x 1200 HD LCD panel that makes images appear lifelike and can display Live Photos, as well as short 30-second video clips. You can even add text captions.
There are other reasons we like Aspen, too. The frame adapts to a room’s lighting, and its 4:3 aspect ratio matches most smartphone cameras, so photos fill the screen naturally without awkward formatting. Plus, unlike many rivals, Aura doesn’t charge a subscription fee for cloud storage, so you don’t have to worry about giving a gift that comes with extra costs.
Read our hands-on impressions.
Three more Verge-approved deals
- The last-gen AirTag is on sale for $17 ($12 off) at Amazon and Walmart, which is its best price to date. The tracker remains an excellent option for keeping tabs on your items if you’re an iPhone owner. It combines Apple’s Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip with Apple’s wide Find My network for tracking that still outperforms most rivals, even if the AirTag 2 may be louder and more precise with its second-gen chip. Plus, you get a user-replaceable battery and access to the same software features, including the ability to share an AirTag’s location with up to five other people.
- The Kobo Libra Colour is my favorite Kindle alternative, and right now you can grab it for $209.99 ($20 off) from Rakuten Kobo and Target, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. It’s a terrific alternative to the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, offering a seven-inch color screen that’s slightly less vibrant but still easy on the eyes. It’s waterproof like the Colorsoft, charges via USB-C, and adds extra perks like physical page-turn buttons and stylus support for jotting down notes. Read our review.
- You can buy the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter starting at $15.99 ($7 off) at Amazon, which is its cheapest price yet. The adapter comes with four different plugs that cover more than 200 countries across Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. It also features four USB-A ports, a single USB-C port, and one AC socket, so you can charge up to six devices, including smartphones, laptops, cameras, and more.
The Alexa app is so bad I’m using Siri again
I've used Alexa to manage my shopping list for years. There are plenty of great list apps out there, but the convenience of adding items by voice anywhere in my house, pulling up the list on an Echo Show in the kitchen, and having it on my phone via the Alexa app has worked well for me. Until it didn't.
Alexa Plus, combined with a redesign of the Alexa app that puts the generative AI-powered assistant front and center, has made the entire process so irritating that I've reluctantly switched to Apple's Reminders app and Siri.
This is not what I wanted. I have Echos all over my house, but only a couple of HomePods, and Siri insists on saying …
Analogue’s 4K N64 is getting five new transparent color options
Analogue has announced another collection of limited-edition colors for its modern remake of the Nintendo 64. Last December it introduced several transparent versions of the Analogue 3D inspired by Nintendo's Funtastic N64 series, but this time the company says it drew inspiration from colored versions of the nearly 30-year-old console that Nintendo prototyped, but never released to the public.
The Prototype Limited Editions versions of the Analogue 3D will be available for purchase through the company's website in limited quantities starting on February 9th at 8AM PT / 11AM ET, and are expected to ship 24 to 48 hours after that. Each will …