Amazon's October Prime Day is live now, and you can grab serious savings on top tech, home, and beyond ahead of the holiday shopping season.
And while everyone loves a sale, it can be hard to know what is actually worth your money, and what is a too-good-to-be-true offer up-charged to make you think you're scoring big. Lucky for ZDNET readers, our team of experts knows what to do. I've covered every major sale event over the past year live, including July Prime Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and more, and I regularly write about discounts on top tech products like robot vacuums, smartphones, mobile accessories, and more.
Here are the 9 deals I'd swipe up on the first day of October Prime Day (that's today) -- and why.
This is perhaps one of the best smart home and Echo device deals available now. Amazon is currently selling the Echo Dot (5th Gen) individually for $23, which based on my experience covering shopping, is the lowest the Echo Dot will sell for through Prime Day. But this bundle takes it a step further, and you're basically getting a free smart lightbulb from TP-Link to connect with your smart home system. You save 69% with this offer, and that's one of the greatest amounts of savings I've seen while scouring early deals. This deal will sell out, and for good reason. You're grabbing one of Amazon's most popular smart speakers for less than $25 and getting a freebie offer that's actually not useless.
Prime Day is one of the best times to shop for home security and smart security gear. That's because there are price cuts on nearly every product from most of the top brands, such as Blink, Arlo, Ring, and more, and it's generally the lowest prices you'll see, especially on individual products and sometimes even bundle offers. This Mini 2 Indoor Cam from Blink is 50% off ahead of October Prime Day, and it's perfect for monitoring pets while you're away, keeping an eye on small children, or for bulking up your indoor home security. And at $20, it's really a deal that's too good to pass up. For the record, that's essentially the same price as three grande pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.
If you're starting your smart home system and are going the Alexa route, the Echo Show 8 is a great option for your setup. Released in late 2023, Amazon's latest Echo Show features faster speeds and an ambient display to streamline your smart home experience. Plus, it's normally discounted for Prime Day, and right now it's down to $85, the lowest price we've seen since July Prime Day. This would make a great housewarming gift, holiday gift, or upgrade for your own home.
Remember when I said home security is always on sale during Prime Day? Right now you can snag this Blink home bundle for just $90 (that's 55% off). I shouldn't have to outline the immense value being offered in this bundle it's that obvious, but I will. You'll get a Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor 4 Camera, Mini Indoor 2 Cam, and a Sync Module 2. Essentially everything you need to get started on a home security system for under $100. Plus, you can add voice control by combining with a screen Alexa device, such as the Echo Show 8, that's also conveniently on sale, too. Even with all of the Prime Day sales prices considered, it's still cheaper to buy this bundle than it is to buy the doorbell, outdoor cam, and indoor cam separately, and you don't even get the sync module.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days (a.k.a. October Prime Day) is a two-day sales event for Prime members. This year, sales are live from Tuesday, Oct. 8, through the end of Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Amazon isn't the only retailer you can find savings at this time of year. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and others will all hold competing sales during the same week as October Prime Day (and even before). Shop around the different sites to compare deals and prices.
As a ZDNET editor, I only write about deals myself or a team member would want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. I looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.
I also examined customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals I recommend. These recommendations may also be based on my own testing (or testing by another ZDNET expert) -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.
ZDNET's experts are searching through Prime Day sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:
You can also find the best October Prime Day deals by price:
And the best deals from other retailers this week: