20 Best Early Black Friday Deals: Robot Vacuums, iPads, Instant Pots
The big sale isn’t here quite yet, but you can already get killer deals on laptops, streaming sticks, tablets, and even…
Black Friday officially arrives in a few weeks, on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. But the deals are no longer limited to just that actual Friday, and in many cases, the discounts we see in the weeks leading up to Black Friday are nearly as good. Some stores—notably Best Buy and Target—even offer pricing guarantees, so you can shop now without worrying about missing out on even lower prices later. We’ve highlighted the best early Black Friday deals below.
For tips and strategies on getting the most out of this shopping season, see our guide, How to Shop Like a Pro on Black Friday. Our holiday gift guides and other buying guides may also be helpful as you finish making your shopping lists.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Tablet, Laptop, and Smart Home Deals
This price is $100 lower than the last deal we shared for this 14-inch gaming laptop (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s one of our favorite gaming laptops overall. The keyboard and trackpad are both fantastic, and we also like the built-in webcam. The battery life could be better, but the machine still offers good value and a great experience for both gaming and non-gaming tasks—especially with this discount.
This 2-in-1 is our favorite cheap laptop. It’s powerful, and the bright display is nice in traditional laptop mode as well as tablet mode. You’ll want to get a digital pen to take full advantage of the hybrid design. Read more about it in our Best Touchscreen Laptops guide.
This deal has been around for a few weeks, but it’s one of the best prices we’ve seen for our upgrade iPad pick. The 2022 iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is still compact, but the larger screen size gives users more real estate to create art, work on projects, or binge-watch the latest season of the Great British Baking Show. The internal specs are good, too, packing plenty of punch for most users. Pair the tablet with some of the best iPad accessories for an even better experience.
We’ve seen this deal come around for a few months. The iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends) probably won’t get much cheaper on Black Friday. Our favorite pick for the most portable iPad is perfect for students and folks that travel frequently. It’s small but powerful, and it has nice features like USB-C charging and support for the second-generation Apple Pencil. It also pairs well with the best iPad accessories.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that mini smart speaker deals are an example of why you need to think hard about what you buy on Black Friday. They go on sale every year for prices just a tiny bit lower than the previous year’s. However, if you need another compact voice assistant for around the house, it’d be better to snag a small smart speaker on sale. This deal is still solid—it’s just very easy to obtain. Find more picks in our Best Alexa Speakers guide.
Prefer Google Assistant to Alexa? Us too. This deal comes with the same caveats as the aforementioned Echo Dot deal. Both speakers have similar features, including size and sound quality, so it really boils down to your preferred ecosystem (and whether or not you need one in the first place). The price is nearly matched at Best Buy.
Gaming and Streaming Deals
This deal comes with some strings attached. The Nintendo Switch OLED (8/10, WIRED Recommends) sells for $350 on a regular basis, so it’s really only discounted when you factor in the included $75 gift card—which has an expiration date. Dell sells plenty of other items, including Nintendo Switch games. If you’re in the market for a Nintendo Switch and you can cross off another item on your list with the gift card, then this deal is worthwhile. You’ll get the gift card via email within 20 days of purchase, and it expires 90 days after you receive it. Use it or lose it! Check out our Nintendo guides, including the Best Nintendo Switch Games and Switch Accessories, for inspiration.
The Colorbuds 2 are newer and heavier than their predecessors, but we still think they’re great, and we recommend them in our Best Cheap Headphones guide. The second-generation pair has better microphones than the original version—and thanks to this discount, they’re cheaper as well.
This product has a misleading MSRP. It doesn’t usually sell for $70—more like around $40. This deal is still great, bringing the drive down to one of the lowest prices we’ve seen. We recommend the Samsung Bar as a great flash drive with a cool minimalist design. Note that this color has delayed shipping. The silver model ships faster and costs $5 more. Read more in our Best USB Flash Drives roundup.
This deal matches the lowest price we’ve seen. In our Best External Storage Drives guide, this model earned the top spot in terms of speed. It’s blazing fast and super portable, but not so small that you’ll risk losing it. My partner and I regularly use this drive to back up and transfer videography projects both in the field and at home. The price is matched at Best Buy.
While it isn’t our top pick anymore, we still recommend the Samsung T7 Shield in our Best Portable External Storage Drives guide as a good option for both speed and durability. It’s padded and rugged, so it’s better than some other drives for outdoor applications. And while not the fastest we’ve tested, this drive is still speedy—and cheaper than its faster counterparts right now. The price is matched at Best Buy.
We saw the same discount on Prime Day. This is a solid deal for the best Amazon 4K streaming stick. It supports Wi-Fi 6, includes picture-in-picture mode, and has Alexa built in. It’s fast and easy to use, and it may be a good option for folks who prefer Amazon’s ecosystem over that of its competitors.
If you don’t have a 4K TV, then you don’t need to buy a 4K streaming device. This is the HD-only version of our favorite Chromecast. The included remote and built-in Google Assistant make it easy to stream whatever you want—probably a lot easier than your TV’s interface.
We love a cheap nostalgic gift (and a forbidden snack). Pass along the priceless experience of painstakingly crafting the perfect light-up photo, only to have your younger sibling come and knock it over. Templates and pegs are included. Check out our Best STEM Toys guide for additional ideas. And remember—no matter how tasty they look, Lite-Brite pegs are not edible.
Add three qualifying items to your cart and the cheapest of them will become free during checkout. If you’re shopping for lots of kids (including grown-up kids) or want to donate gifts to a local charity effort this holiday season, this deal offers an easy way to save some cash. There are over 1,000 items to choose from.
Fitness, Health, Home, and Outdoors Deals
This deal price matches what we saw during Prime Day. It may have been around for a bit, but it’s still one of the best deals we’ve seen for the absolute best robot vacuum. With smart navigation features, a self-emptying bin, and customizable cleaning schedules, this robovac has all the bells and whistles.
This is the very best hair straightener we’ve tested. The price fluctuates a lot, but it doesn’t drop below $100 very often. The plates are a good size for straightening and curling—this styling tool can do both.
When not on sale, these simple and user-friendly trackers usually sell for around $25 apiece. This pack is a good deal for the trackers alone. While they’re not mentioned in our Best Trackers guide, many folks on the WIRED Gear desk use and like Tile’s products. You can also choose to add a year of Tile’s premium service plan for free. (Just choose premium from the list on the right-hand side before adding the bundle to your cart.) The plan includes free battery replacement and free reimbursement of up to $100 if Tile can’t find a lost item. The plan will automatically renew at the normal price of $30 a year when your trial ends, so set a reminder to cancel if you want to avoid subsequent charges.
Instant Pots are popular for good reason. Their multiple functions mean they can be used for making rice, reheating food, crafting slow-cooker recipes, and even sterilizing items. This bundle includes an extra sealing ring as well as an egg rack and steam rack. The 6-quart capacity is good for small to medium households. Be sure to pick up a cookbook as well to make the most of your multicooker.
From the brand’s backyard fire pits to its pizza ovens, we generally like Solo Stove gear. Some of the company’s camp stoves are slightly discounted right now, and you’ll get two for the price of one. If you’ve been eyeing the Lite, Titan, or Campfire models, this is a good way to get one for yourself and one to give as a gift. Solo Stove usually offers deals around Black Friday, so it’s likely that additional models will receive a discount of some sort in the coming weeks.
Early Black Friday Sales Pages
Want to browse the sales yourself? Here are a few places offering early Black Friday deals. Be sure to check out our many buying guides and gift guides for additional ideas.
About The Author
