Best Buy is best known for its physical retail stores, but this Black Friday 2018 some of its biggest deals are online. And available now, way before Black Friday.
That includes discounts the newest iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, big high-performance Roku TVs, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox bundles and sweet smart home gear like Philips Hue light bulbs and a Google Assistant-infused Lenovo Smart Display.
The store’s official Black Friday 2018 sale doesn’t start until 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) plenty of stuff is available now. We’re highlighting our favorites below. Keep in mind:
- When the product exists on BestBuy.com we’ll link to it below, even if the Black Friday sale price isn’t yet available.
- While most of these products are from 2018, be aware that some of the discounted products are older models.
- Many of the deals are available in other stores; we’ll note those below.
- CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured below.
To the deals!
Deals available now (updated Wednesday, Nov. 21)
Samsung Galaxy S9, Note 9, S9 Plus: Save $300
James Martin/CNET
T-Mobile customers won’t be able to benefit from any of Best Buy’s offers, but $300 off any of Samsung’s premium phones is a pretty good deal. The deal requires a qualified activation, and exact pricing on the phones appear to vary based on the carrier.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 3-Bulb Starter Kit with Remote for $120 (save $70)
This Philips Hue starter kit includes three color-changing bulbs, a wireless remote that docks on the wall like a light switch when you aren’t using it, and the all-important Philips Hue Bridge that needs to stay plugged into your router in order to control the lights from your phone or sync them with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. It usually costs $190, but on Black Friday, Best Buy will sell it for $120. That’s a terrific deal — $30 less than you’d typically pay for just the bulbs.
Motorola Moto G6: $200 (save $50)
Josh Miller/CNET
Our favorite budget phone of 2018 was already a knockout value for $250, but this $200 price is a steal. The unlocked Android handset has dual rear cameras for portrait photos and some nice extra software touches.
Lenovo 8-inch Smart Display: $100 (save $100)
We’ve tested all of the impressive new Google Assistant smart displays this year — Lenovo’s was the first, and I think it’s still my favorite. Best Buy has the 8-inch version marked down by a hundred bucks for Black Friday, bringing the price down to $99. That’s the same price as the Black Friday deal on the smaller Google Home Hub.
55-inch TCL 4K Roku TV: $599 (save $50)
Take everything we said about the 65-incher and shrink it down to the 55-inch size — this is still the best TV for the money, period. If you want voice the voice remote, however, that version is available at Amazon for $30 more.
PlayStation 4 Slim (1TB) + Spider-Man bundle: $200 (save $100)
Aloysius Low/CNET
If you haven’t bought a next-generation console yet, here’s one of the best prices yet to convince you to pony up. This is the 1TB PS4 Slim version with the excellent Spider-Man, all for $200. (Update: As of Wednesday, Nov. 21 it appears out of stock at Best Buy, Walmart, Target and Amazon.)
Xbox One X 1TB + Battlefield V bundle: $430 (save $70)
Best Buy
Microsoft’s most powerful console normally sells for $500, and this bundle includes with full-game downloads of Battlefield V Deluxe Edition as well as Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield 1 Revolution.
Microsoft Xbox One S 1TB with Minecraft bundle, $200 (save $100)
Sarah Tew/CNET
If the slower, less-powerful Xbox is more your speed, this deal can save you a bundle (ha ha, get it).
This deal is also available at Target, Walmart and elsewhere.
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR: Save $150
Sarah Tew/CNET
Discounts on the newest iPhones are rare, but this is a solid markdown. If you’re looking for the best value of the trio, the iPhone XR is our call. Getting this deal requires qualified activation with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.
Google Pixel 3 or 3 XL: Save $200
Sarah Tew/CNET
Maybe you want a “pure” Android experience straight from Google, complete with the most innovative camera around. Best Buy will knock $200 off the price of either Pixel 3 phone when you activate in-store with Verizon’s service.
LG G7 ThinQ (Sprint): Save $432 on service
When you buy the high-end G7 at Best Buy and activate it for Sprint’s service, you’ll receive a bill credit over 50 percent. Instead of paying $33 per month for two years, you’ll pay only $15. That’s $18 back for each month of a 24-month installment plan. More details here.
