With each passing year, the phrase "Black Friday" becomes more of a misnomer. What was once a day of post-Thanksgiving special offers has become a month of sales promotions from retailers across the web. It's happening again in 2023: Target and Best Buy are already advertising their early Black Friday deals; Amazon is price matching many of those discounts and has its own "Holiday Deals" landing page; and Walmart says it'll kick off its first wave of Black Friday deals on November 8. Many other shops and manufacturers have (or will soon have) early deals as well.

This barrage of sales promos can be aggravating, but it also presents a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done at something closer to your own pace. To help, we've rounded up the best early Black Friday deals we can find below. There's always a chance we get bigger discounts on November 24, but we're already seeing all-time lows on Google's Pixel 7a, Amazon's Echo Show 5, LG's A2 OLED TV and other gadgets we like. We'll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back if there's anything else you've had your eye on. 

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

The latest version of Apple's AirPods Pro is back on sale for $200 at Amazon and Target. That's about $10 more than their record-low price and $50 off their 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.

Logitech G203 gaming mouse

Amazon is having a big sale on Logitech gaming accessories and peripherals, including gaming headsets, mice, keyboards and more. Of note is the Logitech G203 Lightsync wired gaming mouse, which is half off and down to only $20. It’s one of our favorite gaming mice thanks in no small part to its affordable price, but it’s also fairly lightweight and sturdily built with an ambidextrous design that will work for right- and left-handed users. Also discounted is the Logitech G733 Lightspeed wireless gaming headset, which is 20 percent off and down to $120. It has an attractive design with subtle LED lighting and a stretch band, and it has a solid wireless connection with audio to match.

Brümate early Black Friday deal

Brümate’s early Black Friday deals offer 25 percent off most of its drinkware through November 7 when you use the code CYBER25 at checkout. We’ve recommended different Brumate gear in gift guides over the years, and one of our current favorites is the Hopsulator Trio, thanks to its ability to keep cans nice and cold even during the hottest of summer days. This particular model is only for standard-sized cans, but the company makes all different sizes if you (or someone on your holiday shopping list) prefers skinny-canned drinks or bottles.

Solo Stove early Black Friday deal

Solo Stove’s Black Friday deals have knocked up to $245 off fire pit bundles, up to $100 off fire pits by themselves and even more. A standout is the Ranger Backyard Bundle 2, which is $145 off and down to $320. It includes the company’s most compact fire pit along with its accompanying shield, stand, lid and shelter. Everything you’d need for an easy setup right out of the box is included in this bundle, and the 2.0-version of the Ranger includes a removable base plate and ash pan, both of which make the fire pit much easier to clean.

ProtonVPN early Black Friday deal

Our favorite VPN service, ProtonVPN, is having a rare sale for Black Friday that brings a monthly subscription down to only $4 for a total of 30 months. That means you’ll pay $120 for two and a half years of access, which is a pretty good deal. ProtonVPN passed our tests with high marks, but what made it stand out among other VPN security services was its independently audited no-logs policy, and the fact that the company has proven they don't comply with law enforcement requests to reveal data. If you want to jump in head-first with Proton services, the company has discounted Proton Unlimited, which includes access to VPN, Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass, to just under $9 per month for the first year.

Beats headphone sale

A handful of wireless headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats are also discounted this week. The Beats Fit Pro, for one, is back down to $160. That's $15 more than its all-time low but about $20 less than its average street price. The Fit Pro is the top pick for workouts in our wireless earbuds guide, as it offers a fun sound and many of the Apple-friendly perks of the AirPods Pro in a more stable and sporty design. Its ANC isn't as strong, however, and it lacks support for wireless charging and multi-device pairing. We gave the Fit Pro a review score of 87 in 2021. 

Elsewhere, the more basic Beats Studio Buds + are back at a low of $130, while the over-ear Beats Studio Pro is on sale for $200. Neither of those are top picks in our guides, but they may be worthwhile if you're an Apple fan and dig the Beats aesthetic. We gave the Studio Buds + a review score of 84 in May and the Studio Pro a review score of 81 in July.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon's latest Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max have received their first discounts since they arrived in September. The former is $20 off at $30, while the latter is $15 off at $45. Between the two, the Max has a slightly faster processor clocked at 2.0GHz (instead of 1.7GHz), 16GB of internal storage (instead of 8GB) and support for the Wi-Fi 6E (instead of just Wi-Fi 6). It also includes Amazon's "Ambient Experience" mode, which displays artwork and widgets when the streamer is idle. That said, both dongles should be quick to load content. Both support the requisite streaming apps, Dolby Atmos and all the major HDR formats as well.

The downsides are the familiar ones with Fire TV devices: The UI is saddled with ads and not shy about nudging you toward Amazon services like Prime Video and Freevee. But if you often use those apps (or Alexa) and just want a competent 4K streamer for cheap, that may not be an issue. 

On the higher end of the Fire TV lineup, the Fire TV Cube is also on sale for $110. That ties the all-time low for the streaming box/Alexa speaker hybrid. You can also pair the Fire TV Stick 4K Max with Blink's 1080p Video Doorbell for $65 total, though that offer is only available for Prime members and is only scheduled to run through November 3.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon's Echo Show 5 is back down to $40, which ties the lowest price we've tracked. That's $50 off the 5.5-inch smart display's list price, though the device has been on sale for much of the past month. We highlight the Echo Show 5 in our smart display buying guide: The 8-inch Echo Show 8 has a better screen, richer speakers and a much sharper camera for video calls, but the Echo Show 5 offers much of the same functionality in a more compact design. If you prefer Alexa to the Google Assistant and want a smarter kind of alarm clock for your nightstand, it should work well. The Echo Show 8 isn't discounted, though that may change by Black Friday.

Google Nest Hub

If you're partial to the Google Assistant, Google's Nest Hub is also on sale for $60 at Target, B&H, Best Buy, Google's online store and others. That's $20 higher than its all-time low but still $40 off Google's list price. The Nest Hub is the top overall pick in our smart display buying guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in 2021. It has a 7-inch screen, so it's a bit bigger than the Echo Show 5 but should still be compact enough to fit neatly in a bedroom or small office. While it lacks a built-in camera, that may be a selling point for those who especially sensitive to their privacy (though no smart display is truly privacy-conscious). 

Ultimately, whether it's worth getting a Nest Hub or Echo Show depends on what services you use: If you own a bunch of Nest devices and depend on apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, Google's display will make sense. If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $129. That's a $100 discount. Google says these offers will last through November 5.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon and B&H. Though this isn't an all-time low, it's about $70 off Sony's list price and $20 lower than the headphones' usual recurring sale price. The XM5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best wireless headphones, as it offers a comfortable design, powerful ANC, crisp call quality and 30 or so hours of battery life. It also comes with a number useful bonus features such as "Speak to Chat," which automatically pauses your music when you start talking to somebody else. By default, its bass-heavy sound plays well with hip-hop and EDM, though you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony's app. We gave the XM5 a score of 95 in our review last year. B&H's product listing says that this particular deal will end on November 5.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony's WF-1000XM5, meanwhile, is the top overall pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, and it's now down to a new low of $248 at Amazon and B&H. Several other retailers have it for $2 more. Normally, these noise-canceling earphones go for $300. Like the over-ear XM5, this in-ear model delivers excellent ANC (with strong passive isolation), loads of helpful features and a warm sound that's fun out of the box but can be customized if needed. Battery life is decent at seven or eight hours per charge and, notably, the design is lighter, smaller and altogether more comfortable than past Sony earbuds. The WF-1000XM5 earned a score of 87 in our review this past July. This deal also runs through November 5.

