These early Black Friday tech deals are available now

Black Friday 2023 is a unique shopping experience. What used to be a one-day sales extravaganza has morphed into a nearly monthlong event, where the first “Black Friday” sales started on Nov. 3.

That retail sales creep might annoy traditionalists, but it’s a good opportunity for bargain-hunters or people looking to update their own tech gadgets. And even though Black Friday (the actual Black Friday) is more than a week away, there are already plenty of good deals if you’re planning to buy tech items this holiday season. Here’s a look at a few of the current sales.

Earbuds/headphones

Apple AirPods (2^nd Generation) – ($69 at Walmart) They’re not the newest AirPods from Apple and you’ll still need a lightning cable to charge them, but they’re nearly 50% off their usual price, which makes this a hard deal to bypass.

Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones – ($318 at Walmart) Comfortable and with top-tier noise canceling technology, Sony’s headphones also deliver terrific sound quality and boast a 30-hour battery life.

Smart watches

Apple Watch Series 9, GPS version – ($349 for 41mm at Amazon and Walmart, $379 for 45mm at Walmart) Apple’s latest smart watch helps you track your fitness and health metrics and sends messages directly from your phone to your wrist. It also introduced the double tap gesture and can help you find your phone if you misplace it.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – ($99 at Walmart) It’s not the current generation device (Samsung skipped the 5 to go directly to the 6), but it’s a strong option for people in the Samsung Galaxy ecosphere who are still unsure about buying a smartwatch and want to track their fitness, sleep, and more.

Gaming

DualSense Wireless Controller – ($49 at Amazon) A spare controller for the PS5 normally runs $60 or so, but Amazon already has it on sale in a variety of colors. A great option if you’ve got a growing crop of players in the house.

Xbox Series X Diablo IV bundle – ($500 at Best Buy) Pick up the top-tier Xbox device as well as a copy of one of the year’s hottest games at $60 savings. This is a system that focuses on 4K gameplay and accepts discs. You can download games digitally or stream from the cloud, of course, but this is the Xbox the hardcore gamers prefer.

PlayStation 5 Call of Duty Modern Warfare III bundle ($499 at Walmart) – Like the Diablo bundle above, this is basically throwing in the game for free. But since it’s been hard to get your hands on a PS5 for the past few years around the holidays, any sort of discount/add-on is worth considering, especially if this title was on your (or your recipient’s) wish list.

Virtual reality

Meta Quest 2 – ($250 at Amazon) Amazon has knocked $50 off the price of the leading VR headset. This Quest 2 comes with 128 GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM, meaning it can handle even the most demanding titles. It’s not the latest and greatest from Meta, but it’s a tremendous VR experience at a bargain basement price.

TVs

LG A2 48-inch OLED – ($550 at Best Buy) LG makes some of the best OLED screens on the market and this offer is well below half the typical retail price for this set. It’s a smaller set than some people might want, but the color pop could make it seem bigger. This deal might not be on par with the ultra-low cost TVs you expect to see on Black Friday, but for a respected brand, it’s a steal.

Samsung The Frame TV (75-inch) – ($1,949 at Walmart) Want a truly big screen? This Samsung set is over $1,000 off its usual price and offers the manufacturer’s QLED technology, which projects a stunning image quality. When you’re not watching, it transforms into artwork on your wall, showing pieces from world-famous galleries and museums (or, if you prefer, your own pictures of friends, family, and other memories).

Smart Home

Blink Outdoor 4 cameras – ($100 at Target) These security cameras offer motion detection, night vision, and can transmit audio two-ways. The updated model also has improved its person detection and will send alerts when a human enters its line of site. Save and share clips to the cloud.

Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo ($420 at Amazon) Get over $200 off this two-in-one system, which will thoroughly clean your hardwood floors—and avoid the carpet when it’s in mop mode. The vacuum will also automatically empty itself when it’s finished cleaning, saving you the bother for long periods.