Deals starting Thanksgiving day
Apple HomePod for $250 ($100 off)
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Apple’s awesome-sounding smart speaker has two major knocks: Siri still isn’t as good a voice assistant as Alexa and Google, and the $350 price is just too high. This Best Buy discount nicely addresses the second issue, getting it to a much more reasonable $250.
This deal will be available in-store on Thanksgiving at 5 p.m. but this price isn’t marked “in-store only,” so it could appear at BestBuy.com as well.
55-inch Sharp 4K Roku TV: $250 (save $200)
Best Buy
Doorbuster (in-store only on Black Friday, Nov. 23, limited quantities)
Did we mention Roku TV? A bit bigger in size and just as huge in savings, this Sharp features the best smart TV system for as low as we’ve ever seen at this price. We haven’t seen the Sharp directly, but the specifications look similar to the 55-inch 55S405 we reviewed in 2017, so expect similar picture quality.
If you don’t want to deal with a doorbuster, BestBuy.com has the set listed for $300 right now, which is still a great price.
43-inch Toshiba 4K Amazon Fire Edition TV: $130 (save $150)
Best Buy
Doorbuster (in-store only starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
Going by pure savings, this is arguably the best TV deal at Best Buy for Black Friday 2018. Fire TV isn’t not our favorite smart TV system — that honor goes to Roku — but it’s still very good, and this price is pure insanity. The cheapest 43-inch Roku TV, the 43S305, costs $220, and it’s 1080p, not 4K.
65-inch LG OLED65C8P OLED TV: $2,600 (save $100)
Sarah Tew/CNET
This year the discounts on LG’s OLED models aren’t spectacular. Best Buy’s price on the 65-inch C8, the best TV we’ve ever tested, is $100 lower than everyone else’s however. We still recommend the B8 for $100 less, but if you demand the best picture, period, here you go.
This deal will be available in-store on Thanksgiving at 5 p.m. but this price isn’t marked “in-store only,” so it could appear at BestBuy.com as well.
Ring Doorbell 2 + Echo Dot 3rd gen for $140 (save $110)
Best Buy
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
Normally $250 for both the Ring 2 and the new Echo Dot, this bundle lets you live the dream of voice-controlled door security — perfect for when that Amazon guy comes knocking.
If you want one now, Best Buy has this deal for $200 including the free Dot, a $50 savings. (Amazon will have this deal, too.)
Sony WH-1000XM2 noise-cancelling headphone: $200 (save $150)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
These headphones came out in 2017 but they still remain one of CNET’s favorite wireless noise-canceling headphones. While the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is lighter and more comfortable to wear, the Sony WH-1000XM2 arguably sounds a tad better and offers more features. And this price is insane.
Google Home Hub: $99 (save $50)
Chris Monroe/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
This is Google’s version of the Amazon Echo Show: a smart speaker with a built-in screen that responds to “OK Google” and shows all kinds of useful stuff, from recipes to smart home controls.
This deal is also available at Target, Walmart and elsewhere.
Google Home Mini: $25 (half price)
Chris Monroe/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
Google’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa is a tiny, always-listening speaker that responds to “OK, Google” with everything Google Assistant has to offer. At this price it’s easy to put one in a secondary room.
This deal is also available at Target, Walmart and elsewhere.
iPad Mini 4: $250 (save $150)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
This iPad is from 2016, and this 128GB version with Wi-Fi is the cheapest available on Apple’s site, but it costs $400 there — making this a pretty sweet deal. We still prefer the new, larger 32GB iPad at Target for the same price, but maybe you want your screen smaller and your storage bigger.
MacBook Air (2017 model): $800 (save $200)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
The new MacBook Air starts at $1,200 and this older version sells for $1,000 at Apple’s website, so the savings is substantial. This is the base configuration with 128GB storage, 8GB RAM and a Core i5 processor. It goes on sale pretty frequently, but this is still the lowest price we’ve seen.
Sonos One smart speaker with Alexa: $175 (save $25)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Doorbuster (Online and in-store starting 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, limited quantities)
One of our favorite smart speakers is perfect for people unsatisfied with the sound quality of Amazon’s Echo speakers, and this price is great for Sonos fans who want to add to their collections.
For even more Black Friday deals at Best Buy, check out the gallery below.
Black Friday 2018 deals in each category
Black Friday 2018 deals by store
Black Friday 2018: CNET’s complete coverage
Watch this: Tricks to score extra savings on Black Friday and Cyber…
2:06