Hot or Not: The best (and worst) early Black Friday deals in Amazon’s Prime Day sale

HOT! Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer: $269.99 $169.99 at Amazon

Hamish Hector, Staff Writer

If you’re after an air fryer, then this $100-off deal on an Instant Pot Pro Crisp is one you need to pay attention to. In our review, we thought this was one of the best and most versatile air fryers on the market, but normally it’s one of the most expensive too. Right now though, it’s only $10 more than its lowest-ever price on Amazon.

If you’re hoping to make healthier yet still tasty food for your family – especially at big gatherings around Thanksgiving and the holiday season – then this could be an invaluable kitchen appliance in your arsenal.

Not! Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: $699.99 $499.99 at Amazon

Alex ‘Toddy’ Walker-Todd, Senior Phones Editor

$200 might sound like a solid saving on Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE, but it’s past its prime and there are newer entries in the same price range that’ll serve you better. The S20 FE arrived in late October 2020 and we commended its power, smooth display and functional cameras. On the flip side, it felt cheap in the hand and two years on, just doesn’t have retain a price / performance balance we can recommend anymore.

The crazy thing is, Samsung’s current flagship – the Galaxy S22 – is up for grabs for less (opens in new tab) than the S20 FE in a far more worthwhile Amazon deal of its own; priced at just $449.99, down from $799.99 – that’s a saving of $350!

Top 3 Dolby Atmos soundbar deals in the US

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

The people love Dolby Atmos. In the last year or so, Dolby’s advanced home theater sound has become the TV upgrade to have, thanks to a few factors, a big part of which is how much Atmos soundbars have come down in price. 

Below, I’ve picked out the three Dolby Atmos soundbars that I think are most worth your attention this Prime Day. There’s a cheap Sony option that’s based on virtual Dolby Atmos; a slightly more expensive Samsung option that features real side and upfiring speakers; and then a full surround soundbar system from Samsung with wireless rear speakers that’s a ridiculously immersive experience for the price.

HOT! Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base: $649.99 $349.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Jenny Oksien, Homes Editor

This robot vacuum cleaner deal has caught our attention during Amazon Prime Day (opens in new tab) today. It’s a fairly obvious reason why: the price. Right now you can save $300 off the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base. Although it’s not quite half price, it is still a very chunky saving to enjoy.

Shark is one of the best robot vacuum cleaner (opens in new tab) brands and, just in general, one of the best vacuum cleaner brands. Although we haven’t reviewed it ourselves, customer reviews on Amazon have rated it an overall 4.4 out of 5 stars with many raving about how well it tackles pet hair and that the self-emptying bin is “the best among all the bots”, “awesome”… you get the picture.

There’s a lot going for this robot vacuum, and it’ll get a chore off the to-do list all on its own – and who doesn’t want life to get easier?

8 great finds for under $50

Alex Whitelock, Deals Editor

Looking for gifts or impulse buys that won’t leave you card feeling dangerously light on funds? We’ve chosen eight of our favorite deals that are all under 50 bucks!

NOT! Apple iPad 10.2 (2021): $329 $268 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Marc McLaren, Editor-in-Chief

On the face of it, this Apple iPad 10.2 deal is a good one: it brings Apple’s base-level tablet down to its lowest ever price, some $12 cheaper than it’s been before and a full $61 less than its official price. And yes, $268 for the iPad (opens in new tab), a device that we rate at 4.5/5 and that is undoubtedly one of the best tablets, is something of a bargain.

But hold on a moment. You see, Apple is expected to unveil new devices in October, and the iPad is among those rumored to be getting a nice upgrade. For starters, leaks suggest it will get the bezel-and-home-button-less design that we already see on the iPad Pro, Air and Mini. That alone is a good reason to wait a few more weeks. But more than that, the price of the previous-gen model should drop further once the new one is announced, meaning that Black Friday deals could be better still.

You could argue that the latter point applies to the Pixel 6 too – a product I said earlier that you should buy now, even though the 7 is about to arrive. But the difference between those phones is not huge, whereas the upgraded iPad will be a different beast entirely. So either wait and get a better iPad, or wait and get an even cheaper iPad – but either way, I wouldn’t go for this deal. 

