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Levoit's Core 400S air purifier is down to $187 from its usual $220 price, thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. While its not the lowest price weve seen the air purifier briefly hit $177 last year its still a solid discount on one of the most convenient air purifiers for large spaces. Weve featured Levoit in our list of the best air purifiers for its strong performance and smart features. The Core 400S can cover rooms up to 1,980 square feet using a three-stage filtration system to capture allergens, dust, pet dander and smoke. It also includes a smart sensor that adjusts fan speed based on air quality, so youre not running it at full blast when you dont need to. One of the Levoit Core 400S biggest selling points is its low noise output, which makes it a good fit for bedrooms or home offices. If you need to knuckle down and get some work done without distraction whilst keeping your rooms air clean and fresh, even at higher speeds, it stays relatively quiet compared to bulkier purifiers. It also supports smart controls via the VeSync app, allowing you to tweak settings, set schedules or monitor air quality from your phone. If you have a smart home ecosystem in place, you can connect the purifier to third-party voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant an added layer of convenience that allows you to control the Core 400S with simple voice commands. Its 360-degree filtration system uses activated carbon to remove gases and odors, while an efficient middle filter captures 99.97 percent of pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. The built-in air quality sensor continuously monitors pollution levels, automatically adjusting performance as needed. You can track real-time air quality data on the LCD screen or through the VeSync app, which is handy (and interesting) to have access to at all times. At night, sleep mode keeps things extra quiet and subtle, dimming the display and operating at the lowest settings or you can turn off the display completely for total darkness. If youve been looking for an air purifier that can handle larger spaces without taking up too much room, this deal is worth considering, saving you over $30 on its usual price thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/levoits-core-400s-air-purifier-is-33-off-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-133052543.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
We're still a few months out from the big Amazon Prime Day that typically happens in July, but the online retail giant is having yet another big sale to usher in spring. The Amazon Spring Sale is officially on the books for 2025, starting on March 25 and running through March 31. Considering the time of year, it's not surprising to see that Amazon is billing this as a sale for all things spring cleaning, home and fashion.We don't expect the Amazon Spring Sale to be as fruitful for tech deals as, say, standard Prime Day. But there are always some gadgets that pop up among the sales, and we'll cover all of the best tech deals we can find. For now, here are the best early Amazon Spring Sale deals you can shop right now. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals so far Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $70 ($29 off): These are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users thanks to their vast finding network and accurate ultra wideband features for locating your things when theyre close by. Just attach them to your keys, wallet or bag with the right AirTag holder and keep track of everything in the Find My app. AirPods Max (USB-C) for $480 ($70 off): If youre looking for over-ear headphones with all of the conveniences of in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Max are one of your only options (with the others being Beats devices). The latest models have the same design as the originals, but now charge up via USB-C instead of Lightning. Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): Apples flagship wearable is the best smartwatch you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, thats not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently. Apple Watch SE for $199 ($50 off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know theyre getting the core Apple wearable experience with few copromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies. Mac mini M4 for $529 ($70 off): If you prefer desktops, the upgraded M4 Mac mini is one that wont take up too much space, but will provide a ton of power at the same time. Not only does it come with an M4 chipset, but it also includes 16GB of RAM in the base model, plus front-facing USB-C and headphone ports for easier access. Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off): This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off): These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too. Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off): These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri. Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off): This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale. TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off): Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet. Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $300 (36 percent off): The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours. Dyson V15s Detect Submarine for $798 ($152 off): This Dyson cordless stick vacuum and mop is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide thanks to its sleek design and included mop attachment that easily swap in so you can clean tile, hardwood and other flooring with liquid solution. Yes, it's expensive, but you're essentially getting two cleaning machines in one plus, when used as a vacuum, it has excellent suction power and great battery life. iRobot Roomba Combo Vac and Mop for $169 (39 percent off): This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs. Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off): A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter. Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off): We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design. Blink Mini 2 security camera for $20 (50 percent off): Blink's latest wired, indoor security camera is one of our favorites, particularly if you're just starting out building a security camera system. It's easy to set up and use, and it works seamlessly with Amazon's Alexa. Plus, if you want a local storage option, you can buy the Blink Sync Module 2 and a thumb drive to store video clips locally. Amazon Spring Sale FAQs When is the Amazon Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale 2025 runs from March 25 through March 31. What is Amazon's Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale is a multi-day sale event that has taken place at the end of March since 2024. Do I have to be a Prime Member to shop the Amazon Spring Sale? No, Amazon Spring Sale deals are available to all, including those who do not subscribe to Prime. What types of deals can I expect to find during the Amazon Spring Sale? In the past, we've seen a lot of spring cleaning and fashion items in sale during the Big Spring Sale. We expect this year to be no different. We at Engadget in particular will be on the lookout for discounts on our favorite spring cleaning tech, including robot vacuums, cordless vacuums and air purifiers, along with deals on kitchen and smart home gear. Are there deals I can shop now ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale? Yes, check out our list of the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can get right now above. How long does the Amazon Spring Sale last? The Amazon Spring Sale lasts seven days this year, running from March 25 through March 31.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-2025-early-deals-from-apple-bose-sonos-and-others-plus-everything-we-know-so-far-130607836.html?src=rss
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Apples iPads get all the headlines, and with good reason: Theyve long been considered the best tablets for most people. But none of them come cheap. For folks on a tighter budget, Ive spent the last few weeks testing a couple of 8-inch slates on the dirt-cheap end of the price spectrum: the $100 (but frequently discounted) Amazon Fire HD 8 and the $79 Walmart Onn 8. They arent the only tablets available in this price range, but theyre pushed directly by the worlds two largest retailers, so theres a good chance casual shoppers may buy them without knowing exactly what theyre getting. We pitted the two slates head-to-head not only to figure out which one is better, but also to diagnose the state of ultra-budget tablets as a whole. Balancing cheapness and utility Youll never get truly premium hardware when you shop in this price range, but the Onn makes a nicer first impression than Amazons Fire tab. Squint hard enough and it sort of resembles a budget iPad mini, with a chilly aluminum back, squared-off edges and firm side buttons. Most people I handed it to over the course of this review were immediately surprised at how decent it felt for something so cheap. The Fire HD 8 wears its price more clearly. Its mostly made from a hard textured plastic, with slightly thicker yet more rounded sides, thicker bezels and flimsier buttons. The front facing camera and dual speakers sit on the long edge, so its mainly designed to be held horizontally for streaming video or playing games. The Onn has a more traditional setup, with its selfie camera at the top and two speakers firing out the bottom edge, so its not as accommodating for media consumption or video calls. Despite the cheaper-feeling materials, I find the Fire HD 8 easier to hold for longer stretches. The gently curved sides dont dig into your palms as much as the Onns flat edges, and while the larger bezels arent pretty, they give your thumbs a more natural place to sit. The Onn in particular can be prone to accidental inputs, something its thinner bezels exacerbate. That said, the Onn isnt uncomfortable, its just more generic. In fact, its actually a half-inch narrower than Amazons tablet. With either device, youre getting a tablet thats just under 0.8 pounds lightweight, highly portable and easy to hold with one hand. The $100 Amazon Fire HD 8 (left) and $79 Walmart Onn 8" tablet. Jeff Dunn for Engadget The different perils of cheap tablet displays You wont write home about either tablets 8-inch IPS LCD display, but the Onns panel is the surprisingly clear winner when you put the two side-by-side. Colors are noticeably less muted, black tones are deeper and the whole thing can get a bit brighter at its peak. White tones are too blue for me to call this screen accurate, but the Fire HD 8 tilts even farther in the other direction it runs much warmer, which layers