Amazon Prime Price Hike: There's Still Time to Lock In Your Rate for Another Year

Amazon Prime Price Hike: There's Still Time to Lock In Your Rate for Another Year

Amazon announced big fourth-quarter profits along with some bad news for customers earlier this month: The online retail giant is raising its annual membership price again. An Amazon Prime membership will soon cost $139 for annual subscribers, up from $119, and monthly members are looking at an increase from $13 to $15 ($156 to $180 for 12 months). For new accounts, the price hike goes into effect on Feb. 18. But if you already have an account, the cost won't increase until Mar. 25.

This bump marks the first time Amazon has raised prices on Amazon Prime since 2018, when the cost went from $99 to $119 per year (from $11 to $13 monthly). The premium subscription service originally launched in 2005 at $79 per year.

As of December 2021, about 172 million people subscribe to Amazon Prime, according to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. The report notes that Amazon Prime has added 30 million new subscribers each of the past two years.

Even though the price is rising, there are ways to maximize your current subscription or get in on the old price before it's gone. Read on to learn all about the Amazon Prime price change and how you can save money.

How much is Amazon raising the price of Prime?

For the majority of people, the price of Amazon Prime will change from $119 per year to $139, or from $13 monthly to $15.

Prices will also increase for students and other low-income subscribers. Prime Student members will soon pay $7.50 per month, or $69 per year. For recipients of Electronic Benefit Transfer and other qualified forms of government assistance, the monthly price will increase from $6 to $7.

When will the price of Amazon Prime change?

The price changes will take effect Feb. 18 for new Amazon Prime accounts. For existing accounts, the increased price will kick in on the first renewal payment after March 25.

How can I save money before the price of Amazon Prime changes?

If you were considering an Amazon Prime subscription, now's the time to do it. Prices will change for new accounts on Feb. 18. If you pay for a yearly subscription before then, you'll lock in the $119 yearly rate until 2023.

Current Amazon Prime members should take a look at their Amazon accounts to see if they are monthly or yearly subscribers. If you're a monthly subscriber and switch to a yearly subscription, you'll also lock in the $119 rate until next year.

Can I buy a future Amazon Prime membership with a gift card now?

Savvy bargain shoppers have noted that Amazon's "gift of Prime" service can be an effective method of extending the current price rate. If you buy a gift subscription of Amazon Prime before the price change and activate it when your existing subscription expires, you'll get another year at the $119 rate. If you sign up for a yearly account before Feb. 18 and buy another yearly gift subscription at $119, you won't be paying the new $139 yearly rate until 2024 (though you will be paying $238 upfront).

Why is Amazon raising the price of Prime?

Despite better-than expected fourth-quarter earnings, Amazon gave several reasons for the price hike in its press release, including more big-budget shows on Prime Video like The Wheel of Time, Jack Reacher and the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as well as its decadelong exclusive license to NFL's Thursday Night Football. The company also touted expanded availability for same-day delivery to 90 metropolitan areas in the US, free shipping for more items and more deals on products.

What services does Amazon Prime offer?

Amazon Prime originally launched with unlimited free two-day shipping for a large number of its products, and that main service remains its most popular benefit. However, Amazon Prime has since expanded its offerings and now includes many other benefits. 

Here are the biggest services Amazon Prime provides:

• Free two-day, next-day or same-day shipping
• Free grocery delivery via Amazon Fresh
• Discounts at Whole Foods
• Free streaming video via Prime Video
• Free streaming music via Amazon Music
• Free magazines and books via Prime Reading
• Unlimited photo storage on Amazon Photos

Visit the Amazon Prime info page for a full list of the services included in an Amazon Prime membership.

Who are Amazon Prime's competitors?

Pricier Amazon Prime subscriptions could make competing services more attractive, but there aren't a whole lot of them. Walmart Plus, which currently costs $98 per year, offers expedited delivery and groceries, but the superstore chain's service doesn't have the extensive TV shows, movies, music and games included with Amazon Prime.

Both Target and Walmart have tried to compete with Amazon Prime Day, a massively popular and yearly two-day sale for Amazon Prime members. Target has launched its own Target Deal Days and emphasizes that no membership fees are required. Similarly, Walmart began its own Deals for Days promotion for three days in June 2021.

Competitors like NewEgg Premier and Google Express encountered difficulties competing with Amazon Prime. NewEgg launched Premier in 2014 but shut it down in December 2019. Google Express also launched in 2019, but it lasted less than a year.