HOT! GoPro Hero 8 Black Bundle: $359 $279.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Mark Wilson, Cameras Editor

If I was looking to buy a GoPro now, I’d go for this Hero 8 Black bundle in the US Prime Day deals. I’ve tested most of GoPro’s action cams from the past five years –and while the new Hero 11 Black is very nice, it’s been a case of diminishing returns since the Hero 8. Also, the most annoying things about buying a GoPro on its own are finding ways to mount it and dealing with the relatively short battery life. 

This bundle, which has never been cheaper on Amazon, solves both of those things with its two spare batteries and clever mounts (the headstrap being particularly useful for FPV videos). 

Hot! Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop: $1,399.99 $899.99 at Best Buy

Alex Whitelock, Deals Editor

I’m here to steal the thunder from Amazon’s party with an anti-Prime Day deal from Best Buy. Yep, other retailers are offering fantastic promotions and some of them even beat Amazon’s – case in point, this Asus Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop.

Not only does this machine (which has been a favorite over on our best gaming laptops buyer’s guide in the past two years) have a huge $500 off today at Best Buy, but its combination of an RTX 3060 graphics card, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and Ryzen 7 processor makes it an extremely powerful machine for the money. 

Normally, you pay a premium for this model – not least because its gorgeous design and slimmed-down 14-inch display make it stand out from the competition. While these smaller gaming laptops are starting to become more commonplace now, the G14 is still arguably the top choice for overall performance. It’s essentially the OG of the 14-inch gaming laptops, and one that’s great value thanks to this deal.

Why I bought Huawei’s weirdly shaped 4K monitor

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

During the October Amazon Prime Day sale, I always had my eye on one specific purchase. As soon as I saw it, I grabbed the Huawei MateView 28-inch 4K monitor for £379, down from £599 officially (though its ‘real’ price has been £500 for a while).

I’ve been waiting for it to drop to this kind of price for ages (its previous cheapest ever price was £399, but I missed it then), because it delivers a different level of image quality than almost anything else in the same kind of price range, but also because of its weird shape.

It’s a 3:2 aspect ratio display, rather than the 16:9 or 16:10 that most monitors use. This means it’s a bit taller than a regular widescreen, which is very much bucking the trend: many monitors are leaning more towards being ‘ultra-wide’, but this is moving towards being ‘a-bit-more-square’.

I work, as you may have surmised, on a website. I work on webpages that are infinitely long. Not infinitely wide, of course; just long. So a monitor that’s about the same width as a regular monitor but with extra height is ideal for me, since it’ll let me see just a bit more of the site at once. All day, every day, that’ll make my life tangibly easier.

But I wouldn’t have bought it just for that – it’s also one of the few mid-price monitors that goes for higher levels of brightness. It’s 500 nits, as well as being 4K and with a wide color gamut, which means it’s basically the closest you can get to the screen of an iMac without buying an iMac. And it costs about a quarter of what an iMac costs. And since I already have the computer part, that’s a perfect deal for me.

HOT! Google Pixel 6: $699 $499 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Marc McLaren, Editor-in-Chief

I’ve owned, used or tested many, many phones over the past 20 or so years. Some have been great (I still miss my HTC One M8), others less so (take a bow, iPhone 5C). But I’d honestly put the Google Pixel 6 near the top of the pile. And that’s despite the fact that I’m holding off on buying the Pixel 7 until it fixes certain Pixel 6 problems. 

Why? Well, it’s the smartest phone I’ve owned, using machine learning to make everyday tasks quicker and easier than ever. It also looks great, has one of the best cameras around and (importantly) it doesn’t cost a fortune.

Well, it costs even less right now, because the Pixel 6 has dropped to just $499 (opens in new tab) in Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale. That’s for the 256GB model, which had never before dropped below $599 as far as I’m aware. Just think about that for a second: less than $500 for a flagship phone with Android 13. And if you’re in the UK, it’s even better – because there you can pick it up for £475 with Google Pixel Buds-A thrown in (opens in new tab). Sure, the Pixel 7 is about to hit retailers, but at this price the 6 is well worth a look.

