Best Prime Day Kid & Toy Deals: Games, Action Figures, Lego, School

It’s never too early to start your holiday shopping, seriously. From Lego kits to figurines, board games, card games, and more, there are going to be tons of deals that you can stash away in your closet ahead of the holiday madness so that you can sit back in December and relax instead of going crazy.

Some of these kits are down to new all-time low prices, while others are on sale for the first time in ages. Be sure to check them all out, before the prices are gone.

See all the best Prime Day dealsPrime Day Live Chat

All Kids & Toy Deals

From Nerf blasters and Lego sets to Disney Princess dolls and baby strollers, this section features kid necessities and toys for all ages. We’ve already seen a slew of exciting toys on sale in the past few days, making now a perfect time to start stashing toys away for Christmas.

Razor E100 Electric Scooter

$70.24


$115.00


Save $45

Go for a ride at a great price with this electric scooter.

Tegu 8 Piece Pocket Pouch Magnetic Wooden Block Set

$18.79


$29.33


Save $11

This 8-piece set of magnetic wooden blocks is 20% off with Prime during Prime Day.

Cozmo the Robot

$149.99


$181.57


Save $32

This robot can express hundreds of emotions and is discounted by $30 for a limited time.

Save up to 40% on select toys

This limited time offer is discounting toys at varying price ranges for kids of all ages.

Amazon has been teasing its millions of deals for a little bit already, but we’ve yet to see any specifics about what products would be on sale or what prices they would be at. While revealing its back to school and college deals, Amazon has also given us a nice peek at some of the deals we can expect to see on Prime Day.

From everyday items like pencils and calculators to shoes, shower caddies, TVs, and laptops, Amazon will have a little bit of everything that people will need.

Back to School

For those going back to school, Amazon will be offering $30 off the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet, $40 off the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, and $20 off the Echo Dot Kids Edition. There will also be discounts of 30% on select STEM toys, 30% off on office products from Amazon’s own brands like AmazonBasics, 50% off kids apparel from popular brands, and 40% off denim styles from Levi’s and The Children’s Place.

Off to College

And those who will be heading off to college can take advantage of 32-inch smart TVs for $130, 40-inch TVs starting at $195, up to 35% off on select monitors, routers, and laptops, along with 40% off on SanDisk’s most popular memory products. To get your dorm room set up nicely, Amazon will have 30% off computer accessories, bath towels, bedding, office chairs, lamps, and more.

The Tuft & Needle mattresses are going to be up to 25% off, and Cozy’s sack bean bags will be up to 30% off. To help get you through the long nights there will be discounted Keurig K-Cups, Contigo West Loop travel mugs, and you’ll be able to add extra control to your room with some Etekcity Wi-Fi smart plugs.

Amazon is also offering teens ages 13 through 17 years old to acquire their own Amazon login under their parents account to shop independently. Parents will be able to approve purchases, set spending limits, and share all their Prime benefits with the kids at no additional cost. Those heading off to college can sign up for a free 6-month trial of Amazon’s Prime Student.

The Thrifter team is going to be covering ALL things Prime Day, and you won’t want to miss out. Sign up now to have tips, tricks, deals, and more delivered right to your inbox.

How to configure audio toggles in Android P

From vibrate toggles to DND, we’ve got you covered.

Whether you’re at a nice dinner or in a quiet waiting room, few things are as embarrassing as having your phone sound off at full volume because you got a phone call or Twitter notification.

For the times when you want to make sure you only get a small vibration for anything that comes up or you just want to silence notifications entirely, it’s important to know what you’re doing.

Android P introduces a few changes to the way this is handled, so without further ado, here’s what you need to know about managing your audio and notification volume in Google’s latest update.

Quick note — the steps shown below are based on a Pixel 2 running Android P. The core elements should remain intact for your device, but depending on the manufacturer, things could look slightly different from phone to phone.

• How to toggle mute/vibrate
• How to use Do Not Disturb

How to toggle mute/vibrate

First off, let’s talk about how to toggle mute/vibrate.

In Android P, the volume rocker on your phone now defaults to control your media volume. This is a change we’re happy to see, but it does mean you can no longer silence your ringtone by holding down the volume button.

Thankfully, there are a couple ways to go about this.

On one hand, pressing volume up/down once will show a pop-up on the right of your screen. From here, you can tap the icon above the volume level to cycle between vibrate, silent, and your ringtone being enabled.

Alternatively, Android P introduces a new gesture called “Prevent ringing.” With this, pressing volume up + the power/lock buttons at the same time will automatically turn on vibrate-only.

To turn this off or customize its action:

Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap System.
Tap Gestures.

Tap Prevent ringing.

