UPDATE: Nov. 19, 2024, 12:30 p.m. EST This story contains the best deals live at Amazon ahead of the official start of its Black Friday event on Nov. 21.
It seems that Amazon is playing the long game this Black Friday.
The monster retailer announced the official dates for its Black Friday sale weeks later than the other big stores, and the event itself doesn’t start until Thursday, Nov. 21. And if you’re at all familiarized with the way Black Friday works nowadays, you know that a Black Friday sale starting a week before Thanksgiving isn’t all that early — considering Best Buy, Walmart, and Target have all already dropped their first rounds of Black Friday deals.
But by now, any seasoned Black Friday shopper probably also knows that the lack of official Black Friday nomenclature doesn’t mean that early Black Friday deals don’t exist. They’re just technically not being called that yet.
Amazon Prime Day vs. Black Friday: When are the deals better?
In Amazon’s case, several iconic Black Friday product categories are already quietly seeing several items on sale, including Kindles, robot vacuums, Apple products, and Fire TVs. Many are already matching the prices we saw during Amazon’s last big event, October Prime Day, which just took place in October.
We’re tracking the noteworthy early deals we find at Amazon in the days leading up to its official rope drop on Nov. 21 and actual Black Friday on Nov. 29, and will give a heads up if Amazon starts using that red “Black Friday deal” tag early. Note that the “noteworthy” prices below are extremely likely to drop even further as the event gets closer, with new record-low pricing all but guaranteed to be on the horizon.
As you assess your purchase options, definitely keep an eye on our coverage on the other big retailers to see how their early deals compare to Amazon’s — the competition is providing some serious variety at this point in the game. Otherwise, feel free to drop the listing URL into Amazon price history tracker Camelcamelcamel to see if the current deal is a good one, or add the item to your wishlist to get notified as soon as it goes on sale.
Best Kindle deal
Why we like it
“Among the new Kindles is a redesigned Scribe, which comes in classic black or a flashy metallic jade and won’t be officially available until Dec. 4. The new Scribe’s screen got a makeover with added white borders to give it a more notebook-like feel. If the new model is anything like the current one, I’m excited to see what it offers.
If you’re an annotator, the Kindle Scribe is the e-reader for you. The matte screen feels like writing on paper, and includes a notebook section so you can take notes in addition to annotating your e-books. Personally, I like writing with the Kindle Scribe far more than I do with an iPad and Apple Pencil.
This deal gives you a little extra off ahead of the Scribe’s December release. The Essentials Bundle comes with the device, premium pen, folio-style case, and power adapter — everything you need to get started. Normally $539.97, you can find the bundle for $479.97, saving you $60 for 11% off.” — Samantha Mangino, Shopping Reporter
More Kindle deals
Best robot vacuum deal
Why we like it
“I think of the Roborock Qrevo S as the diet version of my favorite self-emptying robot vacuum right now, the Roborock Qrevo Master. And unless you’re open to spending $1,000 or more on a robot vacuum, you can probably live without the Qrevo Master’s fluff features like a livestream pet camera or extending side mop — especially when, at this price, you could buy a Qrevo S for two stories of your home for less tahn the price of one on-sale Qrevo Master.
Opting for the cheaper Qrevo is still a solid move: Compared to other 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop combos also on sale ahead of Black Friday, the Qrevo S is one of the rare options under $500 that washes and dries its mopping pads.” — Leah Stodart, Senior Shopping Reporter
More robot vacuum deals at Amazon
Robot vacuum and mop combos
Best TV deal
Why we like it
“Many people looking to finally replace their old, slow LED TV are looking for the happy medium between the cheapest possible TV and the fanciest possible TV. TCL’s base tier QLEDs fall right in this sweet spot, and we’re particularly drawn to the $599.99 price point on this huge 75-incher.
Though the 20% discount itself isn’t as steep as the 30% or 40% off ones we’re seeing in our list, it has to be noted that the TV is already ridiculously modestly priced to start with. The $599.99 price point looks even sweeter in context when put beside the 65-inch version of Amazon’s in-house Omni QLED is also on sale for the same price — so you’re getting 10 more diagonal inches of screen for the same amount of money.
