This story is part of Amazon Prime Day 2021, CNET’s guide on everything you need to know and how to make sure you get the best deal.
Amazon isn’t the only place to be looking for deals right now. Best Buy’s Bigger Sales event, the retailer’s answer to Prime Day, is already underway, and you can find deep discounts on everything from smart TVs to smaller gadgets like Philips Hue bulbs and TP-Link Kasa smart plugs.
Sales for Prime Day (June 21 and 22) are starting to pop up already, and in response, you can expect that Best Buy will drop many more deals in the next few days. Below, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite deals — and we’ll add more in the coming days.
Best Buy
This 60-inch A6G series Hisense is a smart LED 4K HDR TV that supports Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10. The built-in Android TV lets you customize how you want to access your favorite shows and movies from any streaming apps. You can also cast content directly from your phone tablet or laptop via Chromecast. Use Google Assistant via the voice remote to open apps, adjust the volume or search for new content to binge. At $380 it is a solid deal for a set of this size.
Best Buy
We don’t often see 40-inch TVs fall into this price range but this LED 1080p HD Insignia TV is a great barebones set with all the necessary features of a good HDTV. Featuring HDMI ARC to connect all your AV components and a reliably bright LED screen, this display is perfect to keep as a backup set or for multipurpose use. Connect a smart tv box such as a Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV or Google TV if you want access to your favorite streaming apps.
Best Buy
When you buy a Philips Hue bulb you are paying a premium for smart LED. But after trying so many 3rd party brands and knockoffs, there is a reason why Philips Hue is still the king of the smart light arena. With a powerful app and unparalleled smart home connectivity to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Homekit, plus a plethora of expandability and accessories you’re getting the premium experience. This three-pack for $89 nets you $33 per color LED bulbs, normally they are $50 individually. If you’ve already invested into the Hue ecosystem, don’t miss this deal.
Read CNET’s complete guide to Philips Hue.
Best Buy
Smart plugs are great, they let you turn the lights on before coming home and remotely power down appliances while you’re away, saving you money and providing peace of mind. For less than $10 this Kasa plug is smart buy for those who always leave the house wondering if they’ve turned the coffee maker off. They are Wi-Fi enabled, meaning you don’t need a hub and the Kasa app is a joy to navigate. Get them now for half off.
Segway
Tired of paying food delivery fees? Head down to your favorite takeout spots with this speedy Segway ES2 Electric Scooter and never pay expensive fees again. This compact scooter comes in at 27 pounds and can be folded up to fit in a car trunk or stow on the luggage rack of a bus or train for easy transportation. With a 15 miles range and top speed of 15.5 mph, this Segway will have you zipping to the stores and across town in no time.
Angela Lang/CNET
If you’re in the market for a no-nonsense health tracker that requires little maintenance, look no further than the Fitbit Versa 2. It can track heart rate, steps, distance, calories burned, activities and floors climbed. Combine those tracking features with voice control via Alexa, the ability to respond to phone notifications, plus compatibility to iOS and Android makes this one of the best fitness watches for the money. The Versa 2 can even help track your sleep. What it doesn’t have is a built-in GPS, requiring you to have your phone with you, in return expect to get a whopping five days of battery life. At one of its lowest prices we’ve see, it can make a perfect gift for any health enthusiast.
Read CNET’s review of the Fitbit Versa 2.
Electronic Arts
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is probably one of the best Star Wars games in recent times. Metacritic gave the game a score of 79 due to an intriguing plot, fantastic characters and satisfying lightsaber combat. Although not the lowest price we’ve seen, it is a bargain for any Star Wars fan. Included with your purchase is a free next-gen console upgrade: Enjoy the game on the PS4 or Xbox One now and experience it again on the PS5 and Series X/S down the road.
Read Gamespot’s review of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.
Best Buy
Got your hands full? This nifty kitchen trash can from Insignia (a Best Buy brand) can automatically open itself and reduce your contact with germs. The motion-activated lid is battery-operated so there’s no annoying cord, and it can stay open in manual mode when you need it to. Get it now for less than half off the regular price. Got a small den or workshop? Get the more compact 8-gallon version for $5 less.
