Best October Prime Day tech deals: Save up to $1,700

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Amazon’s October Prime Day sale is live Oct. 6 to 7, and the best tech deals aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest percentage off. We’re looking for discounts on devices we’d actually recommend: earbuds that stay comfortable through a commute, e-readers with responsive page turns, and creator cameras that make recording easier — not just cheaper.

Mashable’s reporters and editors test tech year-round. For Prime Big Deal Days, we’re pairing those hands-on findings with price-history checks to help you decide what’s worth buying, which upgrades are worth paying for, and where a cheaper model will do the job.

Our picks include $79 AirPods 4, the $103.99 Kindle, and $80 off Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. Below, we explain what makes each deal useful — and the compromises to know before you check out.

How do we pick these deals?

A low price doesn’t automatically make a good deal. We prioritize products recommended in Mashable’s reviews and buying guides, then use price-tracking tools such as camelcamelcamel to check whether the discount is unusually good. We also compare other retailers’ listings rather than assuming Amazon has the lowest price.

Where we’ve tested a product, we explain what stood out in actual use. Where a deal is for a different size, configuration, or version, we make that distinction clear. We also flag Prime membership requirements, third-party sellers, and other conditions that could change the value of an offer.

$79 AirPods (a Prime Day classic)

The $79 AirPods 4 are the budget pick for iPhone users who prefer earbuds without silicone tips. They offer up to five hours of listening per charge, plus H2-powered features including Personalized Spatial Audio and Voice Isolation for calls.

One important distinction: this deal is for the version without active noise cancellation. In our AirPods 4 review, we tested the ANC model, but it’s still relevant in terms of functionality. For example, the review offers useful context on the shared design: the earbuds stayed secure through flights and a treadmill run, although our reviewer experienced some discomfort after roughly eight hours of wear.

The AirPods 4 reached $69 last Black Friday, so $79 isn’t their all-time low. It’s their lowest price so far in 2026 — and a reasonable buy if you want Apple’s entry-level earbuds without paying extra for noise cancellation.

A Kindle for just over $100

The 2024 Kindle is on sale for $103.99, a 31% discount, with an option to bundle three months of Kindle Unlimited for free. It’s the pick for readers who want a small, lightweight e-reader rather than every feature in the Kindle lineup.

In Mashable’s review, Lead Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino found that the six-inch Kindle fit easily into a small crossbody bag, turned pages quickly, and displayed crisp, high-contrast text. Its 16GB of storage gives you room for thousands of books without stepping up to a more expensive model.

The trade-offs matter: this Kindle isn’t waterproof and doesn’t have the Paperwhite’s adjustable warm light. Amazon also rates its battery life at up to six weeks, compared with up to 12 weeks for the 2024 Paperwhite models. Choose the basic Kindle for portability and price; consider a Paperwhite if you read in the bath or want more control over nighttime lighting.

More Kindle deals:

Save on Apple’s newest MacBooks

We’ve been waiting for good deals on Apple MacBooks, and Amazon has finally delivered, with both the MacBook Air and Pro on sale.

If you’re a professional creative, developer, or AI enthusiast who needs a compact new laptop for work, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than the 14-inch, M5 Max-powered MacBook Pro. The « base » configuration with 36GB of RAM and 2TB of storage got a $500 price increase back in June, which bumped it from $3,599 to $4,099. But right now, Amazon has it on sale for just $3,499 — a $600 savings.

If you don’t need the powerful MacBook Pro’s features or the price tag, you can go with the M5 MacBook Air while it’s on sale for $1,099, or $200 off the normal price. Not only is it highly portable, but it also uses the M5 chip, and it stays in a moderate lane without going wild with features not everyone needs. It’s a great buy for students or professionals.

Anker charging products

Anker is the go-to charging brand for many tech nerds (including us), and the brand dropped some big discounts for Prime Day. You can grab the cute little Nano USB-C wall charger for under $30, and it even matches the new burgundy iPhone 18 Pro. The new Anker MagGo 2 Pro Power Bank just got its first-ever discount, and it offers 25W wireless charging.