Top affordable earbuds compared

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

Lots of people are looking for great new true wireless earbuds, that won’t empty your wallet completely. I want to pick out two deals in particular from the Prime Day offerings, from two of the biggest names in the business. One is perfect if you want to keep the price as low as possible without sacrificing audio quality, while the others are perfect if you want to have all the latest features for under $100.

NOT! Braun Series 9 Pro electric razor: $329 $265 at Amazon

Axel Metz, Staff Writer

Let’s get one thing straight: $265 for Braun’s top-end electric razor is not an objectively bad deal. This beast of a trimmer usually retails for $329.99, so any saving on that eye-watering price is more than welcome. 

But the reality is that most folks will be served just fine by a slightly older Braun model, like the Series 7, which is also on sale for $99 (down from $160) as part of Amazon’s Prime Early Access event. Sure, everyone’s beard-trimming needs are different – the Series 9 Pro is a better option for those with really long beards, for instance. But if you’re looking for a capable everyday shaver to replace a well-worn model, then the Series 7 is the best thing money can buy for under $100. 

HOT! Sony X89J 75-inch 4K TV: £1,099 £999 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

This may not be biggest discount amount you’ll find today, but in terms of overall value, I love this offer. Getting any 75-inch TV for under a grand is not exactly common, but this one comes with a bunch of premium features too – and in particular, it’s a dream for gamers who want a biiiiiiiiig screen.

The X89J is a TV from 2021, which is why it’s so cheap now. It features the Sony X1 processor, which was once Sony’s flagship tech, and is still very capable at polishing pictures (which is essential in such a big set, because you won’t miss any imperfections). Sony’s great colour reproduction is here too, and the Google TV smart platform makes it easy to access streaming services.

But the really juicy stuff here is the HDMI 2.1 support, including 4K 120Hz and VRR. Most TVs that include this tech at 75 inches are expensive, so this is a great deal for anyone with a PS5 or Xbox Series X and a lot of space.

As a contrast, take a look at this Samsung 75-inch QLED TV for £1,499 (opens in new tab). No next-gen gaming features, no real improvement in image quality over the Sony, and 50% more expensive. The X90J is a bargain!

Why everyone loves air fryers, and 3 tips for finding the perfect one for you

Jenny Oksien, Homes Editor

Having suggested a couple of air fryers today, I wanted to explain the phenomenon for anyone who’s not familiar with them. Everyone is talking about them, from your hair stylist to your colleagues, so someone is sure to evangelize them to you soon. They cool very quickly and are, therefore, much more energy efficient than a conventional oven – which is great in countries facing an energy crisis, such as the UK. Based on a 1500W model and the October 2022 price cap, an air fryer’s running costs would be just £90 per year for UK buyers.

So if you get tempted by one, here’s what look for when buying:

1. Wattage The lower the wattage the more energy efficiency it’ll be, but it will cook your food slower than an air fryer with a higher wattage. We recommend looking at getting an air fryer with around 1700W. This is a good middle ground, with plenty of products available at this level, and which has consistency impressed us during our at-home tests.

2. Capacity This is a really important factor, and you don’t want to get it wrong. Opt for a 5 quarts / 5 litre air fryer if you’re a family of four, or 2 quarts / 2 litres if you’re a couple. 

3. Drawers Look out for whether you get single or double drawers in an air fryer, too. A double drawer will mean that you can cook two different food types at two different temperatures and durations, at the same time – this would be a good option if you have a family and prefer to cook pretty much everything in an air fryer at meal times.

• Air fryers at Amazon UK: from under £50 (opens in new tab)
• Air fryers at Amazon US: from under $50 (opens in new tab)

HOT! COSORI Air Fryer, 5 QT, 9-in-1 Airfryer Compact Oilless Small Oven: $99.99 $79.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Jenny Oksien, Homes Editor

I think this air fryer is a hot one to buy during today’s Prime Day (opens in new tab) because, well, just look at that price. For an appliance which cooks food for a family-of-four it was already very reasonably priced, but then Amazon swept in with another money-saving event and slashed the price by $20.

