The best Black Friday deals on 25 of our favorite gadgets from Amazon, Walmart, Target and more

"Black Friday" has really become a misnomer in recent years. What was once one day with truly limited-time offers has expanded into a month-long sales marathon that can feel more exhausting than exciting. It's happening again in 2023: Target, Best Buy and Walmart are already advertising their deals, while Amazon Black Friday deals kick off in earnest later this week.

If you're overwhelmed by the amount of discounts showing up in your internet feeds, you're not alone - but these sales present a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done a little earlier, while saving some cash. To help, we've rounded up the best Black Friday deals on tech we've tested and reviewed below. Will there be some surprises on Black Friday proper? Possibly - but most deals live now are actually decent and worth considering. We're already seeing record lows on iPads, PS5 controllers and smart TVs. 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 iPad (9th-gen)

Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon and Walmart, 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.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $349 at Amazon and Walmart in an early Black Friday deal. That's $50 off its usual price and the lowest we've seen since it debuted in September. That's the price you'll pay for the 41mm model, and the 45mm models have the same $50 discount, bringing them down to $379 each. The Series 9 took the crown of the best smartwatch you can get right now in our guide thanks to its new S9 SiP that brings slightly speedier performance and on-device Siri processing, the new Double Tap feature and other improvements.

Apple M2 Mac Mini

Amazon has discounted the M2-powered Mac Mini desktops: the 256GB model has dropped to $500 thanks to a discount and a clippable coupon added on top of that, while the 512GB model is on sale for $690 with similar bundled discounts. It's a great option if you want a speedy desktop running macOS, with a bevy of ports as well. It earned a score of 86 in our review, and it has a headphone jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A connectors, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Meta Quest 2 VR headset

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $50 off and down to $249, which is the best price we've seen. Despite the launch of the impressive Quest 3, we still consider the Quest 2 to be one of the best VR headsets available right now - precisely because of its more affordable price. It's still the best way to jump into VR without spending a ton of money, and the Quest 2 has the perks of being completely cordless and comfortable to wear for long sessions. The hardware includes fast-switching LCDs with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, and it comes with Meta's sold motion controllers.

Fitbit Charge 6

Fitbit's newest fitness tracker, the Charge 6, is $60 off right now and down to a record low of $100. It's the follow-up to one of our favorite fitness trackers, the Fitbit Charge 5, and it brings back the physical side button that previous generations had and integrates even more with Google services. It has an AMOLED touchscreen that displays all of your activity stats and smart notifications, a built-in GPS for mapping outdoor workouts, a week-long battery life and the ability to display turn-by-turn directions on its screen from Google Maps.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon's most affordable Fire TV Stick is down to $16 for Black Friday, which is only $1 more than its record-low price. You'll find decent discounts across most of the Fire TV lineup right now - including a $20 discount on the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max - and this model is the cheapest of the bunch. It supports HD video as well as most major streaming services, plus it comes with a pared-down version of the Alexa voice remote. If you want the most powerful dongle that Amazon makes with support for 4K HDR content and Wi-Fi 6, you'll have to spend $40 for the new Fire TV 4K Max.

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 of 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.

Dyson Black Friday deals

Dyson Black Friday deals include a $175 discount on the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, bringing the cordless vacuum down to $575. It's hard to tell if this is a record-low price, but considering the standard V15 Detect is going for between $650 and $750 across the internet, we consider this to be a good deal. In addition to its strong cleaning power, the V15 Detect has a laser-powered optic cleaner head that illuminates the floor before you as you're cleaning so you can see dust and grime more clearly. It also has a piezo sensor, which sizes and counts dust particles as you clean and shows you that information on its LCD display.

Echo Show 5 + Ring Video Doorbell bundle

Prime members can save 65 percent on this bundle that includes an Echo Show 5 and a Ring Video Doorbell, now that it's down to only $65. The Show 5 is one of our favorite smart displays thanks to its compact design and a few useful features that make it a solid smart alarm clock like an ambient light sensor and its tap-to-snooze function. It also works well with the Ring doorbell because you can program it to see video feeds from the doorbell directly on the Show 5's screen. There are a number of other Ring doorbells and security cameras on sale at the moment as well for as low as $30.

Samsung T9 SSD

The latest Samsung T9 portable SSD is on sale for $130 right now for a 1TB drive, which is the best price it's been since it came out last month. You can snag these Black Friday deals from Amazon or Samsung direct, and you'll save $40 if you spring for the 2TB version or $100 on the 4TB model. The T9 is the newest iteration of Samsung's popular portable drive that we've long been fans of, and it supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. It also has dynamic thermal guard to prevent overheating, plus it comes with a USB-C to C and USB-C to A cords so you can use it with a variety of devices.

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller

Amazon has discounted a bunch of PlayStation DualSense controllers ahead of Black Friday, including many of the colorways that typically go for $75. You can pick up Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink and other models for $50 each, which is just about a record-low price. These controllers work with the PS5 as well as PC, and they sport adaptive L2 and R2 triggers, haptic feedback and a built-in mic array.

