Black Friday arrives Friday, just two days from now. But Black Friday deals? Oh, yeah, they’re all over the place. And lest you thought all the good stuff was being held in reserve, well, nuh-uh. Case in point: The Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener just hit an all-time-low $19.98 at Walmart — after selling for an all-time-low $30 for the past couple weeks. (It’s available at Amazon for the same price.)
Want more? Look no further than our ultimate Black Friday deals guide, which has all the everything: Store ads, the best deals under $30 and tons more. In this post, however, we’ve rounded up our absolute favorite Black Friday deals — starting with these:
You can also score major savings on the Fitbit Versa 2 (see the Kohl’s deal, below), the Sonos One smart speakre and Xbox One and PS4 bundles. Amazon continues to offer a discount on AirPods Pro, though don’t overlook AirPods alternatives like this one for just $35. Be sure to bookmark this post and check it often, as we’re constantly updating it with all the best Black Friday deals. Please note: The items listed below can sell out or expire without notice.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Sorry, gotta do it: The Force is strong with this one. Propel’s drones originally sold for $180. They’re incredibly fun to fly, and if you’re able to find the TIE Fighter and/or Speeder Bike elsewhere, you can engage in actual aerial dogfights. These are getting increasingly hard to find; don’t miss this for just $35.
Gotta catch this deal. The hottest Nintendo Switch games of 2019 are hard to find for less than $60, but this eBay seller currently has them for $48 apiece — with free economy shipping to boot. The closer we get to the holidays, the harder it will be get any kind of discount on these in-demand titles.
Apple’s latest, greatest MacBook Air frequently goes on sale for $900, but right now, if you add it to your Amazon cart and choose no-rush shipping, you’ll get an extra $100 off. That makes this the all-time best deal on this fantastic ultralight laptop.
This model includes 8GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive.
Read our MacBook Air 2019 preview.
This is the lowest price to date on this top-rated internal SSD, arguably the single best upgrade you can install in a compatible desktop or laptop. Samsung provides the data-migration software (via download), but you’ll need to make sure you have any cables and adapters you might need.
We knew Apple’s current-gen entry-level iPad would hit this price at Target, but didn’t expect that to happen until Thursday, Nov. 28. Best Buy decided not to wait; it’s down to $250, officially the lowest price since it was introduced a couple months back. Note that you must be signed into your My Best Buy account to see that price.
Read our iPad 10.2 review.
Sony/Marvel
Last year’s hottest PS4 game originally sold for $60 — and that was without extra content. Right now, you can get the GOTY Edition (which includes lots of extra goodies) for this all-time-low price. It’s a must-have for PS4 owners. Shipping is free if you order from Best Buy, but if you’d rather grab it in-store, Walmart has the game for the same price.
Read our Marvel’s Spider-Man review.
Angela Lang/CNET
We recently awarded the Fitbit Versa 2 and Editors’ Choice award, citing its reasonable price, long-lasting battery and compatibility across Android and iOS. We called it “one of the best examples of a hybrid fitness tracker and smartwatch you can buy.” Normally $200, it’s on sale for a limited time for $150 or $50 off at various retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Fitbit’s own site.
But the best deal as of right now is at Kohl’s, where you can get that $150 sale price and $45 in Kohl’s Cash. The latter is good for store purchases, though you have to use it by Dec. 9.
Read our Fitbit Versa 2 review.
Walmart
This is the new version of the Switch, which offers an improved battery life of 4.5 to 9 hours. This is $10 off the usual price, plus Walmart is throwing in the Spyro game which otherwise retails for $25. That’s a total savings of $35.
Available right now.
Sony
This is the best we’ve seen this season. Last year, you got the same console plus Spider-Man at this price, so this is a pretty big ramp-up.
- God of War
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition
- The Last of Us Remastered
That pulls together three of the best-ever PS4 exclusives — albeit ones that are not for younger kids.
Read more at GameSpot: The best PS4 Black Friday 2019 deals.
