It’s sometimes easy to dismiss the previous generation of a product in favor of the latest version. In most cases, that’s smart to do, unless a deal is just too good to pass up. Case in point, Sony’s WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones that released in 2018 are down to their lowest price yet at Best Buy today and through Sunday. Originally $350 (but usually selling between $220-$270 most days), you can get them new in the black colorway for $170. Amazon was offering this price earlier today, but it appears to have sold out for the moment.
Compared to the 1000XM4 that released in 2020, the XM3s aren’t far behind. They are comparable in terms of sound quality, battery life, comfort, and with their noise cancellation effect. Though, the XM4 are unique in that they have an auto on / off playback sensor when you put on or take off the headphones, and they can connect with two Bluetooth sources simultaneously. We’ve seen that newer model go for as low as $250 during Prime Day recently, but you’d currently be able to buy two sets of XM3s at Best Buy to match the XM4’s price as it stands today.
Sony WH-1000XM3
Sony’s previous-generation flagship noise-canceling headphones, the 1000XM3, have been outshined by the few extra features that their successor brings. But if all that you want is comfort, excellent sound, and a world-hushing noise cancellation effect, these are still worth getting for a deal.
Also part of Best Buy’s three-day “Black Friday in July” sale, MSI’s Sword 15 gaming laptop is a couple hundred dollars off its normal price. Normally $1,200, it’s $1,000 now. That’s not a bad deal for what specs are inside, including the Intel Core i7-11800H processor, Nvidia’s RTX 3050 Ti graphics chip, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and 8GB of RAM. It has a 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate. The sum of its components equal a solid midrange gaming laptop that should be capable of delivering playable frame rates in many games after some tweaking.
MSI Sword 15
If you’re looking for a midrange gaming laptop that won’t break the bank, the MSI Sword 15 has solid specs that should be powerful enough to run most modern games at respectable frame rates.
We featured a similar deal recently for the newly released The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch, but the cartridge version of the game is $9 off at Best Buy right now. Unfortunately, this deal doesn’t extend to the digital version, but the discount is nice if you were thinking about grabbing this game at your local Best Buy ahead of the weekend.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
2011’s Skyward Sword looks and plays better on the Nintendo Switch than it ever did on the Wii. Some other welcome improvements include autosaves, skippable dialogue, and optional tutorials that help to smooth over some of the pacing issues of the original.
Here are a few more quick deals that you might be interested in:
- The Cooler Master MM720 white, glossy-finished gaming mouse is $23 at Woot instead of its usual $50 price.
- Google’s Pixel 4 (new, unlocked, 64GB, black) is $380 at Woot. This phone is currently tough to get, and prices haven’t fallen below $450 often.
- Apple’s MagSafe chargers are $30 at Woot, $10 cheaper than the usual retail price.
- Refurbished iPhone 12 Mini with 64GB of storage costs $580 at Woot. The retailer has several colors and storage amounts available, and it claims that each is in “Grade A” condition with minimal cosmetic damage.