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If you want to get your kids off screens this summer, you aren't alone. Along with a growing nostalgia for '90s tech like point-and-shoot cameras and MP3 players, parents are increasingly turning to Wi-Fi landlines to avoid smart phones. These Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones look and feel like old-school corded phones but run over your home internet connection.

This episode, Wirecutter baby and kid editor Rachel Hurn explains why families are embracing these devices. She shares how her own Wi-Fi phone, a Tin Can, has given her eight-year-old independence to set up playdates and created an environment for undistracted conversations.

For more ideas on getting your kids off their screens, check out Rachel’s article 8 Ways to Create a “Light-Tech” Summer for Your Kids.

This episode covers:

• Why parents are returning to landlines: Phones like the Tin Can delay the need for smartphones and allow kids to have more independence and less distraction.
• How VoIP phones differ from traditional landlines: Instead of using physical copper wires, VoIP phones make calls using your internet connection.
• Kid-friendly safety features: These phones feature controlled contact lists to prevent spam calls and allow parents to set quiet hours.
• Competitors and costs: Although we’ve only tested the Tin Can, other companies (including Ooma, Pinwheel, and Ring Ring Club) sell similar devices. These phones typically cost between $60 and $100, and subscriptions for added features (like a controlled contact list) typically cost around $10 per month..
• The limits of Wi-Fi: Because these phones rely entirely on your Wi-Fi connection, they won't work during an internet or power outage.

Products we recommend:

Highlight

A Wi-Fi–enabled home phone

Tin Can

This plug-in, corded phone is screen-free and designed to let kids communicate with friends and family without a smart device. Demand is high; current orders won’t ship until June.

$100 from Tin Can

You can also check out Ooma, Pinwheel, and Ring Ring Club for other kid-friendly Wi-Fi landlines.

Ah, Prime Day. What started as a 24-hour flash sale for members of Amazon Prime in 2015 (during which 24,000 Instant Pots were sold) has evolved into a multi-day extravaganza that’s effectively forced every online retailer to host their own mid-summer sales.

Amazon Prime Day now lasts a full four days (not to mention the early deals drops that Amazon’s been doing), from Tuesday, June 23 to Friday, June 26.

It’s not only for buying big-ticket items on sale. You can find lots of deals under $50 (and even lower), and it’s prime time to stock-up on boring basics, too. (But if you’ve had your eye on something bigger, there are always discounts on Apple products and other tech.)

And Amazon isn’t the only place where you can nab great bargains during this time. We’re spotting them at Walmart, Target, and more.

The challenge of Prime Day is finding the actual good deals amid the hundreds that drop each day. That’s where Wirecutter comes in.

Here, you’ll find all of the best Prime Day deals that meet our exacting standards. Every item on this list — from mattresses and moisturizers to headphones and handheld vacuums — has been tested, reviewed, and ultimately recommended by our journalists, as one of the best in its category. On top of that, the Wirecutter Deals team tracks prices year-round to confirm the discount you’re seeing today is meaningful, not just a percentage taken off an artificially inflated price.

We'll continue to keep this page updated with the best of the best Prime Day deals. (Just remember: You may need a Prime account to secure some of the prices below.)

Smartphones may have captured much of our screen time, but sometimes a task calls for a real computer — and for most people, that means a laptop. For school and office work like creating spreadsheets and editing video, there’s no good substitute for a decent keyboard and a spacious screen. But which laptop you should get depends on what you’ll use it for and (of course) how much you can spend.

Wirecutter’s laptop experts regularly test the most promising laptops, from sleek ultraportables to cheap Chromebooks to powerful gaming laptops and beyond. Here are the best models you can buy in every category, along with advice on how to choose which type of laptop is right for you.

If you have a baby, you’ll want to have a reliable diaper. A diaper leak or blowout can ruin a day at the park or a much-needed stretch of sleep, as well as leave stains on clothes, bedding, car seats, furniture, and anywhere else a little one is placed.

There’s no one diaper that will work perfectly for every baby. But after testing 14 models in a laboratory and then testing 10 of them at home, we’re confident that the house brands from major retailers — Target’s Up & Up Disposable Diapers, Amazon’s Mama Bear Gentle Touch, and Walmart’s Parent’s Choice Dry & Gentle Diapers — are the best ones for families to start with. They typically perform as well as much more expensive diapers, and you could save thousands of dollars over the course of a child’s diaper-wearing years.

There are generally two groups of people who shop for MacBooks: people who want to buy an Apple laptop, and people who need one for school, work, or some other reason.

If you want a MacBook for all the things it can do, such as editing photos and writing code and recording music and hoarding a few dozen tabs, we recommend the M5 MacBook Air. It’s fantastic for multitasking, and its M5 processor makes it faster, quieter, and more energy-efficient than nearly any other laptop available.

