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Black Friday 2023: The 60 best deals you can get right now from Amazon, Target, Walmart and others

Black Friday 2023: The 60 best deals you can get right now from Amazon, Target, Walmart and others

Engadget

Black Friday is right around the corner, but we wouldn’t blame you if you’ve felt like it’s been here for quite some time already. As its name suggests, Black Friday has typically been a one-day affair that’s brought limited-time deals across a wide range of products — including consumer tech. But the past couple of years have brought Black Friday deals earlier and earlier to the internet, and this year is no different. Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Walmart and several other retailers kicked off their Black Friday deals painfully early, with some starting as soon as late October. If you're overwhelmed by the amount of discounts showing up in your feeds, you're not alone.

To help, we at Engadget have collected the best Black Friday deals on tech that we could find thus far. Plenty of our favorite gadgets that we’ve tested and reviewed as of late are on sale, so these are the best Black Friday deals on the best tech you can buy for 2023. It’s possible we’ll see some additional price drops on Black Friday proper, but that likelihood becomes less and less as we get close to the actual day. We'll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back to catch all of the latest Black Friday deals.

Apple iPad (9th Gen)

Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to a new low of $230 at Amazon and Target. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and it earned a review score of 86 in 2021. It's the last iPad to use Apple's old design language, so it has thick bezels, a Lightning port, a Home button and a non-laminated display. This variant also comes with a paltry 64GB of storage. At this price, though, it's hard to do better if all you want is a large screen for streaming video, playing games and browsing the web. Its 10.2-inch display remains a step up from cheaper slates, its A13 Bionic chip is plenty fast for casual media consumption and its battery still lasts around 10 hours per charge. Most importantly, it's the cheapest route into Apple's huge app library, customer support and years of software updates. If you need more storage space, the 256GB model is also down to a low of $380.

Apple AirTags

A four-pack of Apple’s AirTags have dropped to $80, which is just about $5 more than the pack’s record-low price. If you’re unfamiliar, AirTags are small Bluetooth trackers that you can keep in your bag or luggage or attach to items like your keys so you can keep track of their location. The only catch is that these only work with Apple devices as their host device, so Android users will have to pick a tracker from another brand to get similar benefits. AirTags connect to Apple’s Find My network, so you can see where your stuff is in that app and even force the gadgets to ring so you can more easily find your belongings (if you’re within close proximity).

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $329 at Amazon, Walmart and Target in a Black Friday deal. That’s $70 off its usual price and the lowest we’ve seen since it debuted in September. That’s the price you’ll pay for the 41mm model, but the 45mm models are now down to $359 with the same $70 discount. The Series 9 took the crown of the best smartwatch you can get right now in our guide thanks to its new S9 SiP that brings slightly speedier performance and on-device Siri processing, the new Double Tap feature and other improvements.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE has dropped to a record low of $179 for Black Friday, which is $70 off its usual price. It may not have all of the advanced health tracking features of the Series 9, but the SE has all of the basics you’d want in a smartwatch, including smart notifications, all-day activity tracking and perks like Fall and Crash Detection and Emergency SOS. If you’re looking for a good entry-point into the Apple Watch space, or a gift for someone who has never worn a smartwatch before, the Apple Watch SE is a great option.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)

The latest version of Apple's AirPods Pro is back on sale for $190 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. That matches an all-time low and comes in $60 below the pair's usual going rate. The AirPods Pro are the "best for iOS" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide thanks to their easy pairing and deep integration with Apple devices. Effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a superb transparency mode and a pleasingly warm sound profile help as well, as does a new "adaptive audio" mode that can adjust the earphones' noise control settings based on your surroundings. That said, their battery life is just average at six-ish hours per charge, and you really have to use an iPhone to get anything out of them. 

We gave the Lightning-based version of the second-generation AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last year; this new iteration is almost identical, only it comes with a USB-C charging case and has a higher IP54 dust-resistance rating. If you don't care about the updated charging port, note that the older Lightning version will be on sale for $169 at Walmart on November 22.

Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)

The third-gen Apple AirPods are back down to $140 at Amazon and Best Buy, matching the lowest price we've seen. Typically, the wireless earbuds have retailed between $10 and $20 higher over the past few months. We gave these AirPods a review score of 88 back in 2021: You can get better-sounding and more featured earbuds for much less, but if you're an iPhone owner who hates the feeling of traditional in-ear headphones, it might suit you well. It has a mostly balanced sound despite its unsealed design, and it gets the usual AirPods conveniences like hands-free Siri, Find My device tracking and quick pairing with other Apple gadgets. Just don't expect much in the way of deep bass or noise cancellation, as is the case with all earbuds with an "open" design.

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air M1 is back down to a record low of $500 right now ahead of Black Friday. All color options are discounted. The Air is still the best iPad for most people at the moment, although we expect to see a fresh lineup with the latest M-series processor debut early next year. However, if you want a new iPad immediately, the Air offers speedy performance, good battery life, a slim design and Apple Pencil 2 support.

Apple iPad (10th gen)

The 10th-generation iPad is down to its lowest price ever at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. The 64GB model is just $349 for Black Friday in all four colors. That's $100 off and $30 less than the previous low. We gave the revamped standard iPad an 85 in our review. Compared to the 9th-gen model, the new version ditches the Home button and comes with a larger, 10.9-inch display. The front-facing camera is now on the landscape edge, which is much more convenient for video calls, though the tablet (for some reason) still only works with the first generation Apple Pencil.

Apple M2 Mac Mini

Apple's M2-powered Mac Mini desktops are also discounted for Black Friday: The 256GB model has dropped to $500 at Best Buy, while the 512GB model is on sale for $690 at Amazon with a clippable coupon. Though we expect an upgrade to the new M3 chip at some point over the next year, the current model is still a great option if you want a speedy desktop that runs macOS. It earned a score of 86 in our review, and it has a headphone jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A connectors, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Apple MacBook Pro M3

Apple released its its new M3-powered MacBook Pros just before Halloween, but the new notebooks are already on sale at Amazon, B&H and Best Buy. The entry-level 14-inch variant with the base M3 chip, 8GB of memory and 512GB of storage is $1,449, or $150 off Apple's list price. We note in our review that the M3 chip may quickly begin to push the limits of what 8GB of RAM can handle, though. If you can afford to step up to a model with more memory, note that a version with Apple's M3 Pro chip and 18GB of RAM is also $200 off at $1,799. An M3 Pro version of the larger 16-inch Pro, meanwhile, is $200 off at $2,299.

Hulu Black Friday deal

Hulu’s Black Friday deal is a great one for anyone who has not subscribed to the ad-supported tier yet. You’ll get one year of the service for only $12, which comes out to just $1 per month. That’s 85 percent off the standard monthly price and a great deal if you’ve been wanting to see what all the hype is about for shows like The Bear and Only Murders in the Building. The deal is available to new subscribers, and returning subscribers who have not been paying for Hulu for at least one month.

Dyson Airwrap

The coveted Dyson Airwrap is down to the cheapest price we’ve ever seen, just $480 when you clip the $119 coupon on Amazon’s product page. This hair tool uses the Coanda effect to keep air flowing around its barrel, helping you style your hair more easily. It also maintains a safe temperature for hair, resulting in less damage overall. You’re getting a number of accessories with this Airwrap bundle as well, including two differently sized barrels, separate brushes for soft or firm smoothing, a Coanda smoothing dryer and more.

Ember Smart Mugs

Ember Smart Mugs are down to record-low prices for Black Friday — you can pick up a 10-ounce mug for as low as $90, or a 14-ounce cup for as low as $110. These make great gifts for anyone on your list who may be otherwise hard to shop for, provided they enjoy a hot beverage every now and then. When used with their companion app, these mugs can keep drinks at an optimal temperature for up to 80 minutes, or even longer if the cup is kept on its charging coaster.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini

The smart plug we recommend for most homes is TP-Link's Kasa Smart Plug mini. A four-pack is on sale for $35 which is about $3 more than it sold for during Amazon's October Prime day sale, :but still a decent $15 savings. Plugs like these are a simple way to add some smart capabilities to any home, letting you turn on lights with just your voice, set automated schedules and routines that are triggered by other activities. These would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone you know who's curious about smart home connectivity but hasn't yet taken the plunge.

