The 117 Absolute Best Prime Day Deals We’d Spend Our Own Money On

Despite all of Apple’s attempts to expand the iPad line, the most compelling reason to buy an iPad continues to be its original use case: casually leaning back on the couch with a book, game, or movie. It’s the device you bring with you on vacation to keep yourself from working. It’s the tablet every family with kids has. And even better: The 11-inch iPad on Amazon is one of the only iPad deals that survived Apple’s price hikes earlier this year. —Luke Larsen

I started testing AirTags this year for an upcoming buying guide and I don't know how I ever lived without them. They can add basically anything to Apple's Find My app, and I now have one on my keys, in my car, and in my luggage. This deal is standard, but not bad. —Louryn Strampe

If you want a powerful new digital notebook that doubles as an e-reader, Kindle Scribe is one of my favorites. The newest version is good, and my main complaint is usually that you can get the second-gen model with almost all the same features for a better price. However, the third-gen Scribe is now on sale for under the cost of the older model, so it's a great time to buy. And the Scribes didn't rise in price, so no sale games with this model. —Nena Farrell

These sale events are a great time to stock up on gifts for the family, and if you have a young reader in yours, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is a great choice. It has everything we already like about the Paperwhite (our top Kindle pick!), a fun cover to protect it from drops, and six months of free Kids+ content. Kids+ will offer your young reader free, age-appropriate content to read on their brand-new Kindle—it's like Kindle Unlimited, but for kids. —Nena Farrell

Once again, the best Kindle deals are on the color models. Kids are naturally the best candidates to enjoy the color screen since they're more likely to select books with illustrations. The Colorsoft Kids is almost $100 off and comes with both a case and a full year of Kids+ content. This makes it a worthy upgrade from the Kids Paperwhite while it's on sale. —Nena Farrell

If you're getting a new Kindle, the Paperwhite is an excellent all-around choice with its adjustable warm front light and long battery life. The bad news is that this sale is the worst we've seen, but unfortunately, since Amazon raised prices for the Paperwhite (among other Kindle models), I don't expect to see a lower price in the future anymore. It's better than paying full price, and I'd only get it on sale. —Nena Farrell

Bose is starting to phase out these QuietComfort Headphones in favor of the 2nd Gen version, so this might be the last time to grab a pair at such a low price. Despite their age, they are still some of the most comfortable over-ear headphones you can get, with a lightweight design and physical button controls on each ear. Sure, they’ve been surpassed by newer models, but at this price, these are a steal. —Harry Rabinowitz

This is my go-to gaming headset, even as I'm testing newly released models for an update to our buying guide. It's comfortable, stylish, and lightweight, with surprisingly clear sound. —Louryn Strampe

Bose recently launched a new version of these earbuds, hence these 2024 originals being deeply discounted, matching the lowest price I’ve ever seen. They’re my top pick for premium, comfortable, great-sounding open earbuds—their only downside was price, but 33 percent off solves this problem. Despite years of newer options, I still occasionally grab these for a quick run or bike ride. —Harry Rabinowitz

This isn’t as good a deal as last Prime Day, but it’s still the second-lowest price I’ve seen for Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro all year. They are some of the best wireless earbuds you can get if you own an Android phone, particularly a Samsung one. The noise-canceling is great for canceling out low drones and office chatter, but the transparency might be the real standout—it sounds incredibly natural. —Harry Rabinowitz

These are simultaneously some of the best open ear headphones and best bone conduction headphones you can buy, matching the best price I’ve seen all year (only matched by the last Prime Day). The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 hook around your ear and use a combination of speakers and bone conduction to play your tunes, leaving your ear open to hear the world around you. I love them particularly for outdoor running and bike rides. —Harry Rabinowitz

We see this deal for our favorite workout earbuds pretty regularly, but they only ever get about $20 cheaper, so it's still a solid option if you're in the market. The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 play well with iOS and Android, have punchy sound, and feature the option for both transparency mode and active noise canceling. —Louryn Strampe

These earplugs are a must-have for me when I travel. They're entirely silicone and come with varying sizes of both foam and silicone eartips, so you can choose whichever is comfiest and offers the level of noise reduction you want. I regularly sleep in a tent at bass music festivals; these help me get actual shut-eye. I don't love the case, but I love everything else. —Louryn Strampe

The best earplugs for concerts do an excellent job at protecting your hearing while still ensuring you can hear the show you paid to see. We also like the slick aluminum carrying case. —Louryn Strampe

