We’re just a day away from Amazon’s October Prime Day sale, which kicks off on Tuesday and goes through Wednesday, but there are plenty of early deals to be found ahead of time. You’ll need a Prime membership to access some of the discounts, but others are open to everyone. We’ll be rounding up the best of what’s out there on October 10 and 11, but in the meantime, you can get a jump on a few sales that are already live. The best tech deals of the bunch cover a ton of Amazon devices, including Echo speakers, Echo Show smart displays, Blink cameras, Ring doorbells and the Kindle Kids ereader. As for non-Amazon gadgets, we’re seeing strong prices on Hisense 4K TVs, JBL Bluetooth speakers, Google Nest Cams and Roomba robot vacuums.
Apple AirPods Pro (USB-C)
Apple’s AirPods Pro now come with USB-C charging. They’re still the “best for iOS” pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide, as they provide pleasing audio quality, strong active noise cancellation (ANC) and a range of iPhone-friendly features.
Apple recently released a new model of the AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case, improved dust resistance and lossless audio support with the upcoming Vision Pro headset. It’s now on sale for $199, which is $50 off its usual price and the same low we’ve seen for the Lightning version. We consider the AirPods Pros the best wireless earphones for those who use an iPhone or lots of Apple devices. They deliver excellent noise cancellation, a pleasingly warm sound profile, a variety of Apple-specific features such as hands-free Siri, quick pairing and switching between Apple devices, and Find My device tracking. With a recent update, they’ve also gained a useful “Adaptive Audio” mode that blends the pair’s ANC and transparency modes dynamically based on your surroundings. The AirPods Pro with the original Lightning charging case are also on sale for the same price.
Amazon Echo Dot + Kasa Smart Plug Mini
Amazon
The Echo Dot paired with a Kasa Smart Plug Mini is 67 percent off ahead of October Prime Day.
As part of a big Echo speaker sale, the latest Echo Dot is down to $23, and you can get a bundle with the small smart speaker and a Kasa Smart Plug Mini for just $1 more. Considering the Echo Dot is one of our favorite smart speakers and the Kasa smart plug earned a spot on our list of best smart plugs, this is a great bundle for anyone who wants to smarten up their home while sticking to their budget. Also included in this sale are the Echo Pop for $18 and the full-sized Echo for $55.
If you’d like to add a little Star Wars whimsy to your Echo, you can get your speaker in a bundle that throws in Darth Vader, Stormtrooper or Grogu stands. Those sets are between 30 and 49 percent off their list prices.
Amazon Echo Show 5
Amazon
This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen on Amazon’s smallest smart display.
A number of Amazon’s smart displays are on sale ahead of October Prime Day, including the Echo Show 5 for $40. It’s the smallest smart display in the company’s lineup at 5.5 inches, which helps it work well as a sort of smart alarm clock. It has strong audio quality for its size and a sunrise alarm feature, and this updated model included a faster processor and an additional mic for improved Alexa responsiveness. The Echo Show 8 (previous-gen) and the Echo Show 10 are also included in this sale, and there’s a bundle that pairs the Echo Show 5 with a Philips Hue Smart Color Bulb for $42.
Amazon Echo Show 15
Amazon
The Echo Show 15 is big enough to be mounted on a wall and has Fire TV technology built-in.
The Echo Show 15 is 33 percent off right now and down to a near record-low of $185. It’s the biggest smart display in Amazon’s lineup, with a 15.6-inch touchscreen that you can sit on a countertop or mount on a wall, and it supports both portrait and landscape orientation. In addition to showing widgets like sticky notes, calendar views and more, the Show 15 has Fire TV technology built in, so you can treat it like a mini TV and stream shows and movies. And when you’re not actively using the display, you can use it to display pictures using the Photo Frame feature.
EarFun Air Pro 3
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Clip the $20 on-page coupon to get a discount on this recommended pair of noise-canceling earphones.
EarFun’s Air Pro 3 noise-canceling earphones are down to $60 with a $20 on-page coupon. That’s not an all-time low but still $20 off the device’s typical selling price. This is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds. The EarFun Free 2S, our “best under $50” pick in that guide, are also on sale for $36 with a 10 percent coupon.
