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Black Friday has come and gone but thanks to 2020, that really doesn’t matter because nothing is normal and every retailer is doing what they can to capture as many sales as possible. With a huge shift to online shopping underway, many stores are rolling out early Cyber Monday savings or simply extending the Black Friday deals through the end of next week. While some of our favorite deals have come to an end, there are still a ton of great ways to save some serious cheddar on some brand new tech for every room of the home. Here’s a quick rundown of some Google-y deals on Chromebooks, smart displays, speakers, and more that you can cash in on right now without fighting your way to an actual brick and mortar retailer.
Rakuten
Rakuten may not be the first thing you think of when you set out to do your holiday shopping but it should be. Chances are good that you already have a Rakuten (formerly Ebates) account but in case you are unfamiliar, Rakuten is a simple and free tool that will score you cashback when you shop at thousands of major online retailers. During the holiday shopping season, Rakuten is known to increase the cashback percentage at hundreds of stores, and this year they’ve gone all out with up to 15% at some of our favorite tech stops.
On a normal day, using Rakuten’s Chrome Extension or mobile app can save you a little change here and there to help offset shipping or tax or what have you. Now, however, the increased cashback can net you some serious money in the bank and I’m talking car payment kind of jingle. Sites like Samsung are offering 15% cashback for the next two days. You drop in and buy the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and some earbuds and you’re talking $150 back on the Big Fat Check that Rakuten sends you every three months. That’s nothing to sneeze at. As an added bonus, new Rakuten members can get an extra $40 in their account when they sign up with our link below and make their first qualifying purchase at one of over 2,500 websites. It’s free money and you’re going to be shopping anyway. Might as well treat yourself.
Join Rakuten and get a $40 bonus
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook
Since we brought it up, the Galaxy Chromebook is still one of the best deals going at the moment on a premium 2-in-1 Chrome OS device. The 4K Galaxy is currently on sale for $799 at Best Buy and on Samsung.com but you can save even more when you choose the latter. To pick up this deal, you will need your Rakuten account at hand and you’ll get 15% of the $800 back in your Rakuten account. If you qualify for Samsung’s discount program for students, first responders, government, or others, you can get that price down even lower and walk away with this ultra-premium Core i5 convertible for around $629 if you count your cashback. Check it out over at Samsung. (Don’t forget to check out Samsung’s trade-in program. You may have an old phone or tablet around that could save you even more money.)
ASUS Chromebook Flip C436
Most of the other premium Chromebook deals have gone by the wayside but one particular device has dropped in at the last minute to get in on the action. I was just talking about the ASUS Flip C436 on a recent episode of The Chrome Cast and questioned why this flagship – somewhat overpriced – Chromebook has not been on sale once since it debuted earlier this year. Well, it isn’t much but the Project Athena, USI-compatible Chromebook has is now on sale at a $100 discount. This goes for the $799 and the $999 models and you can pick one up from Best Buy if this one has been on your radar.
Google Home Max
With all the great smart speakers on the market, we struggled to make a case for why you should invest $300 in Google’s massive Home Max model. Now we find ourselves looking for a reason NOT to buy it. The Assistant-enabled, audio giant is half price at Best Buy – other retailers if you can find it – and that makes it a mere $50 more than the great but not nearly as impressive Nest Audio. At $149, it is very difficult to not recommend the Google Home Max. It is still one of the best Assistant audio experiences money can buy.
Nest Hub
Google’s first smart display caught a lot of flack because it lacks a camera but the maker has stood by its design touting that it is designed for the more discrete areas of the home such as your bedroom. I can get on board with that but it is still a hard sell when you’re talking $90. There are options out there like Lenovo’s 7″ smart display that offers a camera and all the other Assistant goodness we’ve come to know and love for about the same money. That said, the Nest Hub is still a great device, and right now, you can pick one up for only $49.98 and Walmart is throwing in a $20 credit for its video service, Vudu. That will net you some great movies to watch wherever and whenever you want thank’s that the Vudu apps casting option.
Chromecast & Nest Mini
Two of Google’s most popular pieces of hardware, the Nest Mini smart speaker and 3rd-Gen Chromecast are must-haves for any self-respecting smart home. The small speaker is ample enough to enjoy in a small setting while smart enough to control your entire Assistant-enabled home. A Chromecast can turn any TV into an all-encompassing media hub where you can enjoy every bit of content that your home internet can handle. You can pick up either or both for only $18.98 from Walmart and you’ll get a $5 Vudu credit to boot.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential
If you’re just looking for an affordable smart speaker that offers up a little extra, Lenovo’s smart clock Essential is the perfect bedside companion. You won’t get “premium” audio but you will get a smart speaker that is designed to be an alarm clock, home controller, and night light all in one. You can pick up the tiny smart clock Essential on sale at Walmart for $24.88 and save nearly twenty-five bucks. Not bad.
We will likely see a few more Cyber Monday deals roll out tomorrow so make sure you sign up for a newsletter and you’ll never miss a review, deal, or other news from the world of Chrome OS and Google.
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