everything with an orange-ish hue. This makes it easier on the eyes at night, but it dulls colors, washes out black tones and generally looks dimmer by comparison. Beyond the tuning, both screens have similar drawbacks. Both are saddled with a low 1,280 x 800 resolution, which is sharp enough for displays this small but still makes text and images fuzzier than theyd appear on an iPad or pricier Android slate. Both have a basic 60Hz refresh rate. Neither is fully laminated, so theres an air gap between the LCD and the display cover that makes scrolling feel less natural. This is especially noticeable on the Fire HD 8. (Apples base iPad has this same issue, but its an issue nonetheless.) Amazons tablet is also a major smudge and fingerprint magnet, plus its more difficult to read outdoors. The Onn doesnt exactly excel in these areas either, but its better. And yet, much of the Onns advantage is negated by its lack of Widevine L1 support. Android Authority has a good explainer, but to simplify, Widevine is the Google-owned DRM platform used by many of the most popular video streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount+ and Max. It has two security levels Android devices can support: L1 (the highest) or L3 (the lowest). If a device is only L3-compliant, like the Onn, video from these services is capped at a 480p resolution. Sure enough, shows and movies from those services are visibly less sharp on the Onn than they are on the Fire HD 8, which supports Widevine L1 and has no issues playing in 720p. This sucks. Netflix, Disney+ and the like are the apps many people buy a tablet to use, and while the Onns display s generally more vibrant, the difference isnt nearly large enough to overcome video streams that look like they were ripped in 2010. A dimmer and overly warm image is still preferred if its the only one that supports HD across the board. Google doesnt charge a license fee to implement its DRM tech, so theres little excuse for Walmart a $700 billion company to ship a tablet that isnt fully certified, even if its a cheapo model. Yet the Onn isnt the only cheap Android tablet without full Widevine compliance. Consider it another way those on a tighter budget are let down by corporate laziness. The Onn has a slightly thinner but more boxy shape, while the Fire HD 8 has more rounded edges. Jeff Dunn for Engadget The other expected sacrifices There are several other hardware benefits you give up when you dive into the bargain bin, most of which are annoying but not terribly surprising. The cameras on both tablets are horrid, for one, blurring details and washing out colors even in full daylight. Neither tablet has a fingerprint reader for unlocking the device faster. Nor do they have formal water-resistance ratings, so youll want to be careful using either around the sink or tub. Both devices are equipped with a basic USB-C 2.0 port, and neither supports true fast charging. The Fire HD 8 can top up slightly quicker, as it supports up to a 15W charge compared to the Onns 10W, but even then Amazon only includes a 5W adapter in the box. The Fire HD 8 also has the edge when it comes to audio. Its far from impressive: It cant get very loud and it struggles to cleanly separate the different parts of tracks. But its decidedly fuller, warmer and more balanced than Walmarts shrill speakers, which make vocalists sound like theyre shouting through a tin can. The Fire HD 8 can at least imply some level of bass too, whereas the Onn is pretty much devoid of it. The Onn also lacks a headphone jack, so youre out of luck if you still like to keep a wired pair handy (like me). The side profiles of the two tablets. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Fast enough barely Both the Onn and the Fire HD 8 are about as cheap as Android tablets get, and their performance follows suit. On paper, the former wins by a hair: Both come with 3GB of RAM, but Walmarts slate runs on a 2 GHz eight-core chip (Mediatek MT8786), while Amazons uses a 2 GHz six-core processor (MediaTek MT8169). Along those lines, the Onns single- and multi-core performance was better than that of the Fire HD 8 in the Geekbench 5 benchmark (331 to 194 and 1317 to 950, respectively). In practice, however, there isnt much difference. Both processors are as entry-level as it gets in 2025, and 3GB of RAM is the absolute minimum for passable performance. Geekbench 5 is an older version of that particular benchmark, but we had to use it because the latest Geekbench 6 straight-up doesnt work on devices with less than 4GB of memory. With either tablet, youre looking at light media consumption and little more. Apps, videos and ebooks load quickly enough to not completely annoy you. Web browsing is adequate so long as you dont open more than a few tabs at a time. Casual card and match-three games play well enough, and you can run at least some more involved games like Diablo Immortal and PUBG Mobile if you knock them down to their lowest graphical settings. Streaming games over services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna works about as well as it does on any other device. (But we did notice that some games were capped at a lower resolution on Walmarts tablet than they were on the Fire HD 8.) These are the kind of tasks ultra-cheap tablets are designed for, so this is what they can do. Even still, there will be hitches along the way. Pulling up the app drawer on the Onn sometimes took a second more than it