Cosori says that it’s the number one air fryer brand in the US, and this model was also a Red Dot Design Award winner from 2019. Then, to add to how awesome the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer L501 is, we know that it worth your consideration if you’re looking for a healthier way to enjoy fries, chicken wings and other indulgent foods, and wanting a compact, streamlined device. How do we know this? We reviewed it (opens in new tab) and thought it was good enough to slot in to our best air fryers (opens in new tab) guide.

Will I be buying one? Probably not. I prefer the design of twin-drawer units so I can cook two food types at the same time. BUT, this deal is a really good one to go after if you want to give air frying a try or if you don’t have much counter-top space, or if you reeeally want an air fryer but don’t have a lot of spare dollars.

HOT! Apple Watch Series 8: $399 $349 at Amazon

Alex Walker-Todd, Senior Phones Editor

Deals on Apple products are few and far between at the best of times, making this fresh discount on the latest Apple Watch Series 8 all the more exciting. $50 might not sound like much in the grand scheme of things but getting any money off Apple’s latest wearable so soon after it hit the market is a rare opportunity.

For $349, you’re getting one of the best smartwatches out there, laden with helpful new features like car crash detection, temperature sensing for better sleep and reproductive tracking, and more.

HOT! LG C1 65-inch OLED 4K TV: $2,499 $1,496 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

If you’re looking for a large, future-proof OLED TV for the minimal possible money, this is the best offer available right now, in my opinion. The LG C1 is from 2021, and doesn’t hit quite the same levels of brightness as its newer replacement, the LG C2. But for this price, it absolutely holds up as a fantastic buy for home theater fans, because the image quality is still stunning, and you still make the most of OLED’s famous infinite contrast ratio.

Dark tones are deep and detailed, and HDR performance is extremely impressive – and it handles the upscaling of lower-res video to 4K extremely well. LG’s processing is also great at taking lower-quality streams and smoothing out the rough edges.

And for gamers, there’s no better selection of features out there. You get four HDMI 2.1 ports, all supporting 4K 120Hz, VRR, FreeSync and G-Sync. This is also one of the only TVs on the planet to support Dolby Vision gaming at 120fps – good for Xbox Series X owners.

It’s a good time to brush up on oral care

Matt Evans, Fitness & Wellbeing Editor

At this time of year, some of the most popular buys in the health tech sphere are electric toothbrushes and other oral care items. Some of these gadgets cost a lot, but the mid-range brushes are usually heavily discounted, such as this Philips Sonicare Protectiveclean 6500, which has seen its price slashed by 47% to $89.95, and the AI-powered Oral-B Geniux X pack, down 50% to just $99.99. 

Water flossers are also gathering steam (though not literally, ideally). Instead of using bits of string, you can blast away food debris with high-powered jets of water, like a dentist might with air. The Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser is Amazon’s #1 seller in this category, and right now it’s down from $99.99 to just $44.99. 

These aren’t just lumps of plastic to throw in a drawer: these are the kinds of health purchases actually worth your time. There’s plenty of studies out there that show electric toothbrushes work, with one 2013 clinical study showing powered toothbrush users demonstrate “clinical and statistical improvement in overall plaque scores” compared to manual toothbrush users. 

NOT! Samsung The Frame 2022 65-inch 4K TV: $1,997 $1,597 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

This is a reasonable discount compared to full price, obviously – who doesn’t love a $400 saving? And if you specifically want to buy Samsung’s The Frame sets because of their looks, ambient art mode, and interchangeable frames, then you’ll get no argument from me.

But from the TV side, it’s not great value. The Frame TVs use QLED panels for rich colors, which is great, but with more basic edge-lit backlighting, which means their contrast is more limited than Samsung’s other TVs. But here’s the thing: because of their design flourishes, they cost the same as the TVs with much, much better image quality.

And I mean they cost exactly the same. For the same $1,597 price, you could get the 65-inch Samsung QN90B (opens in new tab). This is a greater discount ($700!), and it features a mini-LED backlight that means it reaches higher levels of brightness and deeper levels of contrast than The Frame. It’s also equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming. And it doesn’t exactly look bad! It’s a lovely thin design. 

It’s not that I think The Frame is bad in any way, but I know it’s been really popular this Prime Day, and I think the QN90B is the (much) better buy.

