Best Buy US is offering early Black Friday deals, here are our picks

Black Friday might be a few weeks away, but there’s no need to wait – Best Buy in the US is running some great deals right now. Here are some of the best deals we’ve found. As usual, we’re focusing on smartphones and tablets, but this time we’ve cast a wider net and included headphones and even streaming sticks and smart speakers.

Here are some quick links to each category:

smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is down to $750 for an 8/128GB unit, the jump to 256GB storage is just $50. It is above all exchange credit, be careful, so the final price may be lower.

The Motorola Edge (2022) is less than two months old and packs a 6.6-inch 144Hz OLED display for $500. It also comes with a Dimensity 1050, 50MP main (OIS) and 13MP ultrawide camera, and a 5,000mAh battery with 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.

The Motorola Edge (2021) is much cheaper at $300, but comes with its own 144-inch screen – a larger 6.8-inch LCD. Plus, the Snapdragon 778 inside will give the Dimensity a run for its money and you get a 108MP main camera (no OIS, though). The 5,000mAh battery has 30W wired charging, but no wireless.

Finally, some inexpensive options. The large Moto G Stylus (2021 model) has a 6.8-inch screen (FHD+) and comes with a capacitive stylus. The Snapdragon 480 is nothing fancy, but it does have 5G connectivity.

The Moto G Power (2022) is newer, but at just $50 less than the G Stylus, it probably isn’t worth the savings. You lose 5G connectivity and despite the “Power” name, the battery capacity isn’t larger than the Stylus – 5,000mAh in both cases.

Listeners

Next, wireless headphones, because who still has a phone with a 3.5mm jack? The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are a solid mid-range choice in the TWS realm and come in a variety of colors to match your phone.

If you want something cheap, the JVC Marshmallow+ is just $30. There’s no ANC like on the Galaxy Buds2, but there is basic water resistance.

For those who prefer over-ear headphones, the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless comes with comfortable leatherette ear cushions and an adjustable headband. These are currently half price.

Tablets

Windows tablets can help you work or study on the go, or at home if you can’t always use a desk. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is a fairly high-end offering at $900 with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) and a 13-inch 2,880 x 1,920 pixel display. It comes with Windows 11 Home.

At the other end of the scale is the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i – at $200, it’s one of the cheapest 10.3-inch tablets you can buy, Windows or otherwise. It’s Windows 11 Home in S mode in this case. It runs on a Celeron N4020 with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage (eMMC).

Note that both slates come with QWERTY keyboard covers included.

Streaming Sticks

Roku or Google? 1080p or 4K? You can choose one of the four sticks below based on your answers. The 1080p options are the cheapest way to refresh an old TV with new smarts – it’ll set you back around $20.

If you want high-quality streaming, however, 4K is a must (especially since some streaming services lock HDR behind the 4K level – we’re looking at you, Netflix). In this case, the Chromecast is cheaper ($40) and you get the Google TV experience. Which isn’t everyone’s favorite, you might want the Roku Ultra ($70) instead.

smart home

If you enter the Google ecosystem, an additional $20 can get you a second-generation Nest Mini speaker. It’s good enough to have the Google Assistant always on call and even for music playback.

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is also $20 and can replace your alarm clock. It also lets you talk to the Google Assistant, but the display is very basic, like on a real alarm clock.

Lenovo’s 2nd-gen Smart Clock costs just $15 more, but is much more advanced – its 4-inch LCD screen can show information like the weather and is touchscreen, simplifying the user interface. In addition, the speaker is now facing forward for better sound.

The most advanced of the bunch is the Meta Portal Go – with its 10-inch screen and front-facing camera, you can use it for group video calls as well as controlling your smart home. For the privacy-conscious, there’s a hardware cover that you can slide over the camera when not in use.