Today’s best deals: Apple Watch SE, gaming laptops, SSDs and more

It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the web’s best tech deals includes a deep discount on the 44mm version of the Apple Watch SE, which is currently down to $229 at Amazon and Walmart.

The discount only applies to the variant with Apple’s silver case and blue Sport strap, but if you can live with that – or don’t mind swapping in for a new strap later – this price is the lowest we’ve tracked. For reference, this variant has typically cost around $260 online for the past few months, while Apple itself sells the device for $309. If you prefer a smaller case size, the 40mm Watch SE is also available for $229, although we’ve seen that price more often for this model.

We generally recommend the higher-end Apple Watch Series 7 as the best smartwatch for iPhone users, but the Watch SE remains a compelling alternative for those on a tighter budget. For about $100 less, you keep most of the core features of the Series 7, including the same messaging, heart rate tracking, and general watchOS support. You lose the flagship model’s larger always-on display – meaning the screen doesn’t stay on when you put your wrist down – as well as advanced features like blood oxygen monitoring, ECG support and slightly faster charging speeds. It’s also worth noting that we’ll likely see new Apple Watch models this fall. But if you need to save money, the Watch SE is a good product and should be a solid upgrade for those coming from an older Apple Watch model (think Series 3 or below).

If you don’t need a new wearable, our round-up also includes the lowest price we’ve found for a well-rated (and massive) Gigabyte OLED gaming monitor, as well as a new low for LG’s A1 OLED TV. The latter is a year-old model that sacrifices gaming-friendly features like a 120Hz panel, variable refresh rate, and HDMI 2.1 ports, but still offers the deep contrast you’d expect from an OLED display. I don’t plan on playing much, it’s a strong value at its current price of $1,000 for a 65-inch model.

Elsewhere we have Apple’s (older but still great) MacBook Air for $100 off Apple’s MSRP, plus lower-than-usual prices for recommended gaming laptops and peripherals, fast PCIe 4.0 SSDs for those who want the storage space want to upgrade to a PS5, and more . Check out our full curated list of deals below.

Ars Technica may receive compensation for sales made from links in this post through affiliate programs.

Selected offers of the day

• Apple Watch SE (44mm) Smartwatch for $229 ($260) at Amazon, Walmart
• Gigabyte Aorus FO48U 48-Inch Gaming Monitor (4K, 120 Hz, OLED, VRR) for $800 ($1,050) at Amazon, B&H, Newegg
• LG A1 (2021) 65-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,000 ($1,325) at Best Buy (60 Hz panel)
• The fox in the forest card game for $11 ($14) at Amazon
• SK Hynix Gold P31 (2TB) PCIe 3.0 internal SSD for $169 ($205) at Amazon (Clip 15% Coupon)
• ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade (2TB) PCIe 4.0 internal SSD for $200 ($245) at Amazon, Best Buy
• HyperX Alloy Origins Core TKL mechanical keyboard for $60 ($80) at Amazon, Best Buy
• Razer Orochi V2 wireless gaming mouse for $28 ($50) at Best Buy, Amazon
• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3″ Laptop (Apple M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $900 ($950) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H
• Up to 6 months Apple Music membership for free ($50) at Best Buy (new or returning users only)
• Amazon Music Unlimited (4 months) for free ($27) at Amazon (Prime users only, 3 months for non-Prime)
• The Batman (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, Digital) for $20 ($30) at Amazon, Target
• $50 Nintendo eShop Gift Card for $45 ($50) at Amazon

Enlarge / Apple’s AirPods Max are a recommended pair of noise-cancelling headphones for iPhone users willing to pay a premium for better-sounding wireless headphones.