At this page, you can choose whether this button combination toggles vibrate, mute, or does nothing at all.

How to use Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb has been a powerful feature in Android since it was first introduced with Lolipop, but it’s always been something of a complicated beast to tackle. With Android P, Google’s trying to simplify its UX once again.

Unlike Oreo that has three separate DND modes (Total silence, Alarms only, and Priority only), Android P reduces these to just one Do Not Disturb mode.

You can enable it by swiping down the Quick Settings panel and tapping the Do Not Disturb toggle, and if you hold down on it, you’ll be taken to a settings page where you can change its behavior, exceptions, and schedule.

The controls here are mostly the same as they were in Oreo, allowing you to have DND automatically turn on at a certain time, whether or not you want calls to be excluded, and much more.

Have any questions?

Have any extra questions? Let us know down in the comments below!

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Lowe’s 10% Off Sitewide

If it’s at Lowe’s, it’s 10% off. You’ll also get a free Google Home Mini if you spend $150 or more.

Anker 3-foot PowerLine Lightning Cables (3-pack)

$16.79


$22.00


Save $5

Replace your old cables with these shiny new ones at a great price.

The Wife Between Us: A Novel (Hardcover Edition)

$11.81


$19.99


Save $8

This bestselling novel has gained wild popularity recently, which is why you should buy it while it’s on sale.

TP-Link Kasa BR30 multi-color dimmable smart bulb

$34.99


$50.00


Save $15

Save some money and color your hanging lights.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

Android P

• Android P: Everything you need to know
• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
• Will my phone get Android P?
• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
• Join the Discussion

Best Smartphone Prime Day Deals: Phones, Cases, MicroSD, Accessories

Regardless of whether you’re in the market for a new unlocked phone to carry around daily or a charging cable for your existing phone, Prime Day is sure to have a ton of deals for you. From Amazon’s lineup of Prime-exclusive devices to charging hubs, cables, car mounts, and Bluetooth accessories from companies like Aukey, Anker, iOttie and more, there are tons of deals you won’t want to miss out on.

See all the best Prime Day dealsPrime Day Live Chat

All Unlocked Smartphone and Accessory Deals

Prime Day has brought a ton of price drops to phones and the accessories you use with them, and the Thrifter team has gone through each one to make sure that each one listed below is actually a good deal.

Anker 3-foot PowerLine Lightning Cables (3-pack)

$16.79


$22.00


Save $5

Replace your old cables with these shiny new ones at a great price.

Moto G6 64GB unlocked smartphone

$259.99


$350.00


Save $90

This is a smartphone that is here for today and today only. Don’t miss it.

Samsung Qi fast charge wireless charger stand

$29.99


$66.00


Save $36

This charger works with both Android and iPhone smartphones, and works especially well with Android phones that have Fast Charge enabled.

Razer Phone 64GB memory gaming phone

$524.25


$699.99


Save $176

This is the best discount we’ve seen on the phone, so be sure to take advantage of it.

LG V35 ThinQ 64GB unlocked smartphone

$599.99


$900.00


Save $300

Not a normal deal. Prime Day only and $300 off the price.

iOttie Car Phone Mounts

Your phone deserves a safe place to hang out in your car while you’re driving, and this may be one of the best ways to do it.

Prime Day Deals in Unlocked Cell Phones

Phones like the Huawei Mate 10, Honor 7X, and Essential Phone are included in this limited time sale.

Moto X4 Prime Exclusive Phone

$199.99


$349.99


Save $150

There’s no more lock screen ads, but you do have to deal with a few extra apps to save some money.

SanDisk Prime Day Storage Sale

Whether you need an SD card, SSD for your computer, or a flash drive, this one-day sale has you covered.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

$499.99


$799.99


Save $300

High-end unlocked smartphones can be quite expensive, so when you can save $250 you shouldn’t miss the opportunity.

Essential Phone

$249.99


$470.00


Save $220

Buying an unlocked phone is the best way to purchase a phone these days, but that can get expensive. When you find a deal on one, you’ll want to act quickly.

BlackBerry KEYone

$399.99


$499.99


Save $100

The KEY2 is now official, but if you’re looking for the KEYone, this is the best deal we’ve seen.

Stop buying from your carrier.

Unlocked smartphones have become far more popular in the past few years, and if you are looking to treat yourself to a new one, Prime Day may be just the time to do it. We have already begun seeing a bunch of deals hit, and there will be some good phone deals to come as well.

BlackBerry

The BlackBerry KEYone has dropped $100 ahead of Prime Day, bringing it down to $399.99. There is both a GSM and CDMA variant of this phone, so you’ll want to make sure you buy the correct one for the carrier you’re on. The KEYone features a full QWERTY keyboard, 4.5-inch display, Snapdragon 625 processor, 32GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM. It has a 12MP camera on the rear and a microSD card slot to expand the storage if needed.