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Amazon Prime Day camera and accessory deals: GoPro, Sony, DJI, Lowepro and more

Amazon Prime Day camera and accessory deals: GoPro, Sony, DJI, Lowepro and more

This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET's guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.

Amazon Prime Day means some excellent camera and accessory deals if you're a photography enthusiast or aspire to become one. Even in 2021, there are plenty of times it's worth trying something besides your smartphone for capturing memories and getting creative.

There are a lot of discounts in the photography section for Prime Day, but we've pored over the options for the best deals and gear.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

When you spot an action camera attached to a surfboard, ski helmet or mountain bike handlebars, chances are it's made by GoPro, the company that pioneered the market for these small, rugged video cameras. The GoPro Hero 8 Black 4K camera arrived in 2019 and won a CNET Editors' Choice for its value and all-important image stabilization. This GoPro bundle is 26% off and its accessories -- a tripod, head strap, extra battery and a 32GB memory card -- are useful. The batteries are from GoPro, not a third-party manufacturer. The newer top-end GoPro Hero 9 adds some improvements, but the Hero 8 remains a solid, more affordable choice.

DJI

Gimbal mounts use pivots to keep cameras steady -- or in the case of the DJI OM 4, your smartphone. It's 20% off for Prime Day. This is handy for shooting video when you're walking. This model has a built-in battery for 15 hours of use and a magnetic mounting system that lets you easily attach and detach your phone. And motorized Dynamic Zoom and Spin Shot add little cinematographic effects to your video.

Amazon

Rokinon lenses aren't generally as good as higher-end models from better known Japanese camera companies, but they're a lot cheaper. At 48% off, this 14mm Rokinon ultrawide lens for Canon EF and EF-S mount cameras (those full-frame and smaller APS-C sensors, respectively) is an affordable way to try out a new perspective on your photography. It has a 115.7-degree field of view on full-frame cameras and 89.9 degrees on APS-C, and some weather sealing to handle rougher conditions.

Amazon

Lowepro has been making camera backpacks for decades. The Truckee BP 250 LX is designed for tourists, hikers, street photographers out for a day in the city, and anyone else who has to carry a modest amount of camera equipment. It'll accommodate an SLR and three midsized lenses in the bottom padded compartment, a 15-inch laptop in an inside zippered sleeve, a water bottle and tripod in side pockets, and lunch and a rain jacket in the top.

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Get an Echo Dot for $1 When Signing Up for Amazon Music Unlimited With Early Prime Deal

Get an Echo Dot for $1 When Signing Up for Amazon Music Unlimited With Early Prime Deal

Smart speakers can be a big help to have around the house. They offer a convenient way to perform tasks such as checking the weather, setting timers and alarms to keep you on schedule and streaming music, all completely hands-free. If you always have music playing throughout your house, Amazon has an offer you'll want to see. 

The company's Prime Day sales bonanza won't kick off until July 12, but plenty of early Prime Day deals are already available. Right now, any new subscriber who signs up for a one month individual plan of Amazon Music Unlimited can get a third-gen Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker for just $1, saving you $29 compared to buying the speaker on its own. To get the discount, you must be a new Echo device customer, and buy both the speaker and subscription on a single order.

The third-gen Echo Dot, which was originally released in 2018, is no longer Amazon's most advanced smart speaker, but still offers many of the same features and functions as the newer fourth-gen Dot. You can use it to control other Alexa-enabled smart devices like lights or locks, set custom alarms and routines and stream music from tons of different services, including Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon Music Unlimited, which starts at $10 a month for the individual plan (or $9 if you're a Prime member), is one of our favorite music streaming services for 2022. You get access to over 90 million, many of which you can stream in high-res lossless quality, as well as millions of podcast episodes. You don't have to sit through any ads, and you can also download songs and albums so you can take them with you anywhere you go. 

Don't need an Echo Dot? Amazon is also offering new subscribers four free months of Amazon Music Unlimited for a limited time.

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9 Alexa tips for music junkies

9 Alexa tips for music junkies

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

It's World Music Day, and if you own an Amazon Echo -- or really any smart speaker -- chances are good you use it to listen to music. It makes sense: These speakers have all kinds of built-in hardware to make songs sound great in whatever room they're in, and the addition of Alexa makes ordering up your next track easier than it's ever been. Just say what you want to listen to and it plays.

But for many Alexa-users, that music experience can be faster, smoother and even better-sounding. Here's how to get the most out of your Alexa speaker when listening to music.