Amazon Echo Buds (2023)
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
This deal is exclusive to Prime members, but it matches the lowest price we’ve seen for Amazon’s semi-open wireless earbuds.
Prime members can get the latest Amazon Echo Buds for $35, which is $15 off and an all-time low. This is another pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds. Specifically, the Echo Buds should appeal to those who prefer a more open design, one that lets in outside noise but doesn’t insert directly into your ear canal. They can sound solid for the price with a bit of EQ tweaking, and they support features we don’t often see for less than $50, such as wear detection and multipoint connectivity. They also have Alexa baked in, natch. Their IPX2 sweat-resistance rating isn’t enough for workouts, and their five-ish hours of battery life is just average, but they’re worth a look if you’re on a tight budget and hate the feel of traditional in-ear headphones. We gave them a score of 77 earlier this year.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
SAMSUNG
The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic brings back the rotating bezel and is currently seeing it’s biggest discount ever.
Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy Watch 6 Classic alongside the standard Galaxy Watch 6 during its Unpacked event in July. We were particularly delighted by its rotating bezel mechanism, which makes navigating Samsung’s One UI a bit more convenient. We call the Watch 6 series the best Android options for most people in our smartwatch buying guide; compared to the standard model, the Classic is pricier and heavier, but it has a larger display and a more premium stainless steel frame along with that rotating bezel. Right now the watch is seeing a modest eight percent discount, bringing it down to $369 instead of its usual $400. It’s not a huge dip, but it’s still the biggest price drop we’ve seen for the wearable to date.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is pretty expensive, but a $300 discount takes some of the sting out of picking up the company’s flagship foldable.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is $300 off ahead of Amazon’s October Prime Day sale at $1,500. This matches the price it hit a few weeks back for Labor Day. This deal applies to the base model with 256GB of storage; the 512GB model, meanwhile, is down to $1,620 from its usual $1,920. We gave the 7.6-inch Z Fold 5 a score of 86 in our review and named it the best foldable for multitasking in our smartphone buying guide. Overall we were impressed by its speedy performance, handy multitasking gestures and improved hinge, which helps eliminates any air gap when the phone is folded. Our biggest concern is its sky-high price, which this discount makes a little less of an issue.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is on sale as well, with the base 256GB model $100 off at $900. That phone got an Engadget review score of 88 and is currently the top flip-style foldable pick in our guide to the best smartphones.
Amazon Kindle Scribe
Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The Kindle Scribe is the only Kindle with note-taking support, and it’s now within $10 of its all-time low.
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is 22 percent off right now and down to $265. Unlike the deal we saw last month, you don’t have to be a Prime member to get this sale price. The Scribe is one of the best e-ink tablets on the market right now, and it’ll be best for those that want an easy-to-use ereader that also lets you jot down notes as you read. Users can create notebooks on the Scribe to organize their handwritten musings, though only a handful of titles in the Kindle store are considered “write-on” books that allow you to take notes directly in the margins. We gave the Kindle Scribe a review score of 85 last year.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
Amazon
The cheapest streaming stick in Amazon’s lineup supports 1080p content and comes with a basic Alexa voice remote, so it’s best used with a smaller or secondary TV.
A handful of Fire TV devices have been discounted before Amazon’s upcoming sale, including the Fire TV Stick Lite down to $18. It may be the most limited streaming dongle in Amazon’s lineup, but for smaller or secondary TVs, it offers 1080p streaming and a useful voice remote. If you’re willing to spend more for a Fire TV streamer that doubles as an Alexa speaker, you can also snag the Fire TV Cube for a low of $110.
JBL Charge 5 speaker
Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget
This recommended Bluetooth speaker has big sound for its size and a USB-C port to charge your devices. This deal isn’t an all-time low, but it’s still a $50 discount.
A couple of JBL Bluetooth speakers are on sale ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, including the Charge 5 down to $130 instead of its usual $180. That’s about $10 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked but still a $50 discount on one of the mid-range speakers we recommend in our portable Bluetooth speaker buying guide. The Charge 5 has a pleasing and solidly powerful sound, IP67-rated water resistance and battery life rated around 20 hours. You can also use it to recharge your phone via USB-C in a pinch.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon
Amazon’s smart thermostat is an affordable way to better control your home’s temperature and save a bit on energy costs.
