The biggest and best of the summer sales is Amazon’s Prime Day event, which runs on July 16 and 17 this year. But you don’t necessarily need to wait to bag a bargain, because Amazon always lets a few tasty discounts slip the net to whet your appetite ahead of the main event. We have been keeping a close eye on what’s available to help you find the best early Prime Day deals worth your time and money.
With decades of experience in product testing, a host of price tracking tools at our disposal, and a long history of bringing you the best bargains, you can rely on WIRED to sift the fast-moving waters of Amazon’s river of deals to extract the gold. This Prime Day, we cut to the chase, only including deals at their best price ever (some may match previous deal prices, but we have not seen them cheaper). It’s also worth noting that many of these products will likely remain at these prices through Prime Day.
Updated July 12, 2024: We added a bunch of new deals, adjusted prices to reflect some changes, and removed several expired deals.
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Prime Perks
Read our explainer on all the Amazon Prime perks you should be taking advantage of.
It may not be the best music streaming service, but Amazon Music Unlimited earned an honorable mention in our guide. Five months of free service for Prime members (three months for non-Prime members) will be enough to tempt some folks to try it. Amazon Music Unlimited gives you ad-free access to more than 100 million tracks in 16-bit, 44.1-kHz quality (24 bit, 192 kHz where available).
Easily the best audiobook service, Amazon’s Audible Premium Plus gives you access to a library of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts, one credit per month to use on any audiobook title you fancy, and regular exclusive deals and discounts. Prime members can have three months for free right now (one month for non-Prime members), after which it costs $15 per month. The beauty is that you get to keep titles purchased with credits, even after the subscription ends.
Deals on Amazon Tech
The discounts on Amazon’s growing stable of devices are so frequent you should never pay full price. But the deepest discounts are reserved for Prime Day events, and this year is no exception. Here are a few early Amazon device deals you can snag right now.
Photograph: Jaina Grey
The Amazon Kindle Scribe (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is more than an e-reader. It has a large, spacious screen and an included stylus so you can make notes, add annotations, or doodle without carrying a second notebook. It’s excellent for logging your thoughts in between chapters while reading at the beach, or for taking notes during class without getting distracted by notifications. Normally, it’s a lot more expensive than other Kindles, but this early sale (exclusive to Prime subscribers) brings it down to a much more competitive price.
Apple Deals
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Photograph: Apple; Getty Images
The 10th-generation iPad (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is still our top pick for most people. It has uniform bezels and a USB-C port for charging instead of Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable. The A14 Bionic processor is the same powering the iPhone 12, and it’s fast enough that we never experienced any sluggishness in our testing. It’s a reasonable price, and this deal makes it even more attractive, so unless you need a ton of extra power from your tablet, this is the way to go.
We loved the M2 Macbook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) when it dropped in 2022, but the only thing that put us off was its price. It has a bright, beautiful display, a MagSafe connector, and a decently powerful M2 processor, though it struggles if you open a few too many tabs. It’s down to a much more reasonable price and will be supported for years to come. If you’re looking for a reliable laptop for a full day of school or work, there’s never been a better time to grab this one.
Apple sells a lot of different headphones that are great for iPhone and iPad users, but few are as iconic as the AirPods. The second-generation AirPods (7/10, WIRED Review) don’t rely on the silicone tips that go in your ears, which you might prefer. We like the second-generation set better than its successor, the third-generation AirPods, and it doesn’t hurt that the older model is less expensive.
Tech Deals
Remember when hanging up on someone was dramatic and cool? It’s hard to do that by tapping a button on your screen. Fortunately, the Razr+ has brought that edge back. The newest foldable Motorola Razr+ (7/10, WIRED Recommends) just dropped, which means its predecessor is hitting its lowest price ever. The 2023 model lets you flip your phone open to answer calls and has an external display for showing notifications and other useful info. The cameras aren’t great, but if that’s your priority, the new 2024 Razr+ is already on sale for $900 ($100 off).
You can completely avoid tangles with this clever retractable cable from Baseus. Available in a few fun colors, this flat cable comes rolled up inside a circular case. Pull the USB-C ends and you can fix it at preset lengths (1.1, 1.9, 2.7, or 3.3 feet). When you’re done, simply pull and release and the cable will coil back up neatly inside the case. It’s good for charging at up to 11 watts but only supports data transfer speeds of 480 Mbps. We think it’s one of the best USB-C cables.
The HiSense U6N 4K TV is a budget variation of one of our favorite recent HiSense TVs, the U8N (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It lacks the higher refresh rate of the U8N, capping out at 60 Hz, so while it would be fine for some single-player gaming, it won’t do as well with fast-paced competitive games. It also only reaches a peak brightness of around 600 nits, compared to the over 3,000 nits on the U8N. However, it still brings the quantum dot tech and full-array local dimming that we like from its more expensive cousin. So, if you’re okay with a “good enough” that’s still pretty dang good, this is a nice cost-effective TV.