Choose and use your preferred speaker

If you're like me, you probably have a bunch of Echo Show displays, Dots and other speakers scattered through your house. And if you don't have them synced up, asking for a song on your dope-sounding Echo Studio could deliver that song two rooms away on the decidedly less dope-sounding second-gen Dot. 

However, choosing a preferred speaker is super easy. Just go to the Alexa app, then tap the Devices tab. Select the Group your favorite speaker is in, then tap Choose Speakers. Select the speaker (or speakers) you want your music to come from, then tap Next. Finally, specify whether you want them to be the only speakers that play music or just the ones when you're in that room.

Pick your preferred music streaming service

If you use anything other than Amazon's in-house streaming service Amazon Music, you should take a few seconds to change the default music streaming service.

To do this, open the Alexa app, then go to More > Settings > Music & Podcasts > Default Services. Select Select your preferred streaming service under the Music, Artist and Genre Stations, and Podcasts banners.

Now when you play music, you won't have to specify what service you want to stream it. However, if you still want to use Prime Music or Amazon Music Unlimited, at any point you can say, "Alexa, play [song or artist] on Amazon Music."

Echo Show displays often work as well as dedicated speakers for playing music.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Adjust the equalizer

More recent Echo speakers and displays have equalizers that let you adjust the treble, midrange and bass. That means if you're pumping up some trap music, you can boost the bass, too. And it's as easy as asking Alexa to turn up the bass or turn down the midrange. If you want to be more precise, head to the Alexa app and simply tap Devices > [Your Chosen Device] > the Settings Gear in the top right corner > Audio Settings. From there, you can adjust each of the sliders to your heart's content.

Use multiroom audio

If you're cleaning the whole house and don't want your music swimming in and out of listening range as you wander the rooms, get all your Echo speakers and displays on the same wavelength. Just say, "Alexa, play music everywhere," to get started. If that doesn't work, head to the Alexa app, tap Devices and scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll see an Everywhere group that you can tap and edit to make sure all your speakers and displays are included.

Filter explicit language

Before I had kids, I used to blast Kendrick Lamar loud enough to make our windows rattle. Alas, I'm not ready for my kids to start picking up certain words and sharing them with their 4-year-old friends. Thankfully, Alexa lets you activate an Explicit Filter to keep music appropriate for all ages, if you're sharing a house with sensitive ears.

To activate it, go to the Alexa app, then tap More > Settings > Music and Podcasts > Explicit Language Filter. From this screen, you can toggle the filter as well as activate voice recognition to allow you control over the filter with voice commands (and to prevent your kid from asking Alexa to turn it off).

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Get an Acer Aspire Switch 10 hybrid PC for $229

Get an Acer Aspire Switch 10 hybrid PC for $229

"Mr. Data, prepare to separate the saucer section." Acer

It's a laptop. No it's a tablet! It's two, two, two computers in one!

In other words, it's a hybrid. And very often those jacks-of-two-trades are a master of none. Today's deal, however, appears to rate pretty well on both fronts.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, the Microsoft Store has the Acer Aspire Switch 10 SW5-012-12L7 Signature Edition for $229 shipped. Regular price: $349. Price elsewhere: $299.

The aptly named Switch is a 10.1-inch Windows 8.1 system with a screen that can pop free from its keyboard, effectively shrugging off laptop duty in favor of tablet goodness.

This happens via a nifty magnetic "snap hinge" that allows for four different display modes, something you typically see with convertible systems, not hybrids. Nice.

Other specs include an Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of solid-state storage, and a battery that should last you at least 6 hours, at least according to CNET's review of the Switch 10 . That review praised the system's keyboard, touchpad and aforementioned versatility, but dinged its top-heavy design and limited storage. You can add more via microSD or USB, of course, but I'm bummed to see the keyboard has only a single USB port, and it's USB 2.0. Why, Acer, why?

Still, for $229 out the door, this is a pretty sweet system, especially for someone who doesn't need a ton of power but does want a roomy tablet with a keyboard dock. Plus, you get a one-year Office 365 Personal subscription! (It says so right in the description, even though there's a separate Buy option that would seem to suggest it costs extra.)

Thoughts?

Bonus deal: Still haven't pulled the trigger on an Amazon Prime subscription? Your patience has paid off: Tomorrow only, Amazon will be offering a 1-year Prime membership for $72. (Remember, the deal kicks in tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 24. Right now it's just the regular signup page.) Regular price: $99. Sorry, current subscribers, this is for newcomers only. (Newcomers can also watch all 10 episodes of Amazon's newly feted series "Transparent," again tomorrow only, even without a subscription.)