Google Pixel 7a

Google's Pixel 7a is down to $374 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Google's online store. That's a new all-time low and $125 off Google's list price. The Pixel 7a is the top midrange pick for Android fans in our smartphone buying guide, and we gave it a score of 90 in our review this past May. While it's a clear step behind the best flagship phones, its steady performance, detailed photo quality, robust battery life and wireless charging support help it punch above its price range. A lovely 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display, IP67-rated water resistance and the promise of OS updates into 2026 (with security updates into 2028) only further the value. The design is mostly plastic, and the display maxes at a 90Hz refresh rate instead of 120Hz, but those are hardly complaints for less than $400. Again, Google says this deal will run through November 5.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon, Walmart and Target, which is a deal we've seen for much of the past month but still matches the tablet's lowest-ever price. 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 still 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 want a more modern design, the iPad Air is the top pick in our guide, and it's now on sale for $500. Be warned, though: A recent Bloomberg report says that Apple plans to launch new tablets in the spring. If you don't need an iPad right away, it's probably worth waiting.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet is on sale for all-time low of $399 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Google's own online store. That's $100 off the 11-inch slate's list price and $10 less than the deal we saw during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale last month. We gave the Pixel Tablet a review score of 85 earlier this year: Its crisp LCD display, clean software and solid Tensor G2 chip make it a solid Android tablet in its own right, but its biggest selling point is the charging speaker dock that comes with it. Plop the Pixel Tablet onto that and it becomes a Nest Hub Max-style smart display and smart home hub. This deal applies to the base model with 128GB of storage, but the 256GB version is also $100 off at $499. As with the other Google deals above, Google says this offer will run through November 5. 

LG A2 OLED TV

We expect to see many more TV deals as we get closer to Black Friday, but for now one standout is LG's 48-inch A2 OLED TV on sale for a new low of $550 at Best Buy. This is an entry-level model from 2022, so it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn't support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. That said, it's still an OLED TV, so it delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms. Just note that it can't get as bright as higher-end OLED sets, so it's best situated away from direct sunlight. 

Apple MacBook Air (15-inch)

A configuration of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage is down to $1,499 at Best Buy. That's $200 less than Apple's MSRP. If you can live with less memory, a version with 8GB of RAM is on sale for $1,250 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. Either way, the MacBook Air is the top pick in our laptop buying guide, as it has just about everything we want from a mainstream notebook: A premium design, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, a lovely display, long battery life, great speakers and solid performance. Compared to the 13-inch Air, this model has more powerful speakers alongside its larger screen. We gave it a score of 96 in our review this past June.

The MacBook Air's main downsides are that it only has two Thunderbolt ports and, as always, it's virtually impossible to upgrade after the fact. Plus, with the recent introduction of the new M3 chip, the countdown is on for a refresh. A recent Bloomberg report says that Apple plans to launch an M3-powered MacBook Air at some point in 2024, though that shouldn't make this current model obsolete if you need a new laptop right away. 

FAQs

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

What day is Black Friday 2023 at Walmart?

Walmart Black Friday deals will begin early this year on November 8. Walmart+ members will get a few hours of early access to Black Friday deals if they shop online on November 8, with access for everyone else starting later that day. Walmart will match its online Black Friday deals in stores starting November 10.

Will Amazon have a Black Friday sale in 2023?

Amazon will likely have a Black Friday sale in 2023. While the online retailer hasn’t made its deals known yet like Walmart has, Amazon will almost certainly have deals across all of the types of products it sells, including electronics. We anticipate seeing record-low prices on Amazon devices in particular, like Echo speakers, Fire TVs, Kindles and more. In years past, Amazon Black Friday deals have brought some of the best prices of the year on our favorite gadgets and gear, including headphones, tablets, smartwatches, robot vacuums and more.

What other retailers have Black Friday sales in 2023?

Most retailers have Black Friday sales, so you can expect to see Target, Best Buy, and others join Walmart and Amazon in discounting inventory to capitalize on holiday shopping interest. In the consumer electronics space, we expect most companies to have some sort of Black Friday promotion, so that means you will likely be able to get big-ticket items from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, LG, Sonos and others for much cheaper prices.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Black Friday is still a couple of weeks away, but the sales are already starting. Take Logitech, which has markdowns on lots of its best devices on Amazon, including the G733 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset. The well-made and stylish headphones (we named them one of the cutest gaming accessories) are currently $120, down from $150 — a 20 percent discount. 

Logitech's G733 headset backs up its good looks with powerful sound, a 20-meter range and up to 29 hours of battery life. Plus, its stretchy band and interchangeable earbud tips give you a comfortable, easy fit. 

Among the many other Logitech mice, keyboards and headphones currently for sale, there are a few other stand outs to look into. The G Fits True Wireless Gaming Earbuds are down to $150 from $230 — a 35 percent discount. These are a great option if you just can't get earbuds to stay in your ear, with Logitech's Lightform technology molding the device to your ear in just one minute upon first use. They also come with 10mm drivers, dual built-in beamforming microphones and passive noise canceling. 

OK, enough about listening — let's talk about the tools you need for gameplay. The G Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse is currently marked down 38 percent, dropping to $80 from $130. Logitech built the mouse with input from professional esports gamers, and it shows, touting features like a 1-millisecond report rate connection and up to 25,600 DPI. Looking for a cheap entry point into Logitech's devices? Try the G203 Wired Gaming Mouse, down to $20 from $40 — a 50 percent discount. 

Logitech's G915 Lightspeed RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard rounds out some of our favorites on sale with a 36 percent price cut, making the device available for $160 instead of $250. The wireless keyboard provides 30 hours of gameplay and 16.8 million color options. Plus, you can choose between three distinct sounds for your perfect level of clacking. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Brümate is holding an early Black Friday sale, offering 25 percent off most drinkware sets, including the well-regarded Hopsulator Trio. The deals start today and end on November 7, so you have some time to think about which insulated cups catch your fancy. Once you decide, just enter the code “Cyber25” at checkout. As an example, this sale brings the price of the Hopsulator Trio down to $23.50 from $30.

Brümate makes insulated and leak-proof cups that keep liquids at their desired temperature until you’re done pushing the stuff through your gullet. The insulation here is certainly on point, which is why the company’s products made our list of the best gifts for coffee lovers.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we put the Hopsulator Trio on our lists of the best outdoor gifts for dads and the best grilling gear, as the integrated insulation keeps cold beers cold even on the hottest of summer days. However, the Hopsulator is just for cans, though the company offers plenty of products to please devotees of loose liquid. Some of them could even serve as a decent container for a lunch stew or soup, so it’s a win/win.

