Black Friday deals that are most popular with Verge readers

4 hours ago 6

Barbara Krasnoff

is a reviews editor who manages how-tos and various projects. She’s worked as an editor and writer (and occasional sci-fi author) for more years than she cares to admit to.

It may not surprise anyone who is tech-aware that publications such as The Verge track the affiliate links that their readers click — in fact, every article that links to a vendor has this statement on top: “If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.”

So we will be totally honest with you: we do have some idea of which products our readers are purchasing during the Black Friday sales. (But no, we have no idea what you personally purchased.) And it can be interesting to see which products are more popular — because they are definitely not all tech. If you also find it as interesting as we do, here are some of the top products that you, our readers, have purchased through our site.

Apple’s AirTags are excellent at helping you find lost items, whether it’s a wallet, a purse, or your backpack. They’re increasingly useful for tracking lost luggage, too, especially as airlines and airports continue to add support for them. Read our original review.

There are some handy items that seem to always appear on our list of staff and reader favorites — the ChomChom reusable roller is one of them. According to friends who have animals, it works great for removing unwanted pet hair from furniture, making it simple to do a quick cleanup when visitors are on their way.

The recently released AirPods Pro 3 offer superior noise cancellation, have better bass, fit better and include fairly accurate heart rate sensors. In other words, according to our reviewer, “Everything you liked about the AirPods Pro just got better.” Read our review.

I had a LOT of boxes to open after a recent move, so I also need Slice’s retractable, finger-friendly ceramic blade in place of my old-fashioned (and much more dangerous) box cutter. Slice’s tool is great for tearing through packing tape and cutting plastic wrapping without worrying about injuries.

If you’d like to look ahead to next summer’s hiking adventures (or if you live in an area where snow is not an issue), check out LifeStraw for water safety. Its basic filter removes unwanted viruses, bacteria, and microplastics as you drink, giving you a safe way to hydrate no matter where you are.

These latest updates to Apple’s base-model wireless earbuds feature improved audio over the third-gen model, along with deep iOS integration and spatial audio with head tracking. Read our review.

These days, it’s hard to decide which streaming services to pay for without going over budget. Luckily, there are a bunch of Black Friday sales now on hand, including this one: an ad-supported Disney Plus and Hulu bundle for $4.99 a month ($8 off) for an entire year. How could I miss shows and movies like Andor, Toy Story, and The Fantastic 4: First Steps?

Then, of course, there’s HBO Max, which is also offering a deal: a year of the monthly, ad-supported subscription for $2.99 ($8 off) a month. I’ve enjoyed watching The Pitt (during a recent ER visit, no less than two doctors and a nurse asked if I’d seen it) and Superman.

I have to admit that Meta’s smart glasses, which were developed in partnership with Ray-Ban, strike me as one of the most science-fictional items now available. These are the first-gen versions: they can capture 1080p video and play music, and thanks to a suite of AI-based features, they will even translate from a myriad of languages in real time. As I said: scifi. Read our review.

If you’re looking for a portable, entry-level laptop, then Microsoft’s slightly smaller Surface Laptop trims some of the size and a few features from its bigger 13.8-inch counterpart, while maintaining excellent battery life and solid performance. Read our review.

Sony’s pro-style controller, the DualSense Edge, might have shorter battery life than the standard DualSense model, but it features great software integration with the PlayStation 5 and plenty of customizable components. Read our review.