Read our Sony PS4 Slim review.
Microsoft
Sure, you can get an Xbox One S for about $200 less than the Xbox One X, but if you do that you’re sacrificing native 4K gaming, and these days, why would you want to do that? For Black Friday, Best Buy is bundling the Xbox One X with the deluxe edition of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order for $350. If you’re a Star Wars fan, this is the bundle to get — everyone, it seems, is hotly anticipating Jedi Fallen Order, and the deluxe edition adds bonus skins for the BD-1 and Stinger Mantis as well as a digital art book and 90 minutes of behind the scenes footage from the making of the game. You can whet your appetite by reading CNET’s Sean Keane’s extensive look at the game. Oh, and the bundle also includes three months of Xbox Live Gold.
Read our Xbox One X review.
With more than 80 built-in games, the Sega Genesis Mini is the best retro console of 2019. And now it’s discounted from $80 to just $50.
Read our Sega Genesis Mini review.
David Carnoy/CNET
They’re back: Best Buy again has the JLabs JBuds Air on sale for $30. They normally retail for $50. JLabs makes a lot of true wireless earphones and this is its most affordable — and frankly, the only one I’d buy. It’s a decent set of true wireless earbuds that’s a relative bargain at $30.
Sarah Tew/CNET
If you can’t afford premium noise-canceling models from Bose and Sony, the JBL Live 650BTNC Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones lists for $200 and is a very good headphone. And this week, you can get it for 50% off.
Read our JBL Live 650BTNC review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Sonos One is a great-sounding smart speaker that supports both Alexa and Google Assistant. There’s a slightly newer version, but the differences are minor. Sonos discounts are rare, and while this one isn’t huge, it’s better than nothing.
Read our Sonos One review.
Lenovo
Built with students in mind, the S340 offers 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a full-HD display. To put this deal in some perspective, Lenovo proper charges $250 for a configuration with half the storage and a lower-resolution screen.
Tidal
Looking for a new place to hang your music-streaming hat? Tidal rivals the best of them, with a library of over 60 million songs and competitive pricing. A one-year subscription runs $119.98 — basically $10 per month — but for a limited time, you can score a free pair of Sennheiser HD 4.40BT headphones with that subscription. Those popular over-the-ear cans list for $100.
Of course, Tidal is perhaps best known for its HiFi option, and if you grab a one-year subscription to that ($239.98), you’ll receive your choice of free Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC headphones or IE 80 S ear-canal earbuds.
Read our HD 4.50BTNC review.
For less than the price of many 13.3-inch laptops, the VivoBook offers a bigger screen with full HD resolution. It also packs an Intel Core i7 processor, 12GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive — enough horsepower for massive spreadsheets and tons of browser tabs.
Sceptre
That’s just a bananas price on a big ol’ desktop display. Yes, the 1080p resolution is actually a bit on the low side given the size, but you can tweak your PC’s settings to help compensate. Meanwhile, the Sceptre includes VGA, DVI and HDMI inputs and built-in speakers, so you could use it with your game console as well. Heck, plug in a streaming stick and make a TV out of it.
Amazon
If you’re a newcomer to Amazon’s music-streaming service, it’s hard to beat a buck for four full months of service. After that, you’ll pay the regular rate of $9.99 per month, though you can cancel if you like, without penalty.
Amazon
It’s not even released yet, but Amazon just trotted out its first ever discount on the Echo Show 8. It’s basically a larger version of the super-popular Echo Show 5 (which is currently on sale for $80, FYI), and therefore better suited to places like the kitchen, where the 8-inch screen makes it easier to view cooking videos and the like.
Read our Echo Show 8 preview.
RemoBell
Already a pretty amazing deal at $99, the RemoBell S is an attractive, hardwired doorbell designed to take the place of your existing bell. I’ve been using one for about six months, and while I still don’t love the forced fisheye view of recorded videos, overall the doorbell has worked really well. And I absolutely do love the free cloud storage.