Black Friday 2023 is a unique shopping experience. What used to be a one-day sales extravaganza has morphed into a nearly monthlong event, where the first “Black Friday” sales started on Nov. 3.

That retail sales creep might annoy traditionalists, but it’s a good opportunity for bargain-hunters or people looking to update their own tech gadgets. And even though Black Friday (the actual Black Friday) is more than a week away, there are already plenty of good deals if you’re planning to buy tech items this holiday season. Here’s a look at a few of the current sales.

Earbuds/headphones

Apple AirPods (2^nd Generation) – ($69 at Walmart) They’re not the newest AirPods from Apple and you’ll still need a lightning cable to charge them, but they’re nearly 50% off their usual price, which makes this a hard deal to bypass.

Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones – ($318 at Walmart) Comfortable and with top-tier noise canceling technology, Sony’s headphones also deliver terrific sound quality and boast a 30-hour battery life.

Smart watches

Apple Watch Series 9, GPS version – ($349 for 41mm at Amazon and Walmart, $379 for 45mm at Walmart) Apple’s latest smart watch helps you track your fitness and health metrics and sends messages directly from your phone to your wrist. It also introduced the double tap gesture and can help you find your phone if you misplace it.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – ($99 at Walmart) It’s not the current generation device (Samsung skipped the 5 to go directly to the 6), but it’s a strong option for people in the Samsung Galaxy ecosphere who are still unsure about buying a smartwatch and want to track their fitness, sleep, and more.

Gaming

DualSense Wireless Controller – ($49 at Amazon) A spare controller for the PS5 normally runs $60 or so, but Amazon already has it on sale in a variety of colors. A great option if you’ve got a growing crop of players in the house.

Xbox Series X Diablo IV bundle – ($500 at Best Buy) Pick up the top-tier Xbox device as well as a copy of one of the year’s hottest games at $60 savings. This is a system that focuses on 4K gameplay and accepts discs. You can download games digitally or stream from the cloud, of course, but this is the Xbox the hardcore gamers prefer.

PlayStation 5 Call of Duty Modern Warfare III bundle ($499 at Walmart) – Like the Diablo bundle above, this is basically throwing in the game for free. But since it’s been hard to get your hands on a PS5 for the past few years around the holidays, any sort of discount/add-on is worth considering, especially if this title was on your (or your recipient’s) wish list.

Virtual reality

Meta Quest 2 – ($250 at Amazon) Amazon has knocked $50 off the price of the leading VR headset. This Quest 2 comes with 128 GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM, meaning it can handle even the most demanding titles. It’s not the latest and greatest from Meta, but it’s a tremendous VR experience at a bargain basement price.

TVs

LG A2 48-inch OLED – ($550 at Best Buy) LG makes some of the best OLED screens on the market and this offer is well below half the typical retail price for this set. It’s a smaller set than some people might want, but the color pop could make it seem bigger. This deal might not be on par with the ultra-low cost TVs you expect to see on Black Friday, but for a respected brand, it’s a steal.

Samsung The Frame TV (75-inch) – ($1,949 at Walmart) Want a truly big screen? This Samsung set is over $1,000 off its usual price and offers the manufacturer’s QLED technology, which projects a stunning image quality. When you’re not watching, it transforms into artwork on your wall, showing pieces from world-famous galleries and museums (or, if you prefer, your own pictures of friends, family, and other memories).

Smart Home

Blink Outdoor 4 cameras – ($100 at Target) These security cameras offer motion detection, night vision, and can transmit audio two-ways. The updated model also has improved its person detection and will send alerts when a human enters its line of site. Save and share clips to the cloud.

Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo ($420 at Amazon) Get over $200 off this two-in-one system, which will thoroughly clean your hardwood floors—and avoid the carpet when it’s in mop mode. The vacuum will also automatically empty itself when it’s finished cleaning, saving you the bother for long periods.