27 Best Prime Day Deals on Amazon Devices (2022): Early Access Sale
From Echo smart displays and speakers to Kindles and Fire tablets, snag the retailer’s own hardware on sale….
the holiday season is quickly approaching, and if any Amazon devices have made it onto your gift list, we have some good news. With one more day left in Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale, you can take advantage of great sales on everything from Echo smart displays, Kindles, Fire tablets, and more—saving you money and allowing you to get ahead on some shopping. We’ve rounded up all the great deals on WIRED-approved gadgets below.
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 and our Prime Day Shopping Tips will help you avoid bad deals. Check out our live blog to find the best Lightning Deals. You can also get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 here.
Updated October 12: We’ve added deals on the Alexa Smart Thermostat, Fire HD 8 Cover, and Kindle Paperwhite Fabric Cover. We’ve also updated links and pricing throughout.
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Kindle Deals
We’re big fans of Kindles at WIRED, for multiple reasons—they’re easy to use, they’re dependable, and they work as intended. They can hold thousands of books, a month’s worth of battery life, and more. If you want to explore more options than the ones listed below, be sure to check out our Best Amazon Kindles guide.
Photograph: Amazon
Amazon’s newest Kindle Paperwhite is our top suggestion for most people. It has a bright 6.8-inch screen with adjustable warm lighting, and it’s waterproof—making it a great option if you like to read by the pool, at the beach, or in the bathtub. This version dipped slightly lower to $95 during Prime Day this past summer, but we still think this a great deal.
The Paperwhite Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is more expensive than the standard Paperwhite, but it comes with a few more features. The display can auto-adjust brightness based on the lighting in your environment, the page-turn rate is faster, and there’s more storage—the Signature version has 32 gigabytes, while the standard has 8 gigabytes. We recommend this one if you listen to a lot of audiobooks.
If you want a luxurious experience, you’ll want to go with the Kindle Oasis. It has an aluminum body, a large 7-inch display with auto-adjust brightness, tactile page-turn buttons, and fast performance. It’s worth the steep price if you’re looking for a feature-packed Kindle.
The Paperwhite Kids Edition is a great option if you want something rugged for your kid because it’s waterproof. At 6.8 inches, you’ll also get a larger display than the 6-inch screen on the standard model.
Echo Smart Display and Speaker Deals
We’ve tested a wide range of speakers and smart displays, in addition to the ones below. You can read our Best Echo and Alexa Speakers guide for more Alexa-powered devices. If you want to go beyond Amazon’s very own, check out our Best Smart Speakers guide and Best Smart Displays guide.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 is our favorite Alexa-powered smart display. The 8-inch screen is a great size for watching movies, reading recipes, and making video calls (it has an auto-pan and zoom feature to keep you in frame). Its compact size makes it a great addition to your kitchen counter or nightstand too. It’s $5 cheaper than it was on Prime Day.
Upgrade to this larger 10-inch smart display and you’ll get better audio quality, plus a screen that swivels nearly 360 degrees to follow you around while you’re on a video call (or when you’re reading a recipe).
Use the codes listed above to see the discount at checkout. In our review of the Echo Show 5, we criticized the device for its small screen—because it’s slightly too small to navigate comfortably. But it’s still a good option if you want a smart display that’s compact enough to fit on a nightstand. Like the Show 8, it has a physical mute button and a camera shutter for privacy. It often fluctuates in price, but this is the lowest we’ve seen.
We haven’t tested the Echo Show 15 yet, but with a 15.6-inch Full HD display, it’s Amazon’s largest Echo smart display to date. The home screen has been redesigned to include widgets for to-do lists, calendars, shopping lists, and more, along with support for picture-in-picture mode. You can also use it to stream Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix, or display art and family photos when it’s not in use. There’s a 5-megapixel camera and mics built-in for video calls too, which you can turn off for privacy reasons.
There’s a new Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) available for preorder, but Amazon hasn’t introduced a successor to its flagship smart speaker just yet. You’ll be surprised at how great this Echo sounds with its room-filling sound. It’s compact enough that you can put it anywhere to talk to Alexa.
It’s tough not to smile at the tiger and panda prints on the Kids Edition of the Echo Dot. In addition to fun prints, the smart speaker comes with great sound quality, parental controls, and a free year of Amazon Kids+ with access to Audible books, Alexa skills, and games.
These buds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have dipped to a lower price before, but this is still a great deal. They’re easy to pair, have good sound, and you basically get Alexa right in your ear to help you with any task. It comes with a wireless charging case and multiple size options for ear tips. Just know that the noise cancellation isn’t great, and the touch controls can be triggered by sweaty hair (during workouts).
The Echo Glow Night-Light is a solid option if you’re looking to add an extra source of light to your kid’s bedroom. You can control the lamp by pairing it with another Echo device or using the Alexa app. With speakers built in, it can be used as a sound machine too. This is also the best price we’ve seen yet for the Echo Glow.
Fire Tablet Deals
Interested in a Fire tablet? We don’t blame you. They’re affordable, capable, and practical slates—although the software could use some improvements. Make sure to also check out our Best Amazon Fire Tablets buying guide.
The Fire HD 10 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Fire tablet of them all. The latest version has a brighter screen, solid battery life, and extra RAM for smoother performance. We also recommend the HD 10 With Bluetooth Keyboard, which is also on sale for $155 ($40 off). It comes with a free year of Microsoft 365 and is an ideal setup for getting some light work done.