As I've noted many times before, Prime is all kinds of awesome, with perks including free 2-day shipping on nearly everything, an exclusive streaming deal with HBO and a growing library of Spotify-style streaming music.

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Roku Ultra (2022) Review: Same Streamer, Same Price, Better Voice Remote

Roku Ultra (2022) Review: Same Streamer, Same Price, Better Voice Remote

Roku has a new Ultra streaming device for 2022, but "new" is probably stretching things a bit far. It's really a very minor refresh of the 2020 Roku Ultra, basically a new bundle: The Roku Ultra now comes with the excellent Voice Remote Pro. The good news? The price is the same at $100.

The bad news? Unlike Apple, which last year updated the Apple TV 4K with fresher hardware and a faster processor alongside a new Siri Remote, Roku isn't actually changing anything about the Ultra streaming box itself. It's still the same box from 2020.

Like

• Improved Voice Remote Pro is a welcome addition
• Remote finder is awesome
• Speedy app launching

Don't Like

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus is $30 cheaper with similar features
• Weaker voice assistant than Amazon and Google streamers
• No Bluetooth headphone or Wi-Fi 6 support
• No USB-C charging for Voice Remote Pro

That's not necessarily a bad thing. I very much enjoyed the Roku Ultra when I reviewed it in 2020 and the device still holds up two years later. But for $100, it remains a hard sell not just against the best streamers from Amazon, Apple and Google, but also compared with Roku's extensive line of more affordable sticks and players. 

Unless you really need a streaming device with built-in Ethernet, you're better off saving the money and getting Roku's other bundle, the $70 Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus. The Streaming Stick 4K's processor isn't quite as beefy as the Ultra's but it can do nearly all the same tricks like Dolby Vision HDR, it includes a Voice Remote Pro and it costs $30 less than the 2022 Ultra.

Despite its new remote the Roku Ultra still doesn't do enough to push the capabilities of what a streaming player can do. I'm still waiting for sizable changes to Roku's platform that adjust to the latest trends in streaming, such as gaming and more robust voice support. This update crosses one item off my Roku Ultra wish list, but there are four more.

Our updated review, largely based on the original 2020 review, follows below. You can read our review of the Voice Remote Pro here. 

Read more: Roku Ultra vs. Apple TV 4K: Battle of the High-End Streaming Boxes

Small tweaks to a familiar design

The Ultra is the only Roku that can connect to wired Ethernet without an adapter.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Although it's much bigger than a streaming stick, the Roku Ultra box is still quite compact. It's made of tapered matte plastic and should be easy to fit in a cabinet or on a stand under your TV. 

The remote finder button is on the right side of the device and the back has a USB-A port, HDMI output and Ethernet port. The DC power port is still proprietary, which is also fine but it would've been nice to see USB-C in case you lose the adapter. 

The included Voice Remote Pro has the same plastic finish and rubber buttons as other Roku devices, with volume and mute controls on the right side. On the left is a switch to disable the always-on mic as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening. The included earbuds are basic, but they get the job done. 

I like that the remote is rechargeable, especially since Roku remotes tend to chew through batteries quickly, but unfortunately, it still uses Micro-USB to charge and lacks backlighting. The only difference between the remote bundled with the 2022 Ultra remote and the regular Voice Remote Pro I reviewed is that the bottom two buttons now are for Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus as opposed to Hulu and Sling TV. 

There is Bluetooth on the Ultra, but this can only be used for streaming audio from a phone, tablet or computer and not for pairing Bluetooth headphones. I'm not sure how useful the feature is, given how Roku has apps for a number of music services, including Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, not to mention the YouTube app. If you want to connect Bluetooth headphones you need to use the Roku app on a phone or tablet. 

The remote finder feature remains one of my favorite features about the Ultra and one that I wish every streaming device would incorporate. It gets better with the Voice Remote Pro because, while you can still tap the side button on the box, you can also instead now say, "Hey, Roku, find my remote" to make the controller start beeping. 

The remote also has two programmable shortcut buttons in addition to the Roku preloaded options for Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus. As before, you can set to repeat whatever your last voice command was, such as opening an app like Peacock, YouTube TV or ESPN or doing a task like searching for a favorite movie or TV show. 

Impressive interface, weak voice assistant

The remote looks pretty much exactly like it did last year.

Sarah Tew/CNET

As you would expect, Roku's interface works great with the Ultra's quad-core processor. Apps, movies and shows opened quickly and playback looked good for 4K, 4K HDR and regular HD content on a 70-inch RCA TV as well as on a 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV. 