Xbox gift card

You can pick up a $50 Xbox gift card for $45 right now at Amazon and Target, a digital item that would make a good gift for a gamer who’s otherwise hard to shop for. This card can be used on a number of things, including game downloads, in-game purchases, membership costs like Xbox Game Pass and more. If you or a loved one is loyal to a different console, there are other digital gift cards on sale, too. A $70 PlayStation Plus gift card is going for $63 right now, while a 12-month Nintendo Switch Family plan is slightly discounted from $35 to $32.

TP-Link Deco EX75 Wi-Fi 6E mesh router

TP-Link’s Deco EX75 mesh router system with two beacons is $100 off and down to a record low of $200. This is our top pick for a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router system, and the two-pack should cover up to 5,500 square feet with stable connectivity. When we tested the three-pack, we were impressed by how well the system balances power with user friendliness. Its network is reliable and fast, and its companion app is easy to use and clearly shows you things like all of the devices connected to your network, current speeds and more.

Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X bundled with Diablo IV is down to $439 from Walmart. The console itself has a list price of $500 and the game is typically listed between $40 and $70, so this is like getting a $60 discount on the console plus a free copy of the huge action-RPG. If you're a frequent Target shopper, note that the retailer is selling this same bundle with a $75 store gift card for $450. 

Xbox Series S

A starter bundle that includes a 512GB capacity Xbox Series S and a three-month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate is currently $240 at Microsoft. The console by itself has a list price of $300 and three months of access to Xbox's service will set you back $51 after this year's price hike (though the first month is often just $1 for new members).

Anker accessories sale

A slew of Anker chargers, cables, power adapters and other accessories are on sale for Black Friday at Amazon, with discounts ranging up to 37 percent. The deals extend to our favorite premium power bank, Anker's Prime 20,000 mAH battery with charging base, which is $130 for the set and its lowest price ever. 

One of the company's 67W USB-C chargers is 37 percent off, bringing it to $38 and matching its all-time low. Our top 65W fast wall charger, Anker's 735 GaNPrime, is down to a new low price after a 38 percent discount. And the Anker Nano Power Bank is seeing one of its first discounts since coming on the market a couple months ago.

Meta Quest 2 VR headset

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $50 off and down to $249 at several retailers. That matches the best price we’ve seen. At GameStop and Target, you can get the device with a $50 gift card. Despite the launch of the impressive Quest 3, we still consider the Quest 2 to be one of the best VR headsets available right now — precisely because of its more affordable price. It’s still the best way to jump into VR without spending a ton of money, and the Quest 2 has the perks of being completely cordless and comfortable to wear for long sessions. The hardware includes fast-switching LCDs with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, and it comes with Meta’s sold motion controllers.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Roku's Black Friday sale knocks the price of its Streaming Stick 4K down to $30 at Amazon and its own online store. That represents a 40 percent discount. The Streaming Stick 4K is one of the best streaming devices available right now thanks to its support for all the major HDR formats, Dolby Vision and AirPlay 2, among other features. Roku’s TV interface remains super user-friendly, and this dongle also supports private listening with headphones paired to your smartphone via Roku’s companion app.

Sonos Black Friday sale

Sonos has kicked off its Black Friday sale for the year, bringing a range of discounts on smart speakers and home theater gear. The deals include the flagship Sonos Arc soundbar down to $719, which is a $180 discount. The mid-range Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the more basic Sonos Ray are also on sale for $399 and $223, respectively; that's a $100 drop for the former and a $56 drop for the latter. All three devices are recommendations in our guide to the best soundbars. In other home theater deals, the source / continue reading