The Fire HD 10 Plus has a larger display that the standard version. The 10.1-inch screen, complete with 1080p resolution, is a great option if you’re planning to use it to watch movies, TV shows, and videos. It also has slightly more RAM than the standard version, at 4 gigabytes.
Amazon recently refreshed the Fire HD 8 tablet, and it’s available for preorder right now for $100. But if you don’t want to spend that much, its predecessor is still a good buy. WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson says the Fire HD 8 is “one of the best values around for a tablet.” It offers fast performance, an HD display, and 12 hours of battery life. If you want additional features like more RAM and wireless charging, the Fire HD 8 Plus is on sale for $55 ($55 off).
Amazon is also offering this tablet in two different bundles. The first bundle is a Fire HD 8 tablet with a Fire TV Stick for $65 ($65 off)—you can read more about the Fire TV Stick further down—and the second is Fire HD 8 Essentials Bundle for $86 ($19 off) which comes with a standing case, screen protector, and 15-watt fast-charger.
We think the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is the best Fire Tablet for kids. It packs the same features as the standard Fire tablets, but also comes with a heavy-duty case and a two-year warranty—so, Amazon will replace it if your child accidentally breaks it. As with Amazon’s other devices aimed toward kids, this one comes with one year of Amazon Kids+.
We recommend the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro for those with older children since it’s bigger than the Fire HD 8. It is more expensive, but in addition to a larger display, children can also request to install apps from a Kids app store—which parents have to manually approve. It comes with a less bulky protective case too.
Don’t Buy Older Fire 7 Tablets
Amazon’s older Fire 7 tablet is on sale, but we don’t recommend it. The new Fire 7 isn’t bad if you don’t mind the tiny screen. It’s more powerful than its predecessor and has a USB-C port for charging.
Fire TV Deals
If you love watching most of your content on Amazon Prime, then you’ll want to add a Fire TV Stick to your entertainment system. It prioritizes Amazon content over other popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, but it still offers access to all the major streaming services. Be sure to check out our Best TV Streaming Devices buying guide for more options too.
This streaming stick from Amazon streams in HD—not 4K—and has the same interface as the rest of Amazon’s smart devices. The remote also comes with power and volume buttons, along with Alexa Voice, which you can use to launch and search shows using your voice.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is our go-to option for Amazon loyalists since the menus are targeted toward the company’s Prime Video app and purchasing content from its store. It also comes with a number of upgrades compared to its predecessor, including more memory (2 gigabytes versus 1.5), a picture-in-picture feature for pulling up your security camera feed, and support for Wi-Fi 6.
Other Amazon Device and Accessory Deals
The Blink Video Doorbell received an honorable mention in our Best Video Doorbell Cameras roundup, and we’re still in the process of testing it. It’s affordable, works with Alexa, and comes in both a battery-powered or tethered version. This bundle comes with two of Blink’s Outdoor cameras as well, which can provide you with broader coverage around your home.
The Blink Mini is another indoor camera that received an honorable mention in our Best Indoor Security Cameras buying guide. We like that it’s compact, affordable, and versatile. In terms of features, the Mini comes with solid video quality, accurate motion detection (although, it can’t tell the difference between pets and people), two-way audio, activity zones, and Alexa built-in. However, it requires a subscription to use it—which costs $3 per month.
Eero’s 6 Mesh System is super easy to set up and use. We had solid coverage and stable connectivity in our testing. And since Eero is owned by Amazon, you’ll also get support for Alexa. It’s worth noting that it is one of the slower systems we’ve tried (it had trouble with long distances), but it should work just fine for most people. If you’re interested in Eero specifically, there’s also the Eero Pro 6 that’s slightly faster—it’s on sale for $148 ($81 off).
The Halo View received an honorable mention in our Best Fitness Trackers buying guide. It’s affordable, comfortable on the wrist, and has an easy-to-use companion app. However, WIRED editor Adrienne So doesn’t like how it pushes business partnerships or tells you to strip down to your underwear in order to measure your body fat composition. It’s also at the same price it was during Prime Day—which is the lowest we’ve seen yet.
If you prefer Alexa over other voice assistants, this smart plug is a solid option if you want to turn your “dumb” devices into smart ones. Using the Alexa app, you can set up and control it right from your device. You can also use Alexa Guard to set it to turn on or off automatically, when you’re traveling or on vacation, to make it look like you’re at home. Our only gripe is that timers and schedules aren’t easy to navigate—you’ll have to set up a routine via the app in order for the plug to turn on and off.
We haven’t tested Amazon’s Smart Thermostat, but it’s received positive reviews online. Using the Alexa app on your phone, you can check on the current temperature and humidity levels in your home, adjust the temperature, create a thermostat schedule for when you’re away, and more. You can also pair it with one of Amazon’s smart devices (like an Echo speaker) to control it via voice commands.
If it’s time to upgrade the cover on your Fire HD 8, Amazon’s is currently on sale. Designed for the 10th-generation tablet, it’s made of microfiber, comes with a built-in kickstand, and automatically wakes or puts your tablet to sleep when you open and close it. It also comes in a variety of color options including black, purple, white, and blue.
Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite Fabric cover fits both the standard 11th-generation Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition. It’s lightweight and thin, folds back for reading one-handed, and features water-safe fabric. It’s available in three colors: black, lavender, and blue. It’s dipped lower before, but we still consider this a good deal.
Retailer Sale Pages
Photograph: Qi Yang/Getty Images
Other stores have started offering competing deals that don’t require an Amazon Prime membership (and others likely will). Here’s a list of merchants that may be getting in on the action.
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