I really like the Echo Spot. It's got a small screen that displays the time, information like the weather, and what song it's currently playing, but leaves out the camera, ads, and other screen clutter you'll get on an Echo Show. It doesn't have the best sound out of Amazon's smaller Echo models, but it's fine for casual listening. The price did rise from $80 to $110 in August, but $55 for this is still a good sale price. —Nena Farrell

Amazon's smallest speaker is its most affordable, but the price hikes the company rolled out in late August moved it from being a $50 speaker to an $80 speaker. It's definitely not worth that, but it's a good speaker and a fine purchase for $40. It has clearly improved sound over the older models like the puck-shaped Echo Dot, but I am bummed with how much the price has increased. I'd only buy it now while it's on sale. —Nena Farrell

The Echo Dot Max takes the once-cheap Echo Dot model and gives it better sound and a built-in smart home hub, but amps up the price to match. It has much better sound than Amazon's previous pint-sized speakers, but it's still a big price to pay for something that doesn't have a screen. The price also went up $20 at the end of August, so you could argue this is really only $20 off. I do really like this speaker, but you'd be just as happy with the cheaper Echo Spot and older Echo Dot if you're just looking for a small smart speaker. —Nena Farrell

Amazon updated my usual favorite Echo Show last year, but the sound on the fourth-generation Echo Show 8 isn't quite as good as the older model. To be honest, I'd recommend the older model over this one, but this discount is still pretty good (even with the price increase that brought it up to $200 flat at the end of August). —Nena Farrell

Apolosign's digital calendar runs on Android OS and has two modes: Calendar and Android. The Calendar mode is easy to navigate and comes with sections like Calendar, Routines, and Meals, but the Android mode lets you customize more and add a photo screensaver. Best part, though, is neither option needs a subscription. —Nena Farrell

My favorite digital wall calendar is from Skylight. It's easy to use to connect your events, organize meals and to-do lists, and even plug in entire recipes to convert to your shopping list. It also doubles as a digital photo frame, so long as you pay the subscription (unfortunately). The Max is the largest size and is most frequently on sale, reaching a massive 27 inches. —Nena Farrell

If you want a really great, reliable automatic litter box but don’t need extras like AI recognition or an internal camera to watch, I think this is the best model. In fact, it’s the automatic litter box I recommend for most people. It’s an upgrade from the Petkit PuraMax 2 (which I also loved). It has a larger opening and better odor control than the previous model. It also has a connected app, where you can monitor usage and adjust settings from afar. At less than $400, this is a pretty cheap price point for a model of this caliber. —Molly Higgins

After testing nearly two dozen automatic litter boxes, I have pretty strong opinions on what people should look for when shopping, and which ones are actually worth investing a chunk of change in. This model has everything I look for: a built-in AI-enabled 1080p camera with a 210-degree wide-angle view, audio recording, night vision, and 2.4-GHz and 5.0-GHz Wi-Fi network support. The larger opening is ideal for my beefy cats, and the connected app makes it easy to monitor pets’ habits and adjust settings from afar. At $85 off, this is the lowest price we’ll see until Black Friday sales. —Molly Higgins

This automatic litter box is a little too big for my small apartment, but it was one of the first models of its kind to use a camera and AI technology to monitor litter box usage to help you more closely monitor your cat’s health. It uses a camera on a swiveling arm to follow and record your cat. Through the connected app, you can monitor usage, engage in two-way audio, and watch 24/7 streaming. It also has auto-bagging and sealing features, so you never have to deal with the stool, which is a plus. —Molly Higgins

This automatic pet feeder is ideal for greedy pets in a multi-pet home. For this techy device, the pet wears a collar with a tag that opens the feeder’s lid only with that tag and retracts back over the kibble when the pet leaves, ensuring that only the chosen pet with the collar can access the food. Through the app, you can adjust scheduled feedings, including amounts and on-demand feeds. —Molly Higgins

This large (50-pound), boxy air purifier is ideal for high-ceilinged homes over 8 feet tall. It can clean the air four times per hour in an impressively large 1,000-square-foot space at its highest setting. It’s a behemoth, but its hidden handles and built-in lockable wheels make moving a bit easier. Plus, we also like that it has Coway's built-in air quality indicator light, where blue is good and red is bad—an easy way to monitor your air quality at a glance without needing to whip out an air quality monitor. —Molly Higgins

