33 Best Prime Day Laptop, Phone, TV, and Tech Deals (2022): Prime Early Access Sale
There’s a ton of gadgetry on sale for Amazon’s Early Access sale. These are all the top offers….
Another Amazon Prime Day sale, you say? No, don’t call it Prime Day Part 2. This one has been dubbed the Prime Early Access Sale. Whatever the name, the game is the same, and the WIRED team has sifted through all the deals—the good, the bad, and the unmissable. These are our top picks from the likes of Samsung, Microsoft, Razer, Google, and more.
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 11, 2022: We’ve added more deals, like the LG Gram 14.
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Laptop and Tablet Deals
The Surface Laptop range may not be as stylish as some of the brand’s flashy, flexible, transforming sets, but most people just need a laptop. This is our pick for the best Surface for most people. Microsoft’s flagship laptop is now under $1,000 and offers 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD storage. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that Microsoft has a Surface hardware event this week where we could see a successor.
We really like the AMD version (8/10, WIRED Recommends) of this laptop and the Intel model offers much the same. With an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 chip, 8 GB of RAM, 512-GB SSD, and Thunderbolt 4, it’s a great productivity combo for hybrid workers or students. The OLED display is bright and crisp too.
This is one of LG’s latest and greatest laptops, sporting a shiny new 12th-gen Intel chip. The 16-inch version of this device sits in our Best Laptops guide. The Gram range prides itself on being supremely light and, as the smallest version, you’ll barely notice this machine in your bag. The rest of the specs include 16 GB of RAM and a 512-GB SSD, a strong combo for serious productivity.
The Acer Nitro 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has long been one of the best cheap gaming laptops around, offering a great screen and typing experience for a reasonable price. This model packs a punch in a simple build. There are plenty of ports too. At under $800, it’s hard to find a better performance-to-value ratio elsewhere.
With consoles like the Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck around, gaming laptops can look pretty expensive. But if you want strong PC specs and a great display in a portable package, they remain the only option. This Dell G15 offers all this at almost $300 off. It packs in one of Intel’s latest gaming chips alongside 16 GB RAM, a 512-GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, which is an ideal combo for mid-tier PC gaming.
If you want a cheap laptop with some added flexibility, this 14-inch Pavilion machine from HP is an appealing option. With this sale’s discount, you get a strong 11th-Gen Intel Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD. It’s a good combo for productivity users, such as students. The 360-hinge makes watching videos on this laptop a bit more comfortable too.
Many gaming laptops, even ones that you’d classify as entry-level, can creep over the $1,000 mark. Thankfully, this HP Victus is well under that. This model gets you an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H chip, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD. And it’s all in an understated package that doesn’t scream “gamer.”
Chromebooks may be slated as devices for light web work, but there are plenty of folks who’ll want to push them hard. For that, the IdeaPad Flex 5i is our top choice for a ChromeOS powerhouse in our Best Chromebooks guide. The Intel Core i3 and 8 GB of RAM are more than enough to get a lot of performance from a Chromebook, with options for lower-powered Celeron chips and often 4 GB RAM. The display also offers an anti-glare finish to dodge any pesky reflections.
The Combo Touch from Logitech is compatible with a variety of 11-inch iPad Pro generations. It’s one of our favorite ways to get some light work done because it adds a keyboard and a trackpad. Not only is the case slim and the keys pleasing to type on, but the keyboard can also be removed when you don’t need it, keeping the iPad Pro’s supreme portability intact.
The 2022 iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) now packs an M1 processor, the very same that powers the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air, making this hands-down the most powerful tablet for the money. This is the lowest price we’ve seen yet.
This is a good deal on our current favorite iPad for most people. In fact, it’s the lowest price we’ve seen. That said, Apple has updated the iPad around this time of year for the past three years. There could be a new model out soon, and that new model could be on sale for Black Friday.
Amazon recently debuted a new Fire HD 8, which is available for preorder, but if you’re in the market for a cheap tablet, this 2020 model is still a good deal. The travel-friendly size, combined with a reasonably powerful processor and USB-C, makes the Fire HD 8 series nearly as capable as its larger sibling. It’s portable enough to take with you anywhere, and its screen won’t torture your eyes when you watch Netflix. You can even use our guide to install the Google Play Store, which makes it much more capable than it is out of the box.
Phone Deals
Photograph: Google
The Google Pixel 6A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Android phone, and it also earned our top pick as the Best Cheap Phone. This deal is the lowest we’ve seen. Even when it’s not on sale, the Pixel 6A offers incredible value, with great performance, excellent cameras, impressive battery life, and a nice display. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than this. The Pixel 6 Pro is also discounted to $649 ($250 off) if you want a bigger device and better cameras.
This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the S22 Ultra (9/10, WIRED Recommends). This device has an S Pen built in, so it’s great for doodling or writing notes. It also has a 10x optical zoom camera, so you can take stunningly sharp pictures from far away.
It costs a fortune. But it folds! And believe it or not, that extra screen real estate really is nice. Android 12L also makes life on a bigger screen easier thanks to its improved multitasking. The battery life is good, and you get a bright, smooth screen—no crease on the fold.
