Amazon has zillions of items on sale. These are the ones worth checking out.
Happy Black Friday in July, everyone! Yep, it’s Amazon Prime Day, which brings deals that are as good as — in some cases even better than — the day after Turkey Day. (A prime example: The Kindle Paperwhite is $80 — 10 bucks less than on Cyber Monday and the lowest price to date.)
Of course, as I typically caution on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, don’t let FOMO get the best of you. Just because something is on sale doesn’t make it the best deal of all time. So make sure you know how to determine if that Prime Day deal is really a deal. Right now I’m a big fan of the CamelCamelCamel browser plug-in, because with one click I can see a product’s complete price history.
To that end, I’ve cut through all the Prime Day hype to bring you the deals I think are worth your time. And check back often: I’ll update this list throughout the day as new deals bubble up.
Last update: July 17,2:35 p.m. PT.
As you might expect, Amazon is running a full-court press on its own gear. Yes, these items go on sale frequently, but not all at once, and not always at such steep discounts.
Amazon Fire TV Stick: $20. Amazon’s streaming stick has frequently been on sale for $30, but today it’s at an all-time low. Is it better than the equivalent Roku? Well, it’s certainly cheaper, and its Alexa-powered voice controls are, I would argue, better than what Roku currently delivers on the voice front.
Refurbished Echo 2nd-gen: $60. Wait a sec. If the Echo is priced at $70 new (which it is for Prime Day, down from the usual $100), why go refurb to save only $10? Simple: It’s literally good as new, with a full one-year warranty. So why not save $10 if you can save $10? Take note, however, that price is good only for the cloth-covered versions; if you want a wood finish, there goes your $10 savings.
Interestingly, Ebates is currently offering 4 percent cash back on Amazon electronics purchases — usually you’re lucky to get 1 percent.
The Vaux portable speaker dock for Echo Dot: $30. Although some reviewers have encountered reliability issues, I’ve owned one of these for about eight months, and so far, so good. Great speaker upgrade for a second-gen Dot, great way to make it more mobile (thanks to its rechargeable battery). It normally runs $40. Update, July 17: This deal is now active, but it’s a Lightning Deal scheduled to end at 12:30 p.m. PT (unless it sells out first).
The Aomais Life 30W portable Bluetooth speaker: $50 with code RX5JW3FR. Like bamboo? Check out the front of this bookshelf-style speaker, which features a stylish bamboo bezel, dual drivers and a passive subwoofer. And while it looks like something that’s meant to stay put, it can play for up to 10 hours on the go, according to Aomais. It normally sells for $80.
The Tribit XSound Go: $29 with code TRIBIT08. A recent addition to CNET’s list of the best Bluetooth speakers, the XSound Go normally sells for $36 — already a killer deal. It’s waterproof and can play for a whopping 24 hours (at medium volume) on a charge.
Read more: Best Prime Day 2018 deals: Headphones and audio
The ChargeTech Portable AC Outlet Battery Pack: $140 with code AMUZISNW. Powerful enough to charge not only your phones and tablets but also your laptop, this 27,000-mAh power bank features a three-prong AC outlet that supports a maximum draw of 85 watts. It often sells for as much as $225 and hasn’t dipped below $185 since 2017.
The Moto X4: $200. Now this is a Prime Day deal. The fourth-generation Moto X (aka Moto X4) phone has been selling for $299 from Motorola proper, but Amazon has scarcely dipped below $279 since adding it as a Prime Exclusive phone earlier this year. At $200, it’s definitely an all-time low — and a killer buy, as evidenced by CNET’s overwhelmingly positive Moto X4 review.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus and a free $430 smart-home bundle. Thinking about buying a new Samsung Galaxy S9? Now’s the time: When you buy the unlocked S9 for $720 or S9 Plus for $840, you’ll also receive an Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Spot and Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit — a combined value of $430.
1 year of Red Pocket Mobile for $199 with code PRIMO119. This is actually not a Prime Day deal (gasp!), but it’s worth mentioning anyway. For $199 you get a full year of Red Pocket Mobile unlimited service, which includes 5GB of LTE data per month. That breaks out to just $16.58 per month; Mint Mobile will cost you $20 for roughly the same plan. Wondering about the differences between the two? Read my Mint-vs.-Red-Pocket comparison from back in April.
The Nokia 2 for $79. That’s your price at checkout; it’s normally $99. The Nokia 2 is an unlocked GSM phone with a 5-inch screen, big battery (4,100mAh!) and room for two SIM cards (or one SIM and a microSD card — the latter probably more important given the measly 8GB of internal storage). Granted, reviews are mixed, but a Nokia-branded Android phone for $80 is pretty amazing.
Read more: Best Prime Day 2018 deals: Smartphones and mobile
The Toshiba 50-inch 4K LED TV – Fire Edition: $290. This model, introduced earlier this year, has never sold below its $400 regular price. No need to add a Roku or even Fire TV — the Toshiba has the latter baked right in. You also get an Alexa-friendly remote with shortcut buttons to streaming services like Netflix, HBO and — natch — Amazon Video.
The Sensibo Sky smart air-conditioning controller: $99. If you own one of those wall-mount AC units, you can make it smart and save a hefty $50: The Sensibo Sky is normally $149. Just mount it underneath so it can point at the AC’s IR receiver. From there you can use your phone to do all the usual „smart“ things: set schedules, control it from afar and so on. It works with voice controls, too.
Read more: Best Prime Day 2018 deals: TVs and home video
Read more: Best Prime Day 2018 deals: Smart home
The Fitbit Alta HR: $90. The new Fitbit Versa appeared on our list of embargoed Prime Day deals, but Fitbit tells us no such bargain is planned. However, the Fitbit Alta HR — one of CNET’s favorite fitness bands of 2017 — is definitely 40 percent off. Update, July 17: As of this morning, only two Alta models remain: black and blue-gray, both in small.
Me, I’m still of the opinion that the best smartwatch/fitness-tracker deal is the Amazfit Bip (currently $70 at Amazon, down from $100 — though not specifically as a Prime Day deal). It’s not perfect, but, wow, it’s way cheaper.
Read more: Best Prime Day 2018 deals: Smartwatches and fitness trackers
The Acer Chromebook 11: $140. Just your basic 11.6-inch Chromebook, one with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. But Amazon has never sold it for less than $190, so this is definitely a good savings — and probably a great first computer for a young student.
The Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook: $199.