Although you can control the Roku with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, neither voice assistant is built directly into the device, something that becomes much more glaring when comparing it with Amazon and Google's latest devices. Google's Chromecast with Google TV shines in large part thanks to Assistant, and I really missed the ability to just say, "Play The Tonight Show" or, "Go to the Yankees game" and have the Roku automatically switch to the proper app. Google does this integration well with YouTube TV and Amazon does it with Sling TV.

The Roku interface has remained basically the same for years.

CNET staff

Roku's voice assistant is also dumb when it comes to knowing when events are happening and couldn't answer basic questions like what time the Warriors and Grizzlies game is. Asking, "What time is the Warriors game?" brought up results for movies like Wushu Warrior, Solarbabies and the TV show Monster Rancher. I'm not familiar with any of these titles but this is far from what I was expecting when trying to watch a basketball game. 

It also had a hard time understanding, "Play Moon Knight, Episode 1" and instead kept pulling up cartoons with "Midnight" in the title.

As Roku's streamer already works with both platforms, it would be great to see Roku add support for Alexa or Google Assistant directly to the software in the future. 

When it comes to playback, the Ultra is still fast when you ask for specific titles. Getting the Roku to play Avengers: Endgame from the home screen took roughly 35 seconds on my old Roku TV compared with just 18 seconds on the Ultra, which benefits from having faster Wi-Fi chips and a better processor than the 2017 TV I was comparing it with (though the Ultra still doesn't include support for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard).

Getting it to play The Boys on Amazon Prime video took about 26 seconds on the Ultra, compared with roughly 39 seconds on my older Roku TV.  

One thing that was slow on both the TV and the new Ultra, however, was asking the Roku assistant to do tasks beyond title searches -- from looking up a movie to switching apps. This takes a bit more time than using either Alexa or Google Assistant, with Roku having a default pop-up and 7-second countdown clock in case you want to stay in the app you are in. I still wish there were a way to remove or shorten this countdown but no such option exists in Settings.

Strong app support with Dolby Vision and Atmos 

Roku continues to impress with support for nearly all major streaming services. Support for Apple AirPlay remains a nice perk and at least allows Apple users to stream the app from iOS and Macs, while screen mirroring remains an option for most Android users. Roku still lacks built-in Chromecast support. 

Apps such as Disney Plus support Dolby Vision and Atmos (which makes sense as compatible Roku 4K TVs have had Dolby Vision support for a while), and both formats seemed to play fine on the LG C2 OLED TV. Netflix, HBO Max, Vudu and Apple TV Plus also have shows and movies available in Dolby Vision and Atmos.

As with other Dolby Vision devices, if your TV supports Dolby Vision, all menus and content are recognized by the TV as that standard regardless of whether the actual service, movie or show is in the premium viewing format. This wasn't a problem and non-4K HDR content (such as SportsCenter on YouTube TV or baseball games in the MLB app) still looked fine. 

While the Voice Remote Pro makes for a better experience, here's hoping the next Roku Ultra update is a little more substantial. 

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Roku offers plenty of streaming devices, from the $50 Streaming Stick 4K to the $40 Express 4K Plus. The Roku Ultra box, however, is the most powerful. It has long been the streaming giant's showcase for its platform, offering advanced features, a beefier processor, a find-my-remote button and built-in Ethernet all for $100. Although, for many people, those extras aren't worth paying twice as much.

According to Cord Cutters News a new Roku Ultra may be coming soon. The site spotted a new model number among the list of Roku's supported hardware for its recent OS 11 release. The model number, 4802X, is one above the 4801X sported by the Roku Ultra LT and two above the otherwise current Roku Ultra (4800X) which last got a major hardware update in 2020. Roku has since removed the reference to the model, and when CNET reached out for comment about the report, a representative emailed back "nothing to share at this time."

So with the possibility of a new Roku Ultra in mind, here's a wish list of a few things I'd love to see Roku embrace for its next high-end player, whenever it might be released. 

Read More: Apple TV 2022 Wish List: What I Want to See in a Refresh This Year

Game streaming

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold into one subscription. 

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

Roku tried to make gaming on its players a thing years ago, a fact that most people probably don't remember. But in 2022 Roku doesn't need to court developers to make games specific to its platform; it just needs to allow for game streaming services to run their apps and stores on Roku players and TVs.