You can simply stick this power bank onto the back of your MagSafe iPhone to top off its battery. With a large capacity of 10,000 mAh, this is one of the best MagSafe power banks we have tested. It will provide at least one full charge for any MagSafe iPhone. It has a soft-touch finish, gentle curves, a USB-C port, a power button, and three LEDs on the bottom edge. This power bank is frequently discounted, but this is as low as we have seen it go.
Clip the on-page coupon to get the maximum deal price. This affordable security camera records decent-quality footage, has a starlight sensor that offers color night vision, microSD card support that goes up to 512 GB, and an IP66 rating, meaning it can be used outdoors. It also has smart detection (people, pets, and vehicles), offers 2K resolution, supports slightly laggy two-way audio, and has the optional Tapo Care subscription for 30 days of cloud storage from $3.50 per month. The more basic Tapo C110 is the best budget camera in our Best Indoor Security Cameras guide, but with the discount, you should pick the slightly superior C120 instead.
If you hate having to charge your wireless gaming headset, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless (10/10, WIRED Recommends) is for you. This headset can last a staggering 300 hours between charges. It also delivers rich, booming sound, comfortable ear cups, and intuitive controls. All that’s missing is a headphone jack. This headset has been discounted to around this price before but usually hovers around $170.
This 11-inch AMOLED Android tablet (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a powerful, slim slate with top-of-the-line specs, from the flagship-grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset to long-lasting battery life. It comes with the S Pen stylus, so you can sketch on it, and Android has improved enough that you can use it to get some light work done. Read our Best Tablets guide for more recommendations.
Home Deals
Photograph: KitchenAid
Is any kitchen truly complete until you’ve got a 5-quart stand mixer from KitchenAid permanently on your counter? Well, yes, we’re not here to judge your life, but these are incredibly useful (and long-lasting). The iconic KitchenAid Series 5 can mix, knead, whip, and whisk just about anything with minimal effort on your part. We rarely see this stand mixer much cheaper than this, so it’s an excellent time to buy.
A good espresso machine is an investment. Every morning (and afternoon, and sometimes evening) that you make yourself coffee, you’re betting your energy levels on the output of that machine on the counter, so you may as well make it a good one. The Breville Barista Touch pulls out the stops to make that gamble worth it. It has a built-in burr grinder and hot water spout, but most importantly, a touchscreen display that lets you store your custom drink orders and heat it up whenever you need another dose of caffeine.
Lightweight and powerful, this cordless vacuum picked up everything from cereal to litter with one pass on its medium setting. It can also stand up on its own, which few cordless vacs can do. Hoover’s device topped our Best Cordless Vacuums guide for a while and is still there as a good midrange alternative. The battery life is a little disappointing, though you can always buy a spare to switch in. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this vacuum.
Stylish and relatively compact, this is one of our favorite beard trimmers. It sports a digital display that shows the battery level as a percentage, boasts a long 120-minute battery life, and recharges in just one hour. WIRED contributor Andrew Williams found it excellent for sharp lines and a razor-like close shave across the neck. Philips recommends replacing the heads every four months, though you probably don’t have to. It’s not a huge discount, but we’ve only seen it slightly cheaper.
The only thing that kept this out of the top spot in our Best Hair Straighteners guide was the price. We’ve never seen it this low, though it is only the white model that is on sale. The T3 has a unique temperature-finding feature the company calls HeatID Technology, which we found minimizes damage. To find the right temperature, select your hair features via the touch controls on the iron’s handle: texture (fine, medium, coarse), length (short, medium, long), and whether your hair is color-treated. We also love its Refresh mode for touching up hair later at a lower temperature based on previous settings.
Photograph: Cosori
Air fryers enable you to cook quickly and potentially more healthily. The best air fryers are essentially compact convection ovens that heat up quickly to make things like crispy chicken, fries, and donuts. This Cosori is our favorite smart air fryer because it can be controlled remotely using a smartphone or tablet (it has a digital control panel, too). We liked the sleek, black, premium design, the cooking drawer slides out smoothly, and the handle doesn’t get hot while in use. Just watch out for the sides, as they do get a little hot, so be sure the air fryer has plenty of space. The temperature ranges from 175 degrees Fahrenheit to a powerful 400, with 12 preset cooking modes.
If you need a new grill for the backyard this summer, this Weber model is our favorite gas grill because of its simplicity, build quality, even cooking temperatures, and easy-to-adjust burners. There is plenty of room for all your plates and platters, with side trays, and there are handy hooks for tongs and tools. It boasts solid porcelain-coated cast-iron grill grates, making clean-up relatively easy with a little soap and water. WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson’s favorite feature is the massive turn radius of the burner knobs, which makes it easy to dial in the perfect flame.
This is our top budget chair recommendation in our Best Office Chairs guide. It dips to this price fairly often but doesn’t go lower. It has a breathable mesh fabric on the back and the seat, plus it’s sturdy and has held up for several years of use.
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