Wednesday’s best deals: $8.49 Bluetooth speaker, $14 foaming soap dispenser, $325 iPhone XR, more – CNET

Taylor Martin/CNET

Another item on sale today at Best Buy is the Ring Floodlight Cam, which combines a motion-detecting outdoor light with a 1080p security camera. Best Buy’s price, however, is $190 plus tax (already a $60 savings; it’s $250 at Amazon). You can get it from Wellbots for $179 shipped, with no sales tax except in the state of New York. Use promo code CNETLIGHT at checkout.

Note that cloud storage will cost you a minimum of $3 a month. That hasn’t stopped the Floodlight Cam from scoring overwhelmingly positive user ratings, however, from both Amazon and Best Buy shoppers.

Read the Ring Floodlight Cam review.

VTIN

Amazon seller: VicTsing Direct

Price: $8.49 with promo code VTBH338AB (red model) or VTBH338AC (black model)

The R4 has been around awhile; it always sells out quickly when there’s a deal like this, and people always seem pretty happy with it. I can see why: It’s a splash-proof, Bluetooth 5.0 speaker that promises up to 24 hours of uninterrupted play time. 

And, remember, not every situation demands premium audio. If you just want to, say, listen to a podcast while gardening or have a bit of music in the background while you work, this is eight measly dollars and change well-spent.

Angela Lang/CNET

I consider the two-year-old iPhone XR the single best iPhone deal in history right now, and that’s based on the newly lowered $499 price tag. Of course, if you can get it for even less, even better!

The Total Wireless deal works like this: When you land on the product page, you should see a pop-up offering 25% off in exchange for your email address. (No pop-up? Click the “Get 25% off” button in the lower-left corner.) When you receive the email, use the promo code at checkout. Phone price: $300.

Here’s the catch: You’ll also need to choose a prepaid plan, and Total Wireless isn’t super-competitive in this area. The cheapest plan is $25 for 30 days, which nets you just 1GB of data. What’s more, the iPhone XR isn’t unlocked; you have to stay with Total Wireless for at least 12 months before they’ll unlock it for you.

On the other hand, you’re paying $300 for the phone instead of $500, and that savings seriously offsets the cost of service. Food for thought.

Read the iPhone XR review.

Chris Monroe/CNET

The all-new Nest Audio smart speaker improves on its predecessor, the Google Home, in just about every way. And it’s competitively priced at $100. If you’re thinking about buying a pair, though, you can get them for $180. That’s only a $20 savings, of course, but it’s something — and the first discount I’ve seen.

Will there be single-unit discounts as we get closer to the holidays? Almost absolutely positively for sure yes. But this is here now if you want it.

Read the Nest Audio review.

Ruyilam

Amazon seller: Cloudview-US

Price: $14.39 with promo code ODVOXNAF (starting at 9 a.m PT)

I can’t go back to traditional soap dispensers. I can’t. I won’t! These things spit out foaming suds with a wave of your hand. And you can use ordinary, inexpensive hand-soap refills; you don’t need to buy actual, expensive foaming stuff. (I’m looking at you, Method.)

Interestingly, this dispenser calls for a 3:1 ratio of water to soap; other models I’ve tried let you do 5:1. Maybe it’s foamier that way? You can probably experiment to determine what works best. Anyway, a lot of these sell for at least $20; this one normally runs $24.