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Loyal Black Friday shoppers know the sensory overload that the influx of deals can bring.
This year, Black Friday is Extremely Online. If you attempt to keep track of all the links and all the emails from different brands yourself, you’ll probably miss something major — or you’ll see vacuums and Instant Pots swirling around in your dreams tonight.
We’re here to put the blinders on. Here are 10 of the Black Friday deals that shocked us the most:
1. AirPods Pro — $169 (save $79.01)
Is it okay if we say “epic” as long as we mean it ironically? Because that’s what this AirPods Pro discount was. Earbuds with true noise cancellation aren’t easy to come by as it is, and the fact that Apple’s seamlessly pair with your iPhone have made them a year-round hot commodity. This deal looks particularly juicy compared to last year, when the biggest AirPods Pro deal we could scrounge up was, like, $14 off.
Walmart had the same price ($0.99 cheaper, actually) but they’re sold out. Amazon is temporarily out of stock, but ordering now locks down this amazing price. They’ll ship as soon as Amazon gets more in stock, which we imagine will be soon.
2. Hulu — $1.99 per month for a year (save $48)
Both new and eligible returning Hulu customers can take advantage of the year’s best streaming deal — by far. Through Nov. 30, Hulu is shaving 65% off its basic 12-month subscription. That means that for an entire year, your monthly bank statement will only show a $1.99 charge from Hulu — which adds up to just $23.88 for the entire year. (That’s almost $50 in savings.)
“Eligible returning subscribers” include those who canceled a plan at least three months and those who didn’t participate in this same sale last year.
Do you realize what this means? Anyone who’s tired of their current shitty streaming situation — whether it’s because their TV is old and not smart, or because their current smart TV’s menu is unbearably laggy — can access their favorite apps on Amazon’s beloved Fire TV interface for less than $20. If that means avoiding replacing the TV entirely, you’ll save much more than $12 in the end.
The Instant Pot Viva is the best of both worlds: It can perform all nine appliance functions that the high-end Evo Plus can for the price of an Instant Pot that can only perform six. Ditching the fancy knob and extra presets to get nine appliance functions (including sous vide!) for less than $50 is one hell of a tradeoff.
5. AncestryDNA — $47 (save $52)
Cross an item off your bucket list with this incredible deal from AncestryDNA. If you’ve been curious about the surprises that lie decades back in your family tree, Ancestry will compare your cheek swab to its massive genealogical pool and get you answers in just a few weeks. Ancestry is also known as the best kit for detailing immigration patterns or tracking down biological relatives.
This deal is over half off and $2 cheaper than the price on Ancestry’s official website.
It’s official — the Dyson V10 Animal is cheaper than the lower-tier V8 Animal. As if you even needed any convincing to go with the more advanced model, here’s what you’re getting: a larger and more streamlined dust bin, a more powerful motor, a fluffy cleaning head for hard floors, and an hour-long battery life. Compared to the $599 V11, the V10 has the same digital motor speed (125,000 per minute) but lacks a digital display and an intelligent cleaning mode.
7. The Mirror — $1,245 (save $500)
Getting a good workout at home is an art form — one that has gained major traction since social distancing restrictions closed public gyms (or made them less appealing). The Mirror’s interactive screen is the ultimate home workout partner because it’s literally a personal trainer. Watch live or prerecorded fitness classes from yoga to kettlebell to dance, filtered by difficulty, necessary equipment, and how much time you have. Use code BLACKFRIDAY20 to save $250 on the mirror itself and $250 on delivery and installation.
On the hunt for a cheap laptop to get you (or your kid) through another round of working remotely? At less than $160, this 14-inch Lenovo Chromebook is a purchase you won’t think twice about. Thanks to rubberized bumpers, Lenovo’s Chromebooks are tanks. Your projects and info will be just as protected inside, with everything stored in the cloud and a sandbox run on each web page.
For $10 less than Amazon’s baseline smart speaker, you can use Google via voice command in any room for less than $20. The second generation Nest Mini is small, out of the way, and comes in some pretty adorable colors. Just say “Hey Google” to ask a question, check the weather or traffic, or set reminders or alarms.
‘Tis the season of wearing sweaters and furry coats and not knowing how to wash said sweaters and coats. Skip the trip to the dry cleaner with Samsung’s AirDresser, which can be yours for less than $1,000. (This is $200 less than its sale price from over the summer.) Air Hangers release steam throughout the cabinet to release wrinkles, remove 99.9% of dust mites, bacteria, and odors from food, smoke, or sweat. All 22 cycles, including ones specifically for button-ups, pants, coats, school uniforms, and more are controlled with the app. The best part is that it plugs into a regular outlet.
