Amazon Prime Day is next week, and, like many other eager shoppers, I'm looking forward to one of the best chances all year to pick up a bargain on a whole range of tech. There's a couple of products in particular that I've been keeping an eye out for, and as deals editor, I think have potential to be the headline promotions this event. At the very least, they're the models that I'm heavily wish listing for next week's Prime Day deals.
Before you ask - it's not deals on Amazon own-brand tech. Those are, of course, a given over Prime Day as Amazon loves to push it's own devices. Instead, I'm hoping for some discounts on reader favorites that are definitely due a good deal or too. Overall, I think the chances of getting great discounts is highly likely this year, depending on where you set your sights.
While we're at it, I've also pulled together a few examples that I don't think will be featured in this year's Prime Day event. While no-one wants to be the bearer of bad news, these are highly anticipated and searched for products, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents to help our readers avoid disappointment this Prime Day.
Cheap 2021 iPad 10.2 deals
Right now, the best iPad deals tend to be reserved for the pricier models on the market, at least in overall savings amounts. For example, you can get $40 off the latest iPad Air at Amazon US, or £50 off the iPad Pro 11 at Amazon UK currently - which are really great discounts if you want a premium model. In comparison, the discounts of $20 and £10 you can find on the budget 10.2 model are a little weaker.
Personally, I'd like to see Amazon and other leading retailers ramp up its deals on the cheaper model for Prime Day. It's been on the shelves for a while now but we haven't seen a discount over $30 since launch so it's about time we had a headline deal on this one. Sure, it doesn't offer the latest tech under the hood but it's a great value tablet that's perfect for a vast majority of users. A record low price this Prime Day would easily be up there with the best deals across the entire sale.
Sub $699 / £499 OLED TV deals
Over the past year or so we've seen prices for OLED TVs steadily decline. Right now, for example, you can get one of these super premium displays for as little as $749 / £549 depending on your region - which is honestly dirt cheap considering how prohibitively expensive these TVs were just a few years ago.
These OLED TV deals, while popular, are becoming more and more common at most of the big tech retailers. It makes me wonder - do we have the chance for these high-end displays to get even cheaper over Prime Day? As the biggest sales event of the year outside of Black Friday it's surely the time to go big or go home. Personally, if I see these displays even slightly cheaper - let's say by $50 / £50 - then I think it's going to cross the line into bargain territory for TV shoppers with more modest budgets. We're already seeing record-low OLED TV deals, let's see them go even lower.
Subscription discounts for Prime members
As someone who's always trying to figure out ways to save cash for our