These are the deals we spent our hard-earned money on this Prime Day
The Android Central team has gone over hundreds, if not thousands, of Amazon Prime Day deals over the past two days, and we have shared many of our top recommendations and deals with you. Given all that work, you might be wondering which deals we're actually buying for ourselves or our loved ones once all is said and done. Well, I'm glad you asked!
I took a poll of my colleagues this afternoon to see which items they've already purchased, which they've bookmarked to buy before the day is over, and which deals they wished they would've/could've clicked that buy button on this Prime Day, and the results are rather interesting. As you can see, we were all over the place with devices and prices, from $20 smart speakers, to $100 Wi-Fi routers, to $1,000 smart TVs. But, perhaps the most interesting of all was our first and cheapest pick - a Raspberry Pi accessory.
Android Central's favorite Prime Day dealsJerry Hildenbrand, Senior EditorUCTRONICS PoE Hat for Raspberry Pi 4 | $4 off at AmazonThere's nothing sweeter than Raspberry Pi.
One of the cool things about the Raspberry Pi is that it's small enough to put almost anywhere. Anywhere with access to an electrical socket, that is. Here's where this PoE (Power over Ethernet) HAT comes in handy. You can run a single cord that provides high-speed networking and power using a tiny card built specifically for this purpose. It still leaves plenty of room for your projects but removes the need for a wall plug. At 20% off for Prime Day, it's worth buying just in case you need it for your next crazy great idea!
Jeramy Johnson, Staff Writer and EditorAmazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) | $20 off at AmazonI don't need another Echo in my home, but at this price, I'm tempted to grab a bunch of these Dots for friends and family.
I have over a dozen Echo speakers in my home, and the majority of those are Echo Dots. These little pucks are incredibly useful and can fit just about anywhere. Admittedly, they aren't the best-sounding speakers around, but they're not bad either, and they make for the perfect discrete smart home controller.
Jerry Hildenbrand, Senior EditorKasa Smart 3 Way Switch | $12 off at AmazonSave hassle and save money.
Adding 3-way switches to a smart home can be a pain in the you know what. 3-way switches are the kind where you have a switch at each end of the hallway, and both work on the same light, and you need special switches to make it all work.
Smart switches are the same way - you can't just use two "regular" ones. But as long as the wiring in your house is right, you can add these switches and save enough cash to buy some cold snacks to celebrate your work once done. I like things that are smart, and I like things that are easy. But I like saving money even more.
Andrew Myrick, ContributorSamsung Wireless Charger Fast Charge Pad (2021) | $10 off at AmazonYou can never have enough wireless chargers.
Samsung updated its lineup of fast wireless chargers earlier this year, and I finally managed to grab this basic charging pad. It offers up to 9W of charging speed, which is fine for throwing a phone or some headphones on it for a little while. But with the LED indicator on the front, you'll always know when your devices are charging and when the juice has been replenished.
Alex Dobie, Executive Editor - U.K.UGREEN USB C 65W 4-Port PD GaN Fast Charger | $11 off at AmazonCharge all the things!
This one isn't a particularly sexy pick, but this Prime Day deal on UGREEN's four-port GaN laptop charger is probably the most useful thing I've bought in quite some time, replacing countless other charging bricks in my bag. The use of GaN (Gallium Nitride) means it runs cooler and can be smaller than comparable bricks, and its output of up to 65W of juice means it's good even for larger laptops like my 15-inch MacBook Pro. Of course, when it comes to charging phones and the like, you've got three USB-C ports and a single USB-A for those stubborn older devices.
Nicholas Sutrich, Senior Content ProducerGovee Immersion WiFi TV LED Backlights with Camera | $31 off at AmazonThis $50 light strip makes your TV look like a million bucks.
OK, so I'm actually picking these up for my dad, but there's a good reason for it. Every time he comes over, he's blown away by how good these lights look behind my TV. I've wanted something like this on my TV ever since seeing a Philips Ambilight TV at CES half a decade ago. Now that it's under $50 for Prime Day, this one is an easy no-brainer recommendation for me to anyone who wants to spice up their living room with an LED light strip that actually serves a purpose.
Adam Doud, ContributorNETGEAR Cable Modem CM1000 | $30 off at AmazonI found the right deal at just the right time.
This is a necessity buy, but it turns out I needed a new cable modem during Prime Day. Our resident network guru, Sam Contreras, recommended the Netgear CM-1000, and I like it because if I ever decide to go with gigabit speed in the future, this modem can grow with that. Otherwise, Prime Day knocked $30 off the price (~18%), and I'm totally cool with that. My wife and I also each picked up an Anker power cord w/ USB plugs for our upcoming trip this year. Other than that, not a lot. I'm much more of an essentials' shopper, so it's nice that my cable modem problem popped up on Prime Day.
Jerry Hildenbrand, Senior EditorNETGEAR Nighthawk MK62 Whole Home Mesh WiFi 6 System | $44 off at AmazonI'm not in the market for a new mesh router setup for my house, but this price on this router has me itching to hit the buy now button.
This is one of the best Wi-Fi 6 mesh routers you can buy, and saving over $40 puts it at the very top of that list for me. With 3,000 square feet of coverage, dedicated Ethernet ports on both the router and the satellite, it fits into my mishmash of a network. Wi-Fi 6 means it's ready for the future, and the price is absolutely right.
Derrek Lee, News WriterSony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones | $102 off at AmazonThis headphone deal sounded too good to pass up.
I managed to keep my wallet away from any of the Prime Day deals, but one that kept me particularly intrigued was the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless ANC headphones. While I'm not a big fan of over-ear headphones, I have heard very good things about Sony's audio. These appear incredibly stylish and comfortable, and I could actually see myself rocking them. Unfortunately, I don't know when they'll go on sale like that again, so I'll likely have to splurge later on when the price goes back up.
Alex Smith, Commerce WriterSamsung 55-inch 4K Frame Series TV (2021) | $302 off at AmazonThis 55-inch 4K TV is going to look stellar in my living room, and you really can't beat today's offer now that it's reached a new low price.
Samsung's The Frame is part TV, part work of art. Equipped with a Quantum processor 4K, this powerful display is even more beautiful when you're not watching as it transforms into artwork with customizable frame styles and color options. Today's Prime Day deal takes over $300 off the latest 2021 model.