The second-gen Apple Pencil returns to its best price of $89
The latest Apple Pencil is back on sale for its lowest price of $89. You can pick one up, saving $40 in the process, from Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart. If you have a compatible iPad, then Apple’s second-gen Pencil is the best stylus option for note-taking and drawing. Yes, there are third-party clones out there that can do a lot of what the Pencil offers for much less, but they can’t match Apple’s convenient software integrations with its own accessory — like easily checking its battery level when charging or a fancy hover feature on M2-equipped iPad Pros.
If you have an older iPad or a current 10th-gen iPad, the original Apple Pencil is also on sale for its respectively lowest of $79 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The first-gen Pencil is a fine stylus, though it remains plagued by awkward charging. You either have to plug it into a Lightning port (if your iPad has one) or use a USB-C adapter. At least that adapter is now bundled with the first-gen Pencil, as it’s necessary for anyone using it with a 10th-gen iPad.
Apple Pencil (second-gen)
The second-gen Apple Pencil ditches the awkward Lightning port charging, adopting a magnetic mechanism that attaches to the side of the latest iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Mini models. It can also recharge while magnetically attached and supports tap gestures.
Apple Pencil (first generation)
Compatible with the latest entry-level iPad and earlier models, the first-gen Apple Pencil differs from the second in that you need to plug it directly into the iPad’s Lightning port or use a USB-C adapter cable to charge. It also features gesture controls, allowing you to tap the sides of the Pencil to switch tools.
Spring cleaning time may be a good time to clean up your home Wi-Fi network with a nice upgrade. The Eero Pro 6E mesh router is selling for $195 ($54.99 off) at Wellbots when you use code 22VERGE until May 14th. If you have an average-size home or larger apartment, a two-pack that offers more coverage is $311.99 ($88 off) with the same promo code. Lastly, those with very large houses or floor plans that kill Wi-Fi signals can get a three-pack for $428.99 ($121 off) from the same deal.
These are the second-best prices of all time on Eero’s flagship mesh routers, which support 6GHz Wi-Fi for faster speeds on the latest devices with less network traffic for them to compete on. They’re ideal for people with gigabit internet or faster who want a little futureproofing. Read our review.
Eero Pro 6E tri-band router
Eero’s Pro 6E mesh router is the Amazon-owned company’s latest top-of-the-line model. It supports the 6GHz Wi-Fi band with speeds of up to 1.3Gbps and covers up to 2,000 square feet with one unit. Wired speeds can go up to 2.5Gbps. Wellbots is offering a 22 percent discount on the Pro 6E when you use code 22VERGE until May 14th.
Prepaid memberships to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription are on sale right now at Amazon. You can get a one-month prepaid digital voucher for $11.99 ($4 off) or three months for $35.99 ($9 off). We usually cover Game Pass deals from sites like Eneba or CDKeys, sometimes for lower prices, but you don’t always see these solid savings on stackable vouchers at a retailer like Amazon.
A subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gets you access to over 100 games on both Xbox Series X / S consoles and Windows PC, as well as access to Xbox online multiplayer. It includes some classics like the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, critical successes like Hi-Fi Rush, and day-one releases like Redfall. In fact, with Redfall launching tomorrow, you can potentially play it for a full month for just $11.99. Not bad for a AAA game from Arkane Studios Austin.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (three-month subscription)
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers access to more than 100 titles, which you can play on multiple devices. The pass also gives subscribers access to exclusive deals, online multiplayer, and Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming.
For those that game on an Xbox Series X or Series S, Seagate’s Storage Expansion Cards have dropped to a new low price. The plug-in 1TB SSD is now selling for $149.99 ($70 off) at Amazon, Target, and Adorama, and the 2TB version is $279.99 ($120 off) at Amazon and Target. Yes, these are still expensive accessories — especially compared to what standard M.2 SSDs for the PlayStation 5 cost — but it’s the trade-off the current Xbox consoles and their proprietary format made for the sake of convenience. At least these price drops have gotten more aggressive since a leak hinted at a cheaper option from Western Digital coming soon.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card
Proprietary SSD expansion for the Xbox Series X / S consoles. The plug-and-play drives are designed to be as fast as the Xbox internal SSD and are sold in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.
Mulling over more Mondeals:
- Speaking of iPads, the latest iPad Mini is on sale for $399.99 ($100 off) at Amazon. The 8.3-inch tablet is the smallest of Apple’s lot, making it a handy note-taking device when paired with a Pencil that’s also nicely sized for extended reading sessions. Read our review.
- The latest Echo Dot smart speaker is on sale for just $29.99 ($20 off) from Amazon. Also, the same Echo Dot with a clock is $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. Both are fine smart speakers for issuing Alexa voice commands around the house and controlling smart home accessories. Plus, they can also further extend an Eero network. Read our review.
- There are a bunch of nice Star Wars Lego deals happening at Best Buy. For example, the TIE Bomber is $51.99 ($13 off), Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder is $191.99 (about $48 off), and The Mandalorian’s Helmet is $55.99 ($14 off).
- The Amazfit Band 7 is a very affordable fitness band, and it’s now even cheaper at $44.99 ($5 off) from Target. The platform-agnostic Band 7 handles all the essentials for tracking exercises and steps, making it a great budget option for under $50. Read our review.
- If you have an Amazon Fire TV device and want to give it a little upgrade, the Alexa Voice Remote Pro is selling for $29.99 ($15 off) at Amazon. The Pro remote may be worth it alone for its remote finder feature, especially if you tend to lose it in the couch cushions. It also has backlit buttons, and you can pair wireless headphones for disturbance-free watching.
- Smart up all the things! A four-pack of Kasa Smart Plugs is just $37.33 (about $13 off) at Amazon. These plugs allow you to control non-smart things, like a lamp, with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant.