17 Best Prime Day Deals on Google Hardware
If you prefer Google Assistant and the Nest ecosystem, there’s a discount here for you….
Amazon Prime Day has officially kicked off and will end within 48 hours at the end of July 13. If you’re a fan of Google hardware, whether it’s Pixel phones, Nest smart thermostats, or Chromecasts, there are plenty of tech gadgets on sale right now at rivetingly low prices. These are our favorites.
The WIRED Gear team tests products year-round. We sorted through hundreds of thousands of deals by hand to make these picks. Crossed out products are out of stock or no longer discounted. Our Amazon Prime Day coverage page has the latest stories, and our Prime Day Shopping Tips will help you avoid bad deals. You can also get a 1-Year Subscription to WIRED for $5 here.
Updated July 12, 2022: Deals are back and at lower prices as Prime Day officially begins. We’ve rechecked and given this story a run-through.
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Phone, Laptop, and Earbud Deals
If you’re after a new Android phone, most people should go for the Pixel 6. This is the lowest price we have ever tracked and an incredible value. You get a 90-Hz AMOLED screen, wireless charging, the same powerful Tensor processor, and a great dual-camera system. Read our Pixel Phone guide for tips and accessory recommendations. This deal is also available at Target.
We like Google’s Pixel 6 Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) because it has a spectacular camera system, with a great 4X optical zoom, a sharp 120-Hz screen refresh rate with an AMOLED panel, and plenty of useful smart software features powered by Google’s Tensor processor. Oh, and a battery that generally lasts a full day. The phone has had its fair share of bugs, but many of the issues have been fixed now. This deal is also available at Target. Just know that the Pixel 7 Pro arrives toward the end of the year (and the Pixel 6A later this month).
If you can do all your work off the Chrome browser, then a Chromebook might be all you need. This Pixelbook Go is getting a little old, but it’s still one of our favorite Chromebooks and runs perfectly well. The screen is crisp, the keyboard is lovely, and this Core i5 model is plenty powerful for most.
These are our favorite earbuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) for most people, and at this price, they’re an even better value. You get instant pairing with many Android devices, great Google Assistant integration, IPX4 water resistance to protect them from sweaty workouts, and a comfy, ergonomic design. They sound pretty good too! Just about the only downside is the 5-hour battery life, which is a bit low nowadays (though you can replenish it a few times with the egg-shaped charging case). There’s sadly also no wireless charging on the case, so you’ll have to plug in via USB-C.
This Pixel Stand was a few dollars cheaper last week. It’s the first-gen wireless charger from Google—not the newer, second-gen version (see below). It’ll charge any device with wireless charging support, whether in landscape or portrait orientation. If you put a Pixel phone on it you’ll get a few extra perks, including ambient lighting that mimics the sunrise, a digital photo frame feature, and quick access to smart home controls. Read our Best Wireless Chargers guide for more options.
The second-gen Pixel Stand is a bit more limited. You get a similar system of perks if you pair this phone with a Pixel phone but any phone that supports wireless charging should charge just fine. However, you can only recharge your phone in portrait orientation, not landscape. What’s nice about both is that they don’t have any distracting LEDs, so they’re perfect for the nightstand, and they keep your phone propped up so you can easily read notifications.
Doorbell and Security Camera Deals
Only certain colors are still included in this deal. Nest’s video doorbell is our runner-up pick, coming second to Arlo’s Essential simply because it’s more expensive. This is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen. It’s easy to mount and remove for charging (the battery lasts more than a month). The smart notifications identifying faces and packages are accurate, too, but you’ll need a Nest Aware subscription ($6 a month). You can find this deal at Best Buy as well.
Need an indoor security camera? This simple one looks elegant, can be mounted, and doesn’t have a battery, meaning you’ll need to plug it in. (On the plus side, you never have to charge it.) WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu has had one pointed at his front door for the past year and has had a good experience with it, though a Nest Aware subscription will expand your video history. It’s also available at Target.
This security camera works just like the above indoor camera, except it’s battery-powered and can withstand rain, wind, and snow. It has a 130-degree field of view and 1080p video, which WIRED editor Adrienne So says showed clear views of her driveway, front door, and even most of her front yard. The battery needs charging after a little more than a month. A similar deal is also available at Target.
If you’re planning on monitoring a dark and dreary area, this camera is functionally similar to the Nest Cam above but doesn’t run off a battery, and it has two floodlights on either side. The lights can switch on automatically, like when the camera detects movement. You can also set a schedule or use your voice to turn them on. A similar deal is also available at Target.
Smart Speakers, Displays, and Router Deals
The Nest Wifi is easy to set up, looks elegant, and creates a reliable mesh network in your home. This deal is for the router and the point, so you can easily extend your coverage. The big downside with this model? There’s no Wi-Fi 6 support, though since your devices need to support Wi-Fi 6 to make use of the new standard, that might not be a big deal. This deal is also available at Target. Read our Best Mesh Routers guide for more recommendations.
The new Nest Thermostat isn’t quite as smart as the original Nest Learning Thermostat, meaning it doesn’t learn and adapt to your habits, but you can still set schedules. It’ll also turn itself down when you leave your home, saving you energy, and you can control the temperature via the app. If you like how Google runs its smart home, we think you’ll like this.
Just plug this into your TV and you’ll get a slick Google TV interface with all your favorite apps, including YouTube, Netflix, and HBO. You can control the Chromecast (8/10, WIRED Recommends) all via the included remote, or alternatively, you can cast directly from your smartphone. It’s the best of both worlds.
The Nest Mini is the cheaper, smaller, and lesser version of the Nest Audio. It doesn’t sound as good, but it’s a great tiny speaker for small areas in the home where you want to use your voice to control your smart home devices. You can also wall-mount it (as long as there’s an outlet nearby).
Google’s Nest Audio (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorite smart speakers. This is the typical deal price that it dips to during major sale events. The Nest Audio is the successor to the original Google Home from 2016, offering deeper bass and louder sound for better streaming. Naturally, it’s powered by Google Assistant, so you can ask it anything you’d type into the Google Search bar. Pairing two together makes for a solid stereo system. There’s a physical switch for turning off the mic, which we appreciate. This deal is also available at Walmart.
This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the Nest Hub Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends). This version has a camera, so you can use it for video chatting. It’s a helpful companion, as it can function as a security camera feed (if the camera supports it), walk you through cooking instructions, or just act as a digital photo frame.
The camera-less Nest Hub is also on sale. This one has a 7-inch screen as opposed to the Nest Hub Max’s 10-inch screen, so it’s more suited to small spaces like bedrooms. This second-gen model can also detect your sleep habits in case you want to make sure you’re hitting seven hours (no wearable required). Check out our Best Smart Displays guide for more details.