We deemed this air purifier model the “Best Air Purifier for VOCs and Odors” because of its whisper-quiet ability to capture particulate matter, odors, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—the microscopic, potentially harmful stuff that you definitely don’t want in your home or penetrating deep into your lungs. The small 30-inch cylinder tower weighs just under 25 pounds and has easy-to-maneuver wheels and a hidden handle. It also has a handy built-in air-quality sensor that illuminates the large circular indicator light on the top of the tower to indicate the room’s pollutant level. —Molly Higgins

I’ve tested air purifiers that cost 10 times as much as this budget Levoit, but I keep coming back to this affordable pick. I really love the connected app, which lets me adjust settings like fan speed and modes from afar and check filter life. Plus, the app sends notifications when air quality is poor and updates when it reaches clean levels again. You can also see historical indoor air quality levels and the corresponding action the purifier took, which helps track patterns. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control. —Molly Higgins

I think this model is the best air purifier for most people—it’s quiet, compact, reliable, and relatively affordable, with minimal maintenance. It has two filters combined into one that only needs to be replaced once a year, which is twice as long as a typical air purifier filter, and will save you money over time. It also has helpful real-time AQI detection and a MegaScan laser to evaluate a full spectrum of particles, including PM 1, 2.5, and 10. It’s the lowest price we’ve seen this year. —Molly Higgins

Arlo ticks all the boxes with crisp 2K video, a wide 160-degree field of view, two-way audio, and direct Wi-Fi connection, and the Pro 6 tops our best outdoor security cameras guide. The Arlo app is swift to load, offers rich notifications, and supports two-factor authentication and biometric login, so you can log in with your fingerprint or face, phone permitting. The catch is a pricey, but crucial, subscription ($10 per month or $96 a year for a single camera, $20 per month or $216 a year for unlimited cameras) for subject recognition, smart alerts, and cloud storage. —Simon Hill

Security cameras with floodlights are great for your garage or backyard, and this is the best floodlight security camera for most people. The E340 is a dual-lens camera with a 3K wide-angle lens and a 2K telephoto lens for up to 8x zoom to capture details up to 50 feet away. Adjustable light panels provide up to 2,000 lumens. It also pans 360 degrees and tilts 120 degrees, and records locally to a microSD card or to a HomeBase 3 (both sold separately). —Simon Hill

The Lenovo LOQ 15 has been my favorite gaming laptop to suggest all year, but this RTX 5050 has never been a good deal. Until now. An RTX 5050 paired with the great display of the LOQ 15 are what makes this gaming laptop stand out from the competition. It's been a long time since I could whole-heartedly recommend a gaming laptop around $1,100, but you can't go wrong with the LOQ 15. —Luke Larsen

This is one of the few laptops that have steadily dropped in price over the past six months while all other prices keep rising. The Zenbook A14’s calling card is its extreme lightness, weighing just 2.16 pounds. That’s over a half-pound lighter than the MacBook Air. On top of that, it features an OLED screen and the chassis uses a unique textured material that I’ve grown to like. There’s a newer version of the A14 out there, featuring a Snapdragon X2 chip, but it’s usually over $500 more expensive. That’s not worth it. —Luke Larsen

Five dollars off this laptop stand won’t blow your mind, but I promise you won’t regret your purchase. There are certainly prettier laptop stands out there, such as the one I use every day, the Native Union Laptop Stand. But it’s four times the price. And in terms of functionality, it shares a lot in common with the Amazon Basics model. Despite being only $25, the Amazon Basics Laptop Stand is incredibly sturdy and rigid, and has plenty of height adjustment to reach your eye level. —Luke Larsen

USB hubs and docking stations are always bigger than most people expect, especially when you include the power brick. But not the Belkin Connect Pro, which uses GaN technology to shrink down the power supply to fit into the device itself. No more massive power bricks cluttering up your desk or precariously dangling off the edge of your standing desk. It drops to this price fairly often, but it’s still better to buy it now than at full price. —Luke Larsen

Ready to upgrade your home network to enjoy the speedy delights of Wi-Fi 7? The Netgear Orbi 770 Series is easy to set up and use, delivers rock-solid, reliable performance, and offers expansive coverage. Currently topping our best mesh routers, this is the sweet spot in Netgear’s lineup, and I think it’s an ideal mesh system for most homes right now. —Simon Hill

Families seeking a reliable, set-and-forget, Wi-Fi 7 mesh system that doesn't require configuration should consider Amazon’s Eero brand. The Eero Pro 7 is a solid pick that will serve you well for the next few years. It’s a tri-band system that performs extremely well in a busy family home, delivering impressively low lag and stable bandwidth sharing across many devices. The app is also very easy to use, but the pricey subscription is required if you want full parental controls, advanced security, and additional features. —Simon Hill

