Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer as the weather starts to get crisper and students head back to school for the new semester. It also marks a good time to check out the tech deals available across the web. While seasonal holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day are not the boon for tech sales that shopping events like Amazon Prime Day are, they can present good opportunities to save on things like laptops, tablets, smart home gear and more.
Here, we've curated the best Labor Day sales on tech we could find this year. Since this time of year does overlap with the back-to-school season, students should be first in line to check out these deals. If you need some new gadgets for college, or refreshed tech to help you out in your first job after graduating, now's the time to see if you can get it for less. Student discounts are handy and exclusive to those who can prove their student status, but the good thing about Labor Day sales is that anyone can take advantage of them — student ID not required.
Best Labor Day sales: Engadget's top picks
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $799 ($200 off): Apple's latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and it earned a score of 92 in our review. The M4 model isn't a major refresh overall, but that's not a bad thing — the design remains exceptionally thin, light and well-built, with long battery life and a top-notch keyboard and trackpad. Now it's a bit faster thanks to the updated chipset.
Apple iPad (11-inch, A16) for $299 ($50 off): Apple's entry-level iPad is, unsurprisingly, the best iPad option for those on a budget. It has solid performance thanks to the A16 chipset, 128GB of storage in the base model and good battery life.
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Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M3) for $449 ($150 off): The latest iPad Air is a relatively minor update; the only big addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still recommend this iPad over the base model in our iPad buying guide: Its display is more color-rich and better at fending off glare, its speakers are more robust, it works with Apple’s best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead.
Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 (25 percent off): One of our picks for the best air fryers, this Cosori model has a spacious six-quart cooking basket and nine prep modes to choose from. In our testing, it consistently crisped up all kinds of foods, from frozen appetizers to raw proteins, and it has a nifty safety feature with its built-in basket release button.
Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for $38 (46 percent off): Sony makes headphones at all price ranges, and the WH-CH520 provides good sound quality and long battery life at an affordable price. They support custom EQ with Sony's mobile app, multipoint connectivity, a built-in microphone and up to 50 hours of battery life.
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