Best Tech Deals Today: November 5, 2026 — MacBook Air M5, iPad Air M4, Galaxy S26

The biggest verified price cut on November 5, 2026 is the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5, 16GB and 512GB for $1,099 at Amazon, $200 under its List Price and $170 less than Best Buy charged for a 16GB/512GB model this morning. Amazon also has the 11-inch iPad Air M4 for $649.99, while Best Buy was still at the full $749. The Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB, unlocked) is $849.99 and the Google Pixel Watch 5 is $329.99 at both stores.

Below those are Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at $359.89, a two-pack TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 mesh kit at $299.98, the Xbox Wireless Controller at $49.49 and a $349.99 Lenovo laptop that is Best Buy’s Deal of the Day. Each section names the reference price the discount is measured against, who should buy, and who should skip.

Today’s tech deals at a glance

Product	Best price found	Reference price	Savings	Other store
MacBook Air 13″ M5 (16GB, 512GB)	$1,099 at Amazon	$1,299 List Price	$200 (15%)	Best Buy: $1,269
iPad Air 11″ M4 (128GB, Wi-Fi)	$649.99 at Amazon	$749 List Price	$99.01 (13%)	Best Buy: $749
Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB, unlocked)	$849.99 at both	$999.99 List / Comp. Value	$150 (15%)	Same price
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)	$359.89 at Amazon	$449 List Price	$89.11 (20%)	Best Buy: $359.99
Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm, Wi-Fi)	$329.99 at both	$429.99 List / Comp. Value	$100 (23%)	Same price
TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE63 (2-pack)	$299.98 at Amazon	$349.99 List Price	$50.01 (14%)	Not found at Best Buy
Xbox Wireless Controller (Carbon Black)	$49.49 at Amazon	$64.99 List Price	$15.50 (24%)	Best Buy: $53.99
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15.6″ (Ryzen 5, 8GB, 256GB)	$349.99 at Best Buy	$629.99 Comp. Value	$280 (44%)	Deal of the Day

MacBook Air 13-inch M5 (16GB, 512GB): $1,099 at Amazon

Amazon has the 2026 MacBook Air 13-inch with M5, 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD in Sky Blue for $1,099, down $200 (15%) from its $1,299 List Price. It is sold by Amazon.com and rated 4.7 out of 5 from 1,348 reviews. Best Buy’s 16GB/512GB model (Midnight, 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU) was $1,269 against a $1,299 Comp. Value, so Amazon was $170 cheaper.

The spec sheet: a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 x 1664), a 12MP Center Stage camera, Touch ID, Wi-Fi 7 and Apple’s rating of up to 18 hours of battery life. Amazon’s title does not state the GPU core count, so check the configuration panel on the product page before you order if that matters to you.

• Buy it if: you want a fanless Mac for writing, email, spreadsheets, browser-based tools and light photo work, and 512GB covers your local files.
• Skip it if: you edit long 4K video, run local AI models or keep large virtual machines. Those workloads favor more memory and active cooling; our 16GB vs 24GB memory guide explains where 16GB runs short.
• Limitation: memory and storage cannot be upgraded later, so the configuration you buy is the one you keep.

iPad Air 11-inch M4 (128GB, Wi-Fi): $649.99 at Amazon

Amazon lists the 11-inch iPad Air with M4 and 128GB in Space Gray at $649.99, $99.01 (13%) below its $749 List Price, sold by Amazon.com and rated 4.7 from 971 reviews. This is one of the better-supported discounts today: Best Buy was charging the full $749 for the same Wi-Fi 128GB model (MH304LL/A) when we checked.

It has a Liquid Retina display, 12MP front and back cameras, Touch ID, and Wi-Fi 7 through Apple’s N1 chip. For a one-person business, the iPad Air works as a second screen, a signing and annotation device, or a travel machine with a keyboard case.

• Buy it if: you want M-series performance and Apple Pencil Pro support in a tablet that is lighter than a laptop.
• Skip it if: you mostly read and take notes. A smaller iPad costs less; our iPad mini comparison covers that size.
• Limitation: 128GB fills quickly with offline video and large PDFs, and the Pencil and keyboard are extra.

Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB, unlocked): $849.99 at Amazon and Best Buy

Both stores have the unlocked Galaxy S26 with 256GB at $849.99, $150 (15%) off a $999.99 reference price: Amazon’s List Price on the Sky Blue model (4.5 stars, 684 reviews, sold by Amazon.com) and Best Buy’s Comp. Value on the Black model (4.8 stars, 381 reviews), which Best Buy labeled a Holiday Deal.

Best Buy lists a 6.3-inch screen, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, 12GB of RAM and a 50MP main camera, with compatibility across AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and several prepaid carriers. At Best Buy the $849.99 price applied whether you activated now or later.

• Buy it if: you want a compact flagship Android phone and prefer to buy unlocked rather than on a carrier plan.
• Skip it if: your carrier is offering a trade-in credit larger than $150 on the same phone, or you need a bigger battery and screen.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): $359.89 at Amazon

Amazon has the black second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for $359.89, $89.11 (20%) below the $449 List Price. Best Buy had them at $359.99 (model 890101-0100), ten cents more. Amazon’s listing rates them 4.2 from 3,133 reviews; Best Buy’s shows 4.7 from 805.

Bose lists up to 30 hours of playback, noise cancellation, spatial audio and a built-in microphone. For calls in a shared house or a coworking space, noise-cancelling over-ears are one of the more practical upgrades a solo worker can make.