Game streaming has not only become more commonplace with the rise of Xbox Game Pass, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna and Nvidia GeForce Now -- and soon Sony's PlayStation Plus Premium -- but it is increasingly becoming a table-stakes feature for streaming video platforms. Google's Android TV and Google TV play well with its own Stadia service as well as GeForce Now, while Amazon's Fire TV software and devices can tap into Luna. 

Why not have an Xbox Game Pass channel on Roku? Microsoft gains a new avenue to boost its platform without requiring the costly purchase of a console, Roku gains a new partner and gamers pick up a new way to stream games onto their televisions -- or to be able to play on televisions outside their homes or on a second television without needing to move a console. Seems like it could be a win all around, and with a more powerful processor, the Ultra could probably run those services.

Game Pass is the most exciting to me, but it also makes sense for a more powerful Ultra to run Stadia or GeForce Now. Amazon might be reluctant to bolster Roku's features checklist by adding Luna, but it's probably technically possible, too.

Chromecast support

Yes, Rokus work great with Apple's AirPlay for casting content from an Apple device and with screen sharing available for streaming from some Android devices or Windows PCs. It would be great, however, if Roku got even more agnostic and embraced the ability to let people cast directly from their Android devices through Google's Chromecast protocol. This is not only easier than setting up screen sharing, but it would allow Rokus to work better with Chrome browsers and Chromebooks. 

Roku and Google settled their YouTube TV beef last year. It's time for the two of them to make this happen and put whatever possible hardware is needed into the next Ultra. 

Include the Voice Remote Pro

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Ultra is Roku's priciest streaming box, but the included remote is inferior to the Voice Remote Pro, a $30 upgrade. The Pro packs a built-in rechargeable battery and midfield microphone to allow you to bark "Hey Roku, find my remote" to locate the clicker when it's inevitably lost under the couch cushions. 

If Roku really wants to move Ultra boxes, including a Voice Remote Pro in the box would be a nice touch. The company already has experimented with bundling the product through its Streaming Stick 4K Plus offering, which combines a Streaming Stick 4K with a Voice Remote Pro. 

While we're at it, I'd love Roku to update the Voice Remote Pro with USB-C as opposed to Micro-USB. But that might be getting too greedy. 

Alexa and Google Assistant support 

Since we're talking voice support, why not have Roku's next box directly integrate other assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant? Roku's unnamed voice assistant is fine for basic tasks like searching for titles or actors, turning the TV on or adjusting the volume. On the other hand, it still lags far behind its rivals when you ask basic questions, such as "what is the weather?," tuning to a particular channel on a streaming service like Sling TV or YouTube TV or controlling smart home devices like lights. 

I understand this particular item could be more software "wishlist" than something for the next Ultra, but combined with the Voice Remote Pro or adding far-field mics like those on the Amazon Fire TV Cube could be really valuable. 

Roku already has integrations with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri for controlling its platform via other devices, like phones or smart speakers. Why not add it into the next Ultra directly? Give users a choice and an option for a better voice assistant. 

TV calibration

Apple TV screen calibration using an iPhone.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple TV has a nifty feature for calibrating your TV through an iPhone, and a new Ultra could be the perfect place for Roku to debut a similar feature. Apple's feature requires holding an iPhone X or later up to your TV screen, though there is nothing to say Roku can't do something similar with iPhones or Android devices, like Samsung's Galaxy S line. It could also be something available via the Roku phone app, similar to the company's audio lip-sync calibration features added in OS 10.5 and OS 11.

The Ultra is designed to give people a premium experience. Adding TV video calibration capability could go a long way toward making sure they see that experience, even if they aren't comfortable fiddling with their TV picture settings. 

For the last few years Roku hasn't delivered any major features that differentiate the Ultra from its other devices. Adding any (or all!) of my wish list items could change that and make Roku's best player even more Ultra than ever.

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Best AirPods Deals: $69 Off AirPods Pro, $100 AirPods 2 and More

Best AirPods Deals: $69 Off AirPods Pro, $100 AirPods 2 and More

This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET's guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.

AirPods are a top choice if you use an iPhone, iPad or Mac thanks to the devices' seamless integration with Apple's earbuds and you don't have to pay full price with the AirPods deals currently available. Plus, with Labor Day sales and a rumored October Prime Day around the corner, these AirPods deals should stick around for a while.

There are four different models of AirPods in Apple's wireless audio lineup: The second-gen AirPods from 2019 are the least expensive option, while the current, third-gen AirPods boast better sound quality with spatial audio. The AirPods Pro add versatility with active noise cancellation and transparency mode, and the plush AirPods Max over-ear headphones, by far the priciest of the bunch, are packed with high-end features.