Mint Mobile
Borrowing a page from McDonald’s, which now charges the same price for any size drink, Mint Mobile will sell you any of its 3-month plans for $15 per month. Why? Tough to say, but the obvious winner here is the 12GB option, which normally runs $25 per month (already an excellent deal).
For those unfamiliar with the carrier, Mint offers service for GSM-compatible phones (otherwise known as those compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile). You pay in either three-, six- or 12-month blocks.
Tip: There’s currently a $20 cash-back option available from both Rakuten and TopCashback, but the terms are really confusing. (Anyone who’s able to figure them out, leave a comment.)
César Salza/CNET
The Fossil Sport hit the scene just about a year ago, bringing oodles of features to the Wear OS watch-scape for a reasonable $275. The specs include NFC for Google Pay, GPS, 5 ATM water resistance, a heart-rate monitor and an altimeter. This pre-Black Friday sale drops the Sport (light blue only) to just $149, the best price we’ve seen yet.
Arcade1Up
Most of Arcade1Up’s machines cost around $300. This one — which is a three-quarter-size version of the original — costs $150 once it’s in your shopping cart. And it looks, sounds and plays exactly like the old arcade machines.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When Lenovo introduced the IdeaPad 330s last year, it started at $500. Now, you can get a nice midrange configuration — with a quad-core AMD processor, a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM — for under $350. Equipped with a nice 15.6-inch display, the 330s has thinner-than-usual bezels and an aluminum lid. This is a good deal on a solid entry-level laptop. (Note, however, that it was previously $329, so watch for another sale if you’re not in a hurry.)
Read our Lenovo IdeaPad 330s preview.
Walmart
A 65-inch TV for $380? Seems like only yesterday that would have been considered a steal on a 55-inch model. It’s an entry-level model, to be sure, with no smarts built in; you’ll have to BYO Fire TV or Roku streamer. Thankfully, it has four HDMI inputs, so there’s plenty of room for all the gear you might want to plug in.
Living DNA
Curious about your origin story? Living DNA’s test is quite comprehensive; it covers your overall ancestry, motherline and fatherline. Plus, family DNA-matching is now included as well.
RCA
Recently expired, it’s back! In case you miss out on the Samsung (above) or prefer a TV with built-in Roku, Walmart has this RCA model at the exact same price. It also has no user reviews, but at least it has three HDMI inputs instead of just two. Don’t expect a world-class picture; do expect a super-big screen to binge all your shows. And, hey, same deal: If you’re not happy with it, you can take it back to the store.
Amazon
This is the lowest price to date on Amazon’s kid-friendly tablet, which includes a heavy-duty case (with stand) and two-year worry-free warranty. You also get a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a $36 value. The tablet is available with your choice of three case colors: blue, pink and purple.
You can also get the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet for $80, which is $50 off the regular price. It’s slightly faster and slightly larger, but otherwise pretty much the same experience for your kids.
Rich Brown
Need new specs? Promo code Black65 will net you a hefty 65% off any frames at GlassesUSA.
Sarah Tew/CNET
These aren’t the star cans in Sony’s over-the-ear headphone lineup — that distinction belongs to the WH-1000XM3 — but they’re still extremely good. Especially if you love bass. And especially at this price: The WH-XB900N normally sells for $248. This today-only price is an all-time low.
Ready our Sony WH-XB900N review.
Apple
Best Buy comes within $1 of the all-time lowest price we’ve seen for the 11-inch 64GB iPad Pro, $650. And the 256GB model is also on sale for $800. Note that you need to be a member of the retailer’s My Best Buy program to get this sale price.
Read our 11-inch iPad Pro review.
Roborock
While we’re still in control of our robots, we might as well have them do our bidding. The Roborock S5 can not only vacuum your floors, it can mop them as well. It originally sold for $500, but you can use promo code ROBOROCKBF to knock the price down to an all-time low.
