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Google actually did it. It made a new, very good, fairly affordable midrange phone and started shipping it right away. And not only is the Pixel 7A already released into the world for you to buy but also you can have your pick of some nice deals and early bird incentives. When you pick up the new Pixel 7A<\/strong><\/a> for its regular $499 price, Google<\/a> is throwing in a $100 credit toward a pair of Pixel Buds (making the Pixel Buds A-Series<\/a> free or the noise-canceling Pixel Buds Pro<\/a> $99.99) and a free Case-Mate case (a $25 value). Meanwhile, retailers like Best Buy<\/a> and Amazon<\/a> are offering a $50 gift card with your purchase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The 7A costs $50 more than the Pixel 6A it replaces, but that extra money nets some nice upgrades like wireless charging, a faster 90Hz 6.1-inch screen for smoother scrolling, and a new and refined dual camera setup. It doesn\u2019t even skimp on the processor, as it borrows the Tensor G2 from the flagship Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. It\u2019s the best midrange Pixel to date, so barring any unforeseen hiccups<\/a> sometimes plaguing Pixel phones, it feels worthwhile to take advantage of these early adopter deals. Read our review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last year\u2019s Gigabyte Aero 16 XE4 laptop<\/strong><\/a> is on a steep sale, offering a lot of value for some great creator \/ gaming performance. It\u2019s currently on sale at Newegg<\/a> for $1,349 ($1,200 off its original price). This configuration of the Aero 16 packs a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti video card, 16GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n With its sizable 16-inch 4K OLED panel, you have some nice real estate for working on creative tasks like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, and the Aero has the processing power to run those apps with no issue. The Aero isn\u2019t all work and no fun, though, as it\u2019s more than capable of running graphically intensive games \u2014 its biggest hangup is that its screen maxes out at 60Hz. If you\u2019re not a frame rate hound, this may not be a big deal, but if you are, you may want to have a quality monitor to plug it into. Read our review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Microsoft\u2019s Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2<\/strong><\/a> controller has returned to its second-best price, selling for $148.99 ($31 off) at Amazon<\/a> and direct from Microsoft<\/a>. The premium controller has dropped slightly lower before, but it\u2019s been a minute since we\u2019ve seen consistent discounts. Recently, its cheaper Xbox Elite 2 Core<\/a> counterpart has seen more action with new colors and some modest deals, but the standard Elite 2 \u2014 as a complete package with all its included accessories \u2014 is a better value at this price.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Elite Series 2 has had its share of quality control issues, but it remains our top pick for a high-end controller<\/a> to use on Xbox consoles and PC. It\u2019s got a very premium feel, swappable sticks and D-pads, four magnetically attachable rear paddle buttons, a rechargeable battery that charges over USB-C, and some nice software tuning. Some of these things may give you a modicum of an edge in multiplayer games, but it\u2019s also just a nice-feeling thing to own and use. Read our review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n