Amazon’s Smart Thermostat has dropped to its best price of the year at $56. Note that this sale price is for the model without a C-wire adapter, so you’ll have to make sure your system has a C-wire in order for the thermostat to work. Smart thermostats like this can help you save on energy costs by giving you more granular control over your heating and cooling system. You can use Amazon’s companion app to control your home’s temperature from anywhere, or ask Alexa to turn the temperature up or down as you please.
Amazon Fire HD 8
Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 will be good enough for most people who just need a basic tablet to browse the web, shop online and watch videos.
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet has dropped to $60 as part of a larger tablet sale ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. That’s only $5 more than it was during Prime Day in July. We recommend this slab for those who want a cheap tablet they can give to their kids or use for basic media consumption. This model comes with 32GB of storage, but you can expand that space up to 1TB using a microSD card. Performance isn’t especially fast, and Amazon’s Fire OS is relatively limited — it lacks Google apps, for one — but the whole thing is comfortable and can last more than 10 hours on a charge. If you want a higher-end Fire tablet, the Fire Max 11 is on sale for a low of $150, though that’s a good chunk of change to spend on a Fire OS device.
Blink security cameras
Blink
Blink’s recently released 4th-gen Outdoor cameras are already discounted ahead of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale.
A range of Blink 3rd- and 4th-gen security cameras are also on sale. These deals are particularly noteworthy for including the 4th-gen Outdoor cameras, as those were just announced at the end of August. A three-pack of those new cameras is half off at $135, and there are a bunch of bundles available as well: a two-pack with a Blink Mini for $100, a three-pack with a Blink Video Doorbell for $165, a whole home bundle for $102 and more. These wireless security cameras aren’t the most advanced things around, but they still offer two years of rated battery life, motion and audio alerts, two-way talk and night vision.
Google Nest Cam (Battery)
This is the lowest price we’ve tracked for Google’s indoor/outdoor security camera.
A slew of Google Nest home security devices are on sale at Amazon right now, including the battery-powered Nest Cam that can go inside or outside your home. Typically priced at $180, the security cam is down to $120 ahead of Amazon’s October Prime Day event. The Nest Cam works with smart speakers and displays enabled with Alexa or the Google Assistant and can last up to seven months depending on how much activity it picks up. Its weather-resistant build and magnetic mount should make it easy to install on most surfaces. It sends live alerts to your phone and will even allow for on-demand check-ins without a subscription, though it only stores the last three hours for free. For six months of stored footage, you’ll need a Nest Aware membership.
The Prime Big Deal Days sale is looking like a good time to save on smart home security devices more broadly, as various cameras and doorbells from Arlo are also on sale right now. We’ve had good experiences with Arlo’s equipment in the past.
Ring Video Doorbells
Ring
A big Ring sale has discounted video doorbells, indoor security cameras, alarm systems and more.
There’s a massive Ring sale going on now, which includes the wired Ring Video Doorbell on sale for $35. As the name suggests, you’ll have to hardwire it to your home during installation. If you’d prefer a model that runs on a rechargeable battery, consider the standard Ring Video Doorbell, which is down to $55. The sale also includes Ring Stick Up cameras for inside the home, as well as various Ring Alarm bundles.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids
Amazon
Prime members can save on various Kindle Essentials bundles before Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale.
A few Kindle Essentials Bundles have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the October Prime Day sale, including this Kids model on sale for $143. It contains the 6.8-inch Kindle Paperwhite Kids ereader with a cover, screen protector, power adapter, two-year warranty and one-year subscription to Amazon’s Kids+ content service. The Kids+ subscription gives access to a selection of child-appropriate ebooks and audiobooks; just remember that the membership will automatically renew after the first year.
Amazon Kindle Kids
Amazon
The kids edition of the Kindle comes with a colorful cover and a year’s membership to Amazon Kids+. Other than that it’s basically the same as a standard Kindle, and it’s down to $80.
The Kindle Kids, meanwhile, is on sale for $80, which is five dollars more than it went for during July’s Prime Day sale. This device is the same as the standard Kindle in terms of hardware, but, as above, it comes with a cover, a two-year warranty and a year-long subscription to Amazon Kids+. With that subscription, you can also use the parent dashboard to check up on your kid’s reading progress, add books or set bedtimes. Compared to the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, it has a smaller 6-inch display, fewer front lights and no waterproofing, but if you want to save a few bucks, it might be worthwhile.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
This is our pick for the best kids tablet you can buy and now it’s down to its lowest price ever.
