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Today's Dealmaster is headlined by a trio of discounts on Amazon's Fire HD tablets. The deals drop the Fire HD 8 to $60, the Fire HD 8 Plus to $80, and the Fire HD 10 to $100. Though we've seen these tablets discounted a handful of times already this year, each offer matches the lowest price we've seen for each device to date.

The thrust of the Fire HD line is getting good enough hardware and performance for significantly lower prices than Apple's iPads or a premium Android tablet. The three slates here don't change that value proposition: even Apple's entry-level iPad offers a more premium design, a better display, and a more comprehensive app library to those willing to pay for it. But if you're determined to pay $100 or less for a tablet, the Fire HD slates are generally good buys.

At its current price, the 8-inch Fire HD 8 might be the best value of the bunch: it offers a moderately sharp 1280×800 display in a comfortable design, its battery can last a few days on a charge, and while it's never outright fast, it performs competently for the basic media consumption for which it's intended. Just don't expect much in the way of gaming.

The new Fire HD 8 Plus adds wireless charging support, a USB-C port, and an extra GB of RAM (3GB in total); the latter isn't as big of a deal as it might sound given that Amazon's Fire OS doesn't emphasize multitasking too heavily, but it's there if you want to stress performance a bit more. The Fire HD 10, meanwhile, comes with a 10-inch 1080p display for those who prefer a bigger screen for Web browsing, reading, video viewing. It comes with a USB-C port as well. Each slate has a microSD slot for expanding storage, too.

The usual trade-offs with Amazon's tablets are still here. You still have to pay extra to avoid seeing ads on the tablets' lock screens, and the heavily-skinned Fire OS is still engineered to push you toward Amazon content and services. You still can't access the standard Android app store or install official Google apps—Gmail, YouTube, etc.—without hacky workarounds. But if you think those annoyances are worth the money saved, the Fire HD tablets remain good value, particularly as a secondary display or a shared tablet for the family.

If you're all set on the tablet front, though, we also have deals on PS4-exclusive games like Death Stranding and Dreams, Fitbit's Inspire HR fitness tracker, Sony noise-cancelling headphones, and more. Have a look for yourself below.

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Top 10 deals of the day

  • Amazon Fire HD 8 (32GB, ads) tablet for $59.99 at Amazon (normally $90).
  • Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (32GB, ads) tablet for $79.99 at Amazon (normally $110).
  • Amazon Fire HD 10 (64GB, ads) tablet for $99.99 at Amazon (normally $150).
  • Apple Leather Case for iPhone 11 Pro for $14.99 at Amazon (normally $36).
  • Death Stranding (PS4) for $19.99 at GameStop (normally $35).
  • Fitbit Inspire HR fitness tracker for $69.95 at Amazon and B&H (normally $90).
  • Aukey PB-Y13USB-C portable battery – 18W total, 10,000mAh, 18W USB-C PD, 2x USB-A for $18.09 at Amazon (clip $5 coupon and use code: ND4Y3IP8 – normally $30).
  • Aukey PA-D1 USB-C wall charger – 30W total, 30W USB-C PD, USB-A for $12.99 at Amazon (clip $7 coupon – normally $21).
  • Jabra Elite 75t true wireless earphones for $149.99 at Amazon (normally $180).
  • Sony WH-1000XM3 (2018 model) Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones for $248 at Amazon (normally $315).
CalDigit's TS3 Plus is a recommended Thunderbolt 3 dock.
Enlarge / CalDigit's TS3 Plus is a recommended Thunderbolt 3 dock.Valentina Palladino

Laptop and desktop PC deals

  • Lenovo ThinkPad T490 laptop – Intel Core i5-8265U, 14-inch 1080p, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $749 at Lenovo (use code: THINKDEAL – normally $1,050).
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th gen) laptop – Intel Core i5-10210U, 14-inch 1080p, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $1,089.50 at Lenovo (use code: THINK50 – normally $1,350).
  • Apple MacBook Pro (2020) laptop – Intel Core i5-1038NG7, 13.3-inch 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Magic Keyboard for $1,799.99 at Amazon (normally $1,950).
  • CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock – 2x Thunderbolt 3, 5x USB-A, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.2, Ethernet, SD for $209.99 at Amazon and B&H (normally $250).
  • WD Blue SN550 (1TB) NVMe internal SSD for $104.99 at Amazon (normally $125).
  • Samsung T7 (500GB) portable external SSD for $79.99 at Amazon (normally $105).
  • Samsung 970 Evo Plus (2TB) NVMe internal SSD for $349.99 at Amazon (normally $435).
<em>Death Stranding</em> isn't for everyone, but there's really no other big-budget game like it.
Enlarge / Death Stranding isn't for everyone, but there's really no other big-budget game like it.

Video game deals

<em>Wingspan</em> is a board game worth checking out.
Enlarge / Wingspan is a board game worth checking out.Aaron Zimmerman

Gaming deals