Forget Black Friday being a single day at the end of November, nowadays it’s a season. But Amazon has moved the shopping event into a new gear by launching its Black Friday Week – which lasts 12 days, obviously – cutting the price on literally hundreds of thousands of products. How do you sort through that volume of deals to find the ones worth your time? Fear not, we’ve been tracking the best price drops ahead of the November 29 date, sifting through the ones that are worth your money…and the ones that simply aren’t.
It’s not just Amazon getting in on the action early, as tech rivals including Currys, Argos, Very, Samsung (and many more) also unveil their sales before the end of November. The good news for shoppers is there are plenty of options out there, the challenge being it can be difficult to filter out all the ‘noise’ – so our resident tech team have done that for you.
Earlier this week, our Tech Editors Dave Snelling and Henry Burrell selected ‘Six of the best early tech deals’ with items including the Google Pixel 8 Pro, FitBit Charge 6, the Echo Dot bundle (that’s been flying off the shelves), and Samsung’s budget Galaxy A35 mobile on the list. As Amazon return with more today, marking the start of what they’ve dubbed ‘Black Friday Week,’ we’re back with another expert-picked round-up.
So grab a cuppa, or take another look at your family’s Christmas list – here are the tech items in Amazon’s latest flurry of early Black Friday deals that we’d say are worth buying.
Amazon Echo Spot
“The Echo Spot made a surprise return to homes earlier this year, thanks to a reboot from Amazon. The latest version of this bedside device now boasts a larger screen, sleek design and an improved speaker. It has also done away with the unsettling – and widely criticised – camera that was integrated into the original Spot,” Tech Editor Dave Snelling comments.
“I’ve been using the 2024 model since its release and it’s now one of my favourite Echos in years. It looks good, the screen is really useful without being intrusive and it delivers sound with enough volume to fill a standard-sized room in your home. It’s also powered by Alexa so you’ll get a helpful response to questions and commands along with being able to control your smart home devices,” reports Dave in the Express.
“At the full £79.99 asking price the Spot is harder to fully recommend as there are much cheaper options such as the Dot and Pop but Amazon’s sale has now reduced that cost to under £50 making it a far more appealing purchase.”
New Amazon Kindle
Deputy Tech Editor Henry Burrell is our specialist in all things e-book and this is his Black Friday must-buy. He explained: ” This Kindle has only just been released, so a £15 saving is great to see. £79.99 gets you a lightweight e-reader you can fit in a jacket pocket, with a front light for reading at night.”
“It charges up quickly via USB-C and comes in either black or a rather fetching matcha green. There’s an option to pay £10 more to get a version without lockscreen ads, which we recommend. Even so, this is a superb Kindle for under £100.”
“The only thing it’s missing compared to pricier Kindles is water resistance. With access to the huge Kindle store with millions of titles and 16GB storage you can carry your whole library around at a discount.”
43-inch Hisense TV
This Hisense TV has been flying off the shelves in Amazon’s sale, with over 1,000 shoppers snapping it up this month alone. Now, it’s been discounted even further, available for just £229.
Our Commerce Editor Harriet Morphy-Morris explains why it’s worth considering: “This is one of the newest models to be launched in Hisense’s flashy 2024 TV range. With a modest 43-inch screen, it’d be a perfect fit (size wise) in most compact city centre flats without compromising on image quality.”
“Its stand-out features include its Freely link-up so you can catch up on all of your favourite live TV while tapping into on-demand streaming channels at the click of the remote. Youtube, Disney+, Netflix, and NowTV come pre-installed on this device, making it a match for most homes.”
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are another popular pick from the team. When rounding up our top recommended deals, a few of us were quick to call out this Sony pair as a good choice. Both Henry Burrell and Christopher Harper recommended the noise-cancelling pair which is discounted from £379.99 to £247, praising the high-end Sony model for its exceptional noise-cancelling capabilities and advanced features. Henry added: “The latest premium over-ear headphones from Sony are some of the best you can buy, and this price represents a significant saving.”
He highlighted their ‘incredible noise cancellation that can block out aeroplane noise for peaceful travel as well as superior wireless sound quality and lengthy 30 hour battery life.’
The headphones come with a protective carry case, charge via USB-C, and boast smart features allowing them to adapt modes based on location or let in ambient sound when the user starts speaking while in noise-cancelling mode.
Chris, who previously owned the slightly older WH-1000XM4 model, also recommended them, saying: “These earphones are some of the best on the market and despite them being expensive, these cans might be some of the best sounding with some amazing noise-cancellations.”
He added, “Having owned the previous XM4 headphones, these are a good pick if you’re in the market for some good, premium wireless headphones.”
Amazon Fire TV
In another deal, our television expert Jake Hackney has spotted that the Amazon Fire TV 55″ Omni QLED series, which was once priced at a steep £749.99, is now available for just £419, a 44% saving. Our TV critic recommends taking a look at this deal, saying: “This Amazon Fire TV is always a big seller any time Amazon has a sale on and the 55″ model is now more than 44% off for Black Friday. lt boasts a 4K QLED display for watching TV or streaming with richer and more vivid colours than standard HD.”
It also features a built-in sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness depending on the lighting in your room, as well as Alexa voice control for easy navigation. While it can’t compete with QLED models from brands like Samsung, it’s rare to find a QLED TV in this price range.
Samsung Galaxy A9+
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A9+ is now on offer for £154.99, down from its usual price of £239, a saving of 35%. “This Samsung tablet boasts a high resolution, 11″ screen and four Dolby Atmos-powered speakers, making it ideal for streaming the latest films and series. Its battery can last up to 10 hours, while the Android software allows you to multitask with up to three apps open at once”, our writer Jake explains. Released in November 2023, the Tab A9+ remains a solid choice for those seeking a higher-end budget tablet.
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro
Tech expert Chris Hall is a huge fan of this high-spec Garmin which is now available with a £75 discount. He explains: “Garmin remains hugely popular and there’s nothing better than the Fenix line of watches. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s brash – and it’s incredibly smart.
“A serious tracker, it will monitor all your exercise, your sleep and everything else, to give you a full picture of your health and wellbeing. Best of all, you’ll get more than 2 weeks of battery life. Down to £545, this is a great price for a great fitness watch”, Chris added.
Samsung 990 Pro SSD
Our resident gamer Christopher Harper’s pick might not be on everyone’s shopping list, but if you’re in the market for an upgrade to your PC storage, Amazon’s sale has got you covered. The Samsung 990 Pro SSD is currently on offer and it’s one that Chris insists is perfect for gamers: “This SSD is a great price for PS5 or PC gamers who want to increase their storage for all the newest and best games coming out at the end of 2024.
“It’s an extremely speedy drive and comes with Samsung reliability. If you do want to add it to your PS5, make sure you buy a heatsink that you can attach to it.”
The item is now available for £129.99, a significant reduction from its regular price by over £60. However, this is the only lightning deal on our list, indicating limited stock availability. Therefore, if you’re tempted to pick this one up don’t delay – 6% of the stock has already been sold at the time of writing.