Eliana Willis

Apple devices have a reputation for being pricey, but if you keep a sharp eye out for your favorite retailers and mobile carriers, you might be able to snap up new (or new-to-you) tech without breaking the bank. And to help you find the best value on premium Apple devices, I compiled a list of the best discounts I could find on things like iPhones, Apple Watches, and compatible accessories. Also: The best iPhones you can buyIf you see an Apple device or accessory you like on sale, I suggest you snap it up quickly. Discounted Apple stock usually sells out fast, and sale prices are constantly changing, so you don’t want to wait around too long and miss your chance at the best discounts.The best Apple deals from AmazonAmazon is an official Apple tech dealer, and you can find everything from iPads to Apple Watches and tons of accessories like MagSafe wireless chargers, laptop docks and USB hubs, and replacement bands for your smartwatch. And unlike the official Apple website, you’re much more likely to find at least a few discounts on older Apple tech at Amazon, letting you save a bit of cash on high-end laptops and more.The best Apple deals from Best BuyIf you prefer shopping for tech at a brick-and-mortar retailer, Best Buy covers all things Apple. Along with great accessories like AirTags and charging stations, Best Buy offers help in activating new iPhones for new and existing mobile customers at AT&T and Verizon. But if you prefer to take your phone to any carrier, you can also get unlocked devices. Best Buy also has a great selection of Geek Squad Certified refurbished Apple tech, letting you get your hands on premium devices cheaply.The best Apple deals from B&H PhotoYou might not have heard of B&H Photo, but it’s an online brick-and-mortar retailer specializing in all things tech. It offers a wide selection of Apple devices, such as MacBooks, Apple Watches, and accessories. B&H Photo also frequently offers discounts and special rebates, making it easier to find the devices you want at a price you can afford.The best Mobile carrier Apple dealsMobile carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile often offer promotional sales, discounts, and bundle deals when you set up a new line on an existing account or open a new account with them. These often take the form of monthly credits on your statement, free entry-level devices, or free trials of streaming services and software like Disney+ and YouTube Premium. How did we choose these Apple products? As an avid iPhone user myself who hasn’t upgraded since the iPhone 12, I look for devices that give me a very good reason to switch to newer features and tech:Battery life: Newer devices like smartphones and laptops have much better battery performance than 10 years ago. Any Apple tech that offers all-day or multi-day use on a single charge is well worth picking up, especially for busy school or workdays when you can’t always plug in.Storage and performance: Between work and my pets, I take a lot of photos, so I keep an eye out for smartphones, tablets, and laptops that offer a variety of storage options to handle everything from managing your personal Instagram to taking quality photos for a professional portfolio. I also watch for improved performance with new chipsets that make multitasking easier and faster.Extra features: Our devices are much more than simple phones or computers; they’re integrated ecosystems for productivity and entertainment. I look for devices that allow for setting up networks for sharing data, images, and video, as well as productivity and accessibility features like speech-to-text, on-device photo editing, and app support.What should I look for in an Apple product? Apple is an interesting company; it sometimes feels more like a fashion brand than a tech company. So if you’re looking for tech that functions as well as looks good, there are a few things to keep an eye out for while browsing Apple devices:Worthy upgrades: Apple releases refreshes and updates to its smartphones, wearables, and laptops every year. And while many of these new releases feature upgrades like improved chipsets and displays, they might not always give you many reasons to abandon your 1 to 2-year-old device.Battery life and storage: You will often use your new tech, whether for work or personal reasons. And you’re going to want a battery that is going to last all day, so that you don’t have to make a mental note of where every wall outlet is in case your laptop dies in the middle of an important meeting, or your Apple Watch gives out in the middle of the woods on a hike. You’ll also want a storage drive that gives you plenty of space to handle your most-used programs and files, as well as photos, video, and music.Customer service and warranties: Sometimes, you get a dud iPhone from the store or accidentally knock your very expensive MacBook off your desk and damage it. That’s when you need to make sure that you have a good warranty to cover things like manufacturing defects and accidental damage. Replacing a cracked screen or battery is a lot cheaper than having to run out and buy a whole new laptop or phone.What is the best Apple chip now? Apple has released its latest lineup of laptops, desktops, and tablets with the M4 Silicon chipset. It features a 10-core GPU compared to the M3’s 8-core design, and packs an impressive 28 billion transistors into a single chip for better multitasking and efficiency. The M3 and M4 Silicon chips feature 16-core Neural Engine processors, but the M4 can perform up to 38 trillion operations per second compared to the M3’s 18 trillion. But unless you’re very picky about performance and know how to push your chip to the limit, you’ll probably see pretty similar day-to-day performance between M3 and M4 models.Which is better: MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro? This is a subjective question, as both are well-suited to different tasks. If you’re looking for a robust laptop that can handle everything from web browsing and streaming to animation and video production, you’ll want to spring for the MacBook Pro. The Pro can be configured with either an M4 Pro or M4 Max Silicon chip for even higher performance and more efficient multitasking, which is perfect for content creators and other creative professionals who need more processing power. The MacBook Air is better suited for students and home use with a standard M4 Silicon chip and 18-hour battery life.Also: MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: How to decide which Apple laptop you should buy
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Matthew Miller/ZDNETAll good things must come to an end — like your relationship (with your smart glasses, that is). Augmented reality (AR) company Xreal More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETUsually, whenever a new feature comes out for Windows, Microsoft advertises it widely in a blog post to let everyone know. Or if they don’t, people discover the feature soon after an update. However, a helpful feature sometimes slips through the cracks, only to be unearthed years later.Also: Hate Windows 11? Here’s how you can make it work more like Windows 10That was my reaction when I found this obscure Emergency Restart method for Windows 11 after stumbling across a post on the Sysadmin subreddit. Reddit user ‘-Steets-‘ shared the information in 2022, although other commenters claim the method was present on Windows XP, which came out over 20 years ago.To access Emergency Restart, press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys on your Windows PC — a pretty normal action. However, this time, hold down the CTRL key and click the power button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. More