See at Amazon

Huawei

Huawei will have a pair of devices available during Prime Day at up to $300 off their regular retail prices. The biggest price drop will be on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, which will be available for $499.99. It originally lists for $800 and has only dropped as low as $550 in the past. It features a 6-inch 18:9 display, massive 4000mAh battery, 128GB of internal storage, 6GB of RAM, and a wonderful dual-camera setup on the back.

See at Amazon

If you’re looking to spend a little less, the Huawei Mate SE may be the choice for you. It normally sells for $250, but for a limited time, it will drop to $219.99. This is the lowest we’ve seen this device drop in price since its debut in March. The Mate SE has a 5.93-inch 18:9 display, a 3340mAh battery, 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM and a 16MP main rear camera. There’s also a 2MP rear camera to complete the dual-camera setup, and you can add a microSD card if you need more storage.

See at Amazon

Honor

Huawei’s sub-brand, Honor, will have two of its popular models on sale during Prime Day as well with up to $100 off the original price. The Honor View10 will see the biggest savings, and its price will drop down to $399.99. It’s sold at $500 since its release, which wasn’t all that long ago. It has a 5.99-inch 18:9 display, a 3750mAh battery, 128GB of internal storage, 6GB of RAM and has a microSD card slot. It also has a beautiful 16MP/20MP dual camera setup.

See at Amazon

The already-affordable Honor 7X is getting a $30 price cut, which will see it drop down to just $169. At this price, it’s hard to recommend anything else. It has a 5.93-inch display, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a dual camera setup on the back.

See at Amazon

Prime-exclusive phones

Amazon hasn’t yet revealed the exact savings, but based on previous Prime Day events, it’s safe to assume Amazon will be offering some type of discount on various devices in the lineup. This year alone the assortment has expanded big time and Amazon removed the lock screen ads in favor of some pre-installed apps. Be sure to check out the full lineup of Prime-exclusive devices if you want a great device and don’t mind a few extra apps being installed on it to save some money.

See at Amazon

Other deals

As we get closer to Prime Day there will be more deals available. we will be updating this page with more deals as they become available, so be sure to bookmark this page to keep an eye on.

Best Prime Day Baby Deals: Wipes, Monitors, Formula, Swings & More

Babies grow quickly, and they need lots of clothes, toys, and things to stimulate their minds. All of that can add up super quickly, but if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can easily reap the rewards of Prime Day and save big on tons of baby gear so that your little one can keep healthy and happy, and you don’t have to tear your hair out when you see your empty wallet.

Follow along with us all day as we bring your the best deals on everything baby-related as they go live.

See all the best Prime Day dealsPrime Day Live Chat

All Baby-related Deals

Prime Day has brought a ton of price drops to baby-related gear, and the Thrifter team has gone through each one to make sure that each one listed below is actually a good deal.

Mama Bear organic baby food 12-pack 4-ounce pouches

$11.03


$16.00


Save $5

These baby food pouches have never been discounted on Amazon before.

Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll ‘N Trike

$55.53


$86.55


Save $31

This Radio Flyer trike can be adjusted to support children from 9 months old up to 5 years old.

Safety 1st Grow and Go Car Seats

Keep your baby safe in the car with a trusted car seat from Safety 1st.

Baby Nursery Essential Items

From cribs to sheets, sleepsacks, and even dressers, this one-day sale can help you complete your baby’s nursery.

Skip Hop Stroller Organizer

$16.09


$22.99


Save $7

Keep your keys, credit cards, wallet, and more organized while pushing your stroller.

Summer Infant Pop N’ Play Portable Playard

$51.05


$68.99


Save $18

Whether you’re heading to the beach or sitting by the pool, this portable playard is a must-have.

Skip Hop Vibrant Village Smart Lights Activity Gym

$56.69


$80.99


Save $24

Activity mats are great to help entertain your kids and allow them to develop basic skills as they grow up.

Melissa & Doug Toys

Save on well-made educational toys that will make your kids as happy as your bank account.

Graco Pack n Play Playard

$33.24


$49.48


Save $16

From a place to play to somewhere to sleep, playards are essential to just about every new parent.

Graco Baby Swing

$51.02


$99.99


Save $49

This thing is a life saver, take it from the parent of a 5-month old who would only nap in this.

Are you excited for new S Pen features on the Galaxy Note 9?

The possibility of Bluetooth and a battery has a lot of people talking.

The S Pen is a staple of Samsung’s Galaxy Note products, and this year with the Note 9, we’re expecting a few big upgrades to come over to it.