If you need to buy a MacBook and are looking for something basic, or if you’re shopping for someone who wants the Apple experience, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money, buy the MacBook Neo. Every laptop manufacturer is raising prices, but Apple has made a machine that costs only $700 and is surprisingly capable enough to go online, handle schoolwork, and play a good number of games (36 of the 50 games we tried in our tests). The Air is the better laptop, as it can do more for most people, and the Neo has some considerable drawbacks, including limited RAM and storage. But in a year where the costs of electronics are continuing to rise with no end in sight, the Neo is a strong option for people who don’t need tons of processing power.

And if you need even more processing power — or just an HDMI port — then the Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro, 2026) is your best bet. The MacBook Pro isn’t faster than the Air or Neo for most daily tasks, but you’ll notice its processing power when working with photos, videos, 3D renders, or other intensive tasks.

Like most laptops in 2026, MacBooks have gotten more expensive this year (due to the ongoing AI-related component shortage, which has dramatically raised the cost of memory and storage that Apple uses in its products). The MacBook Neo is $100 more expensive, the MacBook Air has seen a $200 increase, and the MacBook Pro is $300 more as of June 2026. Our picks remain unchanged, but we’d recommend buying them on sale if you can.

In this edition of The Gift, we share the best on-sale gifts we’ve spotted this week, including a slinky gold necklace, a chic leather bag, and a sporty pair of satin trainers.

Sure, there are the Big Gifting Occasions: You’ve got your birthday parties, your baby showers, your summer weddings galore. However, we’re big believers in the idea that you don’t really need a calendar event to treat your friends to a pick-me-up or to snag a little something for yourself.

But if you do want a reason: The piles of deals popping up across the internet this week are as good an excuse as any to nab a just-because gift. (For the record, most Prime Day deals are mediocre. But we found some really great ones.) And if you’re a really early bird, it’s wise to stock up on some can’t-go-wrong gifts while they’re on sale, so you don’t have to suffer through a last-minute scramble the next time a holiday sneaks up. Below, a smattering of the best deals on gifts, for your perusal:

• Gifts writer Samantha Schoech says that she’s “rarely gotten more compliments on a functional accessory” than on this pretty leather phone case. It includes a built-in wallet, and an adjustable strap that makes it easy for your favorite traveler to go hands-free — while still having access to their phone for finding directions, snapping photos, or scanning tickets.

Bandolier Hailey Crossbody Phone Case

$118 $100 from Amazon

You save $18 (15%)

$118 from Bandolier

• Style expert Zoe Vanderweide tests bras for a living. But the only one you’ll catch her wearing during her off-hours? This deliciously soft, stretchy wireless bralette. “It has a barely there, wonderfully forgettable feel,” she raves.

Harper Wilde Bliss Triangle Bralette

$45 $28 from Harper Wilde

Use promo code WCPRIME (deal on cabana, tan, or mirage)

$37 from Amazon

$46 from Nordstrom

• Zoe is also a big fan of these dainty satin sneakers that evoke the ballet-core trend. They’re surprisingly cushy and, thanks to the almond-shaped toe, look fancier than your average trainer, but they’d still pair nicely with jeans or track pants.

Reebok Women’s Ultra-Lo

$100 $65 from Reebok

Price includes $10 shipping

$75 from Amazon

$75 from Zappos

• This slinky, herringbone chain is hefty but not gaudy. We’re partial to the shiny 18-karat yellow-gold finish, but it comes in a lovely sterling silver, too. (The 16-inch length is nearly $70 off with promo code WIREMEJURI.)

Mejuri Gold Vermeil Herringbone Chain Necklace

$298 $230 from Mejuri

Use promo code WIREMEJURI (16 inch)

• Newsletters editor Isoke Samuel has gone on record (more than once!) about how much she loves her green suede vintage-inspired Coach bucket bag. She’s used it to schlep everything from her laptop and water bottle to an entire Target haul. She admits: “I love it so much, I’m seriously considering getting the black one, too.”

Coach Bleecker Bucket Bag

$450 $225 from Coach

You save $225 (50%)

$450 $225 from Bloomingdale's

You save $225 (50%)

$450 $225 from Amazon

(deal on brown or clay)

• A staple in French pharmacies, this multitasking face mist performs so many skin-care tasks that it even baffled our beauty experts. It can prep skin for makeup, set powder so it doesn’t look too dry, and zhuzh up patchy midday makeup.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

$49 $39 from Amazon

You save $10 (20%)

$49 from Nordstrom

• If the coffee lover in your life is shoveling grounds or beans with a dusty old spoon, consider gifting them an upgrade. These darling stainless steel scoops conveniently measure out two tablespoons.

Apace Living Coffee Scoops

$15 $12 from Amazon

You save $3 (20%)

• Our gifts experts recommend this classic zip-up hoodie as a can’t-go-wrong gift for the dad in your life, but anyone who loves to be cozy would probably covet it. It’s soft and comes in a dozen colors — perfect for tossing over PJs or stuffing in a bag as an extra you-never-know layer.

Hanes Men’s EcoSmart Zip-Up Hoodie

$15 $10 from Amazon

You save $5 (33%)

$10 from Walmart

$17 from Target

• In our tests, this ice cream maker churned out the perfect texture: firm-but-creamy, rich-but-light. Plus, it’s self-cooling, so you don’t have to freeze a bowl ahead of time.

