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It is, somehow, that time again! Thanksgiving is hours away, which means it’s time to figure out what, if anything, you want to buy on Black Friday.
Should you buy anything on Black Friday? It depends. Some people are able to make a game out of it and save a stack on things they were going to buy anyway. Others end up getting fleeced by sales that aren’t really sales or end-of-life TVs repackaged under new model numbers.
There definitely are deals to be found, of course — you’ve just gotta be smart about it. Some of the things we like to keep in mind:
With all that said, here are some of the generally good deals we’ve found around the web — the stuff that’s solid, battle-tested and that we’d probably recommend at full price. We’ll be adding more throughout the week as we find them.
This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you buy through these links, TechCrunch may earn an affiliate commission.
Image Credits: Brian Heater/TechCrunch
Not too long ago, discounts on Apple gear were a rare sight — nowadays, though, it’s not too tough to at least save a couple bucks.
For example: Amazon’s got the latest non-pro AirPods down to
Amazon’s also got the best iPad Pro deal we’ve found so far, taking anywhere from
Image Credits: Apple
Best Buy has the generally more budget-friendly 40 mm Apple Watch SE marked down to
Big discounts on M1 Macs seem rare right now — which makes sense, as they’re still relatively new. When they do pop up, stock seems to be limited or shipping is delayed well into next year. Apple will be giving out
Image Credits: Brian Heater/TechCrunch
Amazon usually does pretty deep discounts on its own gear for Black Friday, and that’s holding true this year.
The 4K Fire TV stick, for example, is down to \)">25 (normally It is, somehow, that time again! Thanksgiving is hours away, which means it’s time to figure out what, if anything, you want to buy on Black Friday.
Should you buy anything on Black Friday? It depends. Some people are able to make a game out of it and save a stack on things they were going to buy anyway. Others end up getting fleeced by sales that aren’t really sales or end-of-life TVs repackaged under new model numbers.
There definitely are deals to be found, of course — you’ve just gotta be smart about it. Some of the things we like to keep in mind:
- Buying stuff you already wanted, at a discount? Good. Buying stuff you didn’t want, just because it’s maybe cheaper? Not so good.
- Make sure that thing you’re buying is actually on sale, and that they didn’t just hike the price up temporarily yesterday for the sake of “discounts” today. Historical price trackers like camelcamelcamel can help with that.
- Check the model number on anything you’re buying. If you can’t find any trace of it older than a few weeks, something fishy might be going on.
With all that said, here are some of the generally good deals we’ve found around the web — the stuff that’s solid, battle-tested and that we’d probably recommend at full price. We’ll be adding more throughout the week as we find them.
This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you buy through these links, TechCrunch may earn an affiliate commission.
Apple devices
Image Credits: Brian Heater/TechCrunch
Not too long ago, discounts on Apple gear were a rare sight — nowadays, though, it’s not too tough to at least save a couple bucks.
For example: Amazon’s got the latest non-pro AirPods down to
Amazon’s also got the best iPad Pro deal we’ve found so far, taking anywhere from
Image Credits: Apple
Best Buy has the generally more budget-friendly 40 mm Apple Watch SE marked down to
Big discounts on M1 Macs seem rare right now — which makes sense, as they’re still relatively new. When they do pop up, stock seems to be limited or shipping is delayed well into next year. Apple will be giving out
Google devices
Image Credits: Google
Not to be outdone, Google’s got a bunch of discounts on its own devices, as well.
Chromecast with Google TV (the Chromecast with the remote) is down to
Image Credits: Google
Most of the company’s Nest stuff has been marked down — the Nest Audio smart speaker is down to
Backbone
Image Credits: Backbone
If you often use your iPhone* for things like Apple Arcade or remotely playing games on an Xbox or PlayStation, the Backbone is a very, very good controller add-on. It snaps on quick, it’s solid as a rock, and it’s way more comfortable than trying to paw at the touchscreen.
I thought it was almost too cheap at
(* They recently added support for controlling other devices via wired USB, but that’s more of a neat bonus and less the main draw.)