Although we won’t know any of this for sure until August 9, the rumor mill is currently reporting that the Note 9’s S Pen will come equipped with Bluetooth, offer some sort of gaming-specific features, possibly act as a camera shutter button, and much more.

It’s exciting to hear that Samsung’s working on making its already great stylus even better, and as you might expect, our forum users have plenty to say on the matter.

Blues Fan
07-16-2018 12:35 AM

“

The thing that concerns me with the Spen is the battery in it. The Note 9 battery is supposed to be 4000mah but how much of that will be used to charge the spen? Depending on how often you use the spen, battery like might not be a ton better than the Note 8.

Reply

Jewels81
07-16-2018 04:21 AM

“

I’m no battery expert but if it only takes 40 seconds to charge and last about 200 clicks, it shouldn’t take alot of battery from note9. Unless you click alot lol. If you a heavy spen user than I can see it taking up some battery. I’m not a heavy spen user so it might not be a problem for me. Like I said I’m no battery expert tho lol. Guess we will see.

Reply

Rukbat
07-16-2018 04:23 PM

“

I’m guessing that the “battery” in the pen will be a supercapacitor. Batteries don’t charge that fast. But at least supercapacitors don’t wear out with age. (Meaning that if the phone is still working 10 years from now, and on its 3rd or 4th battery, the pen will still be on the original supercapacitor.)

Using Bluetooth, though, even low-power Bluetooth, is going to eat battery – and that…

Reply

jhimmel
07-17-2018 04:48 AM

“

Honestly, the new SPen features do not seem that interesting to me, and I have a feeling I won’t really be using them. I mostly use the pen for marking up photos, but we’ll see…

Reply

Now, we want to hear from you — Are you excited for the Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Lowe’s 10% Off Sitewide

If it’s at Lowe’s, it’s 10% off. You’ll also get a free Google Home Mini if you spend $150 or more.

Anker 3-foot PowerLine Lightning Cables (3-pack)

$16.79


$22.00


Save $5

Replace your old cables with these shiny new ones at a great price.

The Wife Between Us: A Novel (Hardcover Edition)

$11.81


$19.99


Save $8

This bestselling novel has gained wild popularity recently, which is why you should buy it while it’s on sale.

TP-Link Kasa BR30 multi-color dimmable smart bulb

$34.99


$50.00


Save $15

Save some money and color your hanging lights.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 rumors: Release date, specs, price, and features!
• Is it best to buy the Galaxy S9 or wait for the Note 9?
• Do you plan on upgrading to the Note 9?
• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

Everything that’s new in OxygenOS

Have a OnePlus phone? Here’s what’s new with your latest update.

OxygenOS is the software that powers OnePlus phones, and even if you’re not enrolled in the Open Beta, it’s still frequently updated with new features and bug fixes to keep an eye out for.

It can be tough to keep track of what’s new, so we’ll be updating this guide with each new OxygenOS update that’s rolled out.

July 17, 2018 — OxygenOS 5.1.9 brings better dynamic range to OnePlus 6 camera, Google Lens integration

OnePlus is starting to roll out OxygenOS 5.1.9 build, with the update focusing on the OnePlus 6’s camera. The update will bring improvements to the autofocus and edge detection in portrait mode, as well as further enhancements to image clarity and dynamic range.

Additionally, the update will also bring Google Lens integration to the OnePlus camera app, allowing users to scan QR codes and get information about real-world objects. OnePlus says Google Lens will be making its way to the OnePlus 5 and 5T in addition to the OnePlus 6.

The update should be rolling out to select regions starting later today, and will be available more widely from July 20.

June 18, 2018 — OxygenOS 5.1.7 and 5.1.8 bring bootloader fixes

OnePlus is rolling out the OxygenOS 5.1.7 build, which includes the usual bug fixes and stability improvements along with a fix for the bootloader vulnerability that was discovered a few days ago. The build also includes fixes for scheduled DND settings.

The OxygenOS 5.1.7 build won’t be making its way to Indian users, and OnePlus is instead rolling out the 5.1.8 build, which offers the same fixes as the global build. The 5.1.8 build also includes system and network stability fixes, and features optimizations to the call quality.

June 8, 2018 — OnePlus 6 gets Portrait Mode for the front-facing camera and scheduled Do Not Disturb

OxygenOS 5.1.6 is now rolling out to the OnePlus 6 around the globe and comes with a bevy of new features to play around with.

There are two big updates to the camera situation, including a Portrait Mode for the front-facing camera and a Light Bokeh effect that can now be used with the rear camera.

Also included with this update is the ability to schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on at set times and dates. Additionally, you can create your own custom rules for DND to make it work just the way you want.