• Buy it if: you take calls or work in noisy places and want long battery life from one charge.
• Skip it if: you wear headphones for many hours in warm rooms or want something that folds flat into a small bag; earbuds suit that better.

Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm, Wi-Fi): $329.99 at Amazon and Best Buy

The 45mm Wi-Fi Pixel Watch 5 is $329.99 at Amazon (Obsidian, marked a Limited time deal) and Best Buy (Matte Black case, Obsidian band, labeled a Holiday Deal), $100 (23%) under the $429.99 reference price at both. Ratings were 4.5 from 231 reviews at Amazon and 4.9 from 55 at Best Buy.

Amazon’s listing describes a domed Actua 360 display with Gorilla Glass, up to 40 hours of battery life and Gemini features. It pairs with Android phones only, so iPhone owners should look elsewhere.

• Buy it if: you use a Pixel or another Android phone and want notifications, fitness and sleep tracking on your wrist.
• Skip it if: you want calls and data without your phone nearby; this is the Wi-Fi model, not LTE.

TP-Link Deco 7 Pro BE63 Wi-Fi 7 mesh (2-pack): $299.98 at Amazon

Amazon has the two-pack Deco 7 Pro BE63 for $299.98, $50.01 (14%) under its $349.99 List Price, sold by Amazon.com, marked a Limited time deal and rated 4.3 from 697 reviews. We did not find this exact kit at Best Buy.

The listing claims tri-band BE10000 Wi-Fi 7 (up to 5,188 Mbps on 6 GHz), coverage of up to 5,800 square feet for the pair, and four 2.5G WAN/LAN ports plus USB 3.0. Wired 2.5G ports are useful if your NAS or desktop sits near a node.

• Buy it if: your home office has a weak signal and your laptop or phone supports Wi-Fi 6E or 7, which can use the 6 GHz band.
• Skip it if: your internet plan is under 500 Mbps and one router already reaches every room. Whatever you choose, keep firmware current and turn off WPS; our WPS flaw explainer shows why.

Xbox Wireless Controller (Carbon Black): $49.49 at Amazon

Amazon has the Carbon Black Xbox Wireless Controller for $49.49, $15.50 (24%) off a $64.99 List Price, sold by Amazon.com and rated 4.5 from 3,579 reviews. Best Buy had it at $53.99, $4.50 more, with 4.7 stars from 35,537 reviews.

It works with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PCs and cloud gaming devices, and has a hybrid D-pad, textured grips and a Share button. It is a common gift, which makes this a low-risk holiday buy.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15.6-inch (Ryzen 5, 8GB, 256GB): $349.99 at Best Buy

Best Buy’s Deal of the Day is the IdeaPad Slim 3 in Abyss Blue for $349.99 (SKU 6668500), which Best Buy shows as $280 off a $629.99 Comp. Value. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD screen, an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, AMD Radeon 610M integrated graphics, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, and is rated 4.7 from 320 reviews. Best Buy’s countdown showed the offer ending about 17 hours after we checked.

Treat the 44% figure with caution. A Comp. Value is Best Buy’s comparison price, not evidence that the laptop usually sells for $629.99, and 8GB/256GB is an entry-level configuration. At $349.99 it is a reasonable browser-and-documents machine or a spare laptop; it is not a good fit for heavy multitasking.

Deals we checked and left out

• Apple Pencil Pro ($99), Sony WH-1000XM6 ($378) and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15.3-inch ($629.99): unchanged from the prices in our November 2 deals roundup, so nothing new to report.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE ($382) and Samsung Odyssey G5 27-inch monitor ($199.99) on Amazon: both were sold by third-party sellers rather than Amazon.com.
• iPhone Air 256GB unlocked ($999.99 at Best Buy): the $1,099.99 Comp. Value was not enough evidence of a real discount.
• Portable and internal SSDs: the 2TB drives we checked showed no meaningful discount.

Should you buy now or wait for Black Friday?

Best Buy’s Black Friday page lists November 27 as Black Friday, three weeks from today. Some of these prices may return or drop further then, but nothing guarantees it. Three checks help:

• Return window: buy from a store whose return policy covers the period through late November, then compare again on Black Friday.
• Exact configuration: colors and GPU or storage options often carry different prices. Match the model number, not just the product name.
• Seller: on Amazon, check that the item is shipped and sold by Amazon.com or the brand’s own store before paying.

How we checked: we opened each product page on Amazon.com and BestBuy.com between 7:45 and 7:55 a.m. ET on November 5, 2026, and recorded the price, the retailer’s reference price, the seller, the rating and the review count. Discounts were calculated from the reference price named in each section. We did not test these products hands-on, and The Solo Toolbox has no affiliate relationship with Amazon or Best Buy.

If only one item on this list solves a problem you have today, the iPad Air at $649.99 is the discount with the strongest evidence, since Best Buy was charging $99.01 more for the same model. For everything else, add it to a list and check the price again before November 27.

Related guides

• Best Tech Deals Today: November 4, 2026
• M6 MacBook Pro 16GB vs 24GB: which memory should you buy?
• iPad mini 2026 vs iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• Broadcom WPS flaw (WPSplinter): is your router affected?

Sources

• Amazon.com product pages for each Amazon item linked above, checked November 5, 2026.
• BestBuy.com product pages for each Best Buy item linked above, and Best Buy Deal of the Day, checked November 5, 2026.
• Best Buy Black Friday 2026 page, for the November 27 date.