Some of the best tech deals of the week, including phones from Apple and Google

Another week of excellent tech deals From the new Pixel 6A to Echo smart displays and a refurbished iPhone Mini, there's plenty of ways to save If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. July is already drawing to a close, and back-to-school season is coming at us full force. Fortunately, if you're looking to do some smart shopping for the student in your life, we've got you covered with our back-to-school gift guide. But if you're looking to do some smart shopping for yourself, well, you already know that the Verge's team has got you covered each and every day when it comes to tech and gadgets.   Below, we've rounded up some of the best deals of the week, including a couple of fresh ones just for newsletter subscribers. We're currently seeing discounts on everything from smart displays and smartphones (both new and not-so-new) to gaming subscriptions and some fun accessories. We've even found the best deal you can get on the Meta Quest 2 headset, which is set to jump in price as early as next week. Now, on with the deals! The latest Amazon Echo Show 5 and last-gen Echo Show 8 are at all-time low prices You don't need to wait for Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday to get a great deal on an Amazon Echo device. Sometimes, you just need to wait until Friday. Right now, for instance, the latest Echo Show 5 and first-gen Echo Show 8 are both on sale for their their lowest price to date. The smaller Echo Show 5 is just $34.99 ($50 off) at Best Buy and Target, while the Echo Show 8 is down to just $54.99 ($55 off) at Best Buy. These deals look to be ending tomorrow, however, so be sure to snatch one up if you're in need of a new smart display.   If you're deciding between the two, it really comes down to what size screen you prefer. The Echo Show 5 may be the newer of the two, but its 5-inch display makes it a better fit for your nightstand, where it can function as a smart alarm clock. The larger Echo Show 8 is much more versatile, and the 8-inch display is great for looking up recipes in the kitchen and making video calls in the living room. Last year's Echo Show 8 features some improvements in the camera department, but it's not vastly better than this model from 2019. Amazon Echo Show 5 (second-gen) $35 $85 59% off Prices taken at time of publishing. Amazon's Echo Show 5 is an ideal smart display for a nightstand. You can set alarms with Alexa using your voice, play music, control smart displays, get a weather report, and more. When the alarm goes off, you merely need to tap the top of the Echo Show 5 to snooze it. $35 AT BEST BUY $35 AT TARGET Amazon Echo Show 8 (first-gen) $55 $110 50% off Prices taken at time of publishing. The last-gen Echo Show 8 is Amazon's mid-size smart display. It features a sharp, 8-inch screen and most of the features found on the second-gen model, though, it lacks the latter's 13MP camera and speedy performance. $55 AT BEST BUY You can snag a free $50 gift card when you buy a Google Pixel 6A through August 7th Google's new Pixel 6A just came out, yet there have already been some good deals on the excellent, budget-friendly smartphone. Now through 11:59PM PT on August 7th, for example, you can get a $50 Amazon gift card when you buy an unlocked Pixel 6A on Amazon for $449, the phone's full retail price. To receive the credit, just scroll down to where it says "Special offers and product promotions" on the product page and click the yellow "Add both to cart" button. Best Buy is also offering a similar deal through August 7th, but throwing in $50 Best Buy gift card. Lastly, if you like shopping directly on Google's store (if you're a Google One subscriber, you get rewards for doing so) you can buy the 6A from Google and get $50 worth of Google Store credit. That credit could later be put toward Google's new Pixel Buds Pro, if you're so inclined.   We recently gave the Pixel 6A a glowing review. True, the phone's 6.1-inch OLED screen is smaller than the more expensive Pixel 6 and offers a slower, 60Hz refresh rate. However, for the price, it offers good value, especially since it performs well, captures great photos, and shares the same snappy Tensor processor as the rest of the Pixel 6 lineup. Google Pixel 6A (with a $50 gift card) $449 Prices taken at time of publishing. Google's Pixel 6A comes with a relatively small 6.1-inch OLED screen but is an excellent performer with a good camera and battery life.  $449 AT AMAZON $449 AT BEST BUY $449 AT GOOGLE Get a year of PlayStation Plus Essential for $40 for a limited time (or while supplies last) If you own a PlayStation 5 or nabbed one during one of the three restocks Sony had this week, you'll be pleased to hear that there's an exclusive deal on PlayStation Plus just for you. Right now, Verge readers can buy a year of PlayStation Plus Essential from Eneba for around $40 instead of $59.99 when they use promo code VERGEssentials at checkout. Note that the price might fluctuate by a few cents on Eneba's website, but the final sale price at checkout should be under $40. Also, if you're already a subscriber to one of the higher tiers — PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium — this deal will add a prorated amount of time to your membership that's still worthwhile compared to the regular monthly or annual rate.   