What's popular in August: Galaxy Z Fold 5, laptops and retro Super Mario games

What's popular in August: Galaxy Z Fold 5, laptops and retro Super Mario games

Written by Jasmine Oh

August has been a month where both work and play featured on Hardware Zone readers’ shopping lists. Many of the most popular buys this month were top deals from the 8.8 sale, where we saw a lot of toys and games making the list, with readers buying them either for their kids or themselves.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which just hit the market earlier in August, expectedly made the top-selling list as well.

And with the new school year having just started for tertiary students a couple of weeks ago, readers were shopping for gadgets for work and study, including the ASUS Vivobook Laptop L210, Xiaomi Pad 6 and Brother MFC-J4340DW printer.

Read on for the full list of items you bought this month, and make sure to grab the ones that you may have missed, as many of them are still on sale!

Check out our What You Bought series for other deals HardwareZone readers loved previously.

READ NEXT:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 review: Can foldable phone fans even feel the difference?The best bluetooth speakers on sale: JBL, Bose and more

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

From $2,578.00

Samsung’s latest Fold smartphone has just hit shelves, and it is already getting some solid reviews. The Galaxy Z Fold 5’s Flex Hinge that connects both halves of the phone has been completely redesigned, giving this phone-and-tablet hybrid a slimmer, more compact form factor. The 7.6-inch main screen supports a multi-window interface for more efficient productivity, while a 73-hour battery life means you can get more out of every charge.

If you haven’t gotten the phone yet, here’s some good news: you can enjoy up to $555 savings if you buy it now, with a free Slim S Pen Case worth $128 and $250 overtrade bonus when you trade-in your old device. You’ll also get free 1-year Samsung Care+ Screen Care plan worth $177 that includes a free screen replacement. Offer ends 15 September 2023.

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Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Case for Galaxy Z Fold 5 5G

Any new phone of course deserves a case for protection. This was the case of choicefor readers who bought the Z Fold 5.

Designed exclusively for the Galaxy Z Fold 5G, this rugged case is a winner of CNET’s Annual Drop Test. Known for its robustness, this case sports a built-in screen protector, multi-angle kickstand and S Pen holder. The precise and user-friendly design offers open fingerprint scanner access and supports wireless charging.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Now that Samsung has launched the Galaxy Watch 6, prices for the Galaxy Watch 5 have come down. People looking for a good smartwatch with health monitoring features will find a good deal in this smartwatch.

Besides helping users to monitor key health metrics such as one’s optical heart rate and electrical heart signal, the Galaxy 5 can also track a user’s sleep patterns to help them sleep better. Read more about the Samsung Watch 5

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ASUS Vivobook Laptop L210

Lightweight and compact, this ultra-thin laptop offers decent productivity without the bulk. Featuring an 11.6-inch screen, this laptop is powered by an Intel Celeron N4020 processor with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage. Bundled with a one-year subscription of Office 365 Personal, this is an affordable and ultra-portable laptop for working on the go or as a study companion for uni-students. It may not be as fast as a thousand-dollar laptop, but for a basic compact laptop, bundled with Microsoft Office, it's a reasonable offering for basic needs.

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Xiaomi Pad 6

$529.00

One of the top buys during the 8.8 sale, this Xiaomi Pad 6 is a great tablet for those looking to do some light work or play casual games. This tablet is solidly built with a slim and sleek design and comes with some handy multi-tasking features that make the most of the Pad 6’s generous 11-inch screen. Read our reviewto find out why we recommend it.

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Brother MFC-J4340DW All-in-One Colour Printer

Printers are a valued addition to any home office, and the Brother MFC-J4340DW is an excellent choice for anyone looking to get a new device or upgrade. This inkjet printer uses high-yield cartridges, which can print up to 3,000 monochrome pages or 1,500 pages in colour. Its built-in wireless connection means that you can print from multiple devices without the hassle of connecting cables.

You can read up more about its key features here. If you're wondering how it would perform, we actually reviewed its slightly larger brother, the MFC-J4540DW, and it has almost everything the currently featured MFC-J4340DW has – including a sterling performance for its category to win the Best SOHO Printer segment in Tech Awards 2022.

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Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120

If you’re looking to build your own PC, check out this CPU air cooler. The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 is compatible with AMD’s AM4 and AM5, as well as Intel 1150/1151/1200/2011 CPU sockets.

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Shokz OpenMove Bluetooth Wireless Headphones with Mic

These bone-conduction headphones are designed to let the wearer enjoy their music but also be aware of their surroundings at the same time. Perfect for active people who love sports such as running, the Shokz OpenMove has an IP55 sweat-resistant rating and enough juice for up to 6 hours of continuous playtime on a single charge.

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Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.

It seems that HardwareZone readers love nostalgia as this was one of the most popular items bought during the 8.8 sale. Nintendo’s Game & Watch gets its name from being a device that does both these things: it contains three games, while also doing double duty as a digital clock.

This version of the Game & Watch features the classic Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels titles, along with an updated variant of the classic Ball game found in the original 1980s Game & Watch devices.

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Nerf Super Soaker Splash Mouth Water Blaster

August has been a warm, humid month, and with the weather not looking to get cooler anytime soon, a pool party with some Super Soakers is in order. This cool water gun offers two ways to attack: you can blast the enemy with streams of water or opt to dump all the water on them at once. Refilling is easy too, simply open the top hatch and dunk the Super Soaker into water.

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Plarail E5 Series Shinkansen & E6 Series Shinkansen Connection Set

For the kids (and adults) who love trains, Plarail’s collection of battery-operated train models have been a long-time favourite. This set includes two Shinkansen – Japanese bullet train – models, namely the Hayabusa (in green) and the Komachi (in red). Fun fact: the Hayabusa train connects Tokyo to locations in Hokkaido.

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Lego Architecture Landmarks Collection: Himeji Castle

Lego is alway popular with readers and this month, the Himeji Castle topped the list, as featured in our Lego sale story.

A collectable model kit for adults, this Lego building set is designed after Japan’s famous Himeji Castle, the largest of the country’s medieval-era castles that is still standing today. Made for grown-up Lego fans, this detailed model contains 2,125 pieces and can be lifted open to reveal the interior layout.

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