Whether you fully intend to celebrate our nation’s independence this weekend or skip it entirely, that doesn’t change the fact the Fourth of July remains one of the best times of the year to pick up a smorgasbord of discounted tech. Unsurprisingly, a number of retailers have launched a selection of early sales in the run-up to the holiday — including eBay, which is giving shoppers a chance to save 20 on select gadgets when they use promo code SAVE4JULY4TH at checkout.

There are pages upon pages of eligible products — I should know, I combed through 15 of them — but one of the better deals that’s still available is for Sony’s WH-1000XM5s, which are going for $318.40 (about $82 off) on eBay via Electronic Express. The XM5s continue to be our favorite noise-canceling headphones, owing as much to their top-tier sound as a welcome feature set that includes multipoint Bluetooth support and a handy auto-pause function for when you take them off. They’re also better for taking voice calls than the last-gen XM4s, which is a small boon if you plan on traveling with them this summer.

Read our Sony WH-100XM5 review.

Now for a deal that’s less about celebrating our nation’s history and more about celebrating our own audience. Now through July 15th (or while supplies last), Verge readers can snag Google’s latest Nest Learning Thermostat at Wellbots for just $179 ($70 off) with coupon code THERMVERG70. The exclusive discount applies to a range of models — including the stainless steel, polished brass, copper, white, and black variants — making now a good opportunity if you’ve been waiting for a price drop on a particular model.

Google’s premium Nest Learning Thermostat may not offer Matter support like the inexpensive base model, but it’s still the company’s most advanced smart thermostat to date. It can learn your heating and cooling habits over time, which eventually allows it to adjust the temperature of your home automatically, thus saving you money when you’re not around. It also supports both smartphone and voice controls, as well as Amazon Alex, Google Home, and a wide array of HVAC systems.

A few more midweek savings

• Apple’s latest AirPods Pro are on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $199.99 ($50 off), matching their best price to date. Unlike the AirPods Max, which are starting to feel somewhat forgotten, the second-gen AirPods Pro continue to get better with time. They offer superb noise cancellation and, thanks to a forthcoming software update, should soon offer a slate of new features designed to make the most of Apple’s superb noise cancellation. Read our review.
• In a move that will surprise almost absolutely no one, Paramount Plus has decided to increase the price of its cheapest plan alongside the introduction of the new Paramount Plus with Showtime tier. Thankfully, if you have yet to try Paramount Plus, you can snag a month-long trial to the new ad-supported plan through July 11th with offer code STREAM30. The new tier offers everything accessible via the base plan (1883, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, etc.), as well as Dexter, Yellowjackets, and a trove of Showtime content.
• The LectroFan Evo, a compact white noise machine we’ve featured in a number of our gift guides, is down to $31.50 (about $28 off) at Amazon, which is just shy of its best price to date. It’s a pretty no-frills device; however, it can produce a deep selection of non-looping sounds, all of which can help mask animals, traffic, and other external noises that might otherwise wreak havoc on your sleep cycle.
• If you’re looking for a Bluetooth controller that comes with its own charging dock, 8BitDo’s Ultimate Controller is discounted to $64.39 ($5 off) on Amazon right now when you click its on-page coupon. The handsome gamepad is essentially a pro-grade controller in all but name, thanks to a pair of back paddles and a host of remappable buttons, which let you customize it for use with everything from Windows to the Nintendo Switch.
• Sony’s last-gen SRS-XB13 speaker is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo for as low as $48 ($12 off), matching an all-time low we haven’t seen since last year. The ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker isn’t quite on par with the XB100 we recently reviewed in terms of sound, but it still offers up to 16 hours of battery life and packs an IP67 rating against dust and water.