Again, the sale ends on November 7. If you’re in the market for some insulated and leak-proof cups, now’s your time to shine. The cups and containers range in size from 12 ounces all the way to 40 ounces, for those looking to replicate the joy of slurping down a Big Gulp.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Can you smell it? Black Friday is rapidly approaching, and some companies have already begun the onslaught of sales. Solo Stove, for instance, has just cut the ribbon on its annual Black Friday sale, offering discounts on numerous fire pits and related items and accessories. The biggest discount here is for the Ranger Backyard Bundle 2.0, which now costs $320 instead of $465. That’s a savings of $145. The Yukon 2.0 bundle goes even further, with a discount of $245. 

These bundles include a next-gen fire pit, a marked improvement over the original, along with plenty of accessories, like the new base plate and ash pan. You also get a stand, a lid, a weather-resistant enclosure and even a carrying case for those BBQ-driven beach trips.

We praised the removable base plate and ash pan with the 2.0 series, as these tools eliminated the messy cleanup process involved with previous releases. We also enjoyed the proprietary 360-degree airflow technology, allowing for an efficient burn for long periods of time. As a matter of the fact, the only significant downside here is the normal price, and this sale helps to alleviate those concerns.

The fire pit bundles are not the only discount available via Solo Stove’s Black Friday sale, though they are the most significant. You can grab the well-regarded Pi Prime pizza oven for $300, a savings of $50. If you are filled to the brim with fire pit accessories, you can also buy the Ranger 2.0 by itself for $200 instead of $230.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

With each passing year, the phrase "Black Friday" becomes more of a misnomer. What was once a day of post-Thanksgiving special offers has become a month of sales promotions from retailers across the web. It's happening again in 2023: Target and Best Buy are already advertising their early Black Friday deals; Amazon is price matching many of those discounts and has its own "Holiday Deals" landing page; and Walmart says it'll kick off its first wave of Black Friday deals on November 8. Many other shops and manufacturers have (or will soon have) early deals as well.

This barrage of sales promos can be aggravating, but it also presents a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done at something closer to your own pace. To help, we've rounded up the best early Black Friday deals we can find below. There's always a chance we get bigger discounts on November 24, but we're already seeing all-time lows on Apple's AirPods Pro, Google's Pixel 7a, Amazon's Echo Show 5, LG's A2 OLED TV and other gadgets we like. We'll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back if there's anything else you've had your eye on. 

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

The latest version of Apple's AirPods Pro is back on sale for $190 at Amazon and Target. That's only a dollar more than the lowest price we've tracked and $59 less than buying from Apple directly. 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.

Beats headphone sale

A handful of wireless headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats are also discounted this week. The Beats Fit Pro, for one, is back down to $160. That's $15 more than its all-time low but about $20 less than its average street price. The Fit Pro is the top pick for workouts in our wireless earbuds guide, as it offers a fun sound and many of the Apple-friendly perks of the AirPods Pro in a more stable and sporty design. Its ANC isn't as strong, however, and it lacks support for wireless charging and multi-device pairing. We gave the Fit Pro a review score of 87 in 2021. 

Elsewhere, the more basic Beats Studio Buds + are back at a low of $130, while the over-ear Beats Studio Pro is on sale for $200. Neither of those are top picks in our guides, but they may be worthwhile if you're an Apple fan and dig the Beats aesthetic. We gave the Studio Buds + a review score of 84 in May and the Studio Pro a review score of 81 in July.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon's latest Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max have received their first discounts since they arrived in September. The former is $20 off at $30, while the latter is $15 off at $45. Between the two, the Max has a slightly faster processor clocked at 2.0GHz (instead of 1.7GHz), 16GB of internal storage (instead of 8GB) and support for the Wi-Fi 6E (instead of just Wi-Fi 6). It also includes Amazon's "Ambient Experience" mode, which displays artwork and widgets when the streamer is idle. That said, both dongles should be quick to load content. Both support the requisite streaming apps, Dolby Atmos and all the major HDR formats as well.

The downsides are the familiar ones with Fire TV devices: The UI is saddled with ads and not shy about nudging you toward Amazon services like Prime Video and Freevee. But if you often use those apps (or Alexa) and just want a competent 4K streamer for cheap, that may not be an issue. 

On the higher end of the Fire TV lineup, the Fire TV Cube is also on sale for $110. That ties the all-time low for the streaming box/Alexa speaker hybrid. You can also pair the Fire TV Stick 4K Max with Blink's 1080p Video Doorbell for $65 total, though that offer is only available for Prime members and is only scheduled to run through November 3.

Google Chromecast with Google TV

In other streaming deals, the Google Chromecast is on sale for $39 at Amazon. This is a deal we've seen several times before, and it's about $10 higher than the 4K streamer's all-time low, but it's still $11 off Google's list price. Walmart, Target and others have the device on sale for a dollar more. The Chromecast is the runner up in our guide to the best streaming devices: It was released way back in 2020 and doesn't support Wi-Fi 6, but it streams fast enough and works with the major streaming apps. Its biggest selling point is its Google TV interface, which does well to proactively suggest shows you might like based on your viewing history and offers genuinely convenient voice search. If you're shopping for an older TV, the 1080p version of the Chromecast is also on sale for $20.

The top pick in our media streamer guide is the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which pairs solid performance and wide app support with a more straightforward interface centered on apps. That dongle isn't discounted as of this writing, but we should see a sale at some point in the coming weeks.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon's Echo Show 5 is back down to $40, which ties the lowest price we've tracked. That's $50 off the 5.5-inch smart display's list price, though the device has been on sale for much of the past month. We highlight the Echo Show 5 in our smart display buying guide: The 8-inch Echo Show 8 has a better screen, richer speakers and a much sharper camera for video calls, but the Echo Show 5 offers much of the same functionality in a more compact design. If you prefer Alexa to the Google Assistant and want a smarter kind of alarm clock for your nightstand, it should work well. The Echo Show 8 isn't discounted, though that may change by Black Friday.

Google Nest Hub

If you're partial to the Google Assistant, Google's Nest Hub is also on sale for $60 at Target, B&H, Best Buy, Google's online store and others. That's $20 higher than its all-time low but still $40 off Google's list price. The Nest Hub is the top overall pick in our smart display buying guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in 2021. It has a 7-inch screen, so it's a bit bigger than the Echo Show 5 but should still be compact enough to fit neatly in a bedroom or small office. While it lacks a built-in camera, that may be a selling point for those who especially sensitive to their privacy (though no smart display is truly privacy-conscious). 

Ultimately, whether it's worth getting a Nest Hub or Echo Show depends on what services you use: If you own a bunch of Nest devices and depend on apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, Google's display will make sense. If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $129. That's a $100 discount. Google says these offers will last through November 5.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon and B&H. Though this isn't an all-time low, it's about $70 off Sony's list price and $20 lower than the headphones' usual recurring sale price. The XM5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best wireless headphones, as it offers a comfortable design, powerful ANC, crisp call quality and 30 or so hours of battery life. It also comes with a number useful bonus features such as "Speak to Chat," which automatically pauses your music when you start talking to somebody else. By default, its bass-heavy sound plays well with hip-hop and EDM, though you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony's app. We gave the XM5 a score of 95 in our review last year. B&H's product listing says that this particular deal will end on November 5.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony's WF-1000XM5, meanwhile, is the top overall pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, and it's now down to a new low of $248 at Amazon and B&H. Several other retailers have it for $2 more. Normally, these noise-canceling earphones go for $300. Like the over-ear XM5, this in-ear model delivers excellent ANC (with strong passive isolation), loads of helpful features and a warm sound that's fun out of the box but can be customized if needed. Battery life is decent at seven or eight hours per charge and, notably, the design is lighter, smaller and altogether more comfortable than past Sony earbuds. The WF-1000XM5 earned a score of 87 in our review this past July. This deal also runs through November 5.

iRobot Roomba 694

The Roomba 694 is down to $159 at Amazon, iRobot's online store and other retailers, which is another all-time low and roughly $60 below the robot vacuum's average street price. This is the top pick in our guide to the best budget robovacs. It's a relatively basic model, so it navigates around rooms semi-randomly instead of intelligently mapping set paths. That means it'll bonk into your furniture every now and then. But it's sturdily put together and an effective cleaner across carpet and hard floors. iRobot's companion app makes it easy to remotely turn the vacuum on and off, set cleaning schedules and check battery status as well. Battery life is rated at up to 90 minutes, though that'll vary depending on what surfaces you need to clean. Other Roombas we like are also on sale, including the vac-and-mop Roomba Combo j7+ for a low of $699.

Google Pixel 7a

Google's Pixel 7a is down to $374 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Google's online store. That's a new all-time low and $125 off Google's list price. The Pixel 7a is the top midrange pick for Android fans in our smartphone buying guide, and we gave it a score of 90 in our review this past May. While it's a clear step behind the best flagship phones, its steady performance, detailed photo quality, robust battery life and wireless charging support help it punch above its price range. A lovely 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display, IP67-rated water resistance and the promise of OS updates into 2026 (with security updates into 2028) only further the value. The design is mostly plastic, and the display maxes at a 90Hz refresh rate instead of 120Hz, but those are hardly complaints for less than $400. Again, Google says this deal will run through November 5.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon, Walmart and Target, which is a deal we've seen for much of the past month but still matches the tablet's lowest-ever price. 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 still 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 want a more modern design, the iPad Air is the top pick in our guide, and it's now on sale for $500. Be warned, though: A recent Bloomberg report says that Apple plans to launch new tablets in the spring. If you don't need an iPad right away, it's probably worth waiting.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet is on sale for all-time low of $399 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Google's own online store. That's $100 off the 11-inch slate's list price and $10 less than the deal we saw during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale last month. We gave the Pixel Tablet a review score of 85 earlier this year: Its crisp LCD display, clean software and solid Tensor G2 chip make it a solid Android tablet in its own right, but its biggest selling point is the charging speaker dock that comes with it. Plop the Pixel Tablet onto that and it becomes a Nest Hub Max-style smart display and smart home hub. This deal applies to the base model with 128GB of storage, but the 256GB version is also $100 off at $499. As with the other Google deals above, Google says this offer will run through November 5. 

Amazon Fire Max 11

Amazon's Fire Max 11 tablet is back down to $150, which matches the lowest price we've seen and comes in $80 below its typical going rate. This is the largest and fastest slate Amazon makes, and its aluminum frame gives it a more substantial feel than the cheaper plastic models in the Fire lineup. The 11-inch display has a relatively sharp 2,000 x 1,200 resolution as well. The usual limitations of all Fire tablets are still here — a weak app store with no Google apps and an ad-heavy interface that heavily pushes you toward Amazon services chief among them. But at this price, the Fire Max 11 could make sense if you regularly use apps like Prime Video or Kindle and don't want to pay for an entry-level iPad.

LG A2 OLED TV

We expect to see many more TV deals as we get closer to Black Friday, but for now one standout is LG's 48-inch A2 OLED TV on sale for a new low of $550 at Best Buy. This is an entry-level model from 2022, so it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn't support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. That said, it's still an OLED TV, so it delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms. Just note that it can't get as bright as higher-end OLED sets, so it's best situated away from direct sunlight. 

Apple MacBook Air (15-inch)

A configuration of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage is down to $1,499 at Best Buy. That's $200 less than Apple's MSRP. If you can live with less memory, a version with 8GB of RAM is on sale for $1,250 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. Either way, the MacBook Air is the top pick in our laptop buying guide, as it has just about everything we want from a mainstream notebook: A premium design, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, a lovely display, long battery life, great speakers and solid performance. Compared to the 13-inch Air, this model has more powerful speakers alongside its larger screen. We gave it a score of 96 in our review this past June.

The MacBook Air's main downsides are that it only has two Thunderbolt ports and, as always, it's virtually impossible to upgrade after the fact. Plus, with the recent introduction of the new M3 chip, the countdown is on for a refresh. A recent Bloomberg report says that Apple plans to launch an M3-powered MacBook Air at some point in 2024, though that shouldn't make this current model obsolete if you need a new laptop right away. 

Blink security camera sale

A range of Blink security cameras and video doorbells are on sale ahead of Black Friday. The notables include a two-pack of the latest Blink Outdoor cameras for half off at $100, a three-pack of Blink Mini indoor cameras for $60 off at $40 and a bundle that pairs the Blink Video Doorbell with an Outdoor 4 camera for $90. All of those match the lowest prices we've seen. Blink cameras generally sit on the budget end of the security camera market — each of the devices noted above max out at 1080p — but they're relatively simple to set up, and the outdoor models here can last up to two years on a pair of AA batteries. The Outdoor 4 in particular is the top wireless security camera pick in our guide to the best smart home gadgets. 

Be aware that Blink is an Amazon subsidiary, though, so these devices only work with Alexa. If you want a camera that works with the Google Assistant, a number of Google Nest devices are also on sale. Those include the wired Nest Cam for $70, the wired Nest Doorbell for $150, and the battery-powered versions of those devices for $120 apiece. 

FAQs

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

What day is Black Friday 2023 at Walmart?

Walmart Black Friday deals will begin early this year on November 8. Walmart+ members will get a few hours of early access to Black Friday deals if they shop online on November 8, with access for everyone else starting later that day. Walmart will match its online Black Friday deals in stores starting November 10.

Will Amazon have a Black Friday sale in 2023?

