This year it’s more challenging than usual to get presents for your loved ones on time. Fortunately, even if you’ve waited till the last minute to start shopping, you still have a few options. We’ve gathered up some of the best deals we can find that also have a solid chance of making it to your home before Christmas.
Updated December 21: We’ve added in more than a dozen new deals, including some headphone and mattress discounts and highlights from our final weekend deals roundup of 2021.
Table of Contents
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First, a Few Tips
Finding a gift at the last minute can be a hassle, especially when you start seeing the dreaded “Arrives after Christmas” label on items online. However, there are a few tricks you can try to make sure you get gifts in on time:
- Look for in-store pickups: Sites like Best Buy or Walmart list items for delivery but may also have an item in stock in stores near you. Check to see whether a location in your area has an item you can grab in person sooner than it might get delivered to you.
- Check alternative retailers: We’ve done our best to find the retailers that have stock and shipping windows that can still get gifts to you in time, but if you find something you really want to get someone and it won’t get delivered before the holidays from one site, try checking others, including the manufacturer’s.
- Consider similar versions: The phone you want in space gray might be back-ordered, but there may be sky blue units that can get there sooner. Or maybe the laptop with a little more or less RAM is in stock. If a timely gift is more important than its exact specs, you can try tweaking some details to get it sooner.
Mattress and Bedding Deals
Be sure to check out our roundup of the Best Mattresses, and get high-tech with the Best Sunrise Alarms and Best Sound Machines.
Helix Midnight Luxe Hybrid Mattress
Photograph: Helix
Enter CMSALE100 for $100 off a $600 order, CMSALE150 for $150 off $1,250, or CMSALE200 for $200 off $1,750 at checkout
Even after testing more mattresses this year, the Helix Midnight Luxe is still our favorite. It’s plush and comfortable and designed to prevent back pain—the springs are firmer in areas that need more support. Unfortunately, it’s also super expensive, but if you can afford it, we think you’ll really love it.
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Avocado Green Organic Hybrid Mattress
Photograph: Melissa Krused/Avocado Mattress
Enter HOLIDAY at checkout
WIRED senior reviewer Scott Gilbertson said this is the only mattress he and his wife agree on, despite her liking soft mattresses and him liking firm ones. We’ve also had two other folks sleep on it for an extended period of time and like it. It somehow combines both firm and soft qualities and has held up over the past year. There’s also a pillow top option for those who need a super soft mattress. This is our favorite eco-friendly mattress, made from organic latex, wool, and cotton. There’s no polyurethane, fire retardants, memory foam, or chemical adhesives. The company is also a certified B Corporation that’s purchasing enough offsets to be able to say it operates as a carbon-negative business.
This hybrid foam/spring mattress was one of WIRED reviews director Jeffrey Van Camp’s favorite mattresses. He called it a “true runner-up in comfort to my top pick.” It packs individually wrapped coils within five layers of foam of various densities, including a 1.5-inch top layer that provides some soft cushioning over the firm, supportive inner layers.
We like the grid-like texture of this all-foam mattress. WIRED reviews director Jeffrey Van Camp says it felt cool and airy, like lying on a bunch of silicone waffles. Since there are no inner metal coils, it will feel different from a hybrid mattress. Purple offers a 100-day return policy if you decide an all-foam mattress isn’t for you, although since it takes time for the foam to break in, they’ll make you wait at least 21 days before returning it.
If you’re a side sleeper, you know how hard it can be to find a comfortably shaped pillow. Three types of shredded memory foam fill the Tempur-Cloud, allowing you to shape it as you like for side sleeping, back sleeping, and facedown sleeping. The cover is removable so you can wash it.
Headphone and Earbud Deals
Need more help? Try our WIRED Headphone Quiz. We’ll match you to the best pair of earbuds or headphones in 3-5 questions. We also have guides to the Best Wireless Headphones, Best Noise-Canceling Headphones, Best Wirefree Earbuds, and Best Workout Earbuds.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Photograph: Sony
These are our favorite wireless headphones for most people (9/10, WIRED Recommends). They have some of the best noise-canceling you’ll find for the price, a fantastic soundstage and audio quality, and improved microphones for better call quality. These headphones have reached this price a few times since mid-October but rarely fell below $278 before that.