As well as the Apple-branded AirPods, there are a couple of Beats-branded earbuds worth considering that also incorporate Apple-made tech for a similarly smooth experience. These include the Beats Fit Pro, which use Apple's H1 chip for fast, reliable connections and a sporty design for jamming out to tunes at the gym, or while running or otherwise exercising and being active. The Beats Studio Buds lack the H1 chip and the AirPod stem, but they are lightweight, comfortable and affordable. 

Here are the best AirPods deals available right now along with the best prices to date for comparison.

Apple AirPods pricing 2022

Model	Apple Store price	Best price right now	Best all-time price
AirPods 2	$129	$100	$89
AirPods Pro 2021	$249	$180	$159
AirPods 3	$179	$169	$140
AirPods Max	$549	$479	$400

The list above is the full lineup of Apple wireless earbuds and headphones as of early 2022. Except for the baseline AirPods 2, all those listed above (plus the two aforementioned Beats models) are compatible with Apple's spatial audio features. However, none of them will deliver the maximum quality of Apple's lossless audio format, which is too rich for the current Bluetooth wireless standard to handle. 

We update this story frequently to reflect current pricing. 

David Carnoy/CNET

Unlike the AirPods Pro, these third-generation AirPods have an open-air design, so they don't have active noise cancellation, but they still offer some serious improvements over the AirPods 2. The adaptive EQ attunes music to your ear shape, and the battery life has been bumped up to 30 hours total. They also have an IPX4 water resistance rating. They are currently selling for $169 at select retailers, which is $10 less than you'd pay at Apple. They can often be found at a $29 discount at Amazon, so you may want to wait for that price break to return.

Read our AirPods 3 review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

While the AirPods 2 aren't the most advanced model on the market right now, they still boast some impressive specs and are a great choice for those on a tighter budget. They're equipped with the same H1 chip as the AirPods 3, so they feature the same fast connectivity, and they support hands-free Siri access. Amazon quotes a $59 discount, but Apple has dropped the price of the 2nd-gen AirPods from $159 to $129, so you're saving only $29.

Read our AirPods 2 review.

David Carnoy/CNET

Apple's first full-size headphones are chock-full of high-end features like noise cancellation, spatial audio and easy integration with Apple devices. Yes, paying about the same as you would for a PS5 may sound excessive, but here's the thing: They're actually kinda worth it, so long as you don't feel burned by their lack of support for full lossless audio. You can save $70 or close to that figure on AirPods Max in their various colorways.

Read our AirPods Max review.

David Carnoy/CNET

No, they're not AirPods, but the Beats Studio Buds offer active noise canceling and make a great affordable alternative to the pricier AirPods Pro. They look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods that people were talking about but that never materialized -- as AirPods, anyway. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they're missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there's no H1 or W1 chip), but they're small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer good sound. They fit most ears securely, including mine -- I run with them without a problem -- but others may find a better fit with the Beats Fit Pro and their integrated wing tips. Right now, they're available with a $50 discount across their various colorways at a few retailers.

Read our Beats Studio Buds review.

David Carnoy/CNET

Technically, the new Beats Fit Pro aren't AirPods, but they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro. Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple's H1 chip and have most of the features of the AirPods Pro, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted. And for some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro. They are currently discounted by $20 at Amazon and Best Buy.

Read our Beats Fit Pro review.

More Apple deals

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How the Apple Watch Could Become an Even Better Fitness Tracker

How the Apple Watch Could Become an Even Better Fitness Tracker

The Apple Watch, like many modern health trackers, can measure an almost dizzying number of statistics. It added blood oxygen saturation measurements to that growing list in 2020, and reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg suggest a temperature sensor could be next. But what I really want is more ways to make sense of that data... and more context to go along with it. 

Who knows whether any of these capabilities will ever arrive on the Apple Watch. Apple is doing a lot of things right, but there's room for improvement. 

More customization for daily goals

A day doesn't feel complete if I don't have at least one Activity Ring. But not every day is the same, and the Apple Watch shouldn't act like it should be: I want different move and exercise goals depending on the day of the week. On days when I'm commuting to the office and know I'll have time for a long workout, I'd like to set higher goals for my exercise minutes and burned calories. 