Currently top of our best Wi-Fi routers guide, this router will cover most homes and apartments up to around 2,000 square feet, with fast and reliable connectivity. It’s only dual-band, so you miss out on the 6-GHz band, but you get all the other advantages of Wi-Fi 7. It also has a generous array of ports and comes with free security software and parental controls. Support for VPN service, separate IoT or guest networks, and AiMesh rounds out an excellent device. —Simon Hill

This tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router is reasonably priced at its regular price. It offers excellent close-range speeds on the 6-GHz band, and good performance on both the 5-GHz and 2.4-GHz bands. TP-Link has also built in a generous array of ports, including one 10 Gbps and four 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, and a USB 3.0 port. I don’t love the design, but the six adjustable antennas are useful. —Simon Hill

I’ve seen this same sale a few times this year, but it’s still worth taking a look at, simply because the Sonos Arc Ultra is such a great soundbar. It’s the best all-in-one solution, delivering rich, clean sound for shows, movies, games, and music. The Sonos app offers extensive remote control, automatic room calibration, and grouping with other Sonos speakers. —Harry Rabinowitz

Sonos recently launched the Sonos Beam Ultra, so it’s no wonder that the 2021 Beam is on sale right now. While it can’t compare with Sonos’ newer models, it doesn’t really have to at this great price point. I used the Sonos Beam Gen 2 for years as my main soundbar. It’s incredibly small and compact but manages excellent sound, especially when paired with a small space and small-ish TV. —Harry Rabinowitz

If you demand the most powerful phone Samsung makes, you’re an Ultra kind of person. Only the S26 Ultra has Samsung’s fancy Privacy Display, and it’s a big screen at 6.9 inches. You also get the biggest battery, the most versatile quad-lens camera system, and the largest vapor chamber to keep things cool, even when you’re hardcore gaming. This beast of a phone can do it all. —Simon Hill

The Moto G Stylus is our pick of the best cheap phones under $400, and it’s down by another $100 right now, making it a pretty tempting deal. It could be ideal if you miss a headphone jack and microSD card slot. This is the 2025 model, but Motorola increased the price by $100 for the 2026 Moto G Stylus, and, apart from the upgraded active stylus, there’s precious little to justify the extra cost. —Simon Hill

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is a solid, relatively affordable robot vacuum. It could do a better job at cleaning up tricky spills, but it has good suction power and this is the best price we've seen since it was released. —Louryn Strampe

I'd usually say you shouldn't spend a full grand on a robot vacuum during a sale event, but if you've been wanting a robot vacuum that can also pick up small items, the Roborock Saros Z70 with its robot arm is on sale right now. We didn't love it when we tested it last year, but hopefully the OmniGrip has improved in the last year. It's been on sale usually for $1,700 the last few months, and $1,000 is as low as we've seen it go. —Nena Farrell

You're probably looking at this discount and thinking, isn't it hundreds of dollars off? Technically, yes, the Eufy Omni C28 retails for $800, but it's almost always on sale for $500. But that's usually as low as it goes, and for Amazon's Big Deal Days it's lower than ever. It's a great robot vacuum and one of my top picks because of the great price you can usually score it for, and it's even better now. —Nena Farrell

I've always been happy with a Dreame vacuum, and former WIRED reviewer Adrienne So confirmed the Dreame X50 Ultra is a great model. It has 20,000 Pa of suction, double-roll brushes, side wands for edge cleaning, and a large-capacity docking station. She also really liked the built-in AI that can identify dirty areas in your home. —Nena Farrell

Perfect for your pocket or bag, this power bank has a USB-C connector to slot into the bottom of your phone, and it comes in a bunch of fun colors. This made our best power banks guide, and despite the tiny form factor, it will fully recharge most phones. It's also easy to slide into place, and you can continue to use your phone while it charges. —Simon Hill

The current top pick in our best laptop power banks, this power bank delivers close to the maximum capacity allowed on flights, and it’s an absolute unit. Seriously, this charger can juice up a couple of laptops and your phone at once. It has three USB-C ports (140W, 65W, 65W), a retractable USB-C cable (140W), and a display to show all sorts of charging stats. It supports just about every fast charging standard going (PD3.1, PPS, QC3.0, AFC, Apple2.4A, BC1.2, SCP, FCP, UFCS). —Simon Hill

