Thanksgiving is over and the Kindle Black Friday deals have arrived. Yes, and I mean the brand-new Kindle lineup of e-readers Amazon announced last month. Not only that, but other WIRED-approved Amazon devices are also discounted, from Fire tablets and Echo speakers to Eero routers. If your holiday gift list includes one of those or maybe even a Fire TV Stick, you can shop (and save) now.
WIRED Featured Deals
WIRED’s Black Friday 2024 Coverage
Kindle Deals
The 12th-gen Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Kindle (it was also very new, announced in October). It has all the important features that make for a great reading experience including a large display with high resolution, smooth performance, warm lighting, and an IPX8 water-resistance rating. The latest version has the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle (for sharper text and images) and up to three months of battery life. It’s the thinnest it’s ever been too. The Signature Edition is also on sale for $155 ($45 off), which comes with auto-adjust brightness, double the storage (32 gigs), and wireless charging support.
The basic Kindle is an excellent choice for a compact and affordable e-reader. The latest 2024 model doesn’t offer many new features compared to the 2022 version, but it has a higher contrast ratio, a 25 percent brighter front light, and a faster page-turn rate. As the smallest Kindle, it’s super comfortable to hold one-handed and travel with if you’re the type who reads on the go often. For a fun pop of color, I suggest snagging the Matcha color. For under $100, you can’t go wrong with this one.
If you’re raising a bookworm, the kid-friendly Kindle makes for a wonderful gift this holiday season. Although it’s more expensive, we prefer the Paperwhite Kids because it has a larger display (which is better for reading graphic novels) and it’s waterproof so you don’t have to worry about those accidental spills. The basic Kindle Kids is also on sale for $95 ($35 off) which is smaller, more compact, and comes with fun covers to choose from. Both models also include six months of Amazon Kids+, a subscription service for age-appropriate books, and a two-year warranty.
We think Amazon’s Audible Premium Plus is the best audiobook service, as it bundles a library of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts, with one credit per month to use on any audiobook title you fancy, and regular exclusive deals and discounts. Usually, you get one month free, after which it costs $15 per month, but any nonsubscriber can get three months for $1 until the end of the year. Remember that you get to keep titles purchased with credits, even after your subscription ends.—Simon Hill
Fire Tablet Deals
The Fire Max 11 (5/10, WIRED Review) is Amazon’s most powerful tablet. But its high price, especially paired with the Productivity Bundle, put us off. Now that its price is well below $200, it’s a much better value. Like all Fire tablets, it’s ideal if you’re all in on Amazon’s content and services. It packs good performance, a bright and sharp screen, solid speakers, and an all-metal build, plus the 1080p cameras are nicer than what you’ll find on the rest of Amazon’s tablets.
This Fire tablet launched late last year but it’s still the best option in the lineup, especially at this sale price. It comes with a speedy octa-core processor, a large screen Full HD (1080p) screen, and 3 gigabytes of RAM for smoother performance when browsing the web with several tabs open. It supports Show Mode, which turns the tablet into an Echo Show smart display if you set it on a stand. You’ll have the choice between 32 GB or 64 GB configurations, with a microSD card slot that can add up to 1 TB of storage on both models. If you want to use the tablet to get work done, you can also buy the Keyboard Case bundle for $100 ($90 off).
The 2024 Fire HD 8 tablet only comes with a few improvements. Amazon increased the RAM from 3 GB (up from 2 GB), which was likely added for smoother performance when using the company’s new AI features. The rear camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels (up from 2 MP). Aside from that, it has the same design, size, and 13-hour battery life (we hit about 11 hours in our testing) as its predecessor. You’ll also get 32 GB or 64GB storage options with the ability to expand it up to 1 TB with a microSD card. It’s a better option if you want all the features that come with the HD 10 but in a smaller size. The display isn’t as nice, but the tablet is more travel-friendly.
This is the best kids’ tablet for younger children. It sports all the same features as Amazon’s standard Fire tablets, but you’ll also get a rugged case and a two-year worry-free guarantee. Amazon will replace it for free if your kids accidentally break it. It also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+, which gives you access to kid-friendly movies, books, apps, and games. You can manage the parental controls on the device as well.
Smart Speaker Deals
The fourth-generation Echo (8/10, WIRED Recommends) holds the top spot in our Best Alexa and Amazon Speakers guide and it’s also the best one you can get for this price. The company honed in on sound quality, digital signal processing, and fidelity to deliver a great home speaker. Equipped with Amazon’s AZI Neural Edge processor, it does a solid job at recognizing speech. You can use it in the kitchen for timers and recipes, in your bedroom for weather and news, or in the bathroom to play music or podcasts while you’re in the shower or getting ready.
This is a wonderful, affordable little smart speaker that delivers powerful and robust sound. With a compact footprint, you can set it up on your nightstand, side table, or bookshelf. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell says she set hers up in the hallway, allowing her to ask quick questions while moving throughout the house. It’s on sale for this price often, but we still think this is an excellent deal. Just know that despite being newer than the Echo (4th Gen), the Echo Dot (5th Gen) doesn’t have as good a speaker system.
If you can’t pick between a smart speaker or a smart display, the second-generation Echo Spot (7/10, WIRED Recommends) combines both. The half-circle display shows the time along with any alarms you have set. You can also use voice commands to display music, weather, and the calendar. There are a few customization options too, with the ability to customize the clock with different face options and colors. It has solid sound too—it’s loud enough for alarms and some music listening.
