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Last year's tech, this year's bargains (pictures)

If you don't need the latest and greatest, you can score some amazingly good deals on amazingly good gear.

Rick Broida
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
Apple iPad Mini 2
1 of 9 Apple

Apple iPad Mini 2

Apple's iPad Mini 4 still sells at a premium, but the Mini 2? You can currently find it selling for just $199 at Walmart and a few other stores. That's even less than what Apple charges for a refurbished Mini 2 (usually the better buy). Granted, you won't get Touch ID or a state-of-the-art CPU, but you will get a Retina display, 10-hour battery and 1080p video camera -- pretty much everything a person needs from a midsize tablet. Find out why the iPad Mini 2 earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award.

Canon_T3i_redux.jpg
2 of 9 Candace Lombardi/CNET

Canon EOS Rebel T3i

The Canon EOS Rebel T3i debuted in 2011 to much fanfare -- and a $900 price tag (with 18-55mm IS II lens). So what if it's four years old? It's every bit as good now, especially if you can pick it up for $400 -- the current price at a number of online resellers.

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3 of 9 Joshua Goldman/CNET

DJI Phantom 3

Technically it's the Phantom 2 Vision+ that qualifies as last year's hardware, but the Phantom 3 Standard, which made its debut at $799 earlier this year, will be selling for $599 come Black Friday -- close to half the price of 2014's Phantom 2. You'll have to supply the camera if you want aerial video, but even without one you'll enjoy easy, stable flight, satellite navigation and other advanced features. Read our review to learn more about this newly affordable quadcopter.

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4 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

Google Nexus 6

Remember a mere 12 months ago when the Nexus 6 was Google's flagship phone, and (nearly) everybody loved it? Guess what: Now it's a bargain to boot, selling for under $350 at Amazon -- and that's for the unlocked version with 32GB of storage. You also get a mammoth screen, a top-rated camera, great battery life and all the goodness packed into Google's latest Android operating system. Considering that you'd have paid almost double last year at this time, the Nexus 6 feels like a serious deal.

martian-notifier-3-colors.jpg
5 of 9 Martian

Martian Notifier

It seems like every new smartwatch tries to cram in more features, usually at the expense of battery life and price. If you primarily care about notifications -- calls, messages, appointments, Twitter updates -- the Martian Notifier (introduced in 2014) offers a nice analog design, excellent battery life and, for the duration of a Groupon deal, anyway, the amazing price of $49.99. Read CNET's review, then ask yourself if you really need custom watch faces, tiny apps and all that other wrist fluff.

fd-apple-iphone-6-plus.jpg
6 of 9 CNET

Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Last year's flagship iPhones are decidedly more affordable this year, with Apple cutting prices across the board and some carriers offering the iPhone 6 for as little as $0 with a two-year contract. And as with the iPhone 5S last year, you can find refurbished models for even less and a glut of used ones selling on eBay, Glyde, Swappa and other sites. Why pay extra for a 6S when an iPhone 6 is nearly as good? Read our review.

JBL_Flip_3583394501.jpg
7 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

JBL Flip 2

Just because the JBL Flip 2 Bluetooth speaker has been succeeded by the JBL Flip 3 doesn't mean it's any less awesome. In fact, it's just plain less: What debuted in the $120 price range now sells new for around $75 and refurbished for as low as $60. This compact, portable speaker was a CNET favorite back in 2014, and now it's just a flat-out steal. Read our review.

Pebblecomparison.jpg
8 of 9 Scott Stein/CNET

Pebble Steel

Although the newer Pebble Time and Pebble Round have succeeded the first-gen Pebble smartwatch, many (myself included) consider the original Pebble Steel to be the company's best model. Originally $250, it now sells for $150. In addition to a variety of retro-cool watch faces, the Steel has background fitness tracking, excellent notifications, Android and iOS compatibility and an all-week battery. Here's our review.

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9 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Jaybird Gear BlueBuds X

Way back in 2012, we praised these exercise-friendly Bluetooth earbuds for their great fit, solid sound and sweat-resistant design, but dinged them for their high price (around $170). Here in 2015, you can score a set of BlueBuds from Amazon for $90 -- the lowest they've ever been. Read our review to learn why these might be the perfect 'buds for your next workout.

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