Even as one of the more basic QLEDs on the market, you’ll immediately notice the change in brightness and color of the Q65 over the regular LED you’ve been watching. The difference comes from a layer of quantum dots laid over the LED backlight, which provides an overall punchier picture that’s much better for gaming or watching sports.” — Leah Stodart, Senior Shopping Reporter
More TV deals at Amazon
43-inch TVs
50- to 55-inch TVs
65-inch TVs
75-inch TVs and up
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Amazon 75-inch Omni 4K Fire TV — $799.99
$1,049.99(save $250) -
TCL 85-inch Q65 Mini LED ULED 4K TV — $899.99
$1,599.99(save $700) -
TCL 75-inch QM7 QLED 4K TV — $998
$1,499.99(save $501.99) -
Sony 85-inch X77L 4K TV — $998
$1,498(save $500) -
Hisense 75-inch U8 Mini LED ULED 4K TV — $1,407.99
$1,999.99(save $592) -
LG 77-inch B3 OLED 4K TV — $1,496.99
$2,296.99(save $800) -
Hisense 85-inch U8 Mini LED ULED 4K TV — $1,697.99
$2,799.99(save $1,102)
Best Apple deal
Why we like it
Considering the M4 MacBook Pro hasn’t even been on this plane of existence for a full month (it was announced at the Apple Event at the end of October), already getting a $200 discount on the base configuration model is pretty major. That’s Black Friday season for you.
So, what’s the difference between the M3 and M4 MacBooks, aside from the fact that the M4 powered one is the fastest MacBook that’s ever existed? All of your creative projects and gaming will not only benefit from zippier performance of the chip, but will display more responsive motion and gush brighter colors through the M4 MacBook’s new quantum dot Liquid Retina display.
More Apple deals at Amazon
MacBooks
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Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $949.99
$1,199(save $149.01) -
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,099.00
$1,299(save $199.01) -
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299
$1,449(save $150) -
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $1,099.00
$1,299(save $199.01) -
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,199
$1,499(save $300) -
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299.99
$1,499(save $199.01) -
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,399
$1,799(save $400)
Macs
iPads
Mashable Deals
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Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M2, WiFi, 128GB) — $499
$599(save $100) -
Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M2, WiFi, 128GB) — $699
$799(save $100) -
Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M2, WiFi, 512GB) — $799
$899(save $100) -
Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M2, WiFi, 256GB) — $799
$899(save $100)
Apple Watches
AirPods and speakers
AirTags
Best headphones deal
Why we like it
Check out our full review of the Sony WH-1000XM5.
“If you want headphones that have great noise cancelling and incredible (adjustable) sound, then the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones won’t let you down. Out of the noise-cancelling headphones we’ve tested, these are our top pick for audiophiles. It can be a little annoying that the ear cups don’t fold in, but with 30 hours of battery life, you’ll probably find yourself wearing them more often than not. Dropped down to $297, these headphones are at a dollar cheaper than their Prime Day price. Our guess is that this means they’ll drop even lower on Black Friday, but if you want to pick up a pair early, this is a decent price.” — Bethany Allard, Lead Shopping Reporter
More headphones deals at Amazon
Noise-canceling over-ear and on-ear headphones
Noise-canceling earbuds
Best fitness tracker deal
Why we like it
Just released in August, this is the first time the new Google Pixel Watch 3 has ever gone on sale for less than $300 — weeks before actual Black Friday, at that. Unfortunately, the larger 45mm screen is still at full price, but even this 41mm model has a 10% larger display than the same size Pixel Watch 2, thanks to smaller bezels. The Pixel Watch 3’s display is also just brighter and zippier in general, without sacrificing that 24-hour battery life.
On that screen, you’ll be able to swipe through a more detailed running dashboard than the previous generation, check your heart rate changes from sleep, to regular daytime chilling, to a legit cardio workout, make payments via Google Wallet, and more.
More fitness tracker and smartwatch deals at Amazon
Best kitchen deal
Why we like it
One of the new and improved versions of Ninja’s iconic air fryer ovens is quietly sitting at $299.99 — not only record-low pricing, but the first time this model has seen a discount at all. This countertop air frying oven, specifically model number DCT651, has an XL double stack design that can cook two separate food items on different settings or at different temperatures simultaneously. In total, there are 12 cooking presets, including bake, broil, toast, whole roast, and dehydrate.
More kitchen deals at Amazon
Topics
Amazon
Black Friday