Other improvements with 5.1.6 include:

• Battery percentage can be seen in the status bar
• Improvements for sound quality and volume with ringtones
• A dual 4G option now available in SIM & network settings
• Stability improvements for dual SIM cards
• Idea VoLTE now working in India
• Optimized call clarity
• Added smart answer for Bluetooth – automatically answer incoming calls when connecting to Bluetooth devices
• Optimized power consumption and Improved system stability

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Lowe’s 10% Off Sitewide

If it’s at Lowe’s, it’s 10% off. You’ll also get a free Google Home Mini if you spend $150 or more.

Anker 3-foot PowerLine Lightning Cables (3-pack)

$16.79


$22.00


Save $5

Replace your old cables with these shiny new ones at a great price.

The Wife Between Us: A Novel (Hardcover Edition)

$11.81


$19.99


Save $8

This bestselling novel has gained wild popularity recently, which is why you should buy it while it’s on sale.

TP-Link Kasa BR30 multi-color dimmable smart bulb

$34.99


$50.00


Save $15

Save some money and color your hanging lights.

• Top Deals
• Amazon Devices
• TVs
• Smart Home
• Unlocked Smartphones
• Kitchen
• Audio & Headphones
• Gaming
• Home Improvement / DIY
• Everyday Essentials
• Kids & Toys
• Entertainment
• Fashion

Check out more Amazon Prime Day deals!

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

The iRobot Roomba 671 has dropped to $230 for the first time

Good for pets. Works with voice control systems. Great price.

The iRobot Roomba 671 robot vacuum is down to $229.99 as a Prime exclusive deal. This price is about $120 less than what it normally goes for.

The Eufy RoboVac 11 is also on sale for $159.99. That’s a Prime Day deal and a good budget option.

The Roomba 671 is a relatively new entry in the iRobot lineup. So while it hasn’t been around long to have a lot of huge sales, this is the first real direct price drop we have seen, it does have some modern features. It works with Amazon’s Alexa for voice control and the iRobot Home app, which gives you freedom to schedule it from anywhere. The Roomba has a 3-stage cleaning system, intelligent sensors, and an auto-adjusting cleaning head to clean every surface and everything from small particles to pet hair to debris. The battery runs up to 90 minutes, then the Roomba will return to its dock automatically to recharge.

See on Amazon

Moto G6 Play review: The budget battery king strikes again

The Moto G no longer sits in a vacuum, but the G6 Play is still a great option for just $200.

There’s no name more recognizable in the budget smartphone category than “Moto G.” Since its launch, the Moto G series has consistently been Motorola’s best-selling product line, taking people aback with great performance at a low price.

When Motorola launched the Moto G4 a couple of years ago, it segmented the series into three sub-brands; the standard Moto G4, the battery-focused Moto G4 Play, and the more powerful Moto G4 Plus. The names stuck, and a few generations later, we now have the Moto G6 Play — an inexpensive offering with a modernized design and an enormous battery.

Motorola Moto G6 Play

Price: $199.99

Bottom line: Clean software and outstanding battery life rarely come this cheap.

The Good

• Modern design and 18:9 display
• Huge, long-lasting battery
• Relatively fast performance
• Compatible with all U.S. carriers

The Bad:

• Slow and unimpressive cameras
• Old Micro-USB port, rather than USB-C
• No NFC means no Google Pay

See at Amazon

Finely crafted

Moto G6 Play The hardware

Just because the Moto G6 Play is inexpensive, doesn’t mean it has to feel cheap. On the contrary, this is a terrifically well-built phone, with a rounded plastic backing that you’d be forgiven for mistaking for glass. There’s a fingerprint sensor integrated into the Motorola logo on the back, with a matte texture and a slight indentation that makes it easy to find with your finger.

Around the front, there’s a first for the Moto G line — a 5.7-inch 18:9 display, with relatively small bezels above and below. The display isn’t the sharpest at only 720p, nor will the saturation or brightness wow you by any stretch, but I’m just happy to see a budget Motorola phone without enormous bezels for once.

That 720p resolution also plays a role in the phenomenal battery life that gives the G6 Play its namesake. With so few pixels to power compared to the 1080p and Quad HD panels out there, Motorola could’ve squeezed good endurance out of even a 2000mAh battery — though of course, they didn’t do that, instead packing a battery twice as large at 4000mAh. Combine that with the power-efficient Snapdragon 427 processor, and it’s no wonder this phone is able to eke out as much as three days of casual use — even with more involved workloads, two days is achievable.

The Moto G6 Play isn’t the thinnest phone in the world, but it isn’t too thick either, at about 9mm. Still, you might find yourself a bit annoyed at the slightly thicker camera housing that prevents the phone from laying flat on a table — at least, without the included soft-shell case that makes it all a consistent thickness.

