Technologies

Black Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more

Here is our round up of the best early deals happening at major retailers like Amazon, Target, Best Buy and many more

This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2021, our list of ideas, by topic, by recipient and by price, to help you discover the perfect gift.

It seems as if Black Friday begins earlier and earlier every year. And this year is no exception. Both in store and online, companies like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy and pretty much every other major retailer are already getting a jump on the holiday savings. And some very solid deals are already available. In many cases the sales are labeled as Black Friday offers, so you won’t have to work too hard to find them. As the seasonal chaos grows, we’ll keep scouring the internet in search of the best Black Friday deals so you don’t have to. Expect this page to be updated frequently, as we’ll keep adding to it as more offers appear. This story was last updated Thursday, Nov. 11 with the latest deals.

Note: Today is also Veteran’s day and Singles Day, which often see additional discounts on top of the usual holiday sales. If you’ve got your eye on something, now is a great time to snag it as it may jump back up in price tomorrow.

Black Friday sales at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and more

On the calendar, Black Friday is Friday, Nov. 26 — the day after Thanksgiving. But «Black Friday sales» are already alive and well. To help navigate the pandemonium, here is a handy guide of what you can expect on sale when and where:

Amazon: Sales are ongoing now.
Best Buy: The big-box retailer has an early Black Friday sale running now.
Walmart: The Black Friday Deals for Days sale has been running since Nov. 3, and another big wave of sales just dropped yesterday (Nov. 10), adding more great deals like $89 Airpods.
Target: The first wave of Target’s deals were pretty unimpressive, but the retailer opened a new wave of sales last Thursday, with more following every Sunday from here on out. Full details here.

Best Black Friday deals at Walmart

More great deals at Walmart:

Apple Airpods (2nd gen): $89 (save $40 vs. apple store)
Roku Ultra LT: $30 (save $39)
Toshiba 1TB portable HDD: $39 (save $13)
Tineco cordless vacuum: $125 (save $74)
Anker Eufy Robovac 25C: $99 (save $50)

Best Black Friday deals at Target

More great deals at Target:

JBL Tune wireless headphones: $30 (save $40)
Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones: $100 (save $100)
Motorola Moto G Fast: $170 (save $30)
Vizio V-Series compact sound bar: $50 (save $50)
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen): $25 (save $15)

Best Black Friday deals at Best Buy

More great deals at Best Buy:

Samsung 75-inch 7 Series TV: $850 (save $250)
Apple iMac — 21.5″: $1000 (save $500)
Acer Chromebook Spin 514: $299 (save $200)
Ninja Mega System blender: $160 (save $40)

Best Black Friday deals at Amazon

More great deals at Amazon:

Garmin Instinct outdoor watch: $170 (save $130)
Roku Streambar Pro: $150 (save $30)
Blue Yeti USB Mic: $100 (save $50)
Le Creuset enameled cast iron oven: $180 (save $120)

Best Black Friday headphone deals

You can always find headphones on sale during Black Friday events, but finding the right balance between a good deal and a good set of headphones can be a challenge. Here’s what we’ve found so far.

More great headphone deals:

Beats Studio3 wireless headphones: $180 (save $170)
AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case: $190 (save $59 versus Apple Store)
JBL Live 660NC noise canceling headphones: $100 (save $100)
Beats Powerbeats Pro: $150 (save $100 in select colors)

Best Black Friday TV deals

Televisions frequently fill out Black Friday sale pages, but it’s not always easy to tell which sales are actually worthwhile. Here are some deals on good TVs worth adding to your shopping cart.

More great TV deals:

LG 43-inch Class 4K UHD Smart TV: $400 (save $80)
TCL 32-inch Class 3-Series Roku Smart TV: $160 (save $50)
LG 48-inch C1 OLED TV: $1,097 (save $200)
Insignia 32″ Fire Smart TV: $150 (save $50)
Samsung 32-inch The Frame wall-art TV: $528 (save $72)

Best Black Friday laptop deals

More great laptop deals:

Acer Aspire 5: $530 (save $100)
Samsung Chromebook 4+: $209 (save $110)
MSI Prestige 14: $699 (save $400 after rebate)
Lenovo Yoga 9i: $1,350 (save $400)
Lenovo IdeaPad S340: $729 (save $71)

Best Black Friday tablet deals

It’s never hard to find a cheap tablet, but it can occasionally be challenging to find a good tablet at a reasonable price. Here are all of the worthwhile tablet deals we’ve found for early Black Friday.