The smaller of Samsung’s folding phones, the Z Flip4 feels like a “normal” phone when it’s unfolded, but fold it up and it’ll slip into some small pockets. It’s almost like a StarTak, but with a real screen. The battery will get you through the day, but not much longer. Still, if you’ve been wanting a folding phone, this deal is the cheapest we’ve seen.
This OnePlus phone (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is speedy, has a bright 120-Hz screen refresh rate, and has a pretty good software support window. Its cameras are not as good as the likes of the Pixel 6 or Galaxy S22. It’s worth noting that this is still more expensive than the newly-announced Google Pixel 7.
TV and Soundbar Deals
TVs of this high caliber (8/10, WIRED Recommends) don’t come cheap, but this is a pretty significant discount for one of the best TVs you can buy for bright rooms. If you’ve got a big family and a home with plenty of windows, this might be the move. It also has a 120-Hz refresh rate for gamers looking to get the most out of their consoles.
The A80J is an OLED variation of one of our best TV picks, the X80J. Sony’s TV offers Google TV, Dolby Vision HDR, and Alexa compatibility. For PS5 owners, there’s HDMI 2.1 onboard, letting you get the best out of your console.
This TCL model is a bigger and newer version of our favorite entry-level device. It offers AMD FreeSync, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Roku TV OS. We like the smaller model for its surprisingly deep contrast and easy-to-use remote.
This Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar allows you to get pretty immersive sound from a single unit, thanks to speakers that bounce sound off your walls and ceiling. Previously costing upwards of $300, this reduced price makes this speaker from one of our top-rated audio brands an intriguing proposition.
If you’re looking to upgrade your TV setup, one of our favorite soundbars is now under $200. The Signa S4 is our top package if you’re looking to grab both a soundbar and a subwoofer. The combo offers Dolby Atmos, HDMI ARC, as well as customization modes to get the right vibe. The addition of a subwoofer makes this ideal for when you want big sound, whether it’s a house party or your fave action flick.
Headphone Deals
This is a top pick in our Best Noise-Canceling Headphones guide. The digital signal processing and advanced microphone array do a stellar job of blocking out noise and homing in on your voice. They’re also extremely comfortable and offer strong battery life. Like many top wireless noise-cancelers, they don’t come cheap, so getting more than $100 off is a great deal.
If you’re after the best overall headphones, then stick with Sony. The WH-1000XM5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) sound amazing, has great noise cancellation, and are just plain comfortable to wear.
Google’s latest wireless earbuds got a stellar review from WIRED associate editor Parker Hall (9/10, WIRED Recommends), with the Buds Pro getting props for comfort, great sound, seven hours of battery life with active noise cancellation (ANC), and pricing that’s now even further below that of the Apple AirPods Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends). There’s room for improvement with the microphones and the mid-tones, though.
Other Tech Deals
While the LaCie Rugged SSD ($496) is our top pick for a rugged drive in our Best Portable SSD guide, the T7 Shield is our favorite alternative, and it’s far cheaper right now. It’ll bat away dust and water with an IP65 rating and is rated to survive drops up to 9.8 feet. There are other sizes available too if you’d like to spend more or less.
This 15-inch screen is basically a blown-up smart display you can mount on your wall like a picture frame. It comes with a 5-MP camera for video calling friends and family. You get full access to Alexa as well to control your smart home devices.
We didn’t love the Fire TV Cube in our review (6/10, WIRED Recommends) but a lot of the criticisms were software-based and, if you are fully in the Alexa ecosystem, it’s the most powerful streamer you can get. It’s a pretty machine, with Alexa built in, and there are sensible parental controls.
The recently released Apple Watch Series 8 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Apple Watch, and it’s already on sale. (The 41-mm version is also on sale for $349.) Most people will be fine with the new second-generation Watch SE, but this model includes an electrocardiogram, an always-on display, a skin temperature sensor for better period tracking, a more accurate heart-rate monitor, and the ability to measure blood oxygen levels. Check our Best Apple Watch Accessories guide for additional recommendations.
TicWatch isn’t a well-known wearable brand, but we’re fans of this model’s top battery life (it’s in our Best Smartwatch guide). It employs Wear OS and is slated to get the Wear OS 3 update later this year. It’s responsive, delivers notifications, counts steps, and features 24/7 heart-rate monitoring, all with an AMOLED display and two-day battery life. There’s a new TicWatch Ultra on the way with Qualcomm’s new wearables chipset.
The Arctis Prime Wired Headset got great marks in our review (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s one of our favorites due to its comfortable ear cups, sleek look, and quality sound. Essential for gaming, there’s also a crystal clear microphone.
This useful label printer features in our all-encompassing work-from-home guide and is a great way to save a couple of dollars on your shipping. This printer avoids the regular hassle of having to use ink, using heat instead. You’ll find useful instructions to get the sizing of your label when you print just right and, then, you’re ready to go.
It’s a cheap and cheerful smart plug, and that’s about the long and short of it. It integrates with your Alexa app, letting you add timers and schedules as you please. There’s also Alexa Guard, to provide the illusion you’re home when you’re traveling or on vacation.
Retailer Sale Pages
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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