Lenovo
This feels like the kind of deal that would normally be a doorbuster, requiring you to stand in line outside the store for a couple hours. This Chromebook features 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge — meaning it’s suitable for tablet duty as well. The screen may be on the smaller side, but that didn’t stop this from scoring a 4.7-star average rating from over 1,800 buyers.
Sarah Tew/CNET
An oldie but goodie, the SoundTouch 10 dates back to 2016 (gasp!). But that doesn’t change the fact that this compact Bluetooth-and-Wi-Fi speaker produces surprisingly big, punchy sound and supports multiroom setups. It’s on par with the likes of Sonos speakers, but now without the hefty price tag.
Read our Bose SoundTouch 10 review.
Amazon
Between Bose, Sony and now Apple AirPods Pro, active noise-canceling headphones are all the rage. And now, we’re seeing an old favorite from Sennheiser that’s currently just $80 at Amazon — down from $200. We reviewed the nearly identical Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC two years ago, and found it to be a formidable Bose competitor at that $200 price. That model is down to $108 on Amazon, but this model — the HD 4.50 SE — has literally the exact same specs, aside from some cosmetic color differences.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The Apple HomePod faces increasingly stiff competition in the smart-speaker market, starting with Amazon’s new, similar Echo Studio. But remember, too, that the HomePod started out at $349; this is your chance to get it for considerably less. If you want wonderful sound and already live in Apple’s ecosystem, look no further.
Read our Apple HomePod review.
Arcade1Up
This head-to-head machine brings 12 classic arcade games to your den, including half a dozen Street Fighter titles, Final Fight and Commando. And for a limited time you’ll also score $70 in Kohl’s Cash, which is basically free money to use on additional store purchases. (Note that it must be used by Nov. 14.)
Although the product description seems to refer to the upright version of this unit, the model number is definitely for the cocktail table.
Looking for more sales?
That’s it for now, but check back often as we update this post based on new deals and availability. In the meantime, here’s everything else you need to know about this major shopping event.
What date is Black Friday 2019?
Black Friday always falls on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, it takes place on Friday, Nov. 29.
When is Cyber Monday 2019?
It falls the Monday after Black Friday — in this case, Monday, Dec. 2.
When will Black Friday sales actually start?
It varies from store to store, but expect to see plenty of sales that kick off well before Thanksgiving. Indeed, some stores unveil “Black November” sales that span the entire month, while others will kick-start their Black Friday events early. We’ll post all the details as we get them.
Why is it called ‘Black Friday’?
This is borderline urban-legend stuff. Some say Black Friday dates back to the early 1950s, when stores would kick off the Christmas shopping season with big sales. So big, in fact, that annual store profits would often tip into “the black” (meaning no longer “in the red,” which is accounting parlance for losing money) once all the receipts were tallied. Or: So big that traffic would get so snarled, policemen dubbed the day “Black Friday.”
Find out more, and get the scoop on Cyber Monday as well, in Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: What’s the difference?
How to find ‘leaked’ Black Friday ads
In years past, a variety of Black Friday sites have dedicated themselves to revealing leaked newspaper circulars in the days and weeks ahead of the big Thanksgiving sales. Those are all still around, but many of the big stores have chosen to “leak” the ads on their own sites, revealing the contents of what will be on sale for bargain hunters who like to plan ahead.
Last year, some stores shared these ads as early as late October, and there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. As always, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Black Friday ads, sharing them as we find them, so bookmark this post and check CNET proper for all the relevant ad info.
Where else can I find great deals?
So glad you asked! Here are some CNET deal resources you should bookmark:
- The Cheapskate, a daily, curated, sometimes exclusive collection of the web’s best deals from Rick “The Cheapskate” Broida (that’s me) and CNET’s growing team of bargain-hunters.
- CNET Deals, a categorical listing of every single deal we can lay our hands on.
Watch this:
How to win Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2019
2:25
Tamara Palmer, Lori Grunin, Dave Johnson, Justin Jaffe and Matt Elliott contributed to this story.
Originally published last year. Regularly updated with new information.