Amazon’s Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is the top recommendation for kids in our tablet buying guide. It has a list price of $200 and often sells for $140, but this early Prime Big Deal Days offer drops it down to an all-time low of $120. The tablet comes with a protective case that also serves as a stand and handle, plus a two-year warranty and a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+ service. It comes with a fairly robust selection of parental controls as well.
iRobot Roomba j7+ Combo
iRobot
Our top recommendation for a robot vacuum and mop combo is currently $300 off.
As part of an iRobot early Prime Day sale, the Roomba j7+ Combo is on sale for $799, which is a $300 savings. We name this the best robovac and mop combo in our robot vacuum buying guide. It’s certainly expensive, but it does well to automatically know where to mop versus where to vacuum. It’ll also automatically empty its dry debris, though you’ll still need to fill and empty its water tank when the time comes. As with many Roombas we’ve tested, we also appreciated its effective obstacle avoidance and suction power.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon
New subscribers can get three months of Amazon’s premium music streaming service for free. Those who also subscribe to Amazon Prime get a four-month free trial.
If you’ve never subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited, you can now get three months of the music streaming service for free. If you’re an Amazon Prime member who has never subscribed, that jumps to four months. Music Unlimited usually comes with a one-month free trial and goes for $11 a month — or $10 if you use Prime — so this deal saves you either $22 or $30. We highlight Music Unlimited in our guide to the best music streaming services: Its UI and music discovery features aren’t as robust as Apple Music or Spotify, but it offers a large library in CD streaming quality and a wide podcast selection. Naturally, it also works well with Echo speakers and other Amazon devices. Note that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default, so you’ll have to manually cancel if you’re just looking to snag a few months of music streaming at no cost.
Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi system
eero
An Eero Pro 6E three pack will give you Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, up to 6,000 square feet of coverage and a built-in smart home hub.
Amazon has discounted most of its Eero 6 Wi-Fi systems as an early Prime Big Deal Days deal, including the most powerful of the bunch, the Eero Pro 6E. You can pick up one router for $180, or spring for a three-pack for $400, both of which are down to record-low prices. Devices with support for Wi-Fi 6E can connect directly to the Eero’s 6 GHz radio band, and if you get the three-pack, you’ll get up to 6,000 square feet of coverage — more than enough for most homes. These Eeros have a built-in smart home hub as well, so you don’t need to have an extra device if you want to build out an IoT ecosystem in your house.
Hisense U6K TV
Hisense
This matches the lowest price we’ve seen for Hisense’s well-regarded budget-level 4K TV.
Hisense’s U6K 4K TV is on sale, with the 55- and 65-inch models down to $400 and $548, respectively. We’ve seen these deals before, but each matches an all-time low. The U6K is a new Hisense TV for 2023 that’s received generally positive reviews. It’s one of the few budget-level sets with quantum dots, full-array local dimming and a mini-LED backlight, so it should deliver better contrast and color volume than most TVs in its price range. It’s not ideal for gaming though, as it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks HDMI 2.1 ports. In general, it can’t match the brightness or viewing angles of a more expensive set, but it looks to be a good buy if you’re on a tighter budget. If you’ve got more cash to spend, Hisense’s U7K and U8K TVs are discounted as well and similarly well-reviewed.
Amazon Fire Omni QLED Series TVs
Amazon
Many of Amazon’s Omni QLED series TVs are on sale ahead of October’s Prime sales event.
All sizes of Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED Series are on sale ahead of October’s sale. The 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch models are down to $380, $400, $440 and $590, respectively. Those match or beat the prices we saw during July’s Prime Day sale. The Hisense TVs above provide better value in terms of picture quality, but the Fire TV Omni QLED sets are best for people who like Amazon’s Fire interface, which is easy enough to figure out, though it tends to push you towards Amazon’s own content. Beyond that, Fire TVs do well to integrate Alexa with a useful voice remote and hands-free smart home support. If you don’t feel like having Alexa listening in, you can turn off the mics with a built-in switch.
Your Fall Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
