Best Buy’s Ultimate Upgrade sale ends soon — here are the 23 best deals I’d buy on TVs, laptops, headphones, and more

Best Buy’s surprisingly strong Ultimate Upgrade Sale ends on Sunday, so I’ve taken another look through and picked out the 23 best deals worth buying if you’re shopping for some new tech.

ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from new GoPro cameras to the ‘most beautiful phone of 2026’

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the technology headlines over the past seven days, we’ve got you covered.

Should you stare into Sam Altman’s orb before your next date?
Should you stare into Sam Altman’s orb before your next date?

Tinder users who prove they’re a real person by visiting an identity-verifying orb will soon be able to get five free boosts in the app – and it’s just the latest service to embrace the orb. World, which was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, initially tested Tinder verification using its facial scanning orbs through […]

Betting on the news raises ethical questions for journalists
Betting on the news raises ethical questions for journalists

Prediction market exchanges have created an environment where just about any piece of information is potentially monetizable: How well will BTS’s new song perform this week? How hot will Los Angeles get? Will Donald Trump be impeached? Users can wager on all of that and, on some platforms, more gruesome and violent outcomes in the […]

Intel’s new Wildcat Lake chips take aim at the MacBook Neo with AI as the differentiator
Intel’s new Wildcat Lake chips take aim at the MacBook Neo with AI as the differentiator

Intel has launched its Core Series 3 processors, codenamed Wildcat Lake, in what amounts to a direct response to the MacBook Neo. The new chips, announced on 16 April, target the same budget laptop segment that Apple redefined last month with its $599 …

This charming gadget writes bad AI poetry
This charming gadget writes bad AI poetry

I’ve never been as charmed and frustrated by one gadget as I have with the Poetry Camera. It’s a delightful object. White and cherry red with a color-matched woven strap, it looks playful and adorably lo-fi. If I saw it on a store shelf, I’d absolutely pick it up. But aside from obviously appealing, I’m […]

Our new favorite budget phones
Our new favorite budget phones

Over the last few months, every phone maker under the sun has refreshed its lineups, especially at the affordable end, with no major budget phone launches now expected until next year. That made it the perfect time to go back and reassess The Verge’s recommendations for the best budget phones you can buy right now. […]

The best budget smartphones you can buy
The best budget smartphones you can buy

Some of us take a kind of “eat to live” rather than a “live to eat” approach to gadgets. They’re tools that help you get things done, not something you want to invest a lot of time or money in. If that’s you — and there’s no judgment here from a certifiable gadget nerd — […]

The AirPods Pro 3 are $50 off right now, nearly matching their best-ever price
The AirPods Pro 3 are $50 off right now, nearly matching their best-ever price

From OLED TVs to smartphones, Best Buy’s Upgrade Sale has slashed prices on all kinds of tech, including a wide range of Apple devices. We’ve rounded up the best deals from the sale here, but one of the most notable is the AirPods Pro 3, which are down to $199.99 ($50 off) at Best Buy, […]

Ghost orchid in the machine
Ghost orchid in the machine

Vacuum cleaners, personal massagers, electronic baby rockers, and walking pads: These are the secondhand machines Rachel Youn sources to create their kinetic sculptures. Made with artificial flowers, metal hardware, and these used electronic components, each one possesses a humanlike presence. Slow Burn is made from an artificial orchid, a neck massager, bits of metal that […]