More great tablet deals:

Apple iPad Pro (2nd Generation): $750 (save $150)
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite: $90 (save $50 versus current Amazon price)
Apple iPad Mini (256GB): $600 (save $50 versus Apple store)
Hyundai HyTab 7LC1: $80 (save $20)

Best Black Friday kitchen deals

Kitchen tech can totally change the way you cook, and a great sale on kitchen tech makes that exploration even more enjoyable. Here are the best Black Friday kitchen deals we’ve found.

More great kitchen and home deals:

KitchenAid Food Chopper: $40 (save $15)
Bella 1.7L Electric Kettle: $20 (save $20)
Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee Maker: $25 (save $10)
Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Indoor Grill: $250 (save $50)
Ninja Mega Kitchen blender system: $160 (save $40)

Best Black Friday fitness deals

With New Year’s Day inching ever closer, those fitness resolutions can start to feel daunting. But not if you’ve got the right equipment. Here are the best Black Friday fitness deals we’ve found.

More great fitness deals:

Fitbit Luxe: $100 (save $50)
Airex Fitline Non Slip Floor Mat: $61 (save $31)
Total Gym APEX Versatile Indoor Home Workout: $399 (save $136)
Sunny Health & Fitness Air Bike: $238 (save $52)

Best Black Friday deals under $50

Roku Streaming Stick 4K: $29 (save $21)
Google Nest Mini (2nd generation): $25 (save $24)
TP-Link Wi-Fi Extender: $30 (save $20)
Lenovo Smart Clock: $30 (save $20)

More great Black Friday deals

Marshall Kilburn II portable Bluetooth speaker: $250 (save $50)
Sony UBP-X700M 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player: $178 (save $72)
Samsung HW-A650 soundbar with wireless subwoofer: $208 (save $192)
WD EasyStore 14TB external hard drive: $260 (save $160)

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Apple Plans to Use a Custom Model of Google’s Gemini AI to Power Siri, Report Says

Apple reportedly chose Google over Anthropic for financial reasons.

Apple is turning to Google to make a custom Gemini AI model to power the next version of its virtual assistant Siri for spring 2026, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Sunday.

According to the report, Apple was evaluating whether to use Google or AI competitor Anthropic for the next version of Siri. Gurman says Google offered a better financial deal. In an earlier Bloomberg report, he says Anthropic would have cost Apple $1.5 billion per year. The report doesn’t reveal Apple’s own financial offer.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

This custom Gemini model will run on Apple’s private cloud compute servers. Apple’s own models will continue to run on devices for personal data, while Gemini would operate on servers for more complex tasks. Gurman also says that Apple won’t highlight Google’s involvement in the company’s marketing.

Representatives for Google, Apple and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

With major tech companies pivoting toward AI, Apple has largely been left behind. The tech company was slow to adopt AI and hasn’t developed AI models that are competitive. It instead turned to companies like OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to help add generative capabilities on top of existing Apple systems.

Even then, the promise of a truly agentic Apple Intelligence has failed to materialize, although it has improved. Apple CEO Tim Cook also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of acquiring an AI company.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Apple also has a close relationship with Google. The search giant pays Apple $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on Apple devices. It’s a relationship that nets Apple money and prevents it from building a competitor to Google Search, a claim Apple denies. This arrangement was an important factor in the Department of Justice’s case against Google, where a judge ruled that the company was operating an illegal monopoly.

Despite falling behind on AI, Apple is doing well financially. Last month, it surpassed a $4 trillion market cap.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 4, #877

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 4, #877.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a diverse mix of topics. They’re not too tough, but let’s hope you recognize your computer-related phrases. If you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Point in the right direction.

Green group hint: Like a veneer, or veil.

Blue group hint: Like JPG.

Purple group hint: Musical instrument.