Black Friday Tech Deals 2023: Gift Guide & Best Offers

Black Friday is nearly here! In a year where routinely querying Alexa for the date feels commonplace, this Black Friday season appears to have arrived unexpectedly.

As is often the case, many Black Friday promotions are… less advantageous than they appear. While genuine savings can be discovered, there’s also considerable marketing intended to assist stores and manufacturers in liquidating older inventory and achieving their fourth-quarter financial goals.

It’s also a time when it’s remarkably simple to purchase unnecessary items simply because of a significant discount. Keeping that in perspective, we’ve focused this compilation on products we would suggest even at their regular prices. We will update this list with any other noteworthy offers we find in the coming days, so please revisit it periodically.

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Here are a few points to consider today:

• If you encounter a sale and want to verify if the discounted price is genuinely lower than usual, utilize a price tracking tool such as camelcamelcamel. If the price was artificially inflated recently only to be “reduced” by a certain percentage this week, be cautious.
• Exercise some skepticism regarding television offers. While TV deals are available, the most prominent discounts often involve excess panels rebranded with a new model number. Research the model number online; if that particular TV appears to exist solely for Black Friday, proceed with caution.

 

Apple

Black Friday discounts from Apple, previously rare, are becoming increasingly available. However, these offers typically sell out quickly!

• Amazon and Walmart are currently offering the AirPods Pro at a price of $170, representing a significant reduction from their standard retail price of $250. Availability appears to fluctuate, making this a potentially difficult item to secure.
• On Amazon, the 40mm GPS-enabled version of the newest Apple Watch (Series 6) is available for $379, reduced from its original price of $399. Although the price decrease is $20, it’s noteworthy considering the product’s recent September release.
• Best Buy is featuring attractive discounts on the newest (8th generation) iPads. A 10.2″ model with 32GB of storage is priced at $280, down from its usual cost of $330, while the 128GB version is available for $360, a reduction from $430.

Amazon

As shoppers turn to Amazon during Black Friday sales, the company frequently provides substantial price reductions on its own line of devices to capitalize on the increased traffic and attract new customers to its platform. As anticipated:

• The price of Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet has been reduced to $80, a discount from its regular price of $150.
• The latest Echo Dot, featuring a spherical design, is available for $29, down from its usual cost of $50. The model equipped with a clock display is currently priced at $39, reduced from $60.
• The Kindle Paperwhite eBook reader, with ad-free access and maximum storage capacity, is offered at $129, compared to its standard price of $180. Furthermore, the exceptionally well-regarded Kindle Oasis is available for $219, a decrease from $299.

Google

Google consistently offers substantial discounts during Black Friday sales, and this year follows that pattern. Here are a few current offers:

• The Nest Hello video doorbell is available for $179, a reduction from its regular price of $229.
• The Nest Hub is priced at $50, down from $90, while the larger Nest Hub Max (shown in the image above) is offered at $179, reduced from $229.
• The newest version of the Nest Mini smart speaker is selling for $19, compared to its usual price of $50. The more powerful Nest Audio speaker is available for $85 each (typically $99), but requires a purchase of two units.
• The Stadia Premiere Edition – a complete package to begin using Google’s Stadia cloud gaming platform, featuring a Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra – is currently $70, discounted from $100. Considering the controller alone generally costs $70, this deal essentially provides a free Chromecast Ultra for those interested in trying Stadia.

Roku

Currently, the recently released Roku Streambar – effectively combining the functionality of a Roku streaming device and a soundbar into a single unit – is available for $100, a reduction from its usual retail price of $130.

Sonos

For those looking to grow their Sonos setup – and a key benefit of Sonos is the ability to expand – Black Friday often presents a favorable opportunity. While this year’s Sonos discounts are somewhat constrained, worthwhile price reductions are still available. Amazon currently offers the Sonos Move, a portable speaker, for $299, a reduction from its regular price of $399, and the Sonos SUB for $599, down from its usual cost of $699. Additionally, Sonos is directly offering its Beam Playbar at $299, discounted from its standard price of $399.

Hulu

For those comfortable with viewing advertisements, Hulu is significantly reducing the cost of its plan that includes ads, dropping the monthly price from $6 to just $2 for the duration of one year. Unfortunately, there are no discounts available for the subscription option without advertisements, which remains priced at the standard $12 per month; however, if you were already considering the ad-supported plan, this represents a considerable savings.

Calm

The widely-used Calm app, which delivers guided meditation and relaxing sleep sounds through a subscription model, currently features two special offers. A yearly membership is available at a 50% discount, reduced from its regular price of $70 to $35. Alternatively, customers can acquire a lifetime membership with a 60% price reduction, bringing the cost down from $399 to $159.

Video games

It is unlikely you will discover discounts on this year’s latest Xbox or Playstation consoles, as they have consistently experienced high demand. The most attractive offers this year will focus on games, subscription services, and, in some instances, accessories.

The same situation applies to the Nintendo Switch. Despite the absence of a new hardware release this season, the console continues to be in high demand. If you are seeking substantial savings on a Switch console itself this year, be aware that stock levels are exceptionally limited—any retailer advertising a Switch deal is likely attempting to attract visitors to their website.

Xbox deals

• Microsoft is currently offering Xbox controllers, compatible with the next-generation Xbox Series consoles, for $40, a reduction from their standard price of $60.
• Best Buy is providing a 3-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s game subscription service similar to Netflix, for $23, discounted from its usual cost of $45.
• Gears 5 is available for $5 (normally $40) at Best Buy, Doom Eternal is priced at $20 (typically $60) at GameStop, and Microsoft is applying a $10 discount to the recently remastered Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.

Playstation deals

• Sony is offering a 12-month subscription to Playstation Plus, which enables online multiplayer gaming, for $45, reduced from $60.
• Amazon is listing Last of Us Part II for $30 (regularly $60), and GameStop, along with several other retailers, have Ghost of Tsushima available for $40 (normally $60). Sony is also offering the challenging yet captivating Cuphead for $15, down from $20.
• Many retailers will also feature sales on titles such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Watch Dogs Legion, and Star Wars Squadrons.

Switch deals

• Nintendo is discounting Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Maker 2, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Mario Tennis Aces, and Zelda Link’s Awakening to $40 (normally $60) through Amazon and most other retailers. These are all excellent choices!