Whynter ICM-201SB

$345 $275 from Amazon

You save $70 (20%)

$340 from Walmart

$332 from The Home Depot

• There’s something classic and old-school about these soft, striped pajamas: the button-up collared tops, the contrasting stripes, and the cotton that our expert says only gets softer as you wash it. Also, each set arrives in a matching fabric envelope with a sweet ribbon tie, making it basically gift-ready.

Ink+Alloy Bonnie Pajama Set

$98 $56 from Ink+Alloy

Price includes $7 shipping

• Unlike other party games that take too long to learn or are just too complex, this card game can get going in five minutes flat, and it’s entertaining for everyone. Says games expert James Austin: “We rarely see games that work just as well at a bachelor party as they do at a family event.”

Just One

$25 $20 from Amazon

You save $5 (20%)

$25 from Walmart

Most people shopping for a new MacBook have two real options: The MacBook Air or the MacBook Neo. If you’re someone who wants to multitask between a bunch of different apps, keep dozens of tabs open, play indie games, quickly transfer large files, and generally care about the speed of your laptop, get the M5 MacBook Air. If you’re just looking to get on the internet and use basic apps like Google Chrome, FaceTime, and iMessage, get a MacBook Neo.

The M5 MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight laptop that has enough processing power to earn a spot in our guide to the best photo and video editing laptops. The M5 chip is a multitasking monster, and Apple’s years of incremental chip improvements has yielded a consumer processor that’s almost too fast for most. The MacBook Neo’s A17 Pro chip has actually been repurposed from its previous life as an iPhone processor. The Neo runs a full version of MacOS, but its strengths align with the iPhone: It’s best for running one or two apps at a time, and can play a surprising amount of mobile games. However, it has much slower SSD storage compared to the Air, so tasks like saving or transferring large files will take longer. Both laptops have excellent screens, keyboards, trackpads, and speakers.

In June 2026, Apple raised its laptop prices across the board, so you’ll pay $200 more for the MacBook Air and $100 more for the Neo. They’re still great laptops, but the global chip shortage due to AI datacenter demand has made them more expensive.

Tablets are indispensable tools for productivity diehards, artists, photographers, vigorous note-takers, and other creative professionals.

But the best tablet for your situation depends on whether you plan to use it as a secondary device alongside a laptop or as a laptop replacement.

Apple’s iPad Pro (11-inch, M5) is the most well-rounded tablet we tested, as the latest version of iPadOS makes it far better for multitasking, and it also has a great ecosystem of apps that are updated frequently. If you’re looking for a slimmer laptop replacement, the ARM-based Microsoft Surface Pro (13-inch) is best for a full Windows experience.

We also recommend the Apple iPad Air (M4), if you’re on a budget. You miss out on only a few “pro” features while saving hundreds of dollars — the 11-inch iPad Air is $450 less than the comparable iPad Pro model and offers a similar experience.

It’s worth knowing that all our picks have increased in price by hundreds of dollars in 2026, so it’s an expensive time to buy a pro tablet. The global chip shortage is causing companies to raise prices across the tech industry, including a $200 price increase to the 11-inch iPad Pro, a $150 increase to the 11-inch iPad Air, and a $500 increase to the 13-inch Surface Pro.

If you’re looking for a simple, small desktop computer for your home or office, consider a mini PC. These computers are best for everyday tasks such as working on documents and spreadsheets, browsing the web, taking video calls, or watching TV. However, our top picks are also powerful enough for editing media or compiling code.

The best mini PC for most people is the Apple Mac mini (M4, 2024). This tiny, powerful desktop operates silently enough to reside on your desk, and it has USB-C ports on the front for you to easily plug in flash drives or memory card readers. If you want more processing power for editing 4K video or running multiple virtual machines, we recommend the Mac mini with Apple’s M4 Pro processor.

Nearly every kind of computer or PC component has gotten more expensive this year, with budget or niche products like mini PCs and lower-cost laptops increasing in cost by hundreds of dollars. However, we still think Apple makes the best mini PCs — even if they cost $200 more than they did in 2025.

We’ve recommended Apple’s iPad as the best tablet for years, and there’s still no real competition. The Apple iPad (11th generation) has enough processing power to run any app or play the latest iPad games, and its high-resolution screen is bright enough to use outside. You can also use it with a stylus such as the Apple Pencil or add a keyboard case to turn it into a laptop. It’s the best all-around tablet for most people.

However, if you use your iPad every day for work, we recommend Apple’s latest, the Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M4). Its processor is faster than that of the entry-level iPad, and it’s better at multitasking, plus it’s compatible with higher-end, more full-featured Apple accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Magic Keyboard.

iPads have gotten more expensive this year, which might complicate your decision. (These price increases are due to the ongoing AI component shortage, which has dramatically raised the cost of memory and storage Apple uses in their products.) The entry-level iPad and iPad mini are $100 more expensive, the iPad Air is $150 more, and iPad Pro models are $200 more as of June 2026. We stand by our picks, but it’s worth waiting for a sale if you can find one.