Looking around the edges of the phone, you’ll notice that there’s no speaker grill to be found — instead, Motorola relies entirely on the G6 Play’s earpiece speaker. It’s far from the cleanest-sounding speaker I’ve used, but it gets plenty loud for notifications and simple media playback. Continuing around the edges, there’s a pleasingly tactile set of volume and power buttons along the righthand side, a headphone jack up top, and a Micro-USB port, because … cost savings.

Motorola may not offer any kind of IP certification on the Moto G6 Play (or any of its higher-end phones either, for that matter), but it protects the phone with a water-repellent nano-coating, both inside and out. You definitely shouldn’t try your hand at underwater photography with the Moto G6 Play, but an accidental spill or a phone call in the rain shouldn’t do it much harm.

Clean and simple

Moto G6 Play Software and features

One of the most compelling parts of any Motorola phone is its clean, Pixel-like software experience. It’s still not technically stock Android, but it’s about as close as it gets, with only a few tweaks made that actually improve the experience.

Flipping through the home screens and app drawer, you’ll notice just how barebones Motorola’s software enhancements are. The Google Now feed still sits to the left of the home screen, and the only non-stock apps you’ll come across (aside from Amazon software — we’ll get to that in a sec) are Moto and Device Help. The former holds a collection of useful gestures and customizations to Moto Display, which I’ve found to be the best implementation of the always-on display around.

The customizable Moto Actions are the same ones found on most other Motorola phones. You can double-twist the phone in your wrist to launch the camera, double-chop to toggle the flashlight, flip the phone face-down on a table to enable Do Not Disturb mode, or use on-screen gestures to take screenshots or enable one-handed mode. Unfortunately, you don’t get the option for one-handed navigation, as found on the Moto Z3 Play, but I’m glad to still see such useful and simple gestures on a $200 phone.

Speaking of price, you can actually save $10 and get free shipping if you buy the Moto G6 Play through Amazon’s Prime Exclusive program. This isn’t the nightmarish experience it used to be, with lock screen ads galore — instead, the phone just comes with a handful of Amazon apps pre-installed, all of which you can either uninstall or disable. Not a bad deal to shave a bit more off the cost of this already-affordable phone.

As far as performance goes, the G6 Play won’t turn any heads, but it shouldn’t disappoint you, either. It’s not as fast as the similarly priced Honor 7X, but the Snapdragon 427 handles most tasks pretty well, launching apps quickly and rarely showing signs of stutter when scrolling. You can even get away with running a windowed YouTube video while doing something else, but that does yield noticeably slower performance.

Don’t expect much

Moto G6 Play Cameras

On the topic of slow performance, the camera is easily the slowest part of using the Moto G6 Play. Launching Motorola’s camera app (which I actually quite enjoy, largely thanks to excellent control scheme in pro mode that’s reminiscent of Nokia’s camera app on Windows Phone), you’re immediately greeted with a laggy viewfinder.

Once you begin taking photos, you’ll notice a few more things; while tapping to adjust focus and exposure is nice, the camera is very slow to do so, often pulsing as it hunts for focus. It’s also just not a great camera — it’s low on detail, even before zooming into your shot to pixel-peep, and dynamic range is pretty terrible, with outdoor shots either completely blowing out the sky or wildly underexposing the subject.

In fairness, this is all fairly standard fare on a $200 phone, and the Moto G6 Play is far from the worst camera I’ve used in this price range. It still produces decent colors, and you can get an impressive amount of background blur — just don’t expect too much from it, especially in low light situations.

The bottom line

Moto G6 Play Should you buy it?

If you can swing the extra $50, you should definitely get the proper Moto G6 instead of the G6 Play; you’ll get a faster processor, a much better camera, a better screen, and USB-C. That all adds up to a significantly better overall package, but make no mistake: the Moto G6 Play is still a great value, even without the extras.

The Moto G isn’t the only good budget choice anymore, though. For the same $200, you can pick up the Honor 7X, which features better build quality, faster performance, and an impressive pair of rear cameras. Honor’s EMUI software is a point of contention for some, but in most other ways the 7X is the more compelling option.

3.5
out of 5

Still, the Moto G6 Play stands uncontested in battery life, and the ultra-clean Android software is a nice bonus. If you’re working with $200, go ahead and pull the trigger on the G6 Play — you won’t be disappointed.

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Make your cord cutting experience even more affordable with these great Prime Day deals

It’s the perfect time to buy.

Amazon’s Prime Day has brought a ton of great discounts along with it, especially if you’re interested in making 2018 the year you leave your cable provider. From discounted streaming sticks to smart TVs, there are a ton of deals going on right now that you simply will not want to miss out on.

