Black Friday is approaching! In a year where asking Alexa what day it is today seems completely normal, this Black Friday seems to come out of nowhere.
As we say pretty much every year, many Black Friday deals aren't ... that good. While there are certainly deals to be found, there are also plenty of cheers to help dealers and manufacturers get rid of the old models and get the fourth quarter numbers up.
It can even be a day where it is way too easy to buy junk just because it has a 40% discount tag on it. With that in mind, we've tried to limit this list to things we recommend even when it is not on sale. If we see anything else useful in the next day or two, we'll add it, so don't hesitate to check back.
This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you shop through these links, ProWellTech could earn an affiliate commission. Some tips to keep in mind today:- If you see that something is on sale and want to check if the "sale" price is really better than normal, put it in a price tracker like camelcamelcamel. If the price suddenly rose last week only to be "reduced" by any percentage this week, you know a little more.
- Be wary of television deals at least a little. There are sure to be TV chords to make, but the most eye-popping chords tend to be excess panels with a new model number slapped on them. Google the model number; if that specific TV looks like it only they exist for the sake of Black Friday, think twice.
Apple
Once unheard of, Apple's Black Friday deals are now a little easier to find. They tend to go fast though!
- Both Amazon and Walmart sell AirPods Pro for $ 170, a super steep discount from the usual $ 250. The stock seems to come and go fast, so this might be hard to get.
- The 40mm GPS version of the latest Apple Watch (Series 6) has dropped to $ 379 from $ 399 on Amazon right now. Even if it's only a $ 20 drop, these things just hit the shelves in September.
- Best Buy has some pretty solid offerings on the latest iPads (8th generation), like a 32GB 10.2-inch model for $ 280 (usually $ 330) or the 128GB model for $ 360 (usually $ 430) .
Amazon
With people already flocking to Amazon on Black Friday, the company usually offers pretty huge discounts on its Amazon-branded devices as a means to seize the moment and bring more people into their ecosystem. Pretty sure:
Google tends to go pretty big with Black Friday discounts and this year is no exception. A few examples:
- The Nest Hello doorbell dropped to $ 179, normally $ 229.
- The Nest Hub dropped to $ 50 (normally $ 90) and the big brother Nest Hub Max (pictured above) dropped to $ 179 (normally $ 229).
- The latest generation Nest Mini smart speaker costs $ 19, down from $ 50. The more rugged Nest Audio speaker, meanwhile, has dropped to $ 85 each (usually $ 99) with the problem that you have to buy two. .
- Stadia Premiere Edition, a starter kit for Google Stadia's cloud gaming service, which includes both a Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra, has dropped to $ 70 from $ 100. The controller alone would normally cost you $ 70, so if were you already thinking about giving Stadia a spin and kind of like getting a free Chromecast Ultra?
Roku
Roku's new Streambar - basically a Roku box and soundbar crammed into one package - costs $ 100 today, down from its regular $ 130 price.
Are S
If you're planning on expanding your Sonos system (which, hey, is kind of a point of having a Sonos system), Black Friday is usually a good day to do so. Sadly, Sonos sales this year are a bit limited, but there are still savings to be found. Amazon has the portable Sonos Move up to $ 299 (normally $ 399) and the Sonos SUB up to $ 599 (usually $ 699), while Sonos itself also sells its Beam Playbar for $ 299 (usually $ 399).
Hulu
If you don't mind ads, Hulu is reducing the price of its ad-supported plan from $ 6 per month to $ 2 per month for 1 year. Sadly, no deal for the ad-free plan, which is still at its regular $ 12 per month, but if you were planning to check out the ad-supported plan anyway, you might as well save a couple of bucks.
Calm
Calm, the popular subscription-based sleep meditation / sound service, offers a couple of promotions - they'll reduce the price of a one-year subscription by 50% ($ 70 to $ 35) or a lifetime subscription by 60% ($ 399 to $ 159.)
Video games
You probably won't find any deals on this year's new Xbox or Playstation because ... well, them already he couldn't keep up with the demand. The best deals this year will cover games, services and, in some cases, accessories.
Hell, the same goes for Nintendo Switch. Even without a new hardware release this season, Nintendo's console is to fly from the shelves. If you're looking for big savings on a Switch itself this year, know that inventory is incredibly Low: Any retailer offering a Switch deal does so just to get you hoping and getting you on the site. We have a hard time finding one in stock even at full price.
Xbox offers:- Microsoft is selling Xbox controllers (which will work with next-gen Xbox Series consoles!) For $ 40, down from the usual $ 60.
- Best Buy sells 3 months of Xbox Game Pass (Microsoft's Netflix-style game subscription service) for $ 23, down from the usual $ 45.
- Gears 5 costs $ 5 (usually $ 40) at Best Buy, Doom Eternal costs $ 20 (usually $ 60) on GameStop, is Microsoft is taking $ 10 off Tony Hawk's newly remastered Pro Skater 1 + 2.
- Sony sells 12 months of Playstation Plus (its service that lets you play online multiplayer games) for $ 45, down from $ 60.
- Amazon sells Last of Us Part II for $ 30 (normally $ 60), and GameStop and a number of other retailers have Ghost of Tsushima for $ 40 (normally $ 60). Sony has the tough but so addicting Cuphead for $ 15, down from $ 20. Most retailers will also sell Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Watch Dogs Legion, and Star Wars Squadrons.
- Nintendo is selling Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Maker 2, Yoshi's Crafted World, Mario Tennis Aces, and Zelda Link's Awakening for $ 40 (normally $ 60) via Amazon and most other retailers. All of these are great!
