Black Friday 2022: date, tips, and deals we expect to see

While it might feel like last year's Black Friday sale just wrapped up, there's no time like the present to prepare yourself for the upcoming Black Friday 2022 deals event. Our Black Friday deals guide covers everything you know to know, such as the date, how to get the best deals, what offers you can expect, and what happened at this year's Black Friday sale event.

Black Friday 2022 falls on November 25 this year, but like years past, we expect to see deals start to pop up as early as October. At last year's Black Friday sale, we saw offers earlier than ever thanks to sales launched by retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart as they tried to combat shipping delays and supply issues. In fact, according to Adobe Analytics, spending was actually down 1.3% on Black Friday proper compared to last year, but if you looked at November as a whole, consumers spent $109.8 billion, which was up 11.9% compared to 2020.

This also aligns with what we saw - the best deals were launched in the weeks leading up to Black Friday, and we were left disappointed with offers on the big day. Consumers were also worried about product availability, so they took advantage of early Black Friday deals offered by the big-name online retailers. Early holiday shopping was a smart move as we noticed best-selling items like the AirPods Pro, the Apple Watch 6, MacBooks, and Amazon's own devices were out of stock in the run-up to Black Friday proper. We also saw price increases on certain items, including the AirPods Pro and MacBook Pro, which is unusual based on previous years.

So what were last year's hottest Black Friday deals? According to Amazon, the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, Echo Show 5, AirPods, Beats Studio Buds, and the Revlon one-step hair dryer rounded up the top-sellers. Adobe also reported that laptops, TVs, the Nintendo Switch, the Apple Watch, and toys from brands like Hot Wheels, Nerf, and Paw Patrol were this year's Black Friday best-sellers. We expect a mix of that during the Black Friday 2022 deals event, plus new gadgets released this year.

Below you'll find more on our predictions for this year's sale as well how to find the best Black Friday deals, the best Black Friday retailers, and looking back at this year's top offers. We'll be updating this page with all the latest Black Friday 2022 news, so make sure to bookmark this page as your one-stop-shop for Black Friday.

When is Black Friday 2022?

When is Black Friday 2022? The official Black Friday date for this year is November 25, 2022. The actual date shifts every year, but the day of the week stays the same: it's always the Friday after Thanksgiving.

At last year's sale, retailers kicked off their Black Friday deals earlier than ever due to concerns around shipping delays and supply issues. We also saw more retailers moving to the competitive arena of online sales, which resulted in more deals to shop on the web.

Where are the best places to find Black Friday deals?

Most online retailers offer Black Friday deals, but it's our job to sort through the thousands of offers to find the very best bargains from the bunch. You'll typically find the best Black Friday deals from big-name retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, with Amazon leading the pack.

Amazon is a Black Friday favorite, not only because they offer record-low prices but because they offer discounts on a wide variety of categories. So whether you're looking for tech items like laptops, TVs, or AirPods or searching for discounts on clothing, kitchen appliances, or toys - Amazon is likely to offer Black Friday deals on the product you're after.

Other retailers that offer impressive Black Friday deals include Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Dell, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Overstock. It can be overwhelming with so many retailers and promotions, but that's where our deal expertise comes in. We go through every retailer to pick out the very best Black Friday deals so you can make sure you're getting the lowest price available. We also keep a live list of the best Black Friday sales from all the top online retailers, so you can easily jump to the offer you want.

If you don't want to wait till November to shop for Black Friday deals, we've included the current sales from the top online retailers just below.

Amazon: daily deals on tech, home items, clothing, and more
Best Buy: savings on 4K TVs, laptops, and headphones
Dell: save up to $250 on best-selling laptops
Home Depot: save on tools, appliances, furniture, and more
Kohl's: save on clothing, shoes, and accessories for the whole family
Lowe's: appliance deals from Samsung, Whirlpool, and LG starting at $99
Overstock: 70% off furniture, decor, and appliances + free shipping
Target: save on furniture, tech, and clothing for the whole family
Walmart: save on TVs, laptops, kitchen appliances, and more

How do I get the best Black Friday deals in 2022?

Homework really helps. Some retailers up prices from August through to October so they can offer supposedly amazing discounts on Black Friday, so don’t be fooled by such moves.

They’re particularly prevalent in expensive consumer electronics such as TVs or laptops with product numbers rather than names, with products that were dropped down to a great bargain price suddenly being pushed back to their MSRP again.

It’s also a very good idea to be flexible: for example, if you fancy a Samsung UHD TV it’s best to think about the features you want rather than a specific model number: the BRV553ABD34-82C-9218-X may not be discounted on Black Friday 2022, but an almost identical set with the specification you want probably will be.

So do your research on what matters and we’ll do our best to give you the right comparison needed.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking that something that looks like a five-star set is the same but cheaper - certain elements (often with regards to screen quality or image processing) won’t be as high quality to achieve that lower price point.