One of the most affordable devices is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, which is down to $19.99 right now. It comes with the Alexa Voice Remote so you can search for media with your voice, and plugs right into the HDMI port on your TV. For an extra $15 you can treat yourself to the 4K version of the streaming stick. If you’ve already upgraded your TV or plan to in the near future, you’ll want this one.

The Fire TV Cube is Amazon’s newest hardware in this space, and it combines the best features of Amazon’s Alexa and Fire TV into a single device. It definitely has a few flaws of its own, but as a whole, it offers a pretty good experience. You can combine the Fire TV hardware with other Amazon devices to help you save even more as well.

If you’re in need of a new TV, you’ll probably want to look at a Smart TV now. These basically have Amazon’s Fire TV or Roku’s OS built right in, which means you don’t need any extra wires or dongles to access Hulu, Netflix, and more. Arguably the best TV deal right now is Toshiba’s 50-inch 4K Fire TV, which is on sale for $289.99. This is its only price drop, and at this price, it’s insanely hard to resist. You can grab the 43-inch version for $249.99 if you need something for a smaller space.

Prefer Roku’s operating system over Amazon’s Fire TV? If so, you’ll want to check out the TCL 40-inch for $194.99 or the 49-inch for $299.99. TCL has become the go-to name brand for Roku TVs, and at these prices, you should see why for yourself. There are a few other TV deals worth checking out today, as well.

Of course, you’ll need some media to play on your new gear, so be sure to check out all of our top entertainment deals that you can take advantage of right now.

Sonos Beam review: Raising the sound bar

The only living room speaker you need.

To know a Sonos speaker is to love it. It’s that simple.

But to know a Sonos speaker is to know two, or five, or a $699 Sub or Playbar. Even though you get what you pay for, you still pay.

To some extent that changed with the now-$149 Play:1, which was succeeded by the $199 Alexa-touting Sonos One. But the speaker company, which has awkwardly stumbled into the smart assistant age, is alien to the average music listener because that industry is so heavily commoditized, and out of reach of its more attainable audience, TV watchers, because its existing products are so narrowly focused.

With the Beam that changes for the better. The way better.

Sonos Beam

Price: $399

Bottom line: The Sonos Beam is a compact, powerful smart speaker that also happens to be a great TV soundbar.

Pros:

• Huge sound for the size, especially from the low-end
• Superb channel separation
• Puts Sonos features right in front of you
• Lets you control your TV with Alexa
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Expensive
• Still doesn’t support Google Assistant
• Alexa hot word is too sensitive

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Sonos Beam What it is

The Beam is neither Sonos’ best music speaker nor its best sound bar, but it’s the most sensible product the company could have released in 2018. Unlike the massive and input-limited Playbar, the Beam supports HDMI ARC, which means it pulls double duty as a TV speaker and a remote control.

The idea behind the Beam is that it replaces your TV’s crappy built-in speakers, or gets rid of the need for a complicated receiver and separate pair of speakers. The latter was my setup — I have an expensive Yamaha multi-channel AV receiver and a pair of old Technics bookshelves — with my various set-top boxes polluting its HDMI ports and forcing me to use its awful remote. The prospect of simplification was enticing.

So I unplugged my Chromecast, Apple TV, my Fire TV from the receiver and put them directly into my LG B7 OLED television, reserving HDMI 2, which supports ARC, for the Beam. ARC is intriguing, and this is my first time using the technology; it stands for Audio Return Channel, and it’s a standard that synchronizes the video on the TV with the audio from a connected speaker.

It also does one other really cool thing: it forgoes any setup or pairing, and it facilitates smart assistants like Alexa acting like a remote control. So not only does the Beam, when connected to a compatible TV, act as a rich, powerful speaker, but it lets you ask Alexa to turn on and off the TV, and on Amazon-built hardware, launch individual apps like Prime Video or Netflix.

But the Beam is two more separate products: it’s a Sonos speaker, which connects to nearly 100 streaming music and radio services like Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Music, Audible, and others, and it’s an Alexa conduit, which means it’s a much better-sounding Echo, able to perform all the same smart home tasks and useful skills that Amazon has been adding to its platform since 2014.

The best streaming music services

Sonos Beam What I like

At $399, the value proposition is fairly straightforward: the Sonos Beam is an outstanding speaker. Even if it didn’t do all the things I described above, it would almost be worth its asking price by virtue of its sound output. While it doesn’t match the deep bass and ultra-wide soundstage of the Playbar, which is near twice the price and double the size, the Beam’s four woofers, single tweeter, three passive radiators, and five Class-D amplifiers manage to amply reproduce a stereo pair from a single unit that’s just 26 inches wide, 3 inches high, and 4 inches deep.

