Best Black Friday deals under $50: Fire HD 8, Roku Ultra, Echo Dot, board games and more – CNET

This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2019, your source for the season’s best gifts and deals, hand-picked by the experts at CNET.

Black Friday is only a few days away and the deals have started early. Beat the crowds and get a jump on your holiday shopping with these discounted gift ideas that are under $50. We’ve curated a treasure trove of the best Black Friday tech deals available now and coming later next week — all are easy on your wallet at $50 and under. We’ll keep updating this list as more prices are slashed and ads are released from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. For even more online shopping deals, see our roundup of the best deals under $30 and best deals for $100 and under. If you’re a big spender, we also have the best Black Friday deals under $250. Happy shopping!

As always, all the prices here are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change. 

Black Friday deals under $50 available now

Sarah Tew/CNET

These sporty headphones aren’t “true wireless” — there’s a cable connecting the left and right earbud that wraps around the back of your neck. But they are fully waterproof, and they’re half off right now. 

Read our Jaybird Tarah review.

CATAN GmbH

The eternally popular civilization-building board game and game-night staple is 55% off. This is the core game for three to four players.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Google’s Home Minis have become recent Black Friday staples, and those looking to add the Google Assistant to their home (or give some to friends or colleagues) can find even more deals. Already discounting a single Home Mini to $25 (from $49), Walmart is offering a two-pack of Google’s small smart speakers for $45. Those looking to save a few more bucks, however, should wait until Black Friday to get a single Home Mini (plus $5 in Vudu credit) for $19 a pop at Walmart. 

Amazon

We know that the Echo Dot with Clock will drop to $35 later this week, and that Amazon is making its own smart plug available with most smart speaker orders as a $5 add-on. But for Just $5 more right now, you can score this combo deal. 

Read our Amazon Dot with Clock review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

UE’s Wonderboom is a compact, fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker that plays very loud with a good amount of bass for its small size. While a few years old, it is still a quality speaker that is now even cheaper than its usual rate that often ranges between $60 and $100. 

Read the UE Wonderboom review.

Amazon

Like the Google Home Mini and Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot have similarly become Black Friday regulars. While deals on both will appear by Black Friday proper, those looking for a headstart on shopping will find a pre-Black Friday bundle of the Fire TV 4K Stick and a third-gen Echo Dot for $47 right now with promo code ECHO4K.

The Fire TV Stick will drop to $20 on Nov. 24, and the Echo Dot will drop to $22 on Nov. 28, but this deal includes the more powerful 4K version of the Fire TV Stick. 

This is the Goldilocks tablet in Amazon’s line — it’s fast, it has an HD display and plenty of storage space. It also has up to 10 hours of battery life, which is essential in this day and age. And did we mention that the price is very right? See our Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet review.

Walmart

Looking for a movie night? You can currently snag a Google Smart TV Kit for $45 at Walmart. If you can wait, though, the deal will become even sweeter at 7 p.m. on Wednesday the 27. At that time, Walmart will bundle a Google Home Mini, Chromecast and $10 in credit for the Vudu video store for $35 in a “smart TV kit.” The current offer is $10 pricier than the Black Friday price and lacks the $10 in Vudu credit. 

Patrick Holland/CNET

Looking to get a new Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controller? Black Friday is usually one of the best times to buy. Best Buy and Walmart have already the price of each console’s respective controllers by $20, bringing the starting price down to $40 as opposed to its usual $60. And thanks to the latest iOS update, both controllers now work with iPhones and iPads for playing games on the go. 

Black Friday deals under $50 coming soon

These are the bargains you should watch for in the near future beyond just Amazon and Google devices (though those are here, too).

Sarah Tew/CNET

Those looking for a deal on Roku’s 4K Ultra streaming box will find one at Walmart. The retail giant is knocking $51 off the price of the streamer to bring it down to $48 on Black Friday. And it is even throwing in $5 in Vudu credit and JBL headphones to sweeten the deal. 

This deal will be available online starting Wed., Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. PT.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Looking for a deal on Amazon’s Echo Show 5? Best Buy is taking $40 off on Black Friday. Currently on sale for $80, the Show 5 features a 5.5-inch display and video camera for calls in addition to being a speaker for playing music and doing other traditional Alexa tasks. 

This deal will be available online starting Thursday, Nov. 28.

Amazon

Amazon’s most popular smart speaker will soon be available with a nifty LED display. The new Echo Dot will officially be in-stock on December 4, but deals start early on Black Friday. You can use this versatile smart speaker to play music, set alarms, check the weather and, of course, ask Alexa for help. The LED can show the time, outdoor temperature or timers. Read our review of the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock.

This deal will be available online starting Thursday, Nov. 28.


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Originally published earlier. 

source: cnet.com