Holiday shopping season is my time to shine, and beyond testing lots of tech products for ZDNET, I love a good sale. And while everyone knows Black Friday is the shopping extravaganza of the season, you no longer have to wait for the deals. Thankfully, several retailers, including Target, are starting their Black Friday sales early, which means even more time to keep shopping savings.
Also: The best Black Friday deals live now
You might think Amazon is the only place to find deals, but Target carries a wide variety of tech items that make great gifts, from the popular Oura Ring to TVs, laptops, earbuds, and even kitchen appliances. We've rounded up some of the best deals available now -- check back in on this list, as we'll keep updating it through Cyber Week.
Earlier this fall, Apple upgraded their AirPods Pro 2 with new capabilities, including a hearing diagnostic test and a hearing aid function.
Looking for an affordable streamer for the colder months? The Roku Express HD is over 30% off at Target ahead of holiday deals season.
According to ZDNET in-house testers, this smartwatch "surpassed" every other competitor in one key area last year -- give a spin yourself this holiday season, or gift it to someone who's been eyeing the Pixel for a while. Read the full review here.
Beats refreshed the design of this fan-favorite pair of headphones earlier this year, and ZDNET's resident headphones expert, Jada Jones, wasn't disappointed -- especially by their improved comfortability, USB-C port for charging while listening, and balanced sound. Get them now for 35% off at Target, available in four colors.
Ranked number one on our best iPads list, this Apple classic is great for watching movies, reading, surfing the web, playing games, and making video calls -- basically every holiday season pastime. Good for kids, the latest version also includes fresh features like USB-C, 5G, 4K video, and Wi-Fi 6.
In the US, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which means Nov. 29 this year.
Cyber Monday always follows the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, meaning it'll be Dec. 2.
Yes and no -- it depends. Every major retailer from Amazon to Walmart puts much of their tech stock on sale this time of year to compete before the holiday shopping rush, with deals usually getting better on Black Friday and Cyber Monday themselves. However, some retailers raise base prices to make the sales look better than they really are.
ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that are at least 20% off using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.
We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.
Whether in person or online, major retailers will have sales across the board, though some may be exclusive to online sales due to inventory. You can also check out our best lists for other major stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.