The Powerbeats Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are the best workout option for people who have trouble keeping earbuds in their ears. They sound pretty decent and work super well with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks—thanks in large part to Beats being owned by Apple.
The ColorBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are the third generation of incredibly comfortable wire-free earbuds from the small audio brand 1More. They have a six-hour battery life, support for the AptX Bluetooth codec for higher-quality wireless audio, and an assortment of comfortable ear tips that all but guarantee a good fit. They’re also IPX5 rated, which means they can withstand rainy walks and sweaty workouts. We also like the ColorBuds 2, which aren’t a whole lot more expensive.
Phone and Tablet Deals
Be sure to check out our many buying guides, like the Best Android Phones, Best Cheap Phones, Best Phones With an Actual Headphone Jack, and Best iPhone, for more gift ideas.
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Google Pixel 5A
Photograph: Google
The Google Pixel 5A (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite smartphone for most people. This $400 phone has a crisp OLED display, two-day battery life, and 5G antennas. It also comes with Google’s top-tier camera tech, like Night Sight for low-light photography. It’s hard to do better at this price.
The Pixel 6 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) was only released in October, but it’s already seen a few minor sales. This is the first Pixel to use Google’s custom Tensor processor architecture, which lets it handle complex machine learning tasks on the phone itself, without sending your data back to Google. This makes voice dictation super fast, and the new Magic Eraser feature can intelligently remove people or objects from the background of your photos. Our Pixel Phone guide has more details. Availability for this one may depend on which stores near you have it in stock, so check your zip code on the site.
When we reviewed the Galaxy S21 5G (8/10, WIRED Recommends), we liked it for its impressive display and performance, stand-out cameras—though arguably it’s been topped by the Pixel 6 Pro since then—and nice-to-have features, like wireless charging and a 120-Hz screen.
The Nokia XR20 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite rugged phone. It took multiple drops on the pavement in our review without getting scuffed. On top of its durable, grippy texture, this phone comes with wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, and best of all: a headphone jack.
The Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a larger display than its S7 sibling, measuring 12.4 inches. It comes with the S Pen and has 64 gigabytes of storage. Unfortunately, it has pretty midrange performance, there’s no fingerprint scanner, and the screen can’t hit the 120-Hz refresh rate of the standard S7. But at this price, those trade-offs might be worth it.
If you don’t mind spending a little extra, you can get the Galaxy Tab S7 with a sharp 11-inch LCD display and a 120-Hz refresh rate, and it even includes an S Pen stylus. There aren’t a lot of good tablets that support the Google Play Store, and this is one of the better ones.
Laptop and Home Office Deals
We’ve got guides to the Best Laptops, Best Cheap Laptops, Best Chromebooks, Best MacBooks, and plenty more. Our Best Work-From-Home Gear and Best Office Chair roundups might be handy if you’re looking for gift ideas.
Apple Macbook Air
Photograph: Apple
For a high-end laptop, this is a pretty great deal (even if it’s one we’ve seen before). It features a 14-inch, 4K HDR touchscreen with an Intel Evo Core i7 chip, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD. The Yogi comes with Windows 11 Home, and you’ll be able to handle most everyday tasks with it; just don’t expect to do much gaming or heavy video editing.
We’ve seen this one dip as far down as $850 on Cyber Monday, but this is a good deal on our favorite MacBook. The first-generation M1 chip is a powerful processor that blew away benchmarks when it first came out. The laptop also has a sharp 13-inch screen, all-day battery life, and a fanless design that makes it ultra quiet. Be sure to have a look at our MacBook Buying Guide to see which model is right for you.
This 13-inch laptop from Razer packs a respectable 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a 512-gigabyte SSD. Better yet, it has a vibrant 4K touchscreen display with ultrathin bezels.
We liked Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), and this is a solid deal on the AMD version of it. It comes with a nice 3:2-ratio screen that offers extra vertical room for reading and working on documents. A few other configurations and devices are also on sale, so have a look at our Surface Buying Guide.
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is our pick for the best luxury Chromebook. It comes with a solid yet lightweight aluminum chassis, a color-rich 1080p display, and all-day battery life. Plus it comes in red—that’s pretty cool.
