Plus, we found steep discounts on a set of Matter-ready smart plugs and the second-gen Apple Pencil.
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We’re officially one month away from spring. For a lot of us, that means the weather will finally be nice enough that we can exercise outside. If you want to continue to keep a close on eye on fitness and health metrics while away from indoor gym equipment, right now Walmart is selling the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 8 for $299.99 ($200 off) in select colors with a small / medium-sized band.
Apple’s last-gen flagship wearable isn’t dramatically different from the newer Apple Watch Series 9. You’ll miss out on the Series 9’s double-tap feature and on-device Siri. However, you’ll still be able to take advantage of many of the same health features, including EKGs, menstrual cycle tracking, irregular heartbeat alerts, fall detection, and emergency calling. Plus, the wearable sports the same large, always-on display as the Series 9.
Read our review of the Apple Watch Series 8.
If you want to add some smarts to a regular device, right now you can buy a couple of Meross smart plugs at some of their best prices to date. All you need to do is clip the on-page coupon at Amazon, and you’ll get a pair of the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Plug Minis — our favorite cheap smart plugs — for just $18.99 ($10 off), or four with support for Apple Home for $29.99 ($23 off). If you want Matter support, the Meross Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is available on its own for $11.99 ($6 off) or in a two-pack for $20.99 ($14 off).
If you own a compatible smart home hub, Meross’ simple plugs can add basic smarts to lamps, TVs, fans, coffee makers, and other indoor gadgets so you can control them with your smartphone or voice via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Home. You can also add various automations, from setting schedules for your lights to programming your fan to turn on when it gets too hot.
The main difference between the two products is that the Matter-ready plug is more futureproof, with support for a wider range of smart home ecosystems. It also offers a different design that makes it challenging to fit two in one duplex outlet. Nevertheless, both are good options if you’re looking for simple, inexpensive smart plugs and don’t need extras like energy monitoring.
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