I appreciate that Sonos doesn’t cloud its equalization with bias, either: the sound emitted from the Beam is, by default, clean and approachable. It doesn’t create bass that isn’t there, and it doesn’t pretend to be a speaker double the size. Sonos recommends the Beam for a small or medium-sized living room; it probably wouldn’t do well paired with a 100-inch projector in a theater.

According to Sonos’ head of marketing, Michael Papish, only 20% of homes have any sound equipment connected to a TV in the living room. When looked at in such a context, the Beam is an ideal speaker for them because it also gets rid of the need for a separate smart speaker, or Sonos speaker in general, in one’s living area.

The Beam sounds better than most soundbars, and way better than any Alexa-enabled speaker.

At the same time, the Beam benefits from being paired with Sonos’ other products. I was easily able to use a pair of Sonos Play:1 speakers as a stereo pair, and the excellent Sonos app makes it trivial to set up. And while I don’t have one of the company’s excellent $699 subwoofers, when mixed with the Beam Sonos does the work to separate the bass from the mids so frequency crossover is smooth.

Here’s an example of why I love using the Beam, and why pairing it with a smart assistant makes so much sense. I use my voice to turn on my TV — “Alexa, turn on the TV,” and launch right into Netflix. I start watching some Luke Cage and hear a song I love. It’s Faith Evans’ “Mesmerized,” but it only plays for a few seconds so I ask Alexa to play the full thing. This leads me down a Bad Boy rabbit hole, so I open my Spotify app and build a new hip-hop playlist, pushing it to the Beam using Spotify Connect. Once I’m done, I press play on the TV and my episode resumes.

The genius of Sonos is that it just works, and works everywhere. You can use the new-and-improved Sonos app (seriously, it used to be garbage and now it’s amazing) to consolidate music from any number of music services — the app’s universal search is excellent — or just use it as a Spotify controller. If you have more than one Sonos speaker, you can combine or separate them at any time for whole-home audio. You can choose to use Alexa or ignore the functionality altogether, muting the five far-field microphones with a tap on the Beam’s capacitive console.

Even when my TV is off, I use Beam to listen to podcasts or my local radio station. It stands in for Bluetooth speakers, smart speakers, and TV speakers. It’s just that versatile.

Sonos Beam What I don’t like

Let’s offer a counterpoint to what I said above: at $399, the Beam’s value proposition is straightforward. It’s also outlandishly high compared to buying an Amazon Echo and a decent soundbar. If you’ve no need for Sonos’ integrated nature, it’s easy enough to recreate a facsimile of the experience with a $99 Echo and a $120 RSR.

This becomes doubly true when admitting that the Beam’s Alexa integration is pretty basic unless you’re also using an Amazon Fire TV, and that the far-field microphones are far too sensitive, accidentally activating a half dozen times an evening. Every word that begins with “Al-” elicits the recognizable activation chime, and that’s despite Sonos saying the Beam is less prone to false positives than the notoriously finicky Sonos One.

Then there’s the question of Google Assistant support. When Sonos announced it was getting into the smart speaker game, it approached the problem as it had with music: it would be as open as possible and support as many APIs as it could. But Google Assistant integration was supposed to launch earlier this year and has been pushed back to an indefinite date citing unspecific compatibility problems. Later this year, the Sonos Beam will be among three speakers in the company’s lineup to support Apple’s AirPlay 2, but that won’t provide Android users much solace.

The final concern is with the HDMI spec itself: ARC is built into most TVs these days, but Sonos can’t control that side of the equation. It can only hope that customers are savvy enough to check their televisions beforehand or upgrade their sets at the same time. The fallback is an HDMI-to-optical adapter in the box, which should even the oldest of modern-day televisions to work, sans intelligence, with the Beam. And in neither configuration does the Beam support DTS, just Dolby Digital 5.1.

Sonos Beam Should you buy it?

Let me tell you something about Sonos. All of the problems I mentioned above? The investment, the platforms, the cables, the specs — they all disappear once you start using the product. Every Sonos product is solid, and the Beam is no exception. This is my favorite speaker in the company’s lineup to date because it checks so many boxes.

And it will get better. The Beam will eventually support Google Assistant and all its intelligence, along with the smart home integrations and routines you’ve already set up on your phone, and Sonos will add additional services like YouTube Music to its music lineup. And there’s a good chance, once you buy a Beam, you’ll want to spend more money on additional Sonos stuff.

4.5
out of 5

Even if you don’t, and just stick with the Beam as your sole Sonos product, you’ll be happy with its massive feature set and awesome sound.

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