Google may have just released the Pixel Watch 2, but the Apple Watch is still the better buy if you own an iPhone. And right now, you can get the 41mm GPS-enabled Apple Watch Series 8 in black with a small / medium-sized band for just $225 at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon. Members of Target’s free-to-join Target Circle program can also buy the wearable for just $224.99 ($175 off) in select colors like red when they clip the on-page Target Circle coupon.

The discount drops the last-gen flagship wearable down to roughly the same price as Apple’s budget-friendly option, the second-gen Apple Watch SE, which is on sale for $219.99 when you clip the on-page coupon. That’s an excellent deal, given that the Apple Watch Series 8 offers health features the Watch SE lacks, like EKG, SpO2, and temperature sensors. That’s in addition to other useful capabilities like irregular heartbeat alerts, fall detection, and emergency calling. What you don’t get are the new Apple Watch Series 9’s S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chip, which allows for faster performance, Apple’s double-tap feature, and more precise tracking. Nevertheless, the last-gen model is still an excellent wearable with support for watchOS 10 and a large, always-on display.

Read our Apple Watch Series 8 review.

Amazon’s discounting a bunch of gadgets ahead of its fall Prime Day event, which it’s calling Prime Big Deal Days, next week. One of these is the excellent Amazon Smart Thermostat, which is down to $55.99 ($24 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot.

The smart thermostat offers a lot of impressive capabilities for its price, including the ability to learn and adapt to your habits. It doesn’t look cheap, either, with its faceplate and attractive, minimalist design. Given its price, though, there are some tradeoffs. The thermostat only integrates with Amazon Alexa, for one thing, and it doesn’t offer native temperature sensors. Nevertheless, the smart thermostat is still a terrific budget buy, one that can also lower your energy bills as the days get cooler.

Read our Amazon Smart Thermostat review.

Some more ways to save

• Target’s throwing in a free Xbox Series X game valued at $69.99 when you buy an Xbox Series X console. The game needs to be valued at $69.99 and includes titles like Diablo IV and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (which is, incidentally, on sale for $39.99 for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 in case you just want to buy the title by itself).
• Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote Pro is on sale for $29.99 ($5 off) at Amazon. The backlit remote offers customizable buttons and even a remote finder feature. Read our review.
• Amazon and Roborock are selling the new Roborock Q8 Max Plus for $599.99 when you clip the on-page coupon. We haven’t tested this particular model yet, but along with a mop and an auto-empty charging dock, the robovac offers dual roller brushes that should clean up dirt more effectively.
• You can buy a four-pack of Meross’ smart multi-color light bulbs from Amazon for $38.99 when you clip the on-page coupon. The smart bulbs offer 900 lumens of brightness and are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Siri, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. 
• Sony’s WH-CH720N headphones are on sale for around $128 ($22 off) from Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. The budget-friendly headphones offer decent noise cancellation for the price and up to 35 hours of continuous playback on a single charge.