jeff dunn

electronics offers

Offers for laptops and desktop PCs

• Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3″ Laptop (Apple M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $900 ($950) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) 14″ Gaming Laptop (Ryzen 9 6900HS, 2560×1600 120Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon RX 6700S 8GB) for $1,500 ($1,650) at BestBuy
• Acer Predator Helios 300 15.6″ Gaming Laptop (Core i7-11800H, 1080p 144Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GeForce RTX 3060 6GB) for $1,050 ($1,250) at Acer
• Gigabyte Aorus 15P KD 15.6″ Gaming Laptop (Core i7-11800H, 1080p 240Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GeForce RTX 3060 6GB) for $1,199 ($1,340) at Amazon, Best Buy
• ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade (2TB) PCIe 4.0 internal SSD for $200 ($245) at Amazon, Best Buy
• WD Black SN850 (2TB) PCIe 4.0 internal SSD for $216 ($250) at Newegg (use code: WDJUNE22)
• SK Hynix Gold P31 (2TB) PCIe 3.0 internal SSD for $169 ($205) at Amazon (Clip 15% Coupon)
• SK Hynix Platinum P41 (2TB) PCIe 4.0 internal SSD for $221 ($260) at Amazon (Clip 15% Coupon)
• Crucial MX500 (2TB) 2.5″ SATA Internal SSD for $162 ($185) at B&H (discount in the shopping cart, 4TB for $320)
• LG 27GL850-B 27″ Gaming Monitor (1440p, 144Hz, IPS, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible) for $300 ($365) at Amazon
• Gigabyte M32U 31.5 Inch Gaming Monitor (4K, 144 Hz, IPS, FreeSync) for $650 ($730) at B&H
• Gigabyte Aorus FO48U 48-Inch Gaming Monitor (4K, 120 Hz, OLED, VRR) for $800 ($1,050) at Amazon, B&H, Newegg
• XFX Speedster SWFT309 Radeon RX 6700 XT (12GB GDDR6) graphics card for $480 ($550) at Amazon, Best Buy

Enlarge / The MacBook Air 2020 with Apple’s M1 chip.

Lee Hutchinson

Video Game Deals

• God of War (pc) for $40 ($50) on Steam (PS4 for free with PS Plus)
• fire clock (pc) for $5 ($15) on GOG (also on Game Pass)
• flashback (pc) for free ($8) at GOG
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (PC, Switch, Xbox, PS4) for $22 ($25) on Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, PSN (also on Game Pass, PS Plus required for PS4)
• psychonauts 2 (PC, Xbox, PS4) for $30 ($40) on GOG, Xbox, PSN (also on Game Pass)
• Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (pc) for $14 ($25) at GOG
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition (pc) for $18 ($30) at GOG
• Cuphead (PC, PS4) for $14 ($20) on GOG, PSN
• Solid metal gear (pc) for $7 ($10) at GOG
• 30+ PC Games (Far Cry 4, death squared, astrologeretc.) for free at Prime Gaming (Prime users only)
• Inside (Switch for $2 ($10) at Nintendo
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond (Switch for $30 ($55) at Best Buy, GameStop (discount in cart)
• 13 Guardians: Aegis Rim (Switch for $40 ($55) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy

• Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5, PC) for $30 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy, Humble
• Shenmue 3 – Deluxe Edition (PS4) for $4 ($15) on PSN (PS Plus required)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox) for $44 ($55) at Amazon, Walmart
• eternal doom (PS4, Xbox, PC) for $15 ($25) at Best Buy (free PS5 upgrade, also on Game Pass)
• Attack on Android Cactus (PS4) for $4 ($15) at PSN
• Halo infinity (Xbox) for $20 ($45) at Amazon, Best Buy (also on Game Pass)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox, PC) for $16 ($25) on Xbox (also on Game Pass)
• hiking song (Xbox, PS4) for $5 ($20) on Xbox, PSN
• Metro Saga Pack (Xbox) for $15 ($30) on Xbox
• titan fall 2 (Xbox, PS4) for $4 ($10) on Xbox, PSN (also on Game Pass Ultimate)
• Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (Xbox, PS4, PC) for $5 ($15) on Xbox, GOG, Steam, PSN (Switch for $10)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Xbox, PS4) for $3 ($15) on Xbox, PSN
• Ori: The Collection (Xbox, PC) for $12 ($25) on Xbox (also on Game Pass)
• Assassin’s Creed Origins (Xbox, PS4) for $9 ($15) on Xbox, PSN (also on Game Pass)

Gaming Offers

Accessories and other offers