The Qi2 wireless charging standard was developed in partnership with Apple and features MagSafe-like magnetic alignment for iPhones. This power bank can also charge other Qi2 devices. It is compact with a handy kickstand, a two-way USB-C port, and an LED display showing remaining power and time to charge. It can support MagSafe iPhones in portrait or landscape orientation, and it works with Apple’s StandBy mode, making it one of the best MagSafe power banks. —Simon Hill

This 2-in-1 charger has a magnetic Qi2 pad on the front and folds up so you can take it with you on the go. It also works great as a permanent charger for your desk or nightstand. There's a charging pad on the back for AirPods or any wireless earbuds with wireless charging, and a handy spare USB-C port, so you can charge a third device. Belkin includes a very compact 45-watt power adapter and a USB-C cable. —Simon Hill

While Samsung’s flagship model, The Frame Pro 2026, gets all of the accolades, The Frame from 2025 is a steal this Prime Day. I still like the matte finish on this original version, which makes paintings and photos look more realistic. The bezels are customizable and snap into place using magnets for a more art deco look. It also costs significantly less than the flagship Pro version. —John Brandon

Roku is launching a whole new line of OLED models, but in the meantime, its LED televisions are deeply discounted. One of my favorites is this Plus Series model for $450, 31 percent off the usual price. The built-in streaming interface is intuitive and includes free movies and shows. You have a lot of options for voice control as well, such as Roku Voice, Google Assistant, or Alexa. This budget model supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. —John Brandon

The Star Wars Smart Play Throne Room Duel and A-Wing set recreates the iconic final lightsaber battle in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, as Emperor Palpatine sits on his throne, watching Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker fight. You also get an A-Wing to fly around, some imperial guards, and Smart Bricks that play sound effects and a version of “The Imperial March.” —Simon Hill

This irresistible construction kit from our best STEM toys guide is a wonderful gift for kids of all ages. Clixo’s colorful, versatile, magnetic pieces snap together, enabling you to build all kinds of three-dimensional shapes, from crowns to cats. The pieces stack neatly and are very compact when packed away; they are also durable and washable, and you can play with them anywhere – you don’t need a table. Clixo kits are suitable for kids aged 4 and up, but teens and even adults will get a kick out of these too. —Simon Hill

WIRED operations manager and cast-iron pan enthusiast Scott Gilbertson thinks Field Company makes the best-looking cast iron skillet out there. Field’s vintage-inspired models are more lightweight than other cast iron, and thus much easier to maneuver—in contrast, I’m afraid I’m going to break something every time I haul my massive, 15-inch Lodge out of the cupboard to make a stir-fry. Scott tested the 8 and the 10, and found them to be so well seasoned that he hasn’t had to reseason them in the year he used them. —Kat Merck

Hot take: A good nonstick pan has its place. Not for high-temperature cooking, mind you, but if you've ever tried to get eggs or fish just right, you know what I'm talking about. You can certainly use cast iron, but it’s harder to maintain, and while many people love ceramic, it became “sticky” pretty quickly for me. This is the pan that I use the most for the above purposes, and it works on every kind of stove, including induction. —Kat Merck

The LifePro Sonic Massage Gun is our budget massage gun pick, and $40 is the lowest price I’ve seen. It also comes with a generous set of accessories: eight attachments, plus a storage case. You get five speed settings and a battery indicator, which is plenty of versatility without paying the premium prices of higher-end massage guns. If you’re shopping for an affordable massage gun, it can’t get better than LifePro. —Boutayna Chokrane

The Theragun Mini Plus is our favorite portable massage gun. It’s not only compact and TSA-approved, but it also features heat therapy. At $238, it’s at the lowest price I’ve seen, making this the ideal time to snag one if you were considering it. The Mini Plus is also compatible with the Cold Plus and Vibration Plus attachments, which are both sold separately. —Boutayna Chokrane

I’ve seen this particular smartwatch drop to $185, so $189 isn’t its lowest price, but it’s pretty close. And a $24 discount may not seem significant, but this Casio rarely goes on sale, so it’s a solid discount for a durable watch. Editor Julian Chokkattu loved its bright LCD screen and solar-powered design.You can skip the charging cable altogether, which is great if you want a rugged watch with little maintenance. —Boutayna Chokrane

The Google Pixel Watch 5 is a stunning smartwatch with a round face and it's your best bet if you use an Android phone. It can track your activity, sleep, and multiple health markers automatically, and it works seamlessly with Gemini. Subscribers can also get coached by Google Health. —Simon Hill