Razer Kiyo Pro
Photograph: Amazon
The Razer Kiyo Pro is one of our favorite webcams, and our only complaint was its high price. This deal fixes that. This 1080p cam delivers great picture quality with its large, adaptive light sensor. However, you may want to tweak the settings in the Razer Synapse app to make it look even better.
You can save a ton of space on your desk with compact keyboards, like this 60 percent board, the Razer Huntsman Mini. This is one of our favorite mechanical keyboards for gaming, thanks to its compact size, RGB backlighting, and satisfyingly clicky keys.
We test to find the Best Mechanical Keyboards here at WIRED. This didn’t quite make our list, but it is a great one. Compared to a typical membrane keyboard—the kind on your laptop—a mechanical keyboard feels more tactile and, for many of us, more pleasant to use. Das Keyboard is one of the original brands behind the 2000s revival of mechanical keyboards, and it’s built up a quality reputation in this increasingly crowded market. The X50Q is a full-sized keyboard, meaning it has a number keypad so it can pull double duty for gaming and work.
The Logitech G Pro X is our favorite mechanical keyboard, and for good reason. You can customize it with different key kits, with three different switch types: GX Blue Clicky switches (for a crisp click and thicker keystroke), GX Red Linear (for a quieter, smoother, but still satisfying keystroke), or GX Brown Tactile (with a soft stroke and tactile feedback). Pair it with the powerful G Hub software and you can set up your workflow exactly how you like it.
Logitech G305
Photograph: Amazon
The G305 is a favorite among WIRED’s reviews team. It’s affordable, ergonomically comfortable, and will run for up to 250 hours on a single AA battery. It also has a mere 1-millisecond latency, which means lag is practically nonexistent. Even if you’re not a gamer, you should think about using one. A cheap gaming mouse will do wonders for your wrist.
This is our favorite wireless mouse, owing to its clicky buttons and responsiveness. It comes in a variety of hand sizes, and its ultra-stable wireless connection has an impressively long range. In our testing, we used it up to 10 feet away from the computer with no issues.
Want to upgrade the quality of your microphone? Whether it’s for a new podcast you’re mulling over or the covers you’re recording for YouTube, this USB mic is a great step up from the built-in mics on your laptop or phone. Read our Best Podcast and Livestream Gear guide for more details.
Samsung’s T7 portable drives are among the fastest external drives around, and they’re some of our favorites. They’re lightweight, with solid metal enclosures, and I’ve even used them to record 6K footage on professional cinema cameras. If they can handle that, they can handle backing up your files with no problem.
Home Theater Deals
LG C1 OLED
Photograph: LG
LG’s C1 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best TV we have tested this year, hands down. It has gorgeous black levels, hyper-fast gaming response times, and one of the best smart TV interfaces on the market. You could use this as a gaming monitor for your PS5 or Xbox Series X, or just enjoy the rich colors of the latest blockbuster movie.
This HiSense ULED TV (8/10, WIRED Recommends) almost clinched our top pick for televisions we tested this year. The price-to-performance ratio on this is matched only by our favorite TCL TVs. However, this model comes with Google’s smart TV software, which might be enough to push it over the edge if you’re committed to that ecosystem.
The TCL 4-Series used to be a bit underpowered, but these days it packs the same punch that older 5- and 6-Series models used to. That makes this 43-inch version a great buy as a secondary TV for, say, a guest room or your bedroom.
LG’s NanoCell LED technology makes colors look great, and it comes with the Magic Remote, a point-and-click-style remote from LG that works a bit like Nintendo’s old Wii remotes. It makes picking items from a menu or typing in a password a breeze. Now, it’s even cheaper than we saw it on Cyber Monday.
This smaller display from LG is a great option if you want to fill out a guest room, or want a really big computer monitor. For an entry-level OLED from LG, it has gorgeous colors with deep blacks and astonishing highlights.
Chromecast
Photograph: Google
The Google Chromecast With Google TV (8/10, WIRED Review) remains one of our favorite 4K streaming devices. It’s the best version of Google TV, it finally comes with a remote in the box (unlike most previous Chromecast devices), and it naturally has Google Assistant built-in. You can search for a show or movie to find out which of the numerous streaming services has the content you want to watch, and even add movies to your watch list from Google searches on your phone or computer.
If you’re more of an Amazon household, the Fire TV Cube (6/10, WIRED Recommends) may be more your speed. It’s designed for “hands-free” streaming via Alexa voice search. In our experience, it didn’t handle this task super well, but thankfully it also comes with a remote. Right now it’s just slightly cheaper than we saw it on Cyber Monday.
This Roku Streaming Stick supports 4K and HDR streaming and even Dolby Vision audio in one little package. The included remote comes with dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, and Hulu.
Roku’s Streambar is a simple device that does its job well. On top of being a solid soundbar, it comes with Roku OS on board. You can plug it into your TV and stream movies and TV shows from it, rather than relying on a separate streaming stick.
Smart Home Deals
We’ve also got guides on How to Set Up a Smart Home and How to Keep a Smart Home Private that you might want to check out after you pick up any of these deals.
iRobot Roomba 694
Photograph: iRobot
This midrange Roomba from iRobot is a good place to get started if you’ve never owned a robot vacuum before. It’s quiet and powerful, and the app makes it easy to set up and program your vacuum. You can even command it with either Alexa or Google Assistant.
This is our favorite cheap robot vacuum, and it’s not hard to see why. It runs for more than 100 minutes at a time, and it can dodge cords, laundry, and other obstacles it happens to come across. With the clickable coupon, it’s even cheaper than we saw it on Cyber Monday.
For pet owners, this is one of our favorite robot vacuums. The Roborock S6 MaxV (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a powerful, fast vacuum with long battery life, and it can even avoid messes your pets left behind.
Nest Cam
Photograph: Nest
The battery-operated Nest Cam is one of our favorite outdoor security cameras, but it also works well indoors. You can take it off its magnetic mount when you need to recharge it (usually around once a month). It records 1080p video and can detect motion to alert you when something’s happening in or outside your home.
While we haven’t tested this new battery-powered Nest Doorbell, it adds HDR and night vision to the previous version. That should cut down on how much bright lights blow out your footage. It can also send you customized alerts for people, packages, animals, or cars.
We’ve tested previous Nest Thermostats and liked them. While we haven’t tried this one yet, it can set schedules for your home’s heating and cooling system, and you can even control the temperature from your phone. You can also set it to give you reminders when your filters need changing.
The Philips Hue smart lights aren’t cheap, but it’s hard to get better for your money. With full-color bulbs, you can set color temperatures for white lights or tweak scenes to add a splash of color to your home. This kit includes three bulbs, a wireless remote you can stick to the wall, and the bridge you’ll need to connect it all up.
Kitchen Deals
KitchenAid Professional 5-Quart Stand Mixer
Photograph: Target
KitchenAid mixers are the stand mixer for home bakers. The price tag might put you off, but the laundry list of things they can do will bring you back. You can cream butter, knead dough, and grind meat (with an attachment) quickly and easily with one of these. This deal tends to go in and out of stock, so if you catch it, don’t wait too long to jump on it.
A sous vide precision cooker is an excellent way to cook food to make absolutely sure you don’t overdo it. The temperature-controlled bath heats water to a precise temperature and keeps it there, letting you cook food as challenging as whole turkeys without error.
If you’re not quite ready to make the jump to the stand mixer, this hand mixer can still whip up some egg whites or mix cookie dough with ease. It’s lightweight and cordless, which makes it a great pick for cramped kitchens.
Primula’s Burke immersion brewer is still our favorite cold-brew coffee maker. It was on sale for $4 off, and now it’s not as of December 21, but it’s still incredibly affordable, so we’re keeping it listed. It can make up to 32 ounces of coffee at a time in a couple of simple steps. Just put coarse grounds into the mesh basket, pour water through it, and in 24 hours you’ll have smooth, flavorful iced coffee.
Giant blenders can be powerful machines, but if all you want is to make a few smoothies, this is the blender for you. The Nutribullet is designed for single-serve smoothies, and the container you blend in can even be used as a cup so you can mix a drink and get out the door quickly.