Ring.com
Hit the road with peace of mind when you have the Ring ecosystem monitoring your home. Best Buy is discounting refurbished Ring Elite video doorbells to only $130 this weekend, which is more than half off the original price of $300. This full 1080p doorbell camera system allows you to stay in touch with your front door while you’re away. See when your packages are dropped off or communicate with visitors via the built-in microphone and speakers. It also features motion-activated alerts and infrared night vision for around-the-clock surveillance. The Elite model connects to and is powered by Ethernet so you stay in touch even if the Wi-Fi is out. You might want to consider getting it professionally installed. All Ring refurbished doorbells come with a one-year warranty.
David Carnoy/CNET
The WH-1000XM3 headphones were CNET’s top pick for noise-canceling headphones until the WH-1000XM4 version came out. These are still a fan favorite when it comes to performance and comfort fit. Now that the price has dropped to $250, this arguably might be the best balance of price and features you can get without breaking the bank. You can read more about these headphones in CNET’s Sony WH-1000XM3 review.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
Get Dad something to take on his next adventure — like this GoPro Hero 9 Black action camera, now $70 off. GoPro went big on design and feature when it introduced the Hero 9 Black. Featuring up to 5K resolution, an upgradable lens, a front-facing screen for selfies, a bigger battery and even more shooting options than its predecessors, this is designed to be the no-FOMO camera. It’s a bit larger than the Hero 8 Black (also $50 off) but that’s a good thing, according to Joshua Goldman’s review. You can get it now for $380.
Read CNET’s review of the GoPro Hero 9 Black.
Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET
Razer
Getting tired of being snuck up on in your favorite game? That won’t be a problem anymore with this wireless 7.1 surround-sound headset from Razer. The Nari Ultimate has THX Spatial Sound and what’s called intelligent haptic feedback to give you the sensation of 360-degree audio. According to CNET’s Patrick Holland, the haptic feedback is a slight vibration effect generated by the special software to simulate directional sound. Combine that with a crystal-clear and retractable mic and you’ll be the envy of game night. This is one of the biggest markdowns we’ve seen for this premium headset.
Read CNET’s review of the Razer Nari Ultimate.
Best Buy
This Samsung Chromebook is perfect to send your recent grad off to school with this fall. While most Chromebooks in the sub-$300 range offer only 11- to 14-inch screens, this Samsung gives you a spacious 15-inch full-HD 1080p display to get things done on. Zoom into meetings with the 720p front-facing camera and enjoy up to 10 hours of work or entertainment with its long-lasting battery.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Whether it’s to drown out college dorm noises or make the library their personal study hall, any grad can appreciate a quality pair of noise-canceling headphones to take with them this fall. These Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones were my go-to commuting headphones. They used to offer one of the best balances between portability, comfort and features, but now at $249 they can check off the affordability box, too. The best part about these headphones is how compact and durable they are for travel, compared with even the Bose 700. Speaking of, the Bose 700 model is also $50 off as well.
Read CNET’s review of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
Best Buy
Now you can get your hands on one of the best recent loot shooters, with over 30 hours of high-octane gameplay and even more when you go online. Not to mention that every PS4 owner of Borderlands 3 will also receive a free PlayStation 5 version if they’re lucky enough to get their hands on the elusive next-gen PS5 console. That is a lot of entertainment for $10.
Read Gamespot’s review of Borderlands 3.
Samsung
This 82-inch 7 Series Samsung is a smart LED 4K HDR TV that supports Apple AirPlay, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The Tizen-powered smart TV feature lets you instantly connect to a variety of free channels from Samsung and your favorite streaming apps. Samsung’s Auto Game Mode lets you enjoy your favorite games with minimal input lag and image jitter. It’s currently $200 off.
Best Buy
Keurigs are awesome. They can quickly make coffee when you need a pick me up, the coffee doesn’t taste like groundwater and the cleanup is easy. They are however not great for the environment, unless you get one of these reusable K-Cup pods, and can look a bit bland on the kitchen counter. This limited edition Jonathan Adler K-Mini Coffee Maker however can brew a tasty cup of java while look exceptional stylish at the same time. Normally $100, it’s going for half off over at Best Buy, this is cheaper than the regular K-Mini. Any coffee-loving dad with an eye for design will appreciate this coffee maker, now only $50.
James Martin/CNET
Previously, Google’s cloud gaming hardware has gone on sale when it’s bundled with a game. This time, however, Best Buy is pairing it with the Google Chromecast Ultra, and throwing in its Ethernet adapter to boot. You’ll need a beefy internet connection if you want to play in 4K, and the service requires a monthly fee. But even if you end up giving up on Stadia down the road, you’ll still have a Chromecast for watching video.