Amazon will likely have a Black Friday sale in 2023. While the online retailer hasn’t made its deals known yet like Walmart has, Amazon will almost certainly have deals across all of the types of products it sells, including electronics. We anticipate seeing record-low prices on Amazon devices in particular, like Echo speakers, Fire TVs, Kindles and more. In years past, Amazon Black Friday deals have brought some of the best prices of the year on our favorite gadgets and gear, including headphones, tablets, smartwatches, robot vacuums and more.

What other retailers have Black Friday sales in 2023?

Most retailers have Black Friday sales, so you can expect to see Target, Best Buy, and others join Walmart and Amazon in discounting inventory to capitalize on holiday shopping interest. In the consumer electronics space, we expect most companies to have some sort of Black Friday promotion, so that means you will likely be able to get big-ticket items from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, LG, Sonos and others for much cheaper prices.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Apple just revealed some new hardware at a streaming event earlier this week, including Macbook Pro laptops equipped with the proprietary M3 chip. These laptops are still on preorder, as they don’t officially release until next week. Despite that, you can already get a pretty sweet discount of $200 for one of these ultra-powerful computers.

Retailer Adorama is offering the deal on pre-orders of nearly any configuration of the M3-enabled laptop. For instance, the basic Apple 14" M3 MacBook Pro costs $1,600 to pre-order anywhere else, but Adorama’s deal brings the price down to $1,400. The same discount applies if you beef up the storage capacity, add more RAM, swap the screen size or increase the number of available cores.

There is a slight hoop you have to jump through to get this deal. You must be an Adorama VIP member. Luckily, signing up for this program is fairly effortless and, more importantly, absolutely free. Once you sign up, log into the rewards page and the discount will show up as an option.

These new Macbooks look to be the most powerful laptops the company has ever made, thanks to the just-built M3 chip. They are available in multiple colors, including the new Space Black option. The Macbooks ship in 14- and 16-inch versions and some feature M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, in addition to the standad M3. Though the prices start at $1,600 (or $1,400 with this sale), they can balloon to thousands of dollars once you start making upgrades.

As for other specs, the screen’s a bit brighter, with a peak of 600 nits. The new chips should also drastically improve performance and speed. Beyond that, many features remain the same as last year’s models. You get the same 1080p FaceTime cameras and the six-speaker sound system. The computers aren’t out in the wild yet, so we don’t have information regarding battery life and other real-world metrics.

This is an early Black Friday deal and it's for pre-orders only. In other words, once the laptops officially release on November 7, the sale will likely end.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

It's still a few days until Halloween, but retailers are already pushing early Black Friday deals. That makes this week either an opportunity to bemoan the unrelenting passage of time or a good time to shop. For those who take the latter view, we gathered up the better tech deals that've popped up. Those include a rare sale on Sonos home theater speakers, sweeping discounts on Blink security cameras and a steep price drop on a recommended VPN service. We've also spotted discounts on Apple's M2 MacBook Air and 9th-generation iPad that respectively top and meet their prices from Amazon's October Prime Day event earlier this month, as well as a couple of gift card bundles for new smartphones in the OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.  

Sonos home theater sets

From now through Sunday, Sonos is selling a few its home theater sets (which include soundbars and subwoofers) for up to 20 percent off. Sonos rarely runs sales, so this may be one to check out if you want to upgrade your TV's sound setup. One deal is the Ray + Sub Mini, regularly $708, for just $566. We recommend the Ray in our soundbar buying guide because it provides excellent sound quality for both TV and music, while its compact size makes it ideal for smaller living rooms. Adding the Sub Mini to the mix helps round out the sound and fill in the bass that soundbars are hard-pressed to deliver on their own. 

At the other end of the pricing spectrum is Sonos' high-end bundle, the Ultimate Immersive Set, which includes the Arc soundbar, the Sub subwoofer and two Era 300 smart speakers. Usually the set goes for $2,596, but it's now down to $2,211. The Arc is our runner up pick for a premium option in our soundbar buying guide, while the Era 300 earned an Engadget review score of 80 thanks to its detailed and balanced sound quality. We did think the speaker's spatial audio experience was hit or miss and we were disappointed by its lack of Google Assistant support — though you can use Alexa or Sonos' own assistant instead. 

iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

Wellbots is taking up to $300 off a few of iRobot's vac-and-mop Roomba Combo cleaners. The Roomba Combo j7+ usually costs a steep $999, for instance, but you can drop it down to $699 if you enter the code ENGROOMBA300 at checkout. The Roomba Combo j7+ is the top 2-in-1 pick in our robot vacuum buying guide, and it even earned a spot in the smart home of one of Engadget's senior editors. 

A few other vac-and-mops are on sale too, including the iRobot Roomba Combo j5+, which is $300 with the same code, and the standard iRobot Roomba Combo j5, which is $250 off with the code ENGROOMBA250. (Those two are largely similar, though the former comes with a self-emptying base station.) If you've been thinking about automating your floor cleaning, this might be a good time to go for it.

Blink Outdoor 4 security camera

Blink's latest outdoor security camera, the Outdoor 4, has only been around since August but has already gone on sale a few times. Now through November 5th, Amazon is dropping the price back down to $72, which is 40 percent off its list price. This deal comes as part of a wider sale on security cams and video doorbells from the Amazon subsidiary.

The Outdoor 4 is the top wireless security camera pick in our guide to the best smart home devices. It can capture 1080p footage and send it straight to a phone or Alexa-enabled smart display. You can also talk and listen through the built-in mic and speaker. Improved motion detection should help it discern between a person approaching your house and the neighborhood cat, and the wireless build lets you set it just about anywhere around your home's exterior. Its battery can last up to two years with a pair of AA batteries, depending on your usage, and Amazon includes a set with the camera. Also included in this deal is the Sync Module 2, a separate accessory that lets you locally store video clips. 

For keeping tabs on the inside of your home, you can grab the Blink Mini. During the same time frame, a three-pack of the Blink Mini is down to $40. The list price for one of those cameras is $35, though we often see them drop into the $20 to $25 range.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

Another Wellbots deal brings Google's Nest Learning Thermostat down to $174, which is a $75 discount and one of the best prices we've seen as of late (though not the lowest ever). Enter the code ENGNLT75 to see the full savings at checkout. The Nest Learning Thermostat can help with your energy bills by not overly heating or cooling the house when you're not home and by making suggestions on energy-saving temp settings. The "learning" here gets to know your routines and preferred settings to automatically create schedules, which you can always adjust manually in the Nest app.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

Google's Pixel Buds Pro are back at their lowest price ever, thanks to another discount code at Wellbots. These wireless earbuds have a list price of $200, but they dropped to $120 during Amazon's recent Prime Day sale. If you missed that one, though, you can now use the checkout code ENGPIX83 to get them for a few bucks less at $117. We named the Pixel Buds Pro the best option for Android users in our wireless earbuds buying guide and gave them an 87 in our review last year. They deliver deep bass and integrate particularly nicely with Google's Pixel phones. 

The Google Nest Hub Max also has a discount code from Wellbots; enter ENGMAX100 to save $100 off the $229 list price. We gave this 10-inch smart display a review score of 86 when it came out in 2019 thanks to its tight integration with other Google devices and services, solid audio quality and accurate facial recognition. 

Apple MacBook Air M2

The base model of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip and 256 GB of storage is down to $899 at Best Buy, which matches the lowest price we've seen outside of special offers for My Best Buy members. Apple sell the notebook for $1,099, so this deal represents a $200 discount off its MSRP. If you'd prefer a larger screen size, the 15-inch model is also on sale for a low of $1,049, which is $250 less than buying from Apple directly.

The M2 Air is both our favorite MacBook and the top overall recommendation in our laptop buying guide. We gave both notebooks a score of 96 in our reviews, and these entry-level configurations can still handle mainstream productivity and entertainment tasks with ease. Their speakers are impressively loud, their displays are bright and accurate, and their keyboards and trackpads remain comfortable. 

Apple is holding an event next week where it's expected to announce new Macs based on an updated M3 chip, but reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that will likely focus on refreshed MacBook Pros and a new iMac; updated MacBook Airs aren't expected until sometime next year.

Surfshark VPN

As part of an early Black Friday promotion, Surfshark is offering its VPN plans for up to 86 percent off. The deepest discount applies to the Surfshark Starter plan which you can get for $60 for 27 months. That works out to $2.21 per month with three months free. After the promo ends, the plan reverts to its normal price of $60 per year. We named Surfshark the best service for multiple devices in our VPN guide. It's one of the few options that let you use it on an unlimited number of devices without bandwidth restrictions and it has access to a larger number of servers than other VPN services that offer unlimited connections. 

Anker PowerConf C200

Our runner-up recommendation for the best webcam you can buy is Anker's PowerConf C200. Right now at Amazon and Newegg, the 2K cam is down $48, which matches the low we saw during the October Prime Day sale earlier this month. It's easy to set up, has good picture quality and its on-board mics are surprisingly decent. Our main complaints were that it's a little tricky to adjust the angle and the included USB cable is on the shorter side. 

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Apple's 9th-generation iPad dropped to $249 for Amazon's October Prime Day sale, which matched the tablet's previous low. Now, the 10.2-inch slate is back down to that price at Amazon and Walmart. That's $80 off Apple's MSRP, though at this point, it's almost always available for less than its list price at various retailers. This is the budget pick in our guide to the best iPads. It's not the best option for a workhorse productivity slate, as it has a dated design and worse accessory support compared to newer models, but it's still great for web browsing, playing Apple Arcade games and streaming video on the cheap. 

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch)

On the exact opposite of the iPad spectrum, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is on sale for $990, which is about $60 off its usual street price and the lowest price we've tracked for the 128GB model. The 12.9-inch Pro is the "best for power users" pick in our buying guide: It's still more iPad than most people need, but its big mini-LED display is gorgeous and it's fast enough to handle just about any task thrown at it.

As noted above, Apple has an event coming next week, but Bloomberg reports we won't see any new iPads then. Instead, refreshes are expected sometime early next year, so if you can afford to wait, it might be smart to do so. But if not, there's still decent value here.

JBL Charge 5

The JBL Charge 5 is down to $120 at Amazon, Walmart and various other retailers, which is about $30 off its average street price. We recommend the Charge 5 in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers. It's not the most compact speaker around, but it's loud enough for smaller parties, it does well keep tracks from sounding muddled and its IP67 waterproof rating means it's safe to take in the shower or pool. JBL says its battery can last up to 20 hours per charge — though, as with all portable speakers, that'll vary based on usage and volume — and the whole thing can work as a power bank for your phone in a pinch.

Apple Watch Ultra (1st gen)

Apple’s last-gen premium smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra, is on sale for $659, which is about $110 off its typical going rate in recent months. Note that this deal applies to the model with Apple's small Alpine Loop in orange. 

The catch here is that Apple recently released the Apple Watch Ultra 2, so this is technically an outdated model. The latest version adds a faster S9 SiP (system-in-package), which supports a useful Double Tap feature and on-board Siri processing, but the original remains a powerful option for athletes, hikers and other more involved users. It earned an 85 in our review when it came out thanks to its long battery life, big and bright display, and durable build. It still packs plenty of fitness and adventuring features (such as an SOS siren, waypoint-setting and a diving app) alongside the workout and activity tracking you get with other Apple Watches, so it might be worthwhile if you're looking to save at least a little bit of cash on a high-end wearable. 

OnePlus Open 

The OnePlus Open started shipping just this week, but Amazon is already bundling the new foldable phone with a $200 gift card. Since the phone itself goes for $1,700, any sort of savings is appreciated. We called the Open a "thinner and more affordable flagship foldable" in our review last week and have named it the best "budget" option in our guide to the best foldable phones. 

If you don't want to shop from Amazon — or if the gift card deal goes out of stock — you can grab a similar deal directly from OnePlus. The company is currently offering a $200 discount if you trade in any smartphone, regardless of brand, age and/or condition, bringing the foldable down to $1,500.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

Along those lines, both Amazon and Best Buy are bundling Samsung's new Galaxy S23 FE phone with a $100 gift card for no extra cost. The phone itself goes for $599 and, like the OnePlus Open, began shipping this week. As we noted in our hands-on earlier this month, the Galaxy S23 FE has a similar design as the standard Galaxy S23, but it comes with a 6.4-inch OLED display (instead of 6.1 inches) and uses a slightly slower and less efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (instead of the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The FE's camera system has a worse telephoto lens as well, though the device does come with a larger battery. While Google's Pixel 8 looks to be a more complete package as a midrange Android phone, the S23 FE is less expensive, and this deal should only heighten the value. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Samsung's Galaxy S23 FE only just arrived, but Amazon already has a tempting deal on the budget-oriented smartphone. You can grab the 128GB model with a $100 Amazon Gift Card for $600, saving the full price of the card — equivalent to a 14 percent discount. The deal applies to all colors (cream, graphite, mint and purple), the 256GB model (save 13 percent) and with the Galaxy S23 FE/Galaxy Buds FE bundle, which is $150 off including the gift card. 

Samsung didn't make an FE version of the Galaxy S22 last year, but it's now brought it back with a twist. Instead of denoting "fan edition," the FE moniker is simply used for devices sharing features and traits with flagship devices. In other words, you'll get near-flagship performance at mid-range prices — similar to the "a" version of Google's Pixel phones. 

As we detail in our hands-on look, the S23 FE looks very much like the S23, but offers slightly reduced specs. It comes with an older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip instead of the Gen 2 processor used on the flagship version, along with a 6.4-inch 120Hz display (sized between the Galaxy S23 and S23+) that's slightly less bright. 

Otherwise, it comes with a similar rear triple-camera setup (50-MP main sensor, 12-MP ultra-wide and a slightly lower-res 8-MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom). Best of all, it still uses a glass and metal design, unlike Samsung's A-series models with cheaper materials. Other features include a 4,500mAh battery and IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. If you've been eyeing the device but waiting for a sale, now is the time to act. 