For the unfamiliar, PlayStation Plus Essential grants you access to online multiplayer and monthly PS4 and PS5 titles, which you can download at no additional cost and continue to play as long as you're subscribed. It also comes with PlayStation Store discounts, exclusive add-on content, and 100GB of cloud storage for saved games. PS5 owners can also access the PlayStation Plus Collection, which includes God of War, Bloodborne, and a wealth of other great, last-gen titles. These are all perks that should make playing on your PS5 or PS4 even more enjoyable, but keep in mind that this deal is only available through August 1st at 9AM ET (or while supplies last). PlayStation Plus Essential (12-month subscription) $40 $60 34% off Prices taken at time of publishing. A PlayStation Plus Essential membership allows PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to play games online, download free titles every month, take advantage of discounts, and more. Right now, Verge readers can buy a full year of PlayStation Plus Essential from Eneba for around $40 instead of $59.99 when they use promo code VERGEssentials at checkout.  $40 AT ENEBA Apple is selling the diminutive iPhone 12 Mini in refurbished condition for $100 off Look, we know lots of people love the idea of small phones, even if we often end up buying the biggest, surfboard-like device when it comes time to upgrade. However, if you've been tempted to actually ditch all the phablets (man, remember that term?) and go all-in on a phone that's genuinely small by today's standards, Apple is currently offering $100 off a refurbished iPhone 12 Mini, knocking the price of the 128GB, unlocked model down to just $579.   The iPhone 12 Mini might be a generation older than today's iPhone 13, but its A14 Bionic CPU still has processing headroom to spare and years of updates ahead of it. However, the real strength of the Mini is its 5.4-inch screen. The Mini is a downright charmer, one that is especially great if you have small hands or just appreciate a relaxing grip that doesn't involve the hand dexterity of a Level 14 Rogue. The main downside, of course, is a smaller phone means shorter battery life. That's why this refurb deal is intriguing, since it makes trying out a Mini less costly. It also makes for a great second device if you're a sicko like some of us at The Verge and use two phones. Read our review. 128GB iPhone 12 Mini (unlocked, refurbished) $579 $679 15% off Prices taken at time of publishing. The iPhone 12 Mini was the first miniaturized version of Apple's flagship phones, first released in the fall of 2020. It and the iPhone 13 Mini that followed are the smallest phones in Apple's lineup and some of the best small phones you can get from any manufacturer. $579 AT APPLE The clock is ticking on getting a Meta Quest 2 before the $100 price increase The popular Meta Quest 2 VR headset will see a $100 price increase in August, with the 128GB configuration getting a price hike to $399.99 and the 256GB model jumping up to $499.99. Thankfully, however, you can still find both models for their original prices of $299.99 and $399.99, meaning you can still grab one before the price goes up.   No, Meta isn't adding any new features or hardware once the price goes up — the Meta Quest 2 will be the exact same thing, just $100 more expensive. Anyone that purchases a Meta Quest 2 within 30 days of the price hike will get a free copy of Beat Saber (a $30 value). Yes, it's very weird, we know. Maybe the recent Meta earnings report gives us a hint as to why this is happening. *cough* losing 18 billion since 2020 *cough*   Currently, the best deal on the Meta Quest 2 is at Target, where you can get the 256GB model with a Quest 2 Elite Strap for $399 ($49 off). The Elite Strap is a worthwhile upgrade for improved comfort and stability, and compared to what the prices will be soon, this is the best deal around. Just be sure to add both the headset and the strap to your cart before checking out if you want to receive the bundled add-on for free. 256GB Meta Quest 2 (with a Quest 2 Elite Strap)  $399 Prices taken at time of publishing. The 256GB model of the de facto VR headset on the market today, packaged with the $50 Elite Strap. $399 AT TARGET A few more deals for the weekend Amazon's ultra-affordable Smart Thermostat with Alexa is now $41.99 ($18 off) at Best Buy. It's not just cheap, though; it's also a very good entry-level thermostat for first-time users. Read our review. Nomad is currently having an outlet sale, offering between 50 and 95 percent off of a range of mobile accessories. The sale includes leather Apple Watch straps, rugged USB and Lightning cables, leather phone cases, and a stainless steel base for your MagSafe charging puck that looks like positively overkill (in a fun way). The Datacolor SpyderX Pro Colorimeter is $129.99 ($40 off) at B&H Photo. If you do any color work on your monitor or laptop, you want to be sure it's properly calibrated. Many of us at The Verge that do photo, video, or monitor testing use this exact model. Logitech's Litra Glow LED is on sale for $49.99 ($10 off) on Amazon. The desktop streaming light is compatible with both Windows and Mac, and it has physical controls as well as software options. Correction: Wednesday's edition of Verge Deals stated that Sony's WH-1000XM4 support wireless charging. This is incorrect. The WF-1000XM4, Sony's noise-canceling earbuds, support the feature. We regret the error.   Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy. View our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service.   This email was sent to franchmaverickk.secretwords123@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving this email.   Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.