Asus Zenbook A14 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Asus Zenbook A14 with 16GB of memory is on sale at Best Buy for $599. It’s a fantastic balance of innovation and value with an OLED display, competitive hardware, and a satisfying physical form. While its use case is clearly defined, the laptop has its limits when […] More

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETIn 2005, about 3.3 million cars sold that year included at least one USB port. Twenty years later, more than 200 million cars have embedded connectivity outlets (USB-A), and these days, a significant portion of them have USB-C ports. Some vehicles have as many as nine ports! Even many newer-model motorcycles have USB outlets.Also: Wyze wants to keep prying eyes away from your cameras with this new featureUsually situated on the front or rear consoles (and sometimes inside the glove compartment), USB ports offer more than just a way to charge devices. They enable music playback, phone connectivity, access to navigation systems, and more. I’ve put together a few common — and maybe not-so-common — ways you can utilize the ports in your car, along with some helpful notes. More

Apple It feels like Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) was just weeks ago, but the pubic beta of Apple’s biggest operating systems has already arrived, bringing big changes to Apple CarPlay users. Also: How to install iOS 26 beta on your iPhone (and which models support it) While you’ll have to enroll in the beta […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Sigma’s BF is a $2,200, 35mm full-frame, mirrorless digital camera that radically changes the mode of operation by replacing the gaggle of buttons with an elegant click-wheel. It’s a great first camera but also has tons of pro features A future upgrade to a higher-resolution 60-megapixel sensor would be a welcome […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 users are entitled to a six-month subscription to Google AI Pro for free.The premium tier includes access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Veo 3, 2TB of cloud storage, and more.You can renew the subscription or cancel it at expiration.The Galaxy Z Fold 7 More