17 Best Early Black Friday Deals on Amazon Devices

amazon has unleashed a slew of early Black Friday deals for its own devices. Looking for a few smart gadgets to enhance your home? There are plenty of options—ranging from a Fire TV Stick to an Echo Dot (including one for kids). Amazon is also offering plenty of discounts for its lineup of Fire tablets and Kindles. To help make your shopping experience easier, we’ve rounded up all the best deals below.

WIRED’s Early Black Friday Coverage

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Kindle Deals

Photograph: Amazon

Amazon’s basic Kindle (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite to suggest to most people. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen with a built-in front light that makes it easier to read in the dark. However, it’s not waterproof like the Kindle Paperwhite, and it only comes with 8 gigabytes of storage. 

Like Amazon’s lineup of children’s Fire tablets, the company’s Kindle Kids Edition also comes with a protective case, a two-year warranty, and a year of Amazon Kids+ at no charge (which allows parents to set reading goals and age filters and add books to their child’s library.)

The Kindle Paperwhite Kids is the better option if you’re looking for something a little more durable, since it’s waterproof. It also comes with a 6.8-inch screen, which is larger than the 6-inch display on the Kindle Kids. 

Fire TV Deals

Fire TV Stick Lite

Photograph: Amazon 

This is one of the Best TV Streaming Devices. If you’re all-in on Amazon, the Fire TV Stick 4K is a great choice, as its menus are skewed toward the company’s Prime Video service and purchasing content from its store. And as the third-generation version, it’s faster than its predecessors. 

Don’t own a 4K TV? And have no interest in making the switch? The Fire TV Stick Lite works fine for standard HD TVs. We have tested earlier HD models and it offers access to all major streaming apps. It also comes equipped with a simpler version of the Alexa remote that lacks all the branded buttons for specific services like Netflix and doesn’t have TV power or volume controls; you’ll need another app for that. It does allow you to control content via voice commands. 

The Fire TV Cube is made for “hands-free” streaming via Alexa voice search (6/10, WIRED Recommends). It struggles with this difficult mission, and many folks may be better off with a cheaper Fire TV Stick. Thankfully, it does come with a remote. This is it’s standard discount price.

Echo Speaker Deals

Echo

Photograph: Amazon

Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo (8/10, WIRED Recommends) holds the title of Best Overall in our roundup of Best Amazon Echo and Alexa Speakers. Thanks to its orb-like redesign, it offers far better sound quality than previous Echos—especially for larger rooms. It’s a worthy option for those looking for a speaker under $100.

If the adorable tiger and panda prints on the kids’ edition of the Echo Dot aren’t enough, it also comes with parental controls and offers great sound quality. It includes a year of Amazon Kids+ free too, giving you access to games, Audible books, and other additional features.

Amazon Echo Buds

Photograph: Amazon

The second-generation Echo Buds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) come with notable upgrades over the first iteration. The new Echo Buds feature active noise cancellation (ANC), a more comfortable ergonomic fit, and improved microphones for Alexa voice controls—making them ideal to use in loud settings. Or you can opt for the Echo Buds with a wireless charging case for $90 ($50 off.)

The Echo Glow is technically a smart night-light, but its features don’t go beyond the ability to switch between colors and adjust brightness, with controls via the Alexa companion app. Still, its small footprint and fun shades (like Disco and Underwater), make it a nice addition to a kid’s bedroom. But with no built-in microphones, you’ll need to connect it to a compatible Alexa-enabled device to control it via voice commands.

Fire Tablet Deals

Photograph: Amazon

We consider the Fire HD 8 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) a great, very basic tablet. It packs a speedy processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and great battery life. And its compact size makes it perfect for travel. This version is 32 gigabytes, but you can also snag the 64-gigabyte version on sale for $75.

We’ve crowned the Fire HD 10 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) the best Fire tablet and our favorite budget tablet. Out of the entire lineup of Amazon’s tablets, it’s not only the fastest, but it also has the largest display at 10 inches (with increased brightness over last year’s model). The base model packs 32 gigabytes of storage, but you can also opt for the 64-gigabyte model for $115 ($75 off).

For a bit more money than the base model Fire HD 10, the HD 10 Plus (with 32 gigabytes) comes with a few more features, including wireless charging, 4 gigabytes of RAM (up from 3 gigabytes on the Fire HD 10), and a soft-touch finish. Need more storage? The 64-gigabyte version is also on sale for $145 ($75 off)

Fire HD 8 Kids

Photograph: Amazon

We consider the Fire HD 8 Kids the best tablet for kids for a variety of reasons. It comes with the same features as regular Fire tablets, with the addition of a heavy-duty case and a two-year warranty in case of accidental drops. As with the Echo Dot Kids, you get a free year of Amazon Kids+.

The Pro version of Amazon’s Kids tablets is a better option for those with an older child. It’s larger than the HD 8 Kids tablet, offers the ability to install apps from a Kids app store (while still providing access to parental controls), and the protective case is less intense.

Other devices

Eero 6 Mesh Wi-Fi Router

Photograph: Eero

The Eero 6 earned a spot on our list of Best Mesh Wi-Fi Routers for its simplicity—Gear Team contributor Simon Hill said it was one of the easiest to set up. While it was also one of the slower systems he tested (at longer distances), it still proved to offer pretty wide coverage and a stable connection. With this deal specifically, you’ll get one Eero 6 router and two Eero 6 extenders.

Amazon’s Halo isn’t our top choice for tracking health and fitness, but it is useful for voice-tone tracking. WIRED senior associate editor Adrienne So said, despite her uncomfort with the idea of the Halo, its ability to spot changes in her emotional and psychological states, via the tone in her voice, created change in her own relationship.

Retailer Sales Pages and Coupons

Want to browse the early Black Friday sales yourself? Here are a few places offering deals. Be sure to check out our many buying guides and gift guides for additional ideas.

WIRED’s Early Black Friday Coverage


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