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The best early Black Friday tech deals you can shop right now

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Illustration by Aaron Fernandez for The Verge

It’s official: the 2023 early holiday shopping season has arrived. And if you want to get a head start on your holiday shopping, major retailers like Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart have already launched their early Black Friday promos, dropping prices on tablets, wireless earbuds, laptops, smart home tech, and even OLED TVs.

We may see a whole bunch more deals arrive as we get closer to November 24th, but what’s discounted so far is still very much worth a look. For example, Bose’s noise-canceling QuietComfort 45 headphones and its new QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have dropped to new all-time lows. A range of other gadgets and gizmos are also on sale, from the Google Pixel Tablet and Apple’s AirTags to the new PlayStation 5 “slim,” the latter of which also comes with a free copy of either Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty Modern Warfare III.

To make your life a little easier, we’ve rounded up the best deals available so far. We’ll also continue to update this page as we get closer to Black Friday and more noteworthy discounts surface, so stay tuned.

The best headphones and earbud deals

  • Apple’s luxe AirPods Max are back down to $449.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which remains their second-best price to date. The noise-canceling headphones are getting a little long in the tooth — blame Apple’s aging H1 chip — but they still offer great controls, deep integration with Apple products, and terrific sound quality. Read our review.
  • Sony’s last-gen WH-1000XM4s are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for around $248 ($100 off), which is one of their best prices to date. The noise-canceling headphones may be an older model than the newer XM5, but they still sound great today and have a handy feature the new version does not: the ability to fold down for easier storage and travel. Read our review.
  • Normally $179.99, you can currently buy Sony’s unique LinkBuds for $128 at Amazon and Best Buy. The earbuds offer crisp sound quality, great voice call performance, and use an “open-style” design that allows for better spatial awareness. Read our review.
  • If you don’t like wearing earbuds in your ears while working out, you can pick up a pair of the wraparound Shokz OpenRun Pro for $99.95 ($80 off) at Best Buy. They’re a good pair of open-ear headphones that leave your ears exposed, allowing you to listen to music without sacrificing your safety.

The best smartwatch and other wearable deals

  • While the new $400 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a return to form for the smartwatch with rotating bezel controls, Walmart is selling the last-gen Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (remember, it skipped a generation) for just $99 ($50 off its reduced price). Read our review.

The best phone deals

  • Google’s Pixel 8 phone is on sale for $549 ($150 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The new Pixel is slightly smaller than last year’s at 6.1 inches but it packs a new Tensor G3 processor. Read our review.

The best charger deals

The best tablet and e-reader deals

  • The 10th-generation iPad may still be a quirky entry-level option in Apple’s tablet family, but it’s finally on a sizable discount — selling for $349 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The 10.9-inch tablet with a USB-C port and no headphone jack is a fine device but it’s often undercut by the very capable and cheaper ninth-gen iPad.
  • Speaking of the iPad, both the ninth-gen and 10th-gen models are only compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil, which is also on sale for $79 ($20) at Amazon and Best Buy. Unlike the second-gen Apple Pencil, you’ll need to charge it by plugging the stylus directly into the iPad’s Lightning port.

The best laptop and computing deals

  • The new 2023 entry-level MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display, M3 processor, 8GB or RAM, and (most) of the good port selection is selling for $1,449 ($150 off) at Best Buy. It may be a bit of an “enigma” for a base model entry in Apple’s MacBook Pro line, but think of it more as a souped-up MacBook Air.
  • If you’re shopping for a convertible, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 starts at around $799.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The powerful laptop offers a 120Hz screen and is a stunner available in various colors, ranging from green to blue. Read our review.
  • Alternatively, if you’re looking for a laptop that can handle heavier graphics, the creator-focused Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is available with an Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $1,399.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy and the Microsoft Store. The laptop sports a terrific keyboard/trackpad combo, as well as a 120Hz screen, one that’s capable of pivoting so you can lay it flat to write or draw on it. Read our review.
  • 8BitDo’s Retro Mechanical Keyboard is currently on sale for $89.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The Nintendo-inspired Bluetooth keyboard features two red programmable buttons similar to the ones found on the original NES controller; it also offers a standard tenkeyless layout that’s devoid of a numpad and comes with clicky, hot-swappable switches.
  • Elgato’s Stream Deck Plus has fallen to an all-time low of $169.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo. The well-built peripheral functions in a similar fashion to Elgato’s other macro controllers in that it provides you with a selection of programmable keys, only the Deck Plus also features four knobs with their own set of apps and an LED touchscreen. Read our review.

The best smart display deals

  • The last-gen Echo Show 8 is available for $54.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, down from $129.99. Although it can’t act as a smart home hub like the newer third-gen model, it’s still a good smart display for making Zoom calls, controlling smart home gadgets, watching videos, and carrying out a range of other Alexa-enabled tasks. Read our review.

The best speaker deals

The best gaming deals

  • If you enjoyed HBO’s fantastic adaptation of The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part I is on sale for the PS5 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop for $39.99 ($30 off). It’s a remarkable remake of the classic title from 2013, with faster load times, better visuals, and other welcome tweaks. Read our review.
  • Walmart is selling the Xbox Series S 512GB console in white with an extra matching controller for $289.99 (about $80 off). That’s less than the regular cost of the $299.99 console alone, and you get a spare controller for local multiplayer or backup duties. Read our review.
  • In addition to the Split Pad Pro, Hori’s Split Pad Compact handheld controller in its cute Gengar Pokémon design for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon.
  • The 8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Receiver is down to $21.37 (about $4 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon for 5 percent off. The handy Bluetooth adaptor makes it possible to use Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Controller, Sony’s DualSense, and other Bluetooth-compatible gamepads with the original PlayStation or PlayStation 2, adding a modern touch to Sony’s old-school consoles.

The best robot vacuum deals

  • Amazon is discounting the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 to $249.99 ($200 off), which is the lowest price we’ve seen on the budget-friendly robot vacuum/mop hybrid. It’s a little loud and lacks an auto-empty base, however, it makes up for the caveats with good suction, a great app, and a laundry list of features (including mapping).

The best smart home deals

  • The Nanoleaf Shapes Ultra Black Triangles Smarter Kit is available for around $189.99 ($30 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Nanoleaf. The nine customizable light panels, which appear black when turned off, are capable of showcasing 16 million colors and support smart home platforms like Apple Home.
  • Nanoleaf’s Shapes Mini Triangles Smarter Kit is on sale for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and direct from Nanoleaf. The 10 modular light panels can display millions of colors and can sync with music, much like the aforementioned black panels, however, they’re much smaller and appear white when turned off.
  • Regularly $94.48, you can currently buy the Blink Video Doorbell with a Blink Sync Module 2 (which allows for local storage) for $47.49 at Amazon. If you’re looking for a basic buzzer, the 1080p video doorbell is a good option with support for motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, and two-way audio.

The best TV, streaming stick, and soundbar deals

The best deals on Verge Favorites and other tech

  • If you want gigabit-capable mesh Wi-Fi covering your home but don’t want to pay top dollar, you can get a three-pack of the midrange Eero 6 Plus routers for $194.99 ($105 off) at Amazon.
  • TP-Link’s RE315 Wi-Fi extender is on sale for just $24.99 ($25 off), matching its best price to date. It’s a good option if you’re looking to extend network coverage in your home or add ethernet connectivity to another room.

Update November 20th, 1:42PM ET: Adjusted pricing and added a selection of new deals, including those for the third-gen Oura Ring, the Sonos Roam, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5.

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