Small footprint. Speedy performance.
This week, Best Buy kicked off its so-called “Winter Sale,” introducing a whole host of price cuts that range from not-so-good to legitimately great, at least for this time of year. Many highlights will be published in a dedicated news post tomorrow, though, as usual, not all of this week’s best deals revolve around Best Buy. Apple’s M4 Mac Mini, for instance, is receiving a $100 discount at Amazon and B&H Photo, while LG’s 65-inch C5 OLED TV is on sale at eBay for a little over a grand. There are also steep savings to be had on 45W power banks and the Beats Fit Pro.
Featured Products
Mac Mini with M4
$499 at Amazon (256GB)
$499 at B&H Photo (256GB)
Iniu Carry P51L-E2 Power Bank 45W 20000mAh
$19 at Amazon (at checkout)
$37 at Iniu
LG C5 OLED TV (65-inch)
$1198 at eBay (with code FAVEFINDS20)
Beats Fit Pro
$90 at Woot
Mac Mini with M4
$499 $599 17% off $499
If a Mac is desired and the budget is less than $500, the only real option — aside from going the refurbished route or picking up a model that’s several generations old — is Apple’s latest Mac Mini. The desktop machine makes for a truly excellent daily driver, currently on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starting at $499 ($100), which is just $20 shy of its Black Friday low and about $30 less than its best price to date.
For most people, the 2024 Mac Mini is a far better (and more economical) choice than the latest Mac Studio. The tiny, M4-powered machine is an excellent value, even at full price, with three Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) ports, a gigabit ethernet jack, a 3.5mm audio input, and an HDMI port. Its 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU provide fast, consistent performance for a wide range of tasks; however, a display, keyboard, and mouse will need to be provided separately.
Iniu Carry P51L-E2 Power Bank 45W 20000mAh
$19 $37 49% off $19
Last year, a spate of power bank recalls occurred, including those from both Anker and ESR. Iniu’s excellent Carry P51L-E2, a suitable replacement for aging Anker models, is on sale at Amazon for a new low of $18.86 (about $21 off) at checkout.
The 20,000mAh power bank isn’t particularly fancy, though it does output up to 45W of power and features a built-in, braided USB-C cable that doubles as a lanyard. An extra USB-C and USB-A port are also included, allowing for simultaneous charging of a phone, tablet, a pair of wireless earbuds, and other small electronics. The extra battery capacity could ideally be packed into a charger as compact and colorful as the like-minded Pocket Rocket P50.
LG C5 OLED TV (65-inch)
$1198 $2700 56% off $1198
$1198 at eBay (with code FAVEFINDS20)
Arguably the best TV deal available this weekend would be on the 65-inch Bravia 8 II, which is still hovering around $2,398 (over $1,000 off) at multiple retailers, including Amazon. However, not everyone has that kind of money to spend on an OLED panel, which makes the current discount on LG’s C5 more appealing. Now through January 20th, LG’s 65-inch OLED TV can be purchased at eBay for $1,197.59 ($1,502 off) when using code FAVEFINDS20 at checkout.
Like prior models in the C Series, the C5 is all about value. The 4K set delivers the deep black levels and contrast for which OLEDs are known, and it features LG’s AI Picture Pro, which analyzes what is being watched and adjusts brightness, resolution, and other settings to improve clarity. It also features a bevy of gaming-friendly features, including a 120Hz refresh rate, support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, and four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing current-gen titles to be played in 4K at up to 120fps. It is rounded out with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, further enhancing color and contrast.
Beats Fit Pro
$90 $200 55% off $90
There is little difference between the Beats Fit Pro and the new Powerbeats Fit, especially for workout regimens. The Powerbeats Fit retail for $199.95, while the last-gen Beats Fit Pro are on sale at Woot in select colors for $89.99 ($110 off) through January 31st. Beats’ latest workout earbuds also feature a smaller charging case and more flexible wing tips, but with the Fit Pro, solid noise cancellation, good sound, and all the Apple ecosystem tricks expected are still provided for less than half the price.
