Update (9/23/2017 1:10 PM ET): Several Black Friday sales have now begun, so we've updated this post to mark various discounts that have gone live since its publication.
Original post: Brace yourself for Walmart fights and snarky tweets about capitalism, because Black Friday is nearly here. Once again, the day after Thanksgiving—and in many cases the days before that—will see retailers across the country pushing an avalanche of sales to the gift-needy public.
And once again, many of those “discounts” won’t be discounts at all. Year after year, the corporate holiday isn’t quite the deals bonanza it proclaims to be. Many of the devices on sale either won’t be priced significantly lower than they are at other points in the year or just won’t be worth buying to begin with.
After sorting through the early ad scans and retailer offers for this year’s Black Friday, we’re confident this trend will continue. That said, even if just a fraction of the several thousand sales on show are worth getting, that still leaves more than a few diamonds in the rough.
So to help you shop smarter, we’ve started rounding up the handful of tech deals currently advertised for next week that genuinely look promising. While most of these discounts aren’t live just yet—and while many of them will likely be available in limited quantities—feel free to bookmark this page and check back when everything hits.
Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
Video games, VR, and gaming hardware
Sony PlayStation 4 (1TB)
Kohl’s might have the best offer here, though, as it says it'll throw in $60 of store credit with the purchase once its deal goes live. The one catch is that cash will only be redeemable from November 26 to December 5. GameStop, meanwhile, is also offering the $200 PS4 deal as of this writing. It says it will include a $50 gift card once Black Friday rolls around, though that may only apply to select bundles or in-store purchases.
As for Microsoft, many of those same retailers are offering the base 500GB version of the Xbox One S for $189, about $60 off its usual going rate. There are a few bundles here worth noting: Target says it’ll throw in a $25 gift card, and Kohl’s says it’ll include $45 of limited-time store credit. Best Buy is advertising a bundle with Madden NFL 18 and an extra controller for $230, while Microsoft says it’ll include a free “select game of choice” (i.e., nothing super new).
A ton of games will be discounted across retailers to go along with this. There are simply too many to list here, but some personal highlights include Destiny 2 for $27 (live now), Call of Duty: WWII for $40 (live now), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $49 at Walmart, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for $25 (live now), and Horizon Zero Dawn for $20 (live now). For a more complete look, Reddit user StryderOmega has compiled a handy spreadsheet listing many more game discounts.
Xbox One S (500GB)
For those interested in virtual reality, both Best Buy and Newegg say they’ll offer the Oculus Rift and Touch controller bundle for $350 (live now), a $50 price cut. Target, meanwhile, is currently offering Sony’s PS4-only PlayStation VR headset for $200, which is $100 off its usual price. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart also have a bundle that includes the PS4, a PlayStation VR headset, and Gran Turismo Sport for $300, again $100 off its typical going rate.
Don’t get your hopes too high for sales on most of the absolute newest consoles, though. None of the major retailers say they'll have significant deals on the Nintendo Switch or Xbox One X. The PlayStation 4 Pro, however, does have one advertised offer: GameStop says it'll sell the 4K-capable console for $350 (live now), a $50 discount.
Amazon devices
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
Those deals include the Echo Dot available for $30, the second-generation Echo for $80, the Fire TV Stick with Alexa remote for $25, the Kindle Paperwhite for $90 (live now), the Fire HD 8 tablet for $50, and the Fire HD 10 for $100, among other cuts. All of those deals range from $15 to $50 off. Note that they'll be available at numerous retailers besides Amazon, too.
Google devices
Google Home Mini
Besides that, the larger Google Home will be available for $80, $50 off its usual going rate. Both Walmart and Best Buy say they’ll offer the standard Google Chromecast for $20, a $15 discount, while other retailers say they’ll have it for $25. Best Buy also says it’ll have the 4K-ready Google Chromecast Ultra for $54, which is $15 off.
Apple devices
Black Friday should be a decent day to buy an iPad: Target, Best Buy, and Walmart say they’ll offer the 9.7-inch iPad for $250 (live now), about $80 off its normal price. Target and Best Buy also say they’ll offer the 64GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $530 (live now), which is a $120 price cut.
Apple iPad (32GB)
To answer the lingering question: yes, there are offers listed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, but most of them are loaded with caveats. For now, we’re hesitant to outright recommend them.
Target, for instance, says it’ll give a $250 gift card with activation of an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus—with similar offers for Samsung and Google phones—but it appears to be in-store only. Best Buy says it’ll take $200 off the same devices, but only in the form of discounted monthly installments on select plans. Sprint is the only eligible carrier listed as of this writing. It, too, is offering a similar deal on high-end Samsung phones.
Walmart looks like it has the most promising iPhone deal, as it says it’ll offer a $300 gift card with activation of an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X (or new Samsung Galaxy flagship). The company says the deal is only eligible for those who buy the device with an installment plan on AT&T or Verizon, though. It’s also worth noting that carriers have been offering $300 off deals on the iPhone X since the device launched, so there’s a little more bark than bite here.
Drones, laptops, headphones, smart home devices, and the rest
We’ll list other highlights from the early Black Friday deals that have been advertised, including a few that are live now, below:
- Live now: DJI Spark for $369 at Amazon; $400 at Target, Best Buy, Dell, and Kohl’s (normally $500)
- Live now: Fitbit Alta HR for $100 at Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and Kohl’s (normally $150)
- Live now: Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen) for $200 + $45 credit at Kohl’s (normally $250); also available for $200 at Best Buy, Newegg, and Walmart
- Live now: Huawei Mate 9 for $399 at Newegg and Best Buy (normally $465)
- Live now: Motorola Moto G5 Plus (64GB) for $225 at Newegg and Best Buy (normally $299); also available for $240 at Amazon for Prime members only
- Roku Premiere Plus for $50 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $90)
- Live now: Roku Streaming Stick Plus for $48 at Walmart (normally $70)
- Live now: Bose QuietComfort 25 for $179 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Dell (normally $280)
- Live now: Sonos Play:1 for $150 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $199)
- Live now: Samsung Evo Plus 64GB microSD card for $20 at Best Buy (normally $30-$40)
- Live now: HP Spectre x360 13t (Core i7 8th-gen, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD) for $900 at HP (normally $1,150)
- Live now: Dell XPS 13 (1080p display, Core i7 8th-gen, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,000 at Dell (normally $1,300)
- Live now: Ring Video Doorbell for $100 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $150-$180)
- Live now: Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit for $60 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $100)
- JBL Clip 2 for $30 at Walmart and Kohl’s (normally $40-$50)
- JBL Flip 3 for $55 at Walmart (normally $70-$80)
- Live now: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (16-core/32-thread) for $800 at Newegg (normally $880)
- Crucial MX300 1TB SSD for $240 at Newegg (normally $290)
- Live now: BeatsX wireless headphones for $99 at Amazon (normally $150)
Exercise caution with TV deals
While there’s no shortage of offers on TVs in the early Black Friday ads, many retailers are being vague about exactly which models will be on sale. Be sure to pay attention. Two sets from the same manufacturer may look the same, but sometimes little changes in branding can mean a big difference in picture quality.
As such, we’ll hold off on recommending most TV deals until we get a little more clarity next week. For now, here are a few deals that look like they could be worthwhile based on reviews around the Web:
- Live now: Sony KD60X690E 60-inch 4K TV for $600 at Best Buy (normally $1,000)
- Live now: Samsung UN55MU8000 55-inch 4K TV for $898 at Amazon (normally $1,000-$1,200)
- Live now: LG OLED55B7A 55-inch OLED 4K TV for $1,497 at Amazon (normally $1,800-$2,000)
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