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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Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Dec. 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 17.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Nod (off)
Answer: DOZE

5A clue: Naval submarine in W.W. II
Answer: UBOAT

7A clue: Tricky thing to do on a busy highway
Answer: MERGE

8A clue: Heat-resistant glassware for cooking
Answer: PYREX

9A clue: Put into groups
Answer: SORT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Break up with
Answer: DUMP

2D clue: Falls in line, so to speak
Answer: OBEYS

3D clue: Legendary vigilante who cuts a «Z» with his sword
Answer: ZORRO

4D clue: Rarin’ to go
Answer: EAGER

6D clue: Common reminder for an upcoming appointment
Answer: TEXT

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

Technologies

You Can Watch an Exclusive Avatar: Fire and Ash Scene on TikTok Right Now

Disney and TikTok partner on an immersive content hub for James Cameron’s latest movie about the alien Na’vi.

If you’re not quite ready to head to the theater to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash, an exclusive scene preview might sell you on the visual spectacle. As part of a new collaboration with the social media giant, Disney is posting snippets of its new movie to its TikTok account.

This scene isn’t part of any trailer and won’t be posted to other social media accounts, making TikTok the only place you can view it — unless you buy a movie ticket. A first look at the new movie’s scenes isn’t the only Avatar-related bonus on the social media platform right now, either. TikTok has partnered with the house of mouse to bring an entire «immersive content hub» to the app.

A special section of TikTok includes quizzes and educational videos that explore the alien world of Pandora shown off in the movies. On TikTok, you can take a personality quiz to find out what Na’vi clan you most closely align with and unlock a special profile picture border to use on your account.

Science and fiction blend together with a series of videos from real doctors who explain the basis for some of Avatar’s world-building. If you want to learn about exoplanets or how realistic the anatomy of the movie’s alien animals is, these videos will feed your brain while still providing entertainment value.

Perhaps the most enticing part of Disney’s latest social media collaboration is the opportunity for fans to win prizes and trips. TikTok creators who make edits with the #TikTokAvatarContest hashtag are entered into a competition to win Avatar merchandise. The biggest winners will be able to take a trip to visual effects studio Wētā Workshop in New Zealand or visit Avatar director James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment in director Cameron’s cinematic passion project. While the first Avatar movie was released in 2009, Cameron didn’t release another entry in the franchise until 2022. In total, there is a five-movie arc planned for the indigo alien Na’vi on the moon of Pandora.

The Avatar movies are known for pushing the boundaries of CGI visual effects in cinema. They are also historically big winners at the box office: the original Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion across its theatrical releases. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third-highest-grossing film of all time, trailing Avengers: Endgame. You can stream those movies on Disney Plus.

It remains to be seen whether Avatar: Fire and Ash will financially live up to its predecessors. The film currently has mixed reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.