The best Amazon Prime Day early access deals for 2023

Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2023 will begin on July 11th, but you don’t have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices and services. We’ve rounded up the best early access Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you’ll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the offers, and that there’s always a chance that prices drop lower during the event itself. For those with no interest in Prime, we’ve also included a few of the best tech deals from this week that aren’t explicitly tied to the event. We’ll stay on the lookout as Prime Day gets nearer and update this roundup with new offers as they arise.

Amazon’s largest tablet is good for streaming and browsing and right now Prime members can snag it for half price.

Prime members can save 50 percent on Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet right now, which is $75 off its $150 list price, and the lowest we’ve seen for the company’s largest slate. It’s a decent entertainment companion, letting you stream video, browse the web, get sucked into social media and make Zoom calls. It has a 1080p screen resolution, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Note that the 50 percent discount applies to the version with lockscreen ads, so you’ll see promotions on both when your device is in sleep mode and at the bottom of your home screen. If you want a Fire HD 10 without ads, you’ll pay $90, which is still a 45 percent discount, but again, only for Prime members

Amazon’s newest earbuds don’t have active noise cancellation, but they do add a few hours of charge to the case. And right now Prime members can get them for just $35.

The latest generation of Echo Buds just came out in May yet they’re already 30 percent off at Amazon for Prime members. Usually $50, you can get them for $35, which is $15 off and the lowest price we’ve seen yet. For the third generation of Amazon’s buds, the company dropped the starting price $70 lower than the second gen buds, but also removed the active noise cancellation and changed the shape to eliminate the in-ear tip. Most other specs stayed the same, including built-in Alexa assistance and customizable tap controls. The charge capacity of the case actually went up by a few hours, giving you 20 total hours from the buds and case combined.

Prime members who are new to Kindle Unlimited can get three months of the all-you-can-eat e-book service for free.

If you’re a Prime member who has never subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can get a three-month trial to Amazon’s e-book service for no extra cost. Normally, the subscription goes for $12 a month after a 30-day free trial. Just note that the membership will be set to auto-renew by default. As a refresher, Kindle Unlimited makes a selection of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines accessible on-demand. It doesn’t include every e-book in the Kindle library, but it may still be worthwhile if you’re a particularly avid reader. If nothing else, this deal makes it easier to figure out if it’s worth paying for.

Prime members can get a three-month free trial to the Audible Premium Plus, so long as you’ve never subscribed to the audiobook service in the past.

Similar to that Kindle Unlimited offer, Prime members who are new to Audible Premium Plus can get three months of the audiobook service for free. This membership usually costs $14.95 a month after a 30-day free trial, so you’re saving about $30. Premium Plus is Audible’s upper tier: Like the less expensive Audible Plus, it provides an assortment of audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content you can access on-demand. The main difference is that it also includes a monthly credit that you can use to buy any book in the Audible store permanently. As with Kindle Unlimited, Premium Plus will be most worth it if you burn through audiobooks and podcasts quickly, but this extended trial is a comfier way to see if it’s useful. Again, be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

Motorola’s new foldable phone came out less than a month ago, and is already getting a discount on Amazon — but only for Prime members and only on Prime Day. Enter your email to be “invited” to buy the phone on July 11th.

The foldable Moto Razr+, which went on sale just this week, is already getting a 15 percent discount at Amazon for Prime Day. The promo is only for Prime members and you’ll need to request an invite, after which you’ll be able to buy the phone on prime day for the discounted price. While jumping through Amazon’s hoops is mildly annoying, doing so will get you an unlocked Razr+ $850 instead of $1,000.

We spent some time with the new foldable before it came out and gave it a full review upon its debut. The verdict? Samsung’s Galaxy foldables have some serious competition. The Razr+ has a 6.9-inch screen when open and offers a 3.6-inch screen when folded, which is much larger than the 1.9-inch exterior screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The foldable design unlocks different uses, including acting as its own tripod and taking up less space in your pocket. Plus the compact puck has a cool retro vibe, while feeling futuristic at the same time.

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70.

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. We recommend going for the Eero Pro if you can, since it’s a tri-band system that supports speeds up to 1Gbps and covers slightly more square feet than the standard Eero does. Just keep in mind that these are not the latest Eero systems; for WiFi 6 support, you’ll have to shell out a bit more money for an Eero 6 set.

The Eero 6+ system lets you access the WiFi 6 standard and cover your home with up to a gigabit of connectivity speed (provided you have internet service to match). This bundle comes with three routers plus a Fire TV Stick 4K Max and is the lowest price we’ve seen on the set.

If you’ve signed up for gigabit internet from your ISP, this might be a good time to get a mesh WiFi system that can deliver those speeds. Right now Amazon is selling three Eero 6+ mesh WiFi routers bundled with a FireTV Stick 4K Max for $195 to Prime members. That’s $160 less than you’d pay for the four devices separately. The streaming device can turn any TV smart and supports not just 4K video, but also the enhanced throughput of WiFi 6. If you don’t need the FireTV Stick, the three Eero 6+ mesh routers alone are selling for the same $195, which is a 35 percent discount off the list price.

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low.

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. These remain the best true wireless earbuds for Apple lovers, even though the company didn’t overhaul their design with the latest update. All of the new features are under the hood, with Apple noticeably improving sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency mode.

This is the best price we’ve seen for Nintendo’s critically acclaimed open-world adventure.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is $10 off at Amazon and Walmart, bringing the hit Switch game down to a more traditional price of $60. As our review notes, Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t stray too far from Breath of the Wild, but it enriches its landmark predecessor’s ideas with a full-size underworld, fantastical sky islands and malleable crafting mechanics. Most importantly, it gets the core promise of a Zelda game right: that sense of being and adventuring in another world.

