Best Prime Day Deals Still Available on Laptops, Printers, and Routers

Thin, light, and powerful, this MacBook Air model—unveiled in 2020—offers a compelling combination of performance and battery life. Instead of using an Intel chip, as all Apple computers had done since 2006, it’s powered by an M1 processor developed by Apple itself. In our tests, the processor performed with admirable speed, placing the laptop in the august company of devices powered by Intel Core i7 processors. It also improved the model’s efficiency, resulting in less drag on the battery and an impressive 10.75 hours of web browsing per charge. The latest model features an even better M2 chip, but costs $1,099 to start.

While MSI is a brand that’s usually associated with PC gaming, its Creator series of laptops is aimed at budding content creators looking to do things like quickly edit and publish audio and video projects. And to do that, you’ll need the sort of specs that are on offer here: an Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid state storage. There’s even an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card if you want to play a game or two when you’re not cutting video or audio in apps like you’ll find in Adobe Creative Cloud.

If you need a highly portable laptop that can easily slip into a bag without weighing you down you might consider this 12.4-inch notebook from Microsoft, which has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid state storage. Given that “Go” is part of the name, you shouldn’t be surprised that it’s quite light (2.5 pounds) and has a battery that can last 11 hours while handling lightweight tasks like browsing the web.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is a workhorse, earning a spot among the top non-Apple tablets CR has tested. It’s a great option if you want a tablet with a large 12.4-inch screen. It does have a shorter battery life than most, at just 7.3 hours for web browsing. It also has expandable storage with a built-in micro SD reader, and it gets high scores for performance, convenience, and versatility.

Black-and-white laser printers don’t get enough love from everyday shoppers. A machine like the HP LaserJet M209dwe can be far cheaper to operate than nearly any inkjet, while spewing out very sharp, clear text at impressive speeds. Now, this is a barebones machine. It only prints in black-and-white. It’s pretty inept at producing graphics, and it lacks the ability to copy or scan documents. Oh, and about that 6-month deal on cartridges: You’ll need to set up an HP account, and maintain the printer’s internet access. (Note that the printer only accepts HP toner cartridges.) If you’re okay with all that, the HP LaserJet M209dwe can be a good deal. What it does, it does extremely well, while consuming a modest corner of a desk—and an even smaller slice of a household budget.

This is a good deal on a wireless router that does quite well in our ratings. It’s not a mesh router, but if a single unit router is sufficient to envelop your home in WiFi this should do a good job for you. Our testers note high speeds (technically referred to as “throughput”) across near, medium, and far distances as well as useful additional features like automatic firmware updating (which helps keep you and your data safe) and the ability to manage everything from a smartphone app.

Deco is TP-Link’s line of mesh routers, which use multiple units (here, two) working together to spread WiFi far and wide throughout your home. It scores well in our ratings: Speeds across a range of distances are fast, and extra features like automatic firmware updating and smartphone-based management are appreciated by our testers. There are even a generous four built-in Ethernet ports for connecting devices like video game consoles.

It’s hard to argue with a solid wireless router that costs less than $150, which is what the Google WiFi is going for during Prime Day. It scores highly across most of our tests, and has features like automatic firmware updating and smartphone-based management. There are also two built-in Ethernet ports.