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Black Friday offers a number of good opportunities to up your smart-home game. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen more good deals each year on things like smart light bulbs, robot vacuums and more during the holiday season. And that’s in addition to sales on the usual suspects when it comes to “smart” home tech — things like the Instant Pot and other small appliances. Instead of sifting through the hundreds of robot vacuum and smart home deals out there, we’ve gathered what we think are the best devices at the best prices below.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp - $130
Best Buy / Instant Pot
If you want a truly multi-purpose small appliance, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp fits the bill. Not only is it a multicooker in the traditional way that all Instant Pots are, but it also comes with the company’s air-fry lid so you can crisp food to perfection. While it was $10 cheaper on Amazon Prime Day, this $120 sale price is still a good deal.
The high-end Roomba i3 normally costs $400 but you can get it for only $300 during this sale. It has iRobot’s mapping technology so it can more efficiently navigate your home, plus a three-stage cleaning system with 10x more power-lift suction than other models. It’s also compatible with the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa so you can control it with your voice.
If you still want a Roomba but can only afford to spend so much, the Roomba 675 for $180 is a solid deal. You’ll be able to start and schedule cleanings with this robot, and it works on carpet as well as hardwood floors. It also has iRobot’s 3 Stage Cleaning system and Dual Multi-Surface brushes, in addition cliff detection which helps it avoid falling down stairs.
One of the best Instant Pots for most people, the 6-quart Duo Nova is down to $50 right now. That’s half off its normal price and an all-time low. If you’re new to Instant Pots, or multicookers in general, this one marries features and size well. Not only does this combine a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker and more into one device, but its 6-quart size is large enough to make a meal for even a large family.
If you missed the Prime Day deal on this multicooker, now’s your chance to get it for close to a record low price. The 9-in-1 Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL has dropped to $170 for Black Friday, which is only $20 more than the flash-sale price that Prime Day brought last month. This machine has presets for slow cooking, pressure cooking, yogurt making, roasting, air frying and more, and it has “TenderCrisp” technology, which locks juices int your food before air-frying to a crisp.
The Anova sous vide Precision cooker Pro returns to a record low of $200 for Black Friday. The main difference between the Pro and Anova’s standard gadget is its size — the Pro uses 1,200 watts to head up 20 gallons of water, and it can run up to 10,000 hours before shutting down. If you’re eager to have a sous vide party (when we’re able to gather in large numbers again), this device can help you do that.
Originally $300, Anker’s Eufy RoboVac 30C is down to $180 for Black Friday. It’s a WiFi-connected vacuum that’s similar to a Roomba, but it has BoostIQ technology that automatically increases suction power while cleaning the dirtiest areas of your home. It’ll run for up to 100 minutes before it needs a recharge and you can even control it with the Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa.
If you want one kit to start the smart lighting system in your home, Philips has a great one that includes white and color smart bulbs that’s on sale for $130. You’ll get three bulbs plus the bridge that connects them all as well as a dimmer switch. This set normally costs $190, so now’s a good time to grab it while it’s heavily discounted.
GE’s C smart light bulbs made it into our holiday gift guide for their solid feature set and affordability. Now you can get a 4-pack of soft white light bulbs for $20 for Black Friday, which is $25 off the set’s normal price. If you’re looking for an easy way to kick-start your smart home, these light bulbs could fit the bill.
Along with smart light bulbs, smart plugs are some of the easiest IoT devices to install and use when you’re starting from nothing. TP-Link’s Kasa lineup is especially friendly for smart home newbies because they don’t require a connecting hub to use — just plug them in and control them via the companion mobile app. A couple models are on sale for Black Friday, including the weather-resistant, IP64-rated Kasa Outdoor smart plug for $20 and a 4-pack of the standard Kasa smart plugs for $27.
A bunch of Amazon’s latest Echo devices are on sale for the holiday shopping weekend, and along with them comes a discount on the company’s newest WiFi system. The Eero 6 Pro mesh Wifi system has fallen to $183, which is 20 percent off its normal price. This updated system debuted along with the new Echos and features WiFi 6 support, coverage for up to 2,000 square feet and a built-in Zigbee home hub.
A favorite of many Engadget staffers, the Paprika recipe manager app is up to 50 percent off right now. Both the Mac and Windows versions are half off, bringing them to $15, while the Android and iOS versions are 40 percent off, bringing them down to $3. It’s arguably the best way to digitally collect and organize all your recipes, and it also has features that let you keep track of grocery lists, meal plans and more.
