I’ve spent years testing gadgets, and these 5 Black Friday deals are worth every penny: Oura Ring, AirPods, and more

I’ve been covering Black Friday sales for nearly five years, and more importantly, I’m a tech journalist who’s been passionately testing gadgets during the same time frame. As such, I bring expertise on two fronts: I know Black Friday like the back of my hand, and I’ve personally tested the products I’m recommending in this roundup.

I’ll also include links to our reviews for each product, so you can see for yourself that we at Mashable have had extensive hands-on experience with the gadgets we’re recommending.

Here’s something you should know about my ethos: I’d never recommend a product to readers that I wouldn’t personally buy for myself or a friend.

That being said, let’s get into the Black Friday tech deals I’d recommend in a heartbeat.

Best Black Friday tech deals 2024

No piece of tech is perfect. While I’ll explain why I recommend the gadgets on this list, I’ll also point out any potential drawbacks that might give you pause. It’s always better to make an informed decision before committing to a purchase.

1. Oura Ring 3

Before testing the Oura Ring, I thought it was just going to be a less sophisticated version of a smartwatch. I didn’t think that for one second that I’d opt for the Oura Ring over the Apple Watch, but my experience with it has blown me away. (Mostly because it lasts so much longer on a charge compared to my Apple Watch Series 9.)

The Oura Ring 3 next to Mashable’s Chris Taylor’s wedding ring.
Credit: Chris Taylor / Mashale

I’ve tested the Oura Ring 4, and while it comes with cool upgrades, it’s not that different from the Oura Ring 3. For example, the Oura Ring 4 doesn’t bring any new sensors to the table (but Oura claims that the Ring 4’s sensors are more accurate than ever.)

Both the Oura Ring 3 and Oura Ring 4 tracks the following: heart rate, sleep, blood-oxygen levels, cardiovascular age, cardio capacity, daytime stress, body clock and chronotype, and more.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Pros:

• Its battery life is incredibly long; Oura claims it can deliver about 7 days of battery life, which is accurate.

• Its AI advisor, available in the companion app, is a beta service that launched alongside Oura Ring 4. Many health trackers give you tons of data, but it’s difficult to make sense of it. With the ChatGPT-like AI advisor, you can ask it questions like, “What does my data say about my sleeping habits and how can I improve my rest?”

• The gold option is stunning, and I get compliments on it all the time.

• You’ll get a sizing kit upon purchase, so you don’t have to worry about getting the wrong size.

Cons:

• I’ve tested the Oura Ring on Android and iOS devices; I found that results and data took longer to populate on the former compared to the latter

• I recommend the Oura Ring for iPhone users, but not Android owners

• It requires a subscription fee of $6 month

See our full reviews of the Oura Ring 3 and Oura Ring 4.

2. Samsung Galaxy Ring

If you have an Android phone, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

Samsung Galaxy Ring
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

If you own a Samsung device, even better. In pairing your Galaxy Ring to a Samsung phone, you get the full benefits of Galaxy AI.

Samsung Galaxy Ring’s case
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Galaxy AI powers Energy Score, a calculation featured in the Galaxy Ring’s companion app that looks at your sleep, physical activity, and heart rate. It also provides a short summary of your wellness.

Pros:

• It has long battery life; it lasts about 7 hours on a single charge

• It has the best charging case in the ring-wearable market; you can use it to give the Galaxy Ring an extra battery boost and it’s excellent for travel

• You don’t need to purchase a subscription to use it

• It pairs very well with Samsung phones; while wearing the Galaxy Ring, you can use the “double pinch” gesture, for example, to trigger the shutter button in the Camera app

Cons:

See our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

3. Apple Watch SE 2

I’ve tested the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Series 10.

Apple Watch SE 2
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Apple wants you to believe these two smartwatches are significantly better than the Watch SE 2. But as someone who has tested all three, the feature gap between the SE 2 and the Series 9 and 10 isn’t that wide.

Me testing both the Apple Watch SE 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Pros:

• The Apple Watch SE 2’s battery life is just an hour or two shorter than the Apple Watch Series 9

• Save for the absence of an always-on display and a larger screen, the display quality difference between the SE 2 and Watch Series 9 is imperceptible

• Great for smaller wrists and for those who prefer a “dainty” look

Cons:

Check out our Apple Watch SE 2 versus, Apple Watch Series 9 review, and Apple Watch Series 10 review.

4. Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

I can’t tell you how underrated the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are. I’ve owned the first iteration of these spectacles, called Ray-Ban Stories, and now, I own the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. I purchased them with my own money and they’re easily one of the best tech-gadget investments I’ve ever made.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses look like a regular pair of shades, but they can play music, take calls, take pictures, and record videos.

Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon testing the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses also come with Meta AI, which is Meta’s answer to ChatGPT. As such, you can ask Meta AI questions just by speaking out loud. You can also ask it to do things for you like, “Hey Meta, call mom!”

Pros:

• Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are perfect for hands-free photos and videos

• Stylish despite sporting advanced tech

• Comfortable to wear

• Supports calls, as well as photo and video capture

• They can play music, and the audio quality is great

• Many different styles to choose from

Cons:

See our full Ray-Ban Smart Glasses review.

5. AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

If you have trouble with your AirPods falling out of your ears, the AirPods 4 is what you’re looking for.

The AirPods 4 in its charging case
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Pros:

• Apple changed the design of the fourth-generation AirPods 4 so that they now fit most ears

• AirPods 4 (with ANC) do a good job of cancelling out noise, like conversations, the rush of traffic, etc.

• You can use head gestures, like nodding or shaking your head “no,” to accept or deny calls

• Music sounds crisp and honeyed

Cons:

I’d also recommend the AirPods Pro 2, which come with a slew of updates that the AirPods 4 do not support, including hearing test capabilities and doubling as high-tech earplugs for concerts.

See our full AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 reviews.