The Advisorator guide to Prime Day

Jared Newman
|
July 16, 2024

Amazon’s annual ode to consumerism is here, bringing with it the usual mix of dubious deals, run-of-the-mill discounts, and occasionally special sale offers. In 2024, the sale runs from July 16 through July 17, with most deals only available for Prime subscribers.

Here at Advisorator, we do things a little differently for these types of events. Unlike most sites, I never collect an affiliate fee (the glorified industry term for a sales commission) when you buy something I’ve written about. That means I’m not incentivized or pressured to push deals that aren’t worth your attention. (This is possible thanks to Advisorator’s paid subscribers, to whom I’m grateful for seeing the value in unbiased tech advice.)

While I approach Prime Day with a skeptical eye, I do enjoy the act of deal hunting and the thrill of finding a great discount. Below, I’ll share just the offers that appear unique to Prime Day and aren’t regularly available throughout the year. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Buying advice

Before you buy anything, take some steps to make sure you’re actually getting a deal:

  • Check CamelCamelCamel. This site will tell you the price history of any product on Amazon. Just paste the product URL into the CamelCamelCamel’s search bar, or use the free browser extension to quickly check whatever product you’re looking at. (Even for sales at other stores, the Amazon price history is a useful point of comparison.) On a mobile phone? Try the Keepa app instead.
  • Use Honey. This free browser extension from PayPal alerts you when a better deal is available at another store and occasionally offers bonus PayPal credit. It has a basic price history tool as well, but I’ve found its accuracy to be hit-or-miss.
  • Check eBay and Swappa. If you’re not opposed to buying used or refurbished gear, the second-hand market can save you more money. And even if you only buy new, these sites can also provide useful intel; it’s only a great deal if the second-hand market can’t match it.
  • Search past deal coverage: Type in the name of a product on Google (or another search engine), then add “record-low” or “all-time low” to end of the query. This should bring up some old deal posts on sites like 9to5Toys or CNet, so you can see if the current sale price is anything special.
  • Don’t panic: With rare exceptions, most of the deals you see on Black Friday reemerge at other times during the year. Don’t go in with the mentality that this is your only chance to save money.
  • Know what you’re solving for: The gadget purchases I tend to regret most are the ones I bought out of mere curiosity, or because they just seemed like good deals at the time. If you’re not buying something to address a specific need, you might just be wasting money no matter how big the savings are.

The deals

Accessories and chargers

Headphones and earbuds

Computer and laptop stuff

Smartphones

  • Get a refurbished iPhone 13 for $360 unlocked.
  • Great mid-range phone deal: Pixel 7A for $229. (Or $129 with activation on AT&T or Verizon.)
  • OnePlus 12R, a well-reviewed mid-range phone, drops to $350 unlocked, plus $35 cash back for Prime Visa cardholders. (It’s $300 at Best Buy with activation on AT&T or Verizon.)

Smart home

Speakers and soundbars

  • Vizio 5.1.2 surround sound set (with Dolby Atmos) for $350, plus $70 cash back for Prime Visa card holders.
  • Sonos Sub Mini hits $343, a new low.
  • Sonos Roam 2 gets its first price drop to $143, or $131 open-box.

Streaming devices

  • Fire TV Stick (HD) for $18, Fire TV Stick 4K for $25, Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35, and the Fire TV Cube for $100.
  • Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29, Roku Express 4K Pro for $35. (The latter includes a rechargeable remote with a headphone jack, two programmable buttons and a remote finder function.)
  • Tablo fourth-gen over-the-air DVR: Two-tuner for $76, four-tuner for $116. (Read my review first.)

Tablets

  • The new 11-inch iPad Pro drops to $900 ($100 off) when you clip the on-page coupon.
  • The 10th-gen iPad drops to $299 when you clip the on-page coupon.
  • Apple’s Smart Keyboard cover for older iPads is on sale for $50.
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE hits $330, a record low.

TVs

  • Get a 65-inch TCL QLED TV with Google TV software for $398.
  • LG’s 65-inch C3 OLED TV hits $1,145 with coupon code SUNNYSAVINGS.
  • Get a TV wall mount for $26 when you clip the on-page coupon and use the promo code L3X2PBWE.

Wearables

  • Apple Watch Series 9 41mm for $280, or 45mm for $310, both $20 less than the usual sale price.
  • Apple Watch Ultra 2 is $99 off, at $700.
  • Google’s Pixel Watch 2 hits a record low of $270, plus $27 cash back for Prime Visa cardholders.
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 Classic—with a slick twistable bezel—drops to $99.

Gift cards and subscription deals

Need help vetting any tech deals today or tomorrow? Send me an email, or hop into the Advisorator chat room on Slack for further discussion.