Most Americans already know what they need to know about Black Friday — it’s a day to use up all of that stored energy from consuming turkey and sides on Thanksgiving by shopping for as many deals as possible. What you might not know is that you can get some pretty good deals in the days and weeks leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thanks to retailers kick-starting the holiday shopping season earlier in recent years. And despite its gross show of consumerism that may make you cringe, Black Friday can be an important day for those who want to buy thoughtful, useful gifts for their loved ones while also sticking to a strict budget. If that sounds like you, or you have just vowed never to pay full price for something when you don’t have to, we’ve got some tips and buying advice that can help you prepare for Black Friday 2023.

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. If you’re organized, you can shop some decent pre-Black Friday sales as soon as mid-October. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

Black Friday shopping strategies

Use a price history tracker

This is just good shopping advice, period — especially when it comes to consumer electronics. Price history trackers like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa monitor price changes and can show you things like the lowest price an item has ever been and when it was last discounted that much. The main catch here is that both Camel and Keepa only work on Amazon listings. That’s extra convenient if you shop on Amazon often because both have pretty handy Chrome extensions you can install to make price monitoring super easy.

But even if you’re not an Amazon aficionado, you can still reference those price history charts when shopping elsewhere on the internet — that way you’ll know if one retailer’s “hot deal” is precisely that, lukewarm or ice cold. Another similarly handy tool is Honey, a browser extension that lets you compare product prices across many retailers, apply digital coupons easily and more.

Sign up for company newsletters

Listen, we wouldn’t tell you to intentionally clutter your inbox if we didn’t think it would be seriously beneficial. Now more than ever, companies offer things like exclusive and early-access sales, special discount codes, free expedited shipping and other perks to their inner circles of customers — namely, those that sign up for newsletters, text alerts and the like. If there’s a particular item you want to snag on sale, like a pair of Sony headphones or a Razer laptop, we recommend signing up for the company’s newsletter just for the duration of the holiday shopping season. That increases your chances of being among the first to know about exclusive deals and other offers, or, in the case of early-access sales, among the first to actually buy what you want before sales diminish or things sell out. Don’t immediately trash those emailed sale alerts either. Once you get the goods you want, you can go back to that message and immediately unsubscribe from the newsletter if you wish.

Use any membership or credit card perks you already have

There’s a good chance you have perks and benefits from services you already use that you’re not taking full advantage of. Amazon Prime and Walmart+, for example, both offer early access to specific sales and deals throughout the year and we expect there to be similar exclusive sales at both retailers ahead of Black Friday. You may have a credit card that gives you additional cash back on certain product categories, or integrates seamlessly with retailers so you can use your accumulated cash back immediately when placing orders. Take stock of the services you use regularly and check to see if they’re offering anything additional during the holiday shopping season, or if there are benefits you may not have needed to use until now.

Shop early

As mentioned previously, retailers have already started throwing deals and sales online in the lead-up to Black Friday. As we get closer to the actual day, we expect to see even more early Black Friday deals pop up across the web. If you have items on your list that are absolute must-haves — maybe you thought of the perfect gift for your hard-to-shop-for parent — don’t wait to buy those things. We estimate that you have the best chance of getting a truly good deal within two weeks of Black Friday, so start looking in earnest then. There’s always a chance an item is marginally cheaper on Black Friday than it is one or two weeks prior, but with all of the early deals we’ve seen over the past few years, there’s less of a chance that the Black Friday price drop will be so significant that you’ll regret your early purchase.

Our advice: make a list of all the gifts and other items you want to pick up during the holiday shopping season and then designate each of those items as “high” or “low” priority. High-priority items should be the ones you buy first as soon as you see them go on sale, while low-priority things can wait until closer to Black Friday.

The best early Black Friday deals to look out for

While some sales have already begun, we believe the best early Black Friday deals will begin in November. The bigger the retailer, the more likely it is that they will have early Black Friday deals going on throughout the entire month of November. We expect to see companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others roll out early deals once November hits, with an uptick occurring within a week or two of Black Friday proper.

As far as the types of items that will go on sale before Black Friday, it’ll be a bit of a mixed bag. Since we focus on tech here at Engadget, we can confidently presume that most of the big, flagship items you may be itching to buy — a pricey smartphone, a new OLED TV or a high-end pair of headphones — will probably not be significantly discounted until, at the earliest, a week before Black Friday. Sure, gadgets will be peppered among the early holiday sales at the start of November, but the best deals on (what we consider to be) the best tech will likely come closer to Black Friday. In the past, we’ve seen some of the best Black Friday deals drop on Thanksgiving — with some selling out before Black Friday proper even began.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention Cyber Monday. Over the past few years, Cyber Monday has almost become “Black Friday 2.0,” with most of the best Black Friday deals carrying over through the end of Cyber Monday (if they don’t sell out first). There are always a few Cyber Monday exclusives, particularly in the tech space, so the shopping event is not without its own unique offers. But make no mistake: most of the best deals will be available on Black Friday, with a couple of extras thrown in on Cyber Monday.

Engadget will be covering the entirety of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping period. That means you can come back to Engadget over the next few weeks to find the best early Black Friday deals on headphones, laptops, gaming gear and more as we inch closer to the actual sale dates. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, expect us to surface only the best tech deals that the internet has to offer — that means the lowest prices we can find on the tech we think is actually worth your money.

We're in the awkward stretch between Amazon's October Prime Day sale and Black Friday, but if you can't wait a few more weeks to start your holiday shopping, there are a few notable tech deals you can take advantage of today. Premium TVs like Samsung S90C and TCL QM8 are both down to new all-time lows, for instance, as is the budget-level Hisense U6K. If you want a new set of wireless earbuds, the Lightning version of the AirPods Pro is $60 off Apple's list price, while the wallet-friendly Jabra Elite 3 is down to a low of $40. We're also seeing discounts on Anker wall chargers, recommended gaming laptops and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Samsung S90C

The 55-inch Samsung S90C has dropped to $1,298, which is a new low and roughly $150 below the sale price we saw earlier this month. This OLED TV has received near-unanimous praise for delivering the high contrast, smooth motion and wide viewing angles expected from a good OLED set without sacrificing as much in the way of peak brightness and color saturation. That's because it uses a QD-OLED panel, which mixes OLED tech with a quantum-dot layer. The big benefit is that it'll hold up better in a brightly-lit room compared to a standard OLED TV (though it won't get as bright as the best LCD sets). The S90C is also well-equipped for gaming, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that can support up to a 144Hz refresh rate in 4K. The main drawbacks are that it doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR (like all Samsung TVs) and that its default Tizen software can be somewhat clunky.

TCL QM8

If your living room is particularly affected by glare, the TCL QM8 is a well-reviewed LCD TV with higher peak brightness alongside quantum dots and similar gaming features. It also uses a mini-LED backlight to help with contrast, though it won't look as color-rich as a good OLED TV, and its viewing angles are narrower. Right now the 65-inch model is down to $901, which is a new low and about $200 off its usual street price. The Hisense U8K, another LCD TV that's received similarly high marks, is also worth noting, though the 65-inch version of that TV currently costs $1,098.