Black Friday deals 2022: our predictions

We can make predictions of what we think Black Friday 2022 will bring based on last year's sale event. Due to concerns around shipping delays and supply issues, we saw retailers like Best Buy and Walmart launch Black Friday deals earlier than ever, with Amazon kicking things off in early October.

Typically retailers reserve their best deals for Black Friday proper, but last year we saw the best deals leading up to Black Friday. This might be why, according to Adobe Analytics, spending was down 1.3% on Black Friday compared to last year, and Thanksgiving Day stayed flat. Consumers have spent $109.8 billion in November alone, which was up significantly (11.9%) compared to 2020. This falls in line with the trend of early sales, which drew consumers to make earlier purchases and not wait for Black Friday to snag a deal online.

So what does this mean for Black Friday 2022? It all depends on if retailers will face the same shipping and stock supply issues that plagued this year's sale. We do expect the trend of earlier sales to stay, but if stock issues aren't a problem, we think retailers will reserve their best deals for Black Friday proper to help keep the hype around Black Friday alive.

While it's still early to know exactly what kind of deals we'll see at this year's sale, we can make predictions on what brands and products we'll see come November. According to Adobe, the hottest items at last year's Black Friday sale included AirPods, the Apple Watch, laptops, TVs, consoles, and toys from brands like Hot Wheels, Paw Patrol, and Nerf. Amazon's top Black Friday sellers consisted of its own devices like the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick, and smart bulbs, and some interesting items included the Revlon one-step hair dryer and the Colorfulkoala yoga pants.

We expect Apple devices, toys, laptops, TVs, and Amazon's own devices to be top sellers at the Black Friday 2022 sale and new gadgets that will be released this year.

Why is it called Black Friday

Let’s take a history lesson to find how why they call it Black Friday: the first known mention of Black Friday related to this shopping experience was in November 1951, when the journal Factory Management and Maintenance used it to describe people calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving so they could have an extra day off work.

At the same time, US police were using the phrases “Black Friday” and “Black Saturday” to describe the horrendous traffic that occurred at the beginning of the pre-Christmas shopping season.

In 1961, the local government moved to change the shopping season to “Big Friday” and “Big Saturday,” but it never caught on. The notion that it was the time when retailers moved 'back into the black' was seen far later and clearly an attempt to bring positivity to the term.

Black Friday deals 2021 — Image credit: TechRadar

The best Black Friday deals from last year's sale

Taking a look back at last year's Black Friday deals can help us get an idea of what will be on sale during Black Friday 2022. We've included the most popular categories below, including TV, laptops, smart home devices, and appliances from all your favorite brands like Apple, Samsung, Roomba, Keurig, Instant Pot, and more.

The best Black Friday deals: under $50

$25 and under

Echo Glow: ~~$29.99~~ $16.99 at Amazon
Save $13 - Amazon's brilliant kid-friendly smart lamp, the Echo Glow, is cheaper than it's ever been, dropping its price by almost 45%, which makes it among the best bargains parents can score this Black Friday. And, this isn't any ordinary lamp either. It's capable of displaying so many colors, offers a Rainbow Timer to help the kids stay on track, and is unintrusive with its sleek and small design. Best of all, it works with Alexa and therefore, voice control.

$50 and under

Kasa Indoor Pan/Tilt Smart Home Camera: ~~$39.99~~ $29.99 at Amazon
Save $10 - Black Friday is the best time to invest in smart home devices big and small. With this Kasa Indoor Pan/Tilt camera at 25% off this Black Friday – the cheapest we've seen it all year – it might be time to invest in an indoor smart camera that works seamlessly with Alexa and your Echo devices. At $30, there's a lot of features to love here, including real-time motion and sound detection, a 113-degree tilt and 360-degree pan, and smart home integration that lets it perform Smart Actions like triggering the alarm or the spotlight when it detects motion during your chosen times in the day.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 7+ bundle ~~$85~~ $48 at Walmart
Save $37 - This is a record-low price for our favourite instant camera. The Mini 7 is easy to use, includes a pop-out lens barrel for selfies and takes Instax Mini film - which is more affordable than its Polaroid equivalent. This special bundle at Walmart makes a great gift for anyone looking to dabble in instant photography. This great value bundle comes with 10 packs of Instax Mini Film, plus a magnetic frame, curved frame, pegs and an Instax photo album - that's more than enough ways to display your finest snaps.

The best Black Friday deals: TVs

60-85 inch TVs

Samsung 60-inch Q60A Series QLED 4K Smart TV: ~~$999.99~~ $797.99 at Amazon
Save $202 - Amazon's Black Friday TV deals include Samsung's 60-inch QLED TV that's on sale for only $797.99. That's the lowest price we've ever seen and an incredible deal for a stunning QLED display. The Samsung set delivers a premium picture experience thanks to the Quantum Dot technology, which produces over a billion shades of brilliant color. You're also getting smart capabilities, a sleek, slim design, and Amazon Alexa built-in for hands-free control.

50-59 inch TVs

Samsung 50-inch Q80A Series QLED 4K UHD Smart TV: ~~$1,199.99~~ $897.99 at Amazon
Save $302 - The QN900A Neo QLED may hold top spot on our best TVs buyer's guide, but it's the Q80A series that we'd pick out as a great 'value' option in today's Black Friday deals. It's capable of 120Hz (perfect for the PS5 or Xbox), has an incredibly powerful 4K Quantum processor, Full Array backlighting, and an ADS panel for unparalleled viewing angles. It's quite simply a beast of a display and today's price is the cheapest all year.

32-49 inch TVs

See more of the best Black Friday TV deals

Black Friday deals: laptops and computing

Laptops under $300

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 (11.6-inch, 2-in-1): ~~$319~~ $159 at Amazon
Save $60 - Another solid Chromebook option if you're on a budget, this 11-inch Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 is going to be a good one for covering the basics. The Mediatek processor isn't mindblowing, but it'll browse fine and you've also got 64GB of storage on this model - something that's not always seen on these super cheap Chromebooks. Being a 2-in-1 laptop too is fantastic for the price, allowing use as both a laptop and a tablet, which is particularly good for young kids.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 11.6-inch Chromebook, Intel Celeron, 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD: ~~$219.99~~ $149.99 at Amazon
Save $70 – If you'd like to forgo the 2-in-1 form factor of the Flex 3 above for a more traditional laptop experience, then this IdeaPad 3 Chromebook is a fine option. It's got a more powerful Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, as well as that larger 64GB of storage too. Again, this one's more suited to simple browsing and school tasks but we'd absolutely consider it if you want something solid and subdued on a budget.

Lenovo Chromebook, 14-inch, Mediatek CPU, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC storage: ~~$239~~ $185 at Walmart
Save $57 – The 32GB eMMC flash storage in this cheap Lenovo Chromebook means you'll be best utilizing the extra storage from the cloud and microSD card slot for most of your files. The MediaTek processor is an unusual step away from mainstays Intel and AMD that you would see in more premium models. However, you do get 4GB RAM and up to 10 hours of battery life with this Chromebook making it great value for money for a basic machine.

Samsung Chromebook 4+, 15.6-inches, Intel Celeron, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC: ~~$299~~ $199 at Best Buy
Save $100: This Samsung Chromebook is the upgraded version of the above "super cheap" non-plus model. It's still decently powerful with a Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage, but you'll also get a larger 15.6-inch screen. That makes this one a bit less portable but generally more usable for day to day tasks like school work or streaming videos. While a bit pricier, this is definitely a great buy if you're looking for something with more solid build quality and a decent screen.

Laptop deals between $300-$500

Laptop deals over $500

Acer Swift 3, 14-inch, Intel i7, 8GB, 256GB | ~~$849~~ $693 at Amazon
Save $157 - The Swift 3 might be cheaper than the usual suspects from Dell, Samsung, or HP, but it's an ultrabook that can absolutely hang with the best. This particular model with an Intel Core i7-1165G7, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD is particularly good for the money if you need something with a bit of power under the hood. While you can use this machine for pretty much anything (aside from gaming), we'd recommend it particularly as a solid no-nonsense machine for work applications.

Gaming laptops

Desktops and gaming PCs

Monitors

See more of the best Black Friday laptop deals

The best Black Friday deals: smart home

Smart speakers

Echo Dot (3rd Gen) + free Sengled bulb: ~~$54.99~~ $19.99 at Amazon
Save $34.99 - This Black Friday deal from Amazon slashes 63% off the price of the third-gen Echo Dot - and includes a free Sengled Bluetooth Color bulb. The smart speaker can play music, answer questions, check the weather and control your new smart bulb - all you have to do is ask Alexa. Note, Amazon's all out of immediate stock with this deal but you can still get it on backorder at the same price for an early December delivery.

Streaming devices

Ring doorbells

Amazon Ring Wired and Amazon Echo Show bundle: ~~$144~~ $61 at Amazon
Save $82 - Get more than half off this Amazon Ring Wired Video Doorbell and Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) bundle with 1080p video recording, two-way talk, advanced motion detection, and customizable privacy protection with real-time notifications sent right to your phone. Note, due to the popularity of this deal immediate stock has now all sold out at Amazon. You can, however, still order one at this price for a mid December delivery date.

Security cameras and systems

Smart displays

Echo Show 8 (1st Gen, 2019 release): ~~$109.99~~ $59.99 at Amazon
Save $50 - Black Friday and Cyber Monday are among the best times of the year to score an Amazon device for less. One of the best deals we've found this year is on this 2019 Echo Show 8, which offers an 8-inch HD display, stereo speakers, and a whole lot of convenience in accessing and controlling your smart home devices. It's almost 50% off this time around, the cheapest we've seen it this year. Plus, if you do a trade-in with one of your existing Echo devices, you can get up to $30 in the form of a gift card.