Top 3 tips for buying a cordless vac

Jenny Oksien, Homes Editor

The top three things I recommend to look out for when choosing a cordless vac are: 

1. The Battery Look for a run time of approx. 60 minutes, with a charge time of around 3 – 4 hours, which will ensure you can clean most of the house on a single charge.

2. Dust cup capacity Most cordless vacs have a capacity of approx. 0.5 litres which is sufficient for daily cleans, but we’d recommend looking for models with a bigger capacity for the twice or once-weekly cleans.

3. Attachments Cordless vacuum cleaners are great for using throughout all levels of the house, so look for those which come with a crevice tool and mini motorized tool, as a minimum. You don’t want to find there’s a corner that your fancy new vac can’t get into.

• US vacuum deals at Amazon: $200 off iRobot Roomba, Shark (opens in new tab)
• UK vacuum deals at Amazon: iRobot Roomba and Shark deals (opens in new tab)

HOT! Nespresso Vertuo Next coffee maker: $199 $142 / £150 £68 at Amazon

Axel Metz, Staff Writer

I didn’t get the hype about coffee until I joined the wonderful world of full-time employment – and now, like almost everyone else, I’m addicted to the stuff. I’ve been rocking Nespresso’s Inissia coffee maker – which, incidentally, is also on sale at Amazon in the US – on my kitchen countertop for a couple of years now, but I’m seriously tempted to make the jump to the brand’s larger Vertuo capsules. 

Luckily, one of Nespresso’s cheaper Vertuo-compatible models, the Nespresso Vertuo Next, is on sale as part of Amazon’s Prime Early Access sale in both the US and UK. If you live in the States, you can pick up the chrome-colored De’Longhi model for $142 (down from $199), and those in the UK can bag the black Megamix model for just £68 (down from £150).

In our testing, we found the Vertuo Next to be exceptionally easy to use and capable of making consistently smooth espressos and americanos. Put simply, it’s one of the best coffee makers around, so these are definitely deals worth grabbing while you can. Hot drink from a hot deal, anyone?

US TV deals are like Black Friday came early

Matt Bolton, Senior Editor – TV & Audio

The TV deals in the US side of Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale have really impressed me. With Black Friday coming up, I really wasn’t sure what kind of offers to expect, but the TV deals really turned out for Amazon’s October sale.

It’s been more ‘okay’ than ‘thrilling’ at the budget end of things, with Amazon’s Omni TVs and a couple of Hisense options leading the way, but we haven’t had anything that made me go “WOW, everyone needs to know about this.”

But the $1,000 to $1,500 range is where things are really interesting. You’ve got LG OLED and mini-LED TVs of various sizes available in there, you’ve got a whole range of Samsung TVs in there, and you’ve got some still-very new Sony TVs. All with great savings.

The LG A1 OLED TV for $650 (opens in new tab) is one of the most interesting options – that’s the lowest I’ve ever seen an OLED TV. My deal of the day yesterday was the Sony A80J 77-inch OLED TV for $1,999, which the cheapest I’ve ever seen an OLED TV of that size – it’s no surprise stock didn’t last until day two of that TV.

NOT: Apple Watch SE (1st Gen): $308 $229.99 at Amazon

Matt Evans, Fitness & Wellbeing Editor

While big discounts make it worth buying older models, smaller discounts don’t. Take this Apple Watch SE deal, which has you saving 26% off the already budget-friendly Apple Watch iteration, bringing it down to $229.99. This is the 1st-gen SE at 44mm size, without cellular. Meanwhile, the up-to-date 2nd-gen SE2, without discount, retails at $269.98 (again, at 44mm, no cellular). If you want something that’s going to be compatible with future iterations of Apple’s watchOS operating system, you’re better off spending the extra 40 dollars here.  

HOT! Ninja DZ401 10-quart Air Fryer: $229.99 $199.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Jenny Oksien, Homes Editor 

Oooh look what we have here: only one of the best air fryers (opens in new tab) on sale during Amazon Prime Day. No biggie. 

Wait. It is a big deal. The Ninja DZ401 Foodi Dual 10-quart Air Fryer is now $30 cheaper during the second Prime Day (opens in new tab) event of the year. It’s still a high-ticket price to stomach, there’s no denying that, but the fact that it flies off the shelves even when it’s not on sale should speak volumes that this is a popular, and good, air fryer.