There are a few other video game deals of note. For the Switch, Metroid Dread, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are each down to $42, the remake of the classic RPG Live A Live is down to $35 and the Portal Companion Collection is on sale for $10. Over on PC, the open-world racer Forza Horizon 5 is down to $30, while Prime members can claim a couple of underrated older gems, the space FPS Prey and the 2D Metroidvania SteamWorld Dig 2, for no added cost.

This is a new low for the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards.

The 128GB version of Samsung’s latest Pro Plus microSD card is down to a new low of $13. That’s $6 off its MSRP. If you need more space, the 512GB model is within a few cents of its best price at $43.52. The Pro Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it finished at or near the top of all of our sequential and random speed tests. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.

Apple’s flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 8, usually sells for $399 for the 41mm GPS model, but right now Amazon is selling it for $329, which matches its all-time low. The smartwatch has dipped to this discount quite a few times over the last few months and this time it applies to the Midnight, Silver and Starlight colorways, not the Product Red version. The option with the larger, 45mm case is currently $359, or 16 percent off its usual $429, but only in Midnight or Starlight — Product Red and Silver are not on sale. The Series 8 is our top pick in our guide to smartwatches because it combines detailed health and fitness tracking with seamless iPhone integration. New features include temperature sensors, ECG and blood oxygen readings, crash detection, and improved sleep metrics.

This matches the best price we’ve seen for Apple’s wallet-friendly 10.2-inch iPad.

The 64GB model of Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is down to $250 at Amazon, matching the lowest price we’ve tracked. You’ll see the price listed as $279 and an additional $29 discount will apply at checkout. Apple normally sells the device for $329, though we’ve seen it retail closer to $275 in recent months. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide: It lacks the accessory support, thinner bezels and laminated display of the iPad Air, but it’s by far the most affordable route into iPadOS, and it remains fast and comfortable enough for casual reading, streaming and gaming. It’s also the only current iPad with a headphone jack.

This matches the all-time low for the entry-level configuration of Apple’s M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Apple’s M1 MacBook Air is back on sale for $800, which is a deal we’ve seen multiple times before but ties the laptop’s all-time low. Like the 9th-gen iPad, the M1 MacBook Air is on the older side these days; if you can afford the newest Air with an updated design, better webcam and faster M2 chip, it’s worth doing so. But if you just want a competent MacBook to do light work and web browsing for as little cash as possible, the M1 Air remains a solid value at this price. Its keyboard, trackpad and battery life are still excellent, and the M1 chip is still fast enough for the essentials. Just make sure you stick to lighter workloads, though, as this model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

This deal bundles Microsoft’s most powerful Xbox with an extra white controller for no added cost.

Microsoft had a big showing at this month’s Summer Game Fest, so if you planned on picking up an Xbox Series X before Starfield and Forza Motorsport arrive, note that Verizon is selling the $500 console with a second controller for no extra cost. That isn’t anything crazy, but spare Xbox controllers normally go for $50 or so, and discounts of any kind for the Series X have been few and far between. In fact, Microsoft said this week that it’s raising the price of the console in much of the world on August 1. The $300 Xbox Series S is still a strong value for those who don’t care about top-of-the-line hardware, but if you need a disc drive and more consistent performance, the Series X is your best bet.

Shark makes some of our favorite robot vacuums and this one is half off right now. It comes with a self-emptying base that you may only have to empty every 45 days (depending on your usage).

Shark makes some of our favorite robot vacuums and right now the Shark RV1001AE is half price, making it $300 instead of its $600 street price. This model has a bagless, self-emptying base, that you won’t have to empty for quite some time as it has a claimed capacity of up to 45 days. While we didn’t try this exact model, we’ve found vacs from Shark to be easy to set up and appreciate Shark’s easy-to-use companion app. Shark’s mapping function is also accurate and the bagless base will save you money in the long run as buying device-specific bags can get pricey.

This is a new low for this bright LED TV we recommend in our guide to buying a TV for gaming.

The 55-inch version of Samsung’s QN90B, a recommendation from our gaming TV buying guide, has dropped to $998. That’s a new all-time low. Most reviews say this TV delivers enough brightness for well-lit rooms, with smooth motion performance and richer contrast than most non-OLED TVs thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. It also has four full HDMI 2.1 ports and can play up to 120 Hz in 4K. It still can’t match the contrast, response time or viewing angles of a good OLED TV, but it should be better equipped for rooms plagued by glare. Like most Samsung TVs, however, it doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR. Samsung has replaced this 2022 model with the new QN90C, but the 55-inch version of that set currently costs $600 more, so the QN90B remains the better value for the time being.

This is within $10 of the best price we’ve tracked for our favorite smartwatch for Android users.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $229 for a 40mm model and $259 for a 44mm model. Neither deal represents an all-time low, but both are within $10 of their best prices to date. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it’s currently the “best for Android users” pick in our smartwatch buying guide. While its battery life could be better, its design is durable and attractive, its OS is easy to navigate and its health tracking is relatively comprehensive. Samsung is expected to announce a Galaxy Watch 6 in the coming weeks, however, so it may be worth waiting to see how that model stacks up if you don’t need a new smartwatch right this instant.

Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you’ve needed a phone upgrade but didn’t want to spend a ton of money.

Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you’ve needed a phone upgrade but didn’t want to spend a ton of money. The Pixel 7a is the best midrange phone you can get right now, thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. The Pixel Buds A-Series are almost the earbud-complement to the Pixel 7a — they’re not as feature-rich as the Pixel Buds Pro, but they have deep Google Assistant integration, solid sound quality and a comfy fit.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know, and hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals.

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