This is Amazon’s kid-friendly speaker (almost identical to the Echo Dot 5th Gen), complete with easy-to-use parental controls that allow you to review activity, filter explicit content, and set time limits. You also can choose between an adorable owl or a fun dragon design. Kids can use the speaker to listen to music, help them spell, or receive reminders for when it’s time for dinner. It comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ too, which gives you access to thousands of Audible books, games, and features. If you’d prefer a smart display for your child instead, the Echo Show 5 Kids is also on sale for $50 ($50 off).
The Echo Pop (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a basic speaker that comes in fun colors like purple and teal. It doesn’t have the best sound, but it’s OK for smaller spaces like a dorm room or studio apartment. It’ll work just fine if you’ll only be using it for background music or podcasts, but the main draw is that it’s affordable.
Smart Display Deals
The Echo Show 8 is our favorite smart smart display for Alexa. The 8-inch screen is a perfect size—it’s large enough for video chats, weather updates, and looking at recipes, but is also compact enough that it doesn’t take up too much space on your counter or nightstand. Amazon also added Widgets, which allow you to choose up to three informative little squares to see on the screen. The third-gen version is more expensive than its predecessors, but that’s because it also comes with spatial audio support and a smart home hub.
If you’re looking for a smart display to control your smart home devices, the Echo Hub is the way to go. It’s meant to be mounted on the wall, but you can also place it on a stand (sold separately). You can also use it to ask Alexa questions and play music, but the speakers aren’t great. You can, however, ask the Echo Hub to play music on a different set of speakers instead. If you already have a smart home setup, this device will help streamline the experience.
Fire TV Stick Deals
If you primarily watch Amazon Prime shows and movies, the second-generation Fire Stick is our top recommendation. You can still access major streaming apps like Netflix and Max, but a Fire TV Stick is tailored to Amazon Prime content. As with the last version, Alexa is built into the remote, there’s an “Ambient Experience” feature that displays and cycles through nature or art scenes when you’re not using it, and you’ll have access to picture-in-picture mode for controlling smart home devices or pulling up security camera feeds. Amazon doubled the storage to 16 gigabytes in this model and added support for Wi-Fi 6E, future-proofing it a bit.
Eero Router Deals
Simple to set up and use, Amazon’s Eero mesh systems are easy to recommend and can act as smart home hubs with support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee. The tri-band Eero Pro 6E (7/10, WIRED Recommends) mesh adds the 6-GHz band to the familiar 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. It’s a great choice for busy households with many devices and a 1 Gbps or faster connection. Performance is excellent, but the 6-GHz band is short-range. The Eero Plus subscription is expensive ($10 per month or $100 per year) but includes comprehensive parental controls, advanced security, ad blocking, and even a password manager and VPN service. Folks with smaller homes and connections up to 500 Mbps, should consider the Eero 6 (3-Pack) on sale at $150 ($50 off), but the more heavily discounted Eero 6+ (3-Pack) at $195 ($105 off) is a better deal if you can afford it. —Simon Hill
If you want the top-of-the-line mesh system from Amazon’s Eero, it’s the Max 7. This tri-band system supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. Each router can cover up to 2,500 square feet, and they have four Ethernet ports apiece, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps. You can mix and match Eero routers, the app is very accessible, and this system is designed to be hands-off. It also boasts comprehensive smart home connectivity, and the optional Eero Plus subscription is pricey ($10 per month or $100 per year) but bundles parental controls, enhanced security, ad blocking, a password manager, and VPN service. Eero has worked out some of the kinks since I tested the Max 7 (7/10, WIRED Review), but it’s still likely overkill for most folks and more than you need to spend unless you have a big busy household with a multi-gig internet connection. —Simon Hill
Security Camera Deals
The Blink Mini 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorite indoor security security cameras. It offers decent low-light performance, can record 1080p footage at up to 30 fps, and has on-device person protection. It’s also affordable, even without the discount. It’s worth noting, however, that the subscription costs #3 per month or $30 per year for a single camera, but you’ll also get 60-day unlimited cloud video history.
The second-gen Ring Indoor Cam comes equipped with a privacy shutter that you can swivel around when you don’t want it recording, optional color night vision, solid two-way audio, and records crisp 1080p footage at 24 fps. You’ll also get pre-roll captures, a built-in siren, and customizable zones if you need them. It’s worth noting, however, that the Ring app can be slow to load the live feed (and slightly confusing to navigate), but you’ll find plenty of useful in-app tutorials. For cloud storage and features like person alerts or rich notifications, you’ll need to subscribe to the Ring Protect Plan—it costs $5 per month for one camera and $10 per month for all cameras and doorbells.
We recommend this outdoor camera if you’re already all in on Amazon Alexa. It records good quality 1080p footage at 30 fps (with optional HDR for mixed lighting), a 140-degree field of view, and two motion-activated LED spotlights. You’ll also get a siren and two-way audio with above-average quality. Since it’s the “Pro” version, you’ll also get additional features like support for dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz), Bird’s Eye Zones (for an aerial view), and color pre-roll (which shows four seconds before an event). As with the indoor camera, you’ll have to pay for the Ring Protect Plan for video cloud storage and additional features.
Even More Deals on Amazon Devices
Looking for more? We’ve got you covered. Below, we gathered some more noteworthy gadgets that are also on sale.