I also imagine setting a schedule like this could be helpful for building a regular exercise routine. While you can change your activity goals anytime on the Apple Watch, there's no way to customize goals according to specific days. – Lisa Eadicicco, Senior Editor

Apple Watch's Workout app.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

Scores for readiness and sleep

After living off and on with the Oura Ring and several Fitbit trackers for the last few years, I've gotten really used to having both sleep tracking and a holistic type of daily "readiness score" as part of my daily watch feedback. A readiness score indicates whether your body is rested enough for a heavy workout or if you should skip the gym. The score takes a variety of factors into account, such as sleep, recent activity and heart rate variability among other metrics. 

Similarly, a sleep score indicates the quality of your slumber through statistics like time spent asleep and whether you were tossing and turning, along with other elements. Both Oura and Fitbit offer their own versions of sleep and readiness scores. 

To be sure, readiness scores and sleep scores aren't necessarily perfect predictors of anything, but neither are daily activity rings. I find the calculation of activity, sleep, heart rate and other factors boiled into an overall score interesting as a correlative snapshot of how I might be feeling. 

Both Fitbit and Oura also fold temperature into the mix: Changes in body temperature, resting heart rate and breathing rate could possibly flag a change in how well I'm feeling. Again, it's not perfect, but Apple seems well overdue to add these features to the Apple Watch. – Scott Stein, Editor atLarge

The Apple Watch could improve how it tracks rest.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

More focus on recovery

I'd love to see the Apple Watch lean more into recovery and rest. If the past couple of years have taught me anything, it's the importance of listening to my body. The activity rings are a great way to motivate me to move, but some days it's just not practical to close them -- especially if you feel unwell. Let's have a flag or toggle on the watch to signal when you need a rest day. And perhaps adjust the Move circle to instead reward that recovery or mindful rest.

With all the health data the Apple Watch already gathers, like heart rate variability, sleep and overall activity, it makes sense to consolidate this all into an easy-to-understand metric. Maybe it's a score like Scott mentioned. Or it could be another ring that is automatically filled with how "ready" you are and changes daily based on your body's responses. 

With the mindfulness app in WatchOS 8 and meditation activities within Fitness Plus, Apple already has the tools to support rest and recovery. Let's see it come full circle. – Lexy Savvides, Principal VideoProducer

The Apple Watch could perhaps do more with AirPods.

Sarah Tew/CNET

AirPods health tracking with Apple Watch

There's huge potential for AirPods to pair even more closely with the Apple Watch -- beyond just music. Perhaps it's measuring heart rate or blood pressure from the ear to complement the existing heart-health features on the Apple Watch. Maybe it's even more robust with your ear acting as an additional lead for the electrocardiogram app. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities known for his Apple product predictions, sees promise here, too. He pointed to the addition of health management functions as a potential way for Apple to grow AirPods shipments in the future, according to an investors note MacRumors viewed. – LexySavvides

The Apple Watch could also try out weekly goals as seen on Amazon's Halo app.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

Weekly fitness goals

The Apple Watch's Activity Rings are an excellent reminder to get up and move every day. Unfortunately, I haven't found an equivalent that's as motivating for quantifying progress on a weekly basis.

Amazon's Halo app and fitness tracker made me realize the value of setting activity goals by the week instead of by the day. Instead of a daily goal, Amazon sets a weekly objective of 150 points that you earn by being active. (Points are subtracted if you're sedentary for too long, too.) Measuring weekly activity gives me a better snapshot of how active I generally am throughout the whole week. I could have an extremely busy day and exceed my Apple Watch's move goal, but that might be a fluke. A weekly target may make it easier to establish consistency. 

Plus, measuring weekly activity makes every bit of movement feel like it counts. A brisk walk to the subway won't be enough to close my Apple Watch's daily Activity Rings, so it almost feels pointless. But it's comforting to know it's contributing toward my weekly Halo activity goal. I'm not saying Apple should replace daily goals with weekly ones, but it would be nice to at least have the option. 

There are other ways to track weekly and monthly progress on the Apple Watch, but none of them have felt as rewarding as closing an Activity Ring. For example, you can view your weekly and monthly activity in Apple's Fitness app. There's also a section in the app that shows how your last 90 days of activity are trending compared to the previous 365 days. Apple also rewards you with special app badges for meeting certain milestones, like working out all seven days in the same week or reaching your move goal 500 times. – Lisa Eadicicco

The Amazon Halo View.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

Apple never discusses product plans before publicly announcing them, so there's no telling whether any of these wish list features will become a reality. We're expecting to learn about the Apple Watch's next major software update at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and the company typically announces new Apple Watch models in the fall. If Apple's history is any indication, we can expect health and wellness to be a large part of both announcements. 

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