We know it’s good – we tested the UK version, which has a slightly different name but looks and functions the same (you can read our Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air fryer AF400UK review to see how we got on). What we liked is that it can cook two food types at the same time and it’s easy to clean. What we loved is that the cooking results were absolutely delicious: think crisp homemade fries and chicken wings. Yum.

I’m very tempted to buy this deal myself. With the cost of energy bills rocketing and time always being a thing I seem to lack, this air fryer is offering a solution to a couple of my own personal concerns. Plus, I do like to eat food (especially cake) so to have the option to bake, air broil, roast, reheat, and dehydrate is a tease to my taste buds – as well as to my wanna-be slimmer waist line. Air fryers claim to use 75% less fat than traditional air frying methods.

HOT: Fitbit Versa 3: $229.95 now $131.19

Matt Evans, Fitness & Wellbeing Editor

If you’re looking for a cheap fitness watch, this Fitbit Versa 3 deal is one of the best ways to jump in. It’s got some of Fitbit’s best features, including the ability to generate a Daily Readiness Score to tell you how well-rested your body is, and built-in GPS so you can track runs and rides phone-free. 

Some may say the recently-released Versa 4 means the Versa 3 is now dead tech, but you can still get years of use out of one of Fitbit’s best watches, and it’s now 42% off, from $229.95 to $131.19.

Read more: Fitbit Versa 3 review

Prime Day Early Access Sale gets the thumbs up

Alex Whitelock, deals editor

While the Prime Day Early Access sale wasn’t exactly billed as a ‘Prime Day 2.0’, it’s essentially been that in all but name. I think everyone’s been slightly caught off guard by just how good the retailer’s offerings have been over the last two days. 

Most of the deals are just as good – if not better – than those offered over the first Prime Day back in July. I wouldn’t have expected this, given the relative lack of hype in the build-up. But here we are in the midst of literally thousands of good listings.

Deals like the MacBook Air M1 dropping down to $799 or the Galaxy S22 Ultra to $989.99 are both examples where the retailer is either matching its previous record low prices or beating them on hot ticket items. 

It’s not just older products that are getting decent price cuts either – check out the latest AirPods Pro 2 for $223.24. These premium buds are barely a few months old, but that hasn’t stopped Amazon from offering up the first real major discount on the product. I’m just pulling out a few examples herem but I’ve generally seen good deals across nearly every category this year – all the way from electric toothbrushes to gaming laptops.

So, overall the Prime Day Early Access sale gets the thumbs up from me if you’re looking to get your Black Friday deals shopping done early. My only complaint so far is that I’ve been too busy writing up coverage to partake in the bargains myself.

Here’s another one – the KTL Grooming Brush for Dog & Cat

This one is just more adorable than weird. I don’t even have a dog but I’m now wondering if I need this brush due to the extreme level of good vibes I get from the product image. 

This brush is either really good or this dog knows something we don’t. I think I’ll just keep the page open in a background tab while I write up actual Prime Day deals, just in case I feel the need to look at his/her little happy face.

NOT! What’s going on with these pets?

Alex Whitelock, deals editor

I know the theme of this blog is ‘what’s hot, what’s not’ but I’m going to diverge slightly because I’m constantly distracted by how strange some of the images are on Amazon’s pet-themed listings.

Take the ChomChom pet hair remover. It was listed with the image above (and with a deal) yesterday.

I can’t decide if this image is cute or horrifying. The dog’s eyes in particular are incredibly unnerving in a way that no dog’s eyes should ever be. Obviously, photoshop exists but I can’t help thinking they slipped something into the pet food dish. It’s like the dog is looking into the future. Or perhaps it’s seen too much already.

NOT! Western Digital 20TB WD Red Pro hard drive: $499.99 $359.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Matt Hanson, Managing Editor, Computing and Entertainment

There aren’t that many deals I’ve seen that I would definitely tell people NOT TO BUY – but this is one of them. Not because it’s a bad product, nor a terrible price (though it’s not great), it’s just that for the vast majority of people you simply won’t need a 20TB hard drive.