Cheaper-than-ever Fire tablets

Two of Amazon’s own Fire tablets are already on sale for record-low prices ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. Take your pick from the compact Fire HD 8 with 64GB of storage — our favorite Fire tablet overall — or the big-screened Fire HD 10 with 32GB of storage, nicer cameras, and a sharper display. (Both have 13-hour battery lives.) They’re now up to 53% off for Prime members.

Get 46% off a 4K streaming stick

Amazon’s Fire tablets have been safe from price hikes so far, but the retailer raised the prices of all its Fire TV streaming sticks by at least $5 in August. The 4K Plus model went from $49.99 to $69.99. Nevertheless, Amazon will sell it to you for just $37.99 right now. (You can also try the coupon code STREAM4K, as we’ve seen it work at times this week.)

FWIW, this is Amazon’s cheapest media player with support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Nvidia Geforce Now, and Alexa Home Theater (a surround sound feature that works with Echo devices).

A new all-time low on an Apple Watch

Dropping to the lowest we’ve seen at Amazon, the Apple Watch SE 3 is down to $199. In Mashable’s review of the best smartwatches, the Apple Watch SE 3 takes the cake as the best model for most people. The SE was the first Apple Watch to include an always-on display, and we’re always thrilled to look down and see the stunning OLED display. Plus, the S10 chip is the same as the Ultra 3, which costs nearly $800 at full price.

A huge discount on a huge QLED TV

The 65-inch TCL QM8L is the best QLED TV for most people, according to Leah Stodart, our former TV expert. She praised its « superb peak brightness, detailed picture quality, and fantastic glare handling. » (QLED TVs in general « are ideal for people whose TV usage happens mostly in the daytime, especially watching sports, » to quote her TV specs guide.)

The 85-inch QM8L is down to $2,147.99 for Prime Big Deal Days — which is an even deeper discount than the $2,497.99 price point we were hoping to see. If you’ve been holding out for a TV deal, now’s the time to pull the trigger.

Affordable Fire TVs

The best Prime Day tech deals always include savings on Amazon’s own devices, like the affordable 40-inch Ember Fire TV. This TV has a high-definition HDR10+ display and doubles as an Alexa smart speaker for your home. The 28% discount drops the price to a very affordable $179.99, its lowest-ever price.

And if you’re looking for a cheap TV with a little bit more oomph, the 50-inch QLED Ember Fire TV is currently $100 off.

Save $10 when you preorder the ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake

Nintendo’s upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Switch 2 will be one of the year’s biggest gaming releases (after GTA 6, obviously). Preordering the physical edition will normally cost you $69.99 — it’s $10 more than the digital version — but Amazon has it on sale for $59.88 ahead of its Nov. 5 launch. The first print run has special packaging with foil cover art, so don’t dawdle.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo is the more practical upgrade for creators who want steadier footage and better audio without building a full camera rig. The bundle includes a DJI Mic 2 transmitter, battery handle, and mini tripod — not just the camera.

The Pocket 3 combines a one-inch CMOS sensor with a three-axis mechanical gimbal, which stabilizes footage as you move. Its rotating two-inch touchscreen makes switching shooting orientation straightforward, while ActiveTrack 6.0 can keep you centered during a solo, talk-to-camera recording.

For creators who edit beyond basic cuts, support for 10-bit color and D-Log M provides more flexibility for color grading. That’s the reason to consider this older camera: the useful features are still here, even if a newer model exists.

Read our review of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4.

Best deal under $50: Ugreen power bank

Whether you’re on team Android or iOS, this power bank will give your smartphone a second life. This has not been a good year to buy a new phone, thanks to rising prices, so if your battery is holding on for dear life, just slip this power bank into your purse or backpack and avoid low-battery anxiety. It charges your phone via an included USB-C cable at a speedy 45W.

Apple released a new generation of AirTag trackers this year, the AirTag 2. The popular Apple tracker is already at an all-time low price, and we don’t expect it to get any cheaper in the days ahead. You can also grab the 4-pack on sale for $89, though we’re hoping that price drops to $79.99 soon.

Best deal under $15: Amazon smart plug

This little gadget always goes on sale during Amazon sales, and so we’re hardly surprised that it’s one of the retailer’s Prime Day deals for October 2026. You can add this smart plug to your cart for just $12.98, a nearly 50% discount. If you’re trying to spend every last penny of an Amazon gift card, go ahead and add it to your shopping cart.