PS5 + Marvel's Spider-Man 2 bundle

If you or someone you love hasn't gotten their hands on a PS5 yet and is itching to do so, this bundle with the console and the new Spider-Man 2 game is down to its cheapest price yet - $500. The PS5 remains one of the best gaming consoles you can get right now, and when we reviewed the new Marvel's Spider-Man 2, we found it to be even better than its predecessor. In it, you can swap between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and it includes expanded combat mechanics.

PS5 Slim + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III bundle

You can get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for free with this PS5 Slim bundle that's roughly $60 off its going rate and down to $500 at both Amazon and Walmart. Sony announced the svelte version of its flagship console last month and it's been popping up sporadically across the internet since then. Depending on the model you choose, it'll be up to 24 percent lighter than the standard PS5 and it will take up about 30 percent less space overall.

DJI Osmo Action 3 Creator Combo

As part of a larger sale on DJI cameras and accessories, the DJI Osmo Action 3 is seeing a discount as part of a bundle that includes two batteries, a 32GB microSD card and a case. Separately and not on sale, the set would run you $379, but is now down to $319. This isn't the newest version of DJI's GoPro Alternative camera, that one, the Osmo Action 4 isn't on sale. The newer version has a larger sensor and improved dynamic range, but at a higher price. But if you don't plan on shooting a lot of low-light footage, you may be happy with the performance of the Action 3. We put it through its paces in our review and liked the excellent video quality, and found it to be on par with GoPro's Hero 10. The the magnetic clip mount and long-lasting, fast-charging battery are also reasons to buy.

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark's Black Friday deal knocks up to 86 percent off two-year plans, and you'll get a few extra months of service for free depending on the plan you select. We consider Surfshark to be one of the best VPN services available right now, particularly if you want a solid VPN at an affordable price. We believe the mid-tier plan, Surfshark One, will be the best for most people and a two-year plan is down to $2.69 per month, with an additional four months of services thrown in for free.

Samsung M80C Smart Monitor

Samsung's Smart Monitor M80C is $300 off and down to $400 right now. You'll see a $200 discount on the product page, but a clippable coupon will take the extra $100 off at checkout. The selling point for this display, and really any Samsung Smart Monitor, is that it pulls triple duty as an external display, a smart TV and an IoT hub. In addition to connecting it to your computer, you can use it standalone as a TV thanks to the built-in TV operating system and included remote, and the embedded SmartThings hub lets you directly connect things like smart lights and other gear to the display.

Motorola razr+

The Moto razr+ is 30 percent off and down to a record low of $700. It earned a spot in our best foldable phones guides thanks to handy exterior display that's actually easier to use than that on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and its ability to fold in half and get super compact and pocket-friendly. It's cameras are not on par with those on Samsung's foldables, but it's a generally solid flip phone with a ton of personality.

Reverb music gear holiday sale

Reverb is currently hosting a holiday sale with discounts on a number of synths, pedals, guitars, and recording devices. One callout is the Native Instruments' Maschine MK3, which is seeing a $300 discount making the $600 groovebox/drum machine/synth combo/controller just $299. The pad based controller will let you build full tracks from scratch without having to touch your mouse and keyboard. We're fans of Native Instruments and have covered and reviewed their gear many times over the years. If you're getting into desktop music-making, this is likely a sale you'll want to check out.

Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are down to $199 at Amazon, which is the same as they went for for October Prime Day. During that sale you needed to be a Prime member to save, but now anyone can take advantage of the discount. They retail for $299, but have sold for $279 for the past few months, so this is still an $80 discount. We think they're best wireless earbuds you can buy for noise cancelation, as they do a great job of blocking out the world. They also have a smaller, more comfortable fit than the previous generation and offer good audio quality.

Samsung 85-inch The Frame smart TV

The 85-inch Samsung The Frame smart TV is 23 percent off and down to a new record low of $3,300 at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The Frame has been super popular thanks to its design, which mimics framed artwork when not in use. It has a matte, anti-reflective display and an included slim wall mount so you can get the true artwork" effect when you hang it on the wall. As an actual TV, it supports 4K content and Quantum Dot technology, plus it runs on Samsung's Tizen TV operating system.

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.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug

The smart plug we recommend for most homes is TP-Link's Kasa Smart Plug mini. A four-pack is on sale for $35 which is about $3 more than it sold for during Amazon's October Prime day sale, but still a decent $15 savings. Plugs like these are a simple way to add some smart capabilities to any home, letting you turn on lights with just your voice, set automated schedules and routines that are triggered by other activities. These would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone you know who's curious about smart home connectivity but hasn't yet taken the plunge.

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.

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.

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.

FAQsWhen 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.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-black-friday-deals-on-25-of-our-favorite-gadgets-from-amazon-walmart-target-and-more-134504263.html?src=rss