Amazon Prime Day 2021: Apple Deals Predictions & More

Amazon confirmed in an earnings call that Prime Day 2021 will arrive in June. While the exact date remains unconfirmed, it leaves us plenty of time to speculate what to expect when it comes to Apple deals and discounts.

Amazon doesn't skimp on Apple deals. In fact, it's often the source of some of the most competitive offers on Apple iPad, MacBook Pro and Apple Watch devices. This year, the list of Apple products has only grown with the introduction of the M1 chip on the iPad Pro range and iMacs. There are also new accessories, like the AirTags Bluetooth tracker and the luxurious AirPods Max headphones. 

So what can you expect from Prime Day 2021? What will be discounted? And what devices should you grab if you see them on sale? Find out here.

When is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon confirmed Prime Day will take place in June 2021, which makes it earlier than its usual mid-July date.

Of course, last year the event was altogether postponed to 13 and 14 October, due to logistical complications caused by the pandemic. The event kicked off the Black Friday and holiday sales season, and Amazon came out a big winner with tripple the profits in Q3 compared to 2019 – that's a net income of US$6.3 Billion, compared to 2019's US$2.1 Billion. 

Given its success, it's surprising Amazon chose an earlier Prime Day for 2021. It could be to keep customers attracted to shopping online in the summer as lockdowns ease and more people spend time elsewhere but online.   

Why was Prime Day 2020 delayed?

The unforeseeable disruptions caused by Covid-19 permeated through all businesses worldwide, and Amazon was no exception.

The impact of coronavirus hit Amazon's logistical operations especially hard last year, as reported in CNBC. The mass influx of orders at the peak of the pandemic translated to inventory shortages and delivery delays for customers.

Amazon says it chose to delay the event from July to October so it could recover from the disruption, while also keeping its staff, selling partners, and customers safe.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is the company's largest and most competitive sales event, offering millions of exclusive discounts to its Prime members across its varied catalogue, including Apple products and accessories.

Amazon has already made its Prime Day 2021 landing page visible, though you can't see any deals just yet. We'll be curating the best Apple deals on Prime Day in this article and in even more detail in these articles below:

Prime Day 2021 predictions

While there are no guarantees what Amazon has in store, based on offers we've seen in the past, we expect major discounts on the new M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, the iPad Air 4, and Apple Watch – and of course, the iPhone 12.

MacBook Pro & MacBook Air with M1 deals on Prime Day 2021

Amazon hasn't shied away from discounts on the latest MacBook with M1. It slashed £109 off the MacBook Pro before Christmas 2020 just a few weeks after the devices launched, and has £152 off right now. Similarly, the MacBook Air with the M1 chip also has up to £120 off right now.

We suspect Amazon will drum up these discounts when Prime Day arrives. Here are all retailers in the UK selling the M1 Macbooks and Mac minis.

iPhone 12 & 12 mini deals on Prime Day 2021

Amazon has been dished out record-breaking iPhone 12 discounts in the past few weeks. Amazon now has £100 off both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini and £75 off the new purple version too (see our full coverage of where to buy the purple iPhone 12 mini). We're separately looking at the best iPhone 12 mini deals here.

It's also slashed £80 off the 128GB iPhone 12, though it's had over £100 off that model before. With the prices changing so often, it could be that Amazon's testing the demand ahead of Prime Day - so keep an eye on this space. 

Amazon's Spring Sale also saw massive discounts on the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 – you can see the full details here. If we don't see dramatic discounts on the iPhone 12 range, it's possible we'll see discounts on older iPhones.

See the best iPhone 12 deals across every handset. We're specifically diving into the best iPhone 12 Pro Max deals here.

iPad Air 4

While discounts on the 10.2in iPad (8th gen, 2020) have been far and few between, Amazon has been generous with iPad Air 4 discounts – especially after the launch of the iPad Pro with M1 (here's where you can buy those).

It's had up to £132 off the iPad Air 4 64GB with Wi-Fi and Cellular, though that discount has now dropped to £109 – which is still it's a decent saving. Perhaps Amazon will bring the £130 discount back on Prime Day, or (we hope) reduce the price further.

Apple Watch Series 6 discounts on Prime Day

We'd also suggest keeping an eye on Watch 6 offers. We've seen discounts up to £40 off the latest model with other retailers matching. It's possible Amazon may want to outdo competitors on Prime Day and reduce prices even further. 

Amazon has previously had massive discounts on the Apple Watch Series 5 as well, so watch this space too.

iTunes gift card - 10% off

Amazon offered a 10% discount on iTunes gift card ahead of last year's Prime Day, so it's possible the retailer may bring the deal back this year. We've seen the deal crop up on Valentine's Day this year and other seasonal occasions, so it's not a far stretch of the imagination to expect the deal to return on Prime Day 2021.

Best Apple Deals right now

How to get Prime Day deals

Prime Day discounts are exclusive to Amazon Prime members, so if you wanted to take advantage of the deals, you needed to become a Prime member.

Membership costs £79/US$119/AUD$59 annually, though customers can opt for a £7.99/$12.99/AUD$6.99 monthly subscription instead.

However, the 30-day free trial is also available for anyone that doesn't want to commit. You can cancel any time.

Amazon Prime is a service that began as a way to get unlimited next-day delivery but has since become much more. Subscribers get access to Amazon's Netflix rival Prime Video, plus plenty of other benefits.

How to get the best Amazon Prime Day Apple deals - quick tips

1. Browse Apple's Amazon storefront. 

It's essentially a catalogue for the full range of Apple products, and when you click through to specific devices, you'll also see any available discounts.

We've listed all available devices below, many of which had up to 25% off last Prime Day. We'd recommend bookmarking the product pages you're most interested in, so you can browse discounts as soon as Prime Day hits. 

2. See how competitors are reacting

As Prime Day's popularity has grown, other retailers have begun hosting deals events at the same time. We don't expect any different this year, as many retailers will want to keep their online traffic strong this summer as shoppers are no longer couped up indoors. See our analysis over at Tech Advisor.

While Apple itself doesn’t always join in on Amazon Prime Day, there are plenty of retailers that recognise that it’s worth joining in the fun, so you can find deals events from some of your favourites including:

3. Be prepared before you shop Prime Day

Prime Day deals go quickly, as many offers are available as Deals of the Day, which means stock can be limited or only a certain number of hours.

Ensure, first off, you're signed up to Amazon Prime (or the free trial) to access the deals on Amazon.

Make sure your payment and shipping information is up to date to make sure you can purchase products before they sell out.

If you come across a deal that has sold out, you can usually join the waitlist to be alerted to any stock that becomes available, usually because someone has decided they don’t want to purchase it after all and removes it from their basket.

You can also use the "Watch this Deal" button on upcoming deals to be alerted when they become available.

4. Keep an eye on our deal selections

With a team of Apple-breathing experts browsing through deals and offers every day (literally), you can be sure if there's a top offer out there.