Hisense U6K

Moving closer to the budget side of the market, the 75-inch Hisense U6K is on sale for $698, which is another all-time low and $100 less than its usual street price in recent months. This is a much more basic LCD TV compared to the QM8, so it won't look as vibrant, it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and it lacks HDMI 2.1 ports altogether. That said, it's far more affordable, and it's one of the few entry-level TVs to support mini-LED backlighting, full-array local dimming and quantum-dot color. Reviews elsewhere suggest those features help it provide better contrast and color than most TVs in its price range. It also uses the Google TV platform, which we've found simple to use. Like most budget TVs, though, it'll look washed out when viewed from an angle. If a 75-inch set is too big, the 55- and 65-inch models are still available for the lows we saw earlier this month.

Anker wall charger sale

A handful of quality wall chargers from Anker are on sale this week. The Anker 736 Charger, for one, is down to $43 from its usual $60. This is a larger model meant for laptops or multi-device charging, as it has two USB-C ports that can individually output up to 100W alongside a USB-A port. The Anker 735 Charger, meanwhile, has a similar port selection that tops out at 65W but comes in a smaller overall package; it's down to $40, which is a $20 discount. For less strenuous needs, the Anker 511 Charger is closer in size to an old iPhone charger and packs a single 30W USB-C port. That one is on sale for $17, which is about $3 less than usual. Finally, you can get a two-pack of the Anker PowerPort III 20W Cube for $14, which is around a $4 discount. That one has a similarly tiny shape as the 511 but tops out at 20W, which may be enough if you only need it for a non-Pro iPhone.

Apple AirPods Pro

The Lightning version of Apple's second-gen AirPods Pro is back on sale for $189. That matches the all-time low we saw during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale earlier this month and comes in $10 below the earphones' typical street price in recent months. The AirPods Pro are the "best for iOS" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide and earned an Engadget review score of 88 late last year. They continue to offer a pleasingly warm sound profile, effective noise cancellation, an excellent transparency mode and a host of helpful integrations with other Apple devices. A recent update added a useful "Adaptive Audio" mode as well. Do note, though, that Apple released a refreshed model with a USB-C charging case (as well as improved dust resistance) last month. That one isn't on sale as of this writing, though we may see a discount as we get closer to Black Friday.

Govee M1 LED Strip Lights

Govee's M1 LED Strip Lights are on sale for $70 at Amazon with a $30 coupon, matching the lowest price we've seen. This is a 16.4-foot strip you can cut up and adhere around your house for some colorful ambient lighting. Its colors are bright and saturated, and through Govee's app you can apply several different effects to separate parts of one strip. If you ever want to give a room a more clubby vibe, it can also sync with music. Alexa, the Google Assistant and the new Matter smart home standard are all supported. Just note that it can be something of an eyesore when it's not active, so you may not want to stick it right out in the open. We currently recommend the M1 in our guide to the best smart light bulbs.

Jabra Elite 3

Jabra's Elite 3 earphones are down to $40 at Best Buy, which matches their all-time low and falls about $25 below their average street price. We gave this wireless pair a review score of 88 back in 2021, and we currently recommend it in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds. For less than $50, its modestly bass-boosted sound still impresses, while its compact design, snug fit and IP55-rated water resistance make it a fine choice for workouts. Battery life is decent as well at seven or so hours per charge. It's a bit short on features, though, as there's no wireless charging, wear detection, multi-device pairing or active noise cancellation.

Keychron V3

The tenkeyless Keychron V3 mechanical keyboard is down to $69, which is about $15 less than its typical going rate. Amazon also has it on sale for $5 more. This is a recommendation from our guide to the best gaming keyboards, as we consider it a great entry point for those looking to get into mechanical keyboards as a hobby. It's sturdily put together, compatible with all the major operating systems and configurable with a handful of comfortable switches. (Broadly speaking, the tactile K Pro Brown is best for typing, while the linear K Pro Red is faster for gaming.) Those switches come pre-lubed, so presses have a smooth and full sensation out of the box, while the PBT-coated keycaps feel crisp and stable. It's not dead quiet, but it's not super loud either. It's also hot-swappable, so customizing the keys and switches down the road is fairly straightforward. 

Samsung Evo Select 

The 512GB version of Samsung's Evo Select microSD card is back on sale for $30, which is $2 more than the deal we saw during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale but still $5 lower than its usual street price. The Evo Select is the "best value" pick in our microSD card buying guide: It's not the fastest card we tested, but it's perfectly adequate for those looking to boost the storage of a Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck or Raspberry Pi at a low cost. The Samsung Pro Plus will technically perform better if you can pony up another $5, but that card isn't priced any cheaper than usual.

MSI Stealth 14 Studio

A configuration of MSI's Stealth 14 Studio laptop with an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is down to $1,200 at Best Buy. That's the lowest price we've seen for this model and $300 off its MSRP. We gave the Stealth 14 Studio a review score of 87 back in June, praising its striking and relatively light (3.75 pounds) design, solid speakers and capable performance for everyday gaming. This is a lower-end config than the one we reviewed — the CPU is slightly slower, while the 14-inch display has a lower 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate — but the same general sentiments apply. The main downsides are its middling 720p webcam and the fact that it can run hot under duress. You still won't get a ton of battery life from a gaming laptop like this either. But if you want a more portable machine for gaming and media editing, there's good value here. We currently recommend the Stealth 14 Studio in our guide to the best Windows laptops.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top overall gaming pick in that guide, and it's now on sale for the same price at Best Buy. The model discounted here includes an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS chip, a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 14-inch, 1440p, 165Hz display. At $400 off ASUS' list price, this deal marks an all-time low. The G14's pitch is similar to the Stealth 14 Studio: It's a compact gaming laptop that doesn't totally sacrifice the "laptop" part. It's powerful enough to run modern games, but it's not an anchor at 3.64 pounds, and its keyboard and trackpad are comfortable. Whether you should get it over the MSI config above likely comes down to your willingness to trade storage space for a higher-res display. The G14 also has more ports, including two for USB-C and two for USB-A, though the Stealth 14 Studio includes a Thunderbolt 4 connector, which may be important if you ever want to use an external GPU.

Sonos Move

Sonos has its first-gen Move speaker down to $299, which is a $100 discount and matches an all-time low. This deal comes with a major caveat, as Sonos replaced the Move with the upgraded Move 2 earlier this year. We found the new model to deliver improved sound quality and far superior battery life in our review; other upgrades include a redesigned set of touch controls and line-in support (with an optional adapter). If you can spend another $150 — or wait for a potential sale — you should get that device instead. If you can't, though, the broad strokes of the original Move are similar: It's still a hefty yet portable speaker with balanced sound, a weather-resistant design and all the usual Sonos perks. It still pairs easily with other Sonos speakers and can connect to a range of streaming services, plus it supports AirPlay 2, Alexa and the Google Assistant. Its battery just lasts closer to 10 hours instead of 20 like the Move 2.

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