Deals on SanDisk memory products

The global memory crisis has led to rising costs for smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles, but it’s been a disaster for SD cards and hard drives. So, while the discounts aren’t as huge as they were in past years, you can find savings on these memory products during October Prime Big Deal Days. We’ve found a bunch of Prime Day deals on portable SSDs and hard drives, and we expect even more savings to come.

Case in point: The SanDisk Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Card Express is down by $70. Likewise, you can score $90 in savings on the popular 1TB SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, which is even cheaper now that October Prime Day has begun.

Best Amazon subscription deal

This exclusive deal is for Prime members only, and it’s a good one. For a limited time, Prime members can sign up for four months of Audible for just $0.99. You’ll also get a $20 Audible credit to spend as you like.

Our advice? Take advantage of this deal and set a calendar reminder three months and 29 days in the future.

Cheap wireless earbuds for under $25

If you’re prone to losing earbuds and just need something simple for everyday use, the popular Anker Soundcore P30i Earbuds are already at a record-low price of $23.68.

Mashable Deals

The best Prime Day iPad deals

In the lead-up to Prime Big Deal Days, the iPad Air has gone on sale, then went back to full price, and then went back on sale. As of this writing, you can once again save $100 on the latest iPad Air, which is powered by the powerful M4 chip, is razor-thin, and won a Mashable Choice award (read our full review if you’re on the fence) earlier this year.

If you want to upgrade to the M5 chip and a breathtaking OLED display, then you can also save $100 on the iPad Pro. The HDR display is incredibly bright, even in direct sunlight, and it has enough processing power to handle video editing software and 4K video files.

You can also check out all of the October Prime Day iPad deals we’ve spotted so far.

Bose QuietComfort headphones on sale

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are $80 off, and their appeal is more specific than “premium sound”: Mashable’s testing highlights their comfort, adjustable active noise cancellation, and all-day battery life with ANC enabled.

The second generation increases rated battery life from 24 to 30 hours and adds USB-C wired playback, which can charge the headphones while you listen. There’s also passive playback through an auxiliary cable. Those are useful upgrades if you wear headphones through a workday or want a wired option when the battery runs out.

Prefer earbuds? The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are under $130 after a 28% discount. Just keep the models straight: these are not the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, so the recommendation and review link should match the pair on sale.

A premium OLED TV

Samsung’s S95H OLED TV is our tech editor’s dream TV, but it’s impractically expensive, even when it’s on sale. Fortunately, the brand’s S90H OLED TV is also a phenomenal TV, and it just dropped to its lowest price ever, making this one of the best Prime Day TV deals of the sale so far (honestly, it’s one of the best Prime Day deals, period).

It’s definitely an investment, but if you’re a gamer or cinephile, then this is a future-proofed TV with a stunning, glare-free display, a speedy AI processor, and a sleek design.

DJI drone

We’re big fans of DJI cameras and drones at Mashable. Unfortunately, they’ve become a lot harder to find in the United States thanks to the ongoing drone ban and the company’s troubles with the FTC. However, Amazon has delivered with some big Prime Day deals on DJI drones. So, if you’re looking to take your videos airborne, you can grab the entry-level DJI Mini 3 4K camera drone for under $300.

Note: This product is only available through third-party sellers at Amazon, which we normally try to avoid.

Save 43% on one of our favorite waterproof speakers

When we wanted to test the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, we had one of our audio experts take them down to the pool. That’s how we know this popular Bluetooth speaker is the real deal. Prime members can grab this compact and portable party speaker for only $56.99.

A super-affordable Android smartwatch

You can score some great deals on the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 12 this Prime Day, but if you’re looking for a tracker and smartwatch hybrid that’s even more affordable, then we have to point you to the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro. We called this an almost-perfect smartwatch in our review, and we named it a Mashable Choice product.

Grab this budget Android tracker, which boasts weeks of battery life, for just $59.

Prime members only have 48 hours to shop Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale. Sign up for a Prime 30-day free trial if you want to save some cash, and follow Mashable’s guide to the best October Prime Day deals and live blog for the latest updates.

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