When you think of July, what comes to mind? Other than cold weather, that is. For us, it's Amazon Prime Day, those special two weekdays smack dab in the middle of July that signal sales prices on, well, just about everything from A to Z. And unlike the holiday-centric shopping done during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, you don't have to buy gifts for anyone. Prime Day is all about your shopping list.
At PCMag, we're laser-focused on finding the best prices on the best electronics all year round, but especially on Prime Day. We are grizzled Prime Day veterans, and today, we're here to talk to you about the types of sales, deals and steals you're sure to encounter. Remember these two things: Prime Day starts on July 16 at 12:01 a.m. AEST and runs through July 21 and you need to be an Amazon Prime member to get in on all of the deals.
Sales
Not everything on sale is a deal. For example, during Prime Day, you'll see plenty of discounted Amazon products, such as Fire tablets, Fire Sticks for streaming, Ring video doorbells, Blink security cameras, or Fire TVs. Looking back at the last two years of pricing data, many of the same prices (or at least within a 10% margin) tend to resurface during sales.
(Credit: Amazon)The 2022 release of the Amazon Kindle 16GB eReader didn’t go on sale last year, but that was when the 2019 release was still in stock. Now that Amazon has moved through their stock, we’re hoping the more up to date one will see at least 20% off of the A$179 retail price. Our reviewer applauded the sharper screen and long battery life of the 2022 Amazon Kindle over the 2019 iteration. Readers will love having their library at the tip of their fingers and the Kindle even makes recommendations based on your reading habits.
(Credit: Amazon)Similarly, the Fire TV Stick 4K has been refreshed since last year’s Prime Day. It went down to around $55 during the Black Friday sales last year, and we're hoping it goes down again for Prime Day. Our expert gave the Fire TV Stick 4K the Editor’s Choice award as one of the best 4K media streamers out there.
Deals
We like to think we know a good deal when we see one. Usually, we're looking for at least a 30% discount, slightly less if it's a purchase over a thousand dollars, like a top-of-the-line laptop or a massive television. Specific brands like Apple might not even crack the 20% discount threshold, but we know that's as low as they will go.
During the previous Prime Day, deals were available on headphones and earbuds from top brands like Bose, Samsung, and Sony. We also saw significant price drops on home security cameras and smartwatches.
(Credit: Amazon)The Apple AirPods Pro saw an recent upgrade as well, adding in USB-C connectivity to the charging case to keep pace with recent MacBooks and iPhones, and earning PCMag’s Editors’ Choice award. Those with Apple devices will want to add these fantastic earbuds to their Apple ecosystem for its ease of connection and superb sound quality and ANC. The current discount price we’re seeing for the Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case is A$297 (down from $399), but maybe we’ll see them drop another $10-$20 bucks for Prime Day 2024.
(Credit: Amazon)Laptops don’t usually see too much action on Amazon when compared to dedicated PC retailers, but there are a few exceptions if you know where to look. The MSI Katana 15 Intel i7 RTX 4070 2TB SSD 16GB RAM 15.6" Laptop is currently discounted down to A$2,398.99 from its $2,599 price tag, which is a great price for an RTX 4070. That said, technology has gotten even better, pushing the limits of your GPU’s performance, so we expect to see the same or greater discount this Prime Day. Our expert reviewed this MSI Katana 15 configuration and rated it an “excellent” for fast and stable performance.
Steals
When we talk about steals, we're talking about saving a significant amount of money. Usually more than a hundred dollars on some of the more high-end items. Last Prime Day we saw big savings on Samsung tablets like the Galaxy Tab A8 and Galaxy Tab S7. We also saw drastic price drops on various models of robot vacuums from brands like iRobot, Shark, and Roborock.
(Credit: Amazon)The iRobot Roomba 692, our top robot vacuum pick for most buyers, retails for A$499, but went down to $350 in Amazon's Mid-Year Sales. Great for homes with pets, this device will make your life a little easier by taking care of day to day messes. And, with luck, it may go even cheaper in the Prime Day sales.
What to Buy
If there's something you want or need, waiting for it to be at its absolute lowest price deprives you of enjoying it now. As long as you're not paying the full retail price, you can rest soundly knowing you got yourself a deal. So before this Prime Day, read up on some of our shopping tips, start scouting and when those two days in July come, and the price is right. Well, you know what to do!