The original Instant Pot became famous for combining the abilities to slow-cook, pressure-cook, stew, bake, and broil. With a quick rinse, you could go from making homemade yogurt to roasting a whole chicken. Now, it’s available with an air fryer lid accessory for making dishes such as crispy fried chicken and turkey.
If you’re eternally short on counter space, finding room for your cutting board can feel like an involuntary yoga session. This solid maple cutting board fits over a standard-width sink so that it doesn’t have to compete with mixing bowls and other prep surfaces. This price is also available at Home Depot.
Loungewear Deals
We’ve just recently updated our guide to the Best Loungewear, and already some of our favorites are on sale. You can find some of the best deals below.
California Cowboy PCH Full Zip Hoodie
Photograph: California Cowboy
This earned our top pick for full-zip hoodies in our loungewear guide. It features eye-catching retro styling and is loaded with pockets, including one waterproof pocket that you can zip closed to store your phone or matches. It even comes with a pocket on the back for bottles so you can keep your drink close.
It takes a lot of confidence to name your product The something, but The Might Company earned it with The Sweatshirt, one of our favorite pieces of loungewear. It’s bright, colorful, and has a cropped hem that looks great and feels comfy.
One of our honorable loungewear mentions, this top and shorts set is a great balance of comfort and value. While it gives off pajama vibes, it could also be worn in everyday life if you paired it with a good jacket or the right pair of shoes.
Another of our honorable mentions, this hoodie is fairly expensive normally, but it’s also incredibly snuggly and comes in a unique bottle green color. The matching joggers are similarly $45 off, which makes the set together a much more attractive deal.
These unisex pants are so comfy you could wear them every day. They’re loose without feeling baggy and come with deep pockets that won’t have your phone falling out every time you lie down. As sweatpants go, they’re pretty flattering, too.
Camera Deals
Be sure to check out our Best Mirrorless Cameras guide, Best Action Cameras guide, and Best Camera Bags, Straps, Inserts, and Backpacks guide before you dive in here, if you’re not already sure what to buy. Our guide to the Gear and Tips You Need to Make Studio-Grade Home Videos has more useful tips and tricks.
Panasonic Lumix S5
Photograph: Lumix
The Lumix S5 is our favorite mirrorless camera for those who want to shoot video with a full-frame sensor. It supports V-Log recording, anamorphic 4K, and uncropped 4K at 30 frames per second. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this camera at a price this low, but it’s still a great model to grab for filmmakers.
This camera is lightweight and compact, and it can shoot some really nice 4K video for its price. It doesn’t feature the interchangeable lenses or total control over the picture that larger DSLR or mirrorless cameras do, but for vloggers and independent content creators who want something that looks good without as much fuss, it’s an excellent choice.
Insta360 One R Twin
Photograph: Insta360
The Insta360 One R Twin Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is an action cam that can double as a 360-degree camera. Its interchangeable lens blocks let you attach a 4K camera, a dual-lens 360-degree camera, and a wide-angle Leica lens paired with a 1-inch sensor for 5K video. It’s one of the more versatile systems you can get in such a compact package.
Every young filmmaker neglects their audio at first, but fortunately it’s easier than ever to upgrade yours. This shoe-mounted shotgun mic from Røde is compact, runs off a single 9-volt battery, and does a pretty good job of focusing on just the sounds coming from in front of it. I’ve shot with it, and while it’s not a miracle worker, you’ll be happier with it than with your camera’s onboard mic.
Another shoe-mounted shotgun option, this mic from Deity is similar to the Røde mic above, but it has a +20 dB gain stepless gain knob. This lets you dial in just the right amount of gain so you can get the best audio without peaking. For comparison, the Røde mic only has a switch between -10 dB, 0, and +20 dB. Both are good options, but if you like a little more control, this mic might be better for you.
Video Game Deals
Getting your hands on a console might be a crapshoot, but whether you succeeded this year or you just want some games for your old console, there are still a few good options. Also check out our guides to the Best Nintendo Switch Games for Everyone and next-gen games you can play for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Nintendo Switch
Photograph: Nintendo
Switch Game Deals
PS5/PS4 Game Deals
Xbox X/S/One Game Deals
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