Prime Day 2021: The biggest sales from day 1

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Want the best overall full-size noise-canceling headphones? The latest, greatest Sony model is now on sale at its lowest price ever, a full $30 less than the previous best price we’ve seen. Read our review of the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones.

Amazon

This deal’s a stunner: The Ring Video Doorbell Wired — which we already liked at $60 — is now down to $45, and Amazon is throwing in a free last-gen Echo Dot speaker to boot. Yes, you’ll want to make sure you’re comfortable with Ring’s evolving relationship with local law enforcement before you buy one. But if you’re in the market, this is an amazing sale.

This isn’t the best price we’ve ever seen on AirPods Pro — that was about $170. But at $190, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who’s been holding out for Apple’s noise-canceling true-wireless headphones.

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The latest version of the Echo Dot returned to its all-time low of $25. But to sweeten the deal, Amazon is throwing in a free color smart bulb from Sengled.

Nespresso

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is quite possibly the easiest way to get your morning coffee, and it’s marked down by $94 right now for Prime Day. The sleek capsule coffee maker does both coffee and espresso, and the bundle comes with 30 pods to get you off and running. For $21 more you can add the milk frother and play barista at home. (Note: It appears the milk frother model has sold out for now, but as with lots of things on Prime Day, availability can fluctuate often so keep checking back.)

Normally $90, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is down to its lowest price to date at $45. The 8-inch tablet was updated in 2020 with a faster processor, USB-C charging, better Wi-Fi performance, 2GB of RAM (up from 1.5GB) and a bump from 16GB to 32GB of storage in the base model. Its HD screen is sharper than the entry-level Fire 7, but it’s not nearly as sharp as an iPad display. The HD 8 Plus (on sale for $65) adds wireless charging and slightly better performance, thanks to 3GB of RAM. Read our Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) review.

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The only thing better than owning one of the best streaming boxes you can buy today is not paying full price for it. This 25% price drop is a great opportunity to outfit more than one TV in your home with a smarter screen and more shows to watch.

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Why do you need a dedicated Kindle when your big-screen phone has the Kindle app? A few reasons. The e-ink screen is easy on the eyes, whether you’re in the sun or in bed (where the gentle self-illumination is always welcome). The battery lasts for weeks, not hours. And it’s waterproof, too. The fact that the Paperwhite (a CNET Editors’ Choice) is at its lowest price ever just seals the deal.

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We generally prefer the Roku (see below), but it’s tough to say no to Amazon’s 4K streamer when it’s 50% off. (The built-in support for VPNs doesn’t hurt, either.)

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It’s a little bigger, a little louder and just as much fun to use as the other Echo Show systems. Get Alexa with all the benefits of a screen at its cheapest price ever. Note, however, that the second-generation Echo Show 8 — with a better camera — is just $25 more ($95 total).

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You can save even more if you have an extra large home and need three pieces to cover it. This Wi-Fi 6 three-pack includes two extenders along with the router and a built-in Zigbee hub. Read our Eero 6 review.

Walmart

Good blenders tend to be a little on the expensive side, but Ninja is making its larger system available at a 30% discount so you can get to having some real fun in the kitchen.

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Amazon’s true wireless earbuds got a big upgrade this year with better audio quality and proper noise cancellation. The biggest reason to get them now, however, is the huge discount on the usual price.

This isn’t the lowest price ever for this router, but it’s a pretty great price for upgrading your home to a Wi-Fi 6 system that will last for quite some time.

Amazon

Amazon’s idea of a wellness tracker is one with no display and a whole lot of smarts to help you reach your goals. It’s a little unusual, and requires putting a lot of faith in Amazon keeping your health data safe, but at this discount it’s a great opportunity to see if this is more effective for you than the other options available today.

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Samsung makes a solid two-in-one Chromebook with a stylus and access to a huge volume of Android apps. And best of all, you can get this today for one of the best prices it’s ever been at.

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Amazon is in the early stages of building out its cloud gaming service Luna, and this controller is all you’ll need to play some of your favorite PC games on just about any screen in your life. It’s a cool idea, and if you take advantage of this Prime Day deal you can try it out for way cheaper than usual.

Cuisinart

Grills don’t usually go on sale this time of year, so this is definitely one to snap up if you’re in need of a very handy, very portable grill. The Venture has 9,000 BTUs of power and a serviceable 154-square-inch grilling space. There’s even a wooden lid that doubles as a cutting board. It’ll hook up to any standard propane tank, including those small 1-pound Coleman canisters you can find at any hardware store. The whole unit weighs just 25 pounds, making it extremely portable when compared with other small grills on the market. 

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Why bother with a carrying case for glasses and headphones when you can have one thing to do both? Amazon Echo Frames give you music and Alexa wherever you are, by embedding special speakers right in the frames of these glasses. It’s a clever combination, and thanks to Prime Day these smart glasses are now available at a significant discount.

Insignia

You can always expect a TV or 10 to go on sale during Prime Day, but Insignia’s models with the Fire TV tech baked right in have been superpopular, so it makes sense these would be some of the first things to go on sale. These sets are already incredibly inexpensive, but for $100 you could easily grab one even as a backup.

Blue Microphones

Whether you want to up your Zoom game or you’ve decided to try your hand at podcasting, Blue microphones are where it’s at. The setup is simple, the sound quality is great and every one of these microphones is aesthetically pleasing. Blue’s Snowball series has been around for a long time, and with good reason. And now, you can get one on the cheap with this early deal.

Roborock

All robot vacuums are not created equal, but this Roborock is certainly priced like one of the ones that don’t behave exactly as they should, thanks to Prime Day. Clip the onscreen coupon to get the price from $380 to $360.

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With more and more Alexa-enabled products controlling your home, why wouldn’t you want to have this same service in your car? Amazon’s Echo Auto allows you to stream music from all the usual suspects, but also lets you unlock your front door and set your thermostat before you even walk in. It’s a handy set of features to have, even if all you ever do is make sure the lights are on when you get home.

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This is about the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the current version of the Apple Watch. That deep price cut only applies to the 40mm Product Red version, but other colors and sizes are up to $70 off, which is still a very good price.