There's up to 50% off Amazon devices – but should you buy now or wait for Black Friday?

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event is just behind us, and the behemoth that is Black Friday is steadily approaching on the horizon, so we're in a strange middle ground when it comes to sales events. But that hasn't stopped Amazon from discounting several of its most popular and best-selling devices. The question is: should you buy now or wait until this year's Black Friday deals get underway?
• See all of today's best deals at Amazon
That's what I'm here to help answer: by going through all the tech that's just gone on sale and letting you know whether it's worth buying now, or if it's smarter to hold off for a few weeks to score an even lower price. My gut reaction is to say wait, but some deals could genuinely be the best we see all year.
Let's start with the Ring Battery Video Doorbell at Amazon for $49.99 (was $99.99). This is a strong start, as it matches the deal we saw earlier this month for Prime Big Deal Days and is a return to the record-low price for the well-rated entry-level smart doorbell.
History shows that Ring Battery Video Doorbell shouldn't get any cheaper on Black Friday, so I'd be comfortable picking one up now if it's on your wishlist or you wanted to get a head start on some gift ideas. What's more, the more powerful Ring Battery Doorbell Plus and Ring Battery Doorbell Pro are also at record-low prices if you'd prefer those models.
And now for the bad news
Where I'm less enthusiastic is with the lineup of Fire TV Stick deals that are currently available. All of these models have been cheaper before today – and I fully expect them to return to those lower prices when we hit the full Black Friday sales season. Sure, the difference may only be a few dollars in some cases, but there's no point in paying more if you're not in a rush to buy today.
For example, the Fire TV Stick 4K is down to $29.99 (was $49.99) right now, but it was $24.99 during Prime Day, and went as low as $21.99 during last year's Black Friday. There are similar price differences of between $2 - $7 on the standard Fire TV Stick HD and Fire TV Stick 4K Max when compared to previous record lows as well.
Similarly, I can't really recommend all of the offers on the Fire TVs and the Echo Show in the latest batch of discounts. The Amazon Fire TV 50-inch 4-Series 4K TV for $259.99 (was $399.99) is a good price, though, as it matches the deal that was available on Prime Day. On the other hand, the rest of the TVs and the smart display have all been up to $40 cheaper based on my price tracking, so best to wait for Black Friday with those.
So, these pre-Black Friday offers are a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, you can find a good offer or two that haven't been beaten earlier in the year – and very likely won't go any cheaper over the next couple of months – but the majority definitely aren't worth snapping up immediately if you want to come away with the biggest saving. I've gone through all the deals in detail below, should you want more info.
Latest devices deals at Amazon
The latest wireless Ring Doorbell has been discounted back to its lowest-ever price, so it's a great pickup ahead of Black Friday. We've tested more advanced versions and have been impressed with the video quality and night vision colour, but it's a shame that some of this device's value is usable exclusively with a Ring Protect subscription. However, if you're fine with paying for a subscription or already using a Ring-based home security system, it's worth the cost.
The newest version of Amazon's standard Fire TV Stick has been $2 cheaper than this before, but it remains an inexpensive way to add or upgrade the essential smart features in your TV, including access to streaming apps in HD, Alexa voice controls and the ability to control other smart home devices. This is a decent option if you're looking to upgrade your streaming setup on the cheap.
As the name suggests, the Fire TV Stick 4K streams shows and movies on your TV in ultra-high 4K resolution, with access to all the major apps and voice control support through Alexa. It's a good offer for a solid streaming stick that could be an upgrade to some slower and clunkier in-built TV services and apps. I wouldn't rush to get this deal, however, as it's been down to as low as $21.99 in previous sales. That was for an older version, but it should get closer to that when Black Friday is underway proper.
The newest version of Amazon's premium streaming device, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, streams the same content in the same quality as the standard 4K version, but the extra power inside means you get faster performance when navigating apps and searching for shows. Plus, it uses WiFi 6E technology to give you a more stable and consistent streaming experience over the majority of built-in TV services and apps. This is the same offer we saw on Prime Day, but it was down to $32.99 during last year's Black Friday, so I'd wait until next month before picking it up.
Amazon's latest sale includes this 32-inch TV on sale for $109.99 – that's just $10 more than the record-low price. While the Amazon 2-Series TV is just a basic HD display, you get smart capabilities with the Fire TV experience and Amazon Alexa on board for hands-free control at a bargain price. It's far from the best TV in the world, but if you need something small and basic for the kitchen or a kid's room, then this is fine for the job.
The 50-inch Amazon Fire TV is the mid-sized version of the budget-friendly 4-Series range and it's now down to its lowest-ever price. It's a nice buy if you're on a budget, as the premium 4K resolution delivers excellent clarity and picture quality for TV shows, movies, sports and general viewing. All major streaming apps are ready to go, too, plus there's voice control support through Alexa. It's an all-around solid TV for the price that I'd buy if I needed an affordable and capable display.
Amazon's Fire TV Omni QLED Series is a big step up in the otherwise cheap and cheerful range of smart TVs. This set boasts premium features, including a QLED display for better brightness and contrast, HDR and Dolby Vision for brighter and more vivid colours, local array dimming for richer blacks and HDMI 2.1 support to deliver a top-quality picture for all-around viewing and fast response times for gaming. It's not always easy to find a TV of this size and with these high-end features for under $400, so it's an excellent buy for the budget-conscious without compromising on quality, but I'm confident it could be even less in the full Black Friday sale.
If you're looking for a slightly bigger smart home display, Amazon has the latest Echo Show 8 on sale for $99.99 – that's $20 more than the record-low price. The eight-inch display allows you to make calls, watch movies, check the weather, and control compatible smart home devices completely hands-free thanks to Alexa compatibility. The addition of room-filling spatial audio gives a big boost to all of these features to improve sound quality.
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James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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