If you’re in any doubt, 20 terabytes is a huge amount of storage. It’s enough to hold around 6.2 million photos or 340,000 hours of music (which would take 39 years to listen to if you played them none stop).

So, for normal consumers, you just won’t need that kind of space. Even professional photographers would struggle to fill 20TB. This is only really suitable for enterprise-grade stuff, and it’s unlikely businesses are scouring Amazon during Prime Day.

Also, hard drives are slow these days – you’re much better off getting a smaller, and much faster, SSD. If for some reason your do need 20TB of storage, I’d still not recommend you put all that data on a single drive – if the drive fails or gets damaged, that’s a massive amount of data to lose. So, you’d ideally need at least one more 20TB drive as a backup to mirror all that data, pushing the price of this up to at least $710. 

Look, just don’t buy it, OK?

HOT! Acer Chromebook 512: $199.99 $79.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Matt Hanson, Managing Editor, Computing and Entertainment

Okay, okay, I know what you’re probably thinking: Chromebooks aren’t the most exciting devices. However, as soon as I saw this deal pop up, I had to drop everything and tell everyone about it.

It’s not often you see a laptop for under $100 – and it’s even more rare to find one that you’d actually want to use. In previous sales events I’ve seen Windows 10 laptops drop below the magic $100 mark – but I’d never recommend buying them, as thanks to their underpowered specs, Windows would run as slowly as a slug dipped in molasses (please don’t do this, I hate cruelty to slugs as much as I hate crap laptops).

However, Chromebooks are different, as the Chrome OS operating system they run can still perform well on under powered hardware, and the Acer Chromebook 512 is a great example of this. At just $80, this is dangerously close to impulse purchase territory. For anyone who is after a second laptop to do a spot of browsing on while sat on the couch, or you’re looking for a laptop for any young students in your life, then this is a fantastic choice for the price. 

NOT! Anker Soundcore 3 £39.99 £27.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Becky Scarrott, Senior Staff Writer, Audio

OK yes, it’s a rugged thing and a 30% saving on an already inexpensive Bluetooth speaker is arguably not to be sniffed at, but we have seen it cheaper once before by a few pennies and, as you’ll see in our review, it is an older model and was superseded in 2020. 

Yes, it impressed us for its 24-hour battery life, durable build quality and water resistance. It’s also a compact and likeable thing, but its sound quality leaves a bit to be desired.

What to look for instead? Why, the newer Anker Soundcore 3, which is also part of Amazon’s Prime Day Early Access sale! This is slashed by 32% so it’ll only cost you £37.99 (opens in new tab) (regular price £56!) if you snap it up today. You’re very welcome. 

HOT! Sony WH-1000XM5: $399.99 $348 at Amazon.com (opens in new tab) / £316 £299 at Amazon.co.uk (opens in new tab) 

Becky Scarrott, Senior Staff Writer, Audio

If you’ve stumbled upon this missive and you want a deal on new wireless over-ear headphones, look no further – you’ve found the ultimate Prime Day October deal. This 22% saving (in the UK) or 13% (if you’re Stateside) on Sony’s winning 2022 cans is the best deal in Amazon’s October Prime Day. Fight me. 

Why? They’re the latest in the frankly game-changing and iconic WH-XM lineup (see the WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM3 as proof of their noble bloodline), they only came out in May 2022, and because the sound and skillset is even a little bit better than the cans they supersede, to see them discounted at all for Prime Day Early Access is a double-take inducer of the highest order. And check out the deal! The XM5 are every inch a class-leading set of Sony cans – we don’t have the word-count to give them the praise they deserve here but our five-star review is the place to go for clarification (note the phrase “still the best in the business”).

OK so they don’t fold up into the headband any more. What of it? What do you need to tote around with you that’s more important than good-quality music? Believe me, they’re worth the extra space in your bag… 

Hot or not! Let’s go…

Welcome to TechRadar’s roundup of the very best – and very worst – Amazon Prime Day tech deals. We’ve brought in the entire TechRadar team to rate the quality of offers today: we’ll tell you the bargains you need to drop everything to grab… and the ‘deals’ to walk away from.