There’s the general feeling that Black Friday deals just aren’t what they used to be. There’s some truth to that, especially with the rise of internet shopping. Instead, Black Friday has become a true American holiday—one that is done more in ritual than in a search for cheap deals. It’s easy to be cynical about our rampant materialism, but the thought that the day is more just a fun thing to do gives me some comfort. I think.
However, when it comes to tech, there are actually some great deals to be had this year. Large TVs in the 60+ inches range have finally come down to a reasonable price, as have 4K TVs. So if you’ve got a tech lover in your life, or even if you’re just looking for something new for yourself, here are the 10 best tech deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year:
10. GoPro Hero 3+ – $249 (Walmart, Target, Best Buy)
Fifty bucks off might not seem like a huge discount, but all three retailers are also throwing in a $50 gift card that you can put toward this awesome GoPro camera. At $199, won’t find a better price for the best action camera on the market.
9. Kindle 6-inch e-reader – $49 (Staples) – available now
Kindle e-readers are long lasting devices that are a great gift for the book lover in your life. It’s not as nice as the new Kindle Voyage, nor is it a huge discount, but going from $70 to $50 just might make it the perfect Christmas gift or stocking-stuffer.
8. iPad mini 3 – $325 (Best Buy)
The newest version of the iPad mini doesn’t add a ton of new features or high specs, but at this price it’s only $25 more than last year’s $299 iPad mini 2. If you love the smaller form factor of the iPad mini, we fully recommend you pick up the iPad mini 3 at $325.
7. iPhone 6 – $99 (Best Buy, Walmart)
Apple products are rarely discounted due to the restrictions that the company puts on retailers. However, big retailers find ways of getting around that by offering in-store gift cards that can be used against the purchase. With a two year-contract and the gift card, you can get the price of that shiny new iPhone 6 down to just $99 out of your pocket. Considering the phone is only a few months old, it probably won’t be this cheap again until next September when the next version comes out.
6. 50-inch LED HD TV – $218 (Walmart)
It’s never good when a retailer leaves out the brand name for an item, which probably means this cheap 50-inch HD TV might end up being either an RCA or Element TV. It’s also highly probably that the brand will vary store by store. Either way, you’re still getting a large HD TV for an incredible price and you can consider this your backup to the deal that made our number one slot this year. They also have a Westinghouse 48-inch LED HD TV going on sale for $235 for Black Friday, which might turn out to be a better deal, depending on what the brand ends up being.
5. Beats by Dre Solo HD – $97 (Target, Best Buy)
Beats by Dre aren’t everyone’s favorite headphones, but it’s often their high pricetag that throws people off. Both Target and Best Buy are offering this great Black Friday deal this year, pricing the Solo HD headphones for around $70 off the original price. Both retailers are both also offering the new wireless versions for just $150.
4. Surface Pro 3 – $849 (Microsoft Store, Best Buy)
As far as we’re concerned, the Surface Pro 3 is the first big success of that line of products. It’s more a laptop than a tablet, but it’s a rather good one. The only problem was the price—but at $150 off, the 128GB Surface Pro 3 is a great buy if you’re looking for a new laptop that just happens to work as a tablet as well. The only caveat is that the keyboard is not included, so you’ll have to pick that up separately.
3. Macbook Air 11-inch – $779 (Best Buy)
Deals on Macbooks are so rare that when you see one this good, you just can’t pass it up. This 11-inch Core i5 MacBook Air is a fantastic laptop in just about every way and at $120 off, it’s hard to recommend any other laptop to buy on Black Friday. If you’re looking for something a little bit more substantial, the 13-inch Macbook Pro is $150 off at Best Buy as well for just $1049.
2. Samsung 55-inch 4K TV – $899 (Best Buy)
4K TVs dipped into the $1000 range last year for Black Friday, but not one from Samsung. What you’re getting here is the highest resolution screen on the market, from one of the best television makers out there. So if you’re in the market for a 4K TV, now is definitely the time. Walmart has a similar deal for their Cyber Monday sale, but you’ll be paying $998 if you wait until Monday for that sale.
1. Panasonic 50-inch LED HD TV – $199 (Best Buy)
If you don’t care about 4K and just want a big, nice HD TV, why not get one for a mere $199? The thought of a 50-inch HD TV going for $199 would have seemed absurd just a few years ago, but that’s the beauty of how quickly technology moves. If you want to get in on this one though, one thing is for sure: you’d better get there early because it looks like the current limit is only five per store.