should. Theres a slight but noticeable lag when you scroll down the home screen on the Fire HD 8. Multitasking or doing any serious work on either device is out of the question. Many graphically demanding mobile games wont start at all. Some sites take frustratingly long to load, because the modern web simply isnt designed for affordable devices like these there are too many resource-hungry ads, images and auto-playing videos for them to truly keep up. The Amazon Fire HD 8. Jeff Dunn for Engadget If you want to keep score, the Fire HD 8 usually took just over 25 seconds to boot up. Thats slow, but still eight to 10 seconds faster than Walmarts tablet on average. (For reference, an iPad Air M2 I had on hand took about 12 seconds to boot up.) Load times for individual apps were more of a toss-up: Some loaded a second or two faster on the Fire HD 8, some on the Onn, while others were effectively even. Ultimately, both let you do the basics without overwhelming trouble, but they always feel like theyre skirting the edge. I wouldnt expect either to hold up well two or three years from now. One benefit of having a lower-spec device is that it wont chew through battery life. Walmart says the Onn can last up to 15 hours, while Amazon rates the Fire HD 8 at up to 13 hours. Those are generous estimates, but both devices should last more than 10 or 11 hours on a charge with typical mixed use. The Onn survives a pinch longer between the two, but the difference is minimal. Both have enough juice to get you through a long flight. Both tablets also come with a paltry 32GB of storage, and the portion of that space thats actually usable out of the box is even smaller: 25GB for the Fire HD 8 and just 18GB for the Onn. This means you likely wont be able to install more than a few games to either device at any given time. Thankfully, you can add up to 1TB of room with a microSD card a feature that is not available on any iPad and that will be a must if you want to download a bunch of movies or songs to play offline. One caveat to all of this is that Amazon sells an upgraded version of the Fire HD 8 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $129. That puts it over the $100 threshold we set for this exercise, but the extra gig of memory should make everything run slightly smoother. The Walmart Onn 8" tablet. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Good Android, bad Android The biggest distinction between the Onn and the Fire HD 8 comes down to their radically different takes on Android. With the former, its essentially a stock version of the OS. Its Android 14, so its about to be two major updates behind, but the only app Walmart pre-installs is its own (natch) and even that is removable. Otherwise, all of Googles core services are right there, swiping left on the home screen takes you to the Discover news feed and you can download just about any other app from the Play Store. If youve used an Android device in recent memory, you should be able to get around without a sweat. The tablet defaults to the Google Assistant out of the box, but you can download the companys Gemini AI app and make that your default assistant in settings. While the chatbot isnt as tightly integrated here as it is on Pixel devices, you can still use it to answer queries, summarize emails and webpages, generate text, create (terrible) images and so on. The Gemini 2.0 Flash model picks up voices well and runs without any serious lag to boot. For the most part, the Onn runs stock Android 14. Left to right: the home screen after installing and activating Google's Gemini AI bot, the personalized Google Discover news feed you see when you swipe left on the home screen and the front page of the Google Play Store. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Amazon, meanwhile, is still shipping its tablets with Fire OS, a heavily skinned fork of Android 11 with a custom app store and an extreme emphasis on the companys own services. Years later, it remains obnoxious to the point of hostility. Omitting the Play Store means it doesnt officially support any Google app, so theres no Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Maps and the like. (While there is a YouTube app, its really just a dinky web shortcut.) Amazons own email and calendar apps are far less robust by comparison. Many of the major streaming and social media services are still available, but plenty of other big-name apps are not, including Reddit, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Slack, any browser besides Amazons extremely-basic Silk and tons of popular games. Its still possible to install the Play Store onto a Fire tablet and sideload most of the apps you want from there, but setting that up is a pain and not every app will continue to work perfectly. More importantly, thats not the experience Amazon is selling. Fire OS remains a platform that works best when you go behind its back. I cant say that about stock Android. Much of Fire OS feels like it was explicitly designed to nickel-and-dime you, to sell you on everything Amazon. Im not being hyperbolic: The first app you see upon unlocking the device is literally called Shop Amazon, and theres a dedicated shortcut to the companys storefront on the Silk browsers home page. So many of the Amazon apps that come pre-loaded are based on a subscription Kindle, Amazon Music, Amazon Photos, Audible, Freevee (which no longer exists), etc. and almost none of them can be uninstalled. Swiping left from the home screen brings you to a For You page of content suggestions that constantly promotes those Amazon services and includes a row of sponsored apps toward the top of the page. The home screen itself has an unremovable Discover tab rife with similarly aimless suggestions and paid sponsorships. Most obnoxious are the lock screen ads. Every time you turn Fire HD 8 on, a full-screen ad for BetMGM, Verizon, a personalized Amazon listing or some other brand is there to greet you. Rarely do I feel like a gadget respects me less than when I see stuff like this. Sure, $100 isnt a ton for a tablet, but its not nothing. When I see the same ad for my local Tri Honda Dealer for the 12th time that day, I cant help but question who the actual product is. You can turn these ads off, but only if you pony up another $15. A few snapshots from Amazon's Fire OS. Left to right: a lock screen ad for Verizon, the "For You" page of content suggestions and the home page of Amazon's custom app store. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Even if you do, its hard to shake the sense that Fire OS only really cares about getting you to funnel more cash into the Amazon machine. Google certainly pushes its own stuff too, but many of its services are proven and widely-used. Amazons platform is even louder with its self-promotion yet much more locked-down. Inthat sense, it isnt consumer-friendly. People who really love Amazon apps could always just download them from the Play Store on any other Android tablet. No matter which platform you use, youll have to put up with the usual issue with Android on tablets: Many apps look like blown-up versions of the ones youd see on phones more than experiences designed with a larger screen in mind. This is less of an issue on an 8-inch tablet than an 11-inch one, but any iPad will be better optimized for its size. I spent a long while ripping on Fire OS, but it does have some redeeming qualities. The Alexa voice assistant is baked into the device and runs quickly enough; if you have Alexa-compatible smart home devices, you can control them here hands-free. (At some point it should also work with the souped-up Alexa+, though for now the Onn has the edge when it comes to AI support.) Its good if youre buying for a child too, as it lets you create a separate kid profile populated with age-appropriate apps, websites and videos. The Onn offers similar features through Googles Kids Space mode, and both let you manage your childs screen time and app library. But the Fire HD 8 makes those parental controls a bit easier to access, and its generally more proactive about locking down the rest of the device. You can also make it so your kid has to spend a set amount of time reading or using other educational material before they can play games. Looking forward, Amazon promises to supply the Fire HD 8 with security updates through 2029. It doesnt mention anything about OS upgrades, but thats still a decent level of support for the price. Walmart, on the other hand, hasnt issued any software roadmap for Onn tablets, though we were able to apply a March security update earlier this month. Weve reached out to the company for more details and will amend this review if we hear back. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Wrap-up After poring over the Fire HD 8 and Onn 8 for the past few weeks, my main takeaway has become clear: You should really try to pay for something better. Get an iPad, buy an older refurbished one if you have to, pay even a little bit extra for a more powerful tablet from Samsung, Lenovo or another name brand it shouldnt really matter. Itll run better, both today and into the future. And any iPad will still make better use of its screen space. But thats not an option for most people looking to buy one of these things. If you absolutely cannot spend more than $100, Id wait for a sale on the Fire HD 8. Yes, I loathe much of what Fire OS represents, but you can at least paper over some of its annoyances by sideloading. The designis generally comfier to hold, and while its display is subpar, the Onns inability to stream many popular apps above 480p makes it almost impossible for me to recommend in 2025. If you want a cheap screen for some pet project that doesnt involve streaming, the Onn may still work: Its display quality and aluminum finish are surprisingly decent for $79, and its version of Android is far less obnoxious than Fire OS. But that seems like a smaller niche. Both of these tablets serve to highlight just how much junk cash-strapped buyers are forced to eat simply for being on a budget. In the Fire tablets case, you have to let Amazon seed a miniature ad box in your home, one that promotes the company and its partners every single time you turn it on. In the Onns case, you get what feels like a lazy rebrand of a white-label device, one that the worlds richest retailer couldnt bother to put through all of the necessary certification processes. I know what youre thinking: Theyre cheap tablets, what do you expect? And yeah, if you want the good stuff, you have to pay for it. More at 11. Its just that weve been saying that for a long time now. These companies have lots of money. Maybe its time to expect a little better.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/battle-of-the-dirt-cheap-tablets-amazon-fire-hd-8-vs-walmart-onn-8-130031544.html?src=rss
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