by Spring officially begins next week, but we’ve already had more daylight, which has made us feel sunny and warm. If you can, shake off the winter dust that’s gathered around you and get out with a new camera or lenses, or if it’s still cold where you are, you might want a new laptop or smart speaker to liven up your your home. This weekend we have offers on all these categories and more.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get one 1 year subscription to THE CABLE for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to THE CABLE.no and our printed magazine (if you want). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Laptop deals
We recommend the 16-inch MacBook Pro (9/10, WIRED recommends) with the M2 Pro chip for those who want a large screen and longer battery life than the 14-inch model offers. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for this configuration, which features the M2 Pro processor with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 16 gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD. The slightly more powerful M2 Pro with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU (and 1-terabyte SSD) is also on sale for $2,499 ($100 off). Don’t know what’s best for you? Check out our MacBook buying guide.
This 14-inch Intel Core i5 laptop is tempting at this price. You get an 11th generation Intel chip, 8 gigabytes of RAM (soldered) and a 512 gigabyte SSD. The tempting part is the 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution, 500-nit IPS display, which is beautifully sharp, bright and hard to come by at this price. Be sure to use the coupon code X1CG9CLEARANCE to get the whole deal. Note that the Core i7 configuration, which increases the RAM to 16 gigabytes, is also on sale for $1,808.
We like Dell’s XPS 13 Plus (7/10, WIRED Review). This configuration has a 12th generation Intel Core i5 chip, 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD. This model has a 1920 x 1200 screen, which is plenty bright and sharp for this size, but it’s not the 4K model. However, you can get the 4K screen for $300 more, and there’s an option for Ubuntu Linux if you don’t need Windows 11.
This is the 16-inch Intel version of the laptop I’m currently typing on. In this configuration you get a 12th generation Intel Core i7 chip, 16 gigabytes of RAM and a nice 2.5K touchscreen. This is an Evo chip, which prioritizes battery life over raw processing power, but it still has plenty of juice for an average workload, and the battery lasts through a full work day.
Offers on photo equipment
Seattle-based Moment started out making smartphone lenses, but these days it’s a full-service photography shop that also makes some of our favorite camera bags, straps, and yes, lenses. Moment is currently holding its annual spring sale with up to 60 percent off certain products. We’ve highlighted our favorites below, but you can browse all the deals on Moment’s website.
We like the Moment’s telephoto lens so much that we included it in our guide to the best compact cameras. You’ll need a special phone case to use them, and don’t forget to add the drop-in lens mount so you can easily attach the lens to the back of your phone.
If you want to go wide with your mobile device, this is the lens you’ve been looking for. Why add a lens when the iPhone already has a wide angle? The faster the aperture. The Moment’s 18mm wide angle gives you the chance to use your iPhone’s main camera, which means better low-light performance. It’s also a significantly wider angle than the phone’s lens. Don’t forget the hood and the drop-in lens mount.
If I had a compatible phone, this would be the lens I would get. This lens works less than an inch away from the subject and provides a view you can’t get without it. If you have any interest in macro photography, this thing is much easier to use, and cheaper, than a bunch of tubes and special DSLR lenses.
The Fujifilm X100V is our favorite travel camera. It’s compact and relatively light, but it still has a fantastic viewfinder (optical or digital) and a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, which is larger than other cameras of this size typically offer. This deal isn’t huge, but thanks to the X100V’s popularity on TikTok, prices have been through the roof, making this a relatively good buy. This is backordered (that popularity thing again), so you’ll have to be patient.
The Moment MTW Backpack is one of our top backpack recommendations in our roundup of the best camera bags. The main compartment keeps your gear accessible, while the front zippered pocket allows you to easily store things like extra batteries and SD cards. The optional $50 MTW camera insert ($20 off) can be securely attached and removed completely to make the bag even more versatile. Note that this deal varies by color; they are all on sale, but only Olive is so cheap.
Moment’s Rugged Sling is aimed at street photographers who stalk the city all day. It has a modular organization system inside, and the weatherproof fabric is made from recycled sails (technically, it’s recycled polyester fiber and film, made by Northsail). The best part is the ingenious magnetic clip system, which works very well. This deal is on the 10-litre version in Olive; The 6-liter is also on sale for $80 ($40 off). Not sure what size you should get? We have suggestions.
Moment makes lots of great camera bags, slings and organizers for when you’re out and about, but what about when you shove your gear in the closet? For my money, this is the best way to stay organized at home. I have three of these and they keep my lenses, drone and accessories easily accessible and safely padded when I’m not using them. And yes, you can take these with you when you go, although I don’t use them that way.
Home and home office offers
The latest Echo Dot comes equipped with a new custom full-range driver for improved sound and a sensor that triggers Alexa to perform a task based on the room’s temperature (like turning on the smart fan when the room gets too hot). While it will likely be even cheaper for Prime Day this summer, this is still a great deal. The children’s version is also on sale for $50 ($10 off).
We featured this deal last week, but it’s too good not to mention again. Fully’s bamboo standing desk is our favorite way to decorate the home office. There’s a wide variety of sizes and configurations to choose from, and right now almost everything is 30 percent off. The final price depends on how you customize your desktop. Many of these are also for sale on Amazon.
You know what everyone always needs? More disk space. This portable SSD is our top choice for portable external storage. It offers 2 terabytes of space and fast access via USB-C. This is the lowest price we have ever seen on this station.
This deal has come and gone for a couple of weeks now, but it’s a good price for a SteelSeries keyboard of this caliber. It can be programmed with custom profiles, meaning you have a quiet daytime for work and then a different profile for gaming with lighting effects at night.
If the keyboard above is overkill for you, we also really like this simple and cheap mini Bluetooth keyboard. It doesn’t have a numeric keypad and requires two AAA batteries, but on the plus side it comes in pink.
Need a phone case? Charger? Charging cable? AirPods case? Nomad has them all and more on sale right now at Nomad Outlet. A whole range of mobile accessories are discounted, such as up to 20 percent off iPhone 14 and AirPods Pro cases. We generally like Nomad gear the most.
We covered this last week, but it runs until April 1st. Who doesn’t need a good umbrella? The rainy season is here, and several of our favorite Weatherman umbrellas are still on sale, along with some other great umbrellas from different brands.
Our favorite coffee subscription service offers up to four bags of free coffee beans when you buy a starter pack (for a limited time). The catch is that you have to buy a few bags of the starter packs, and the more you buy, the more free bags you get. No subscription is required.
Monoprice offers up to 15 percent off its items if you use the code MARCH 15 at checkout, although this sale lasts until March 19. The company makes some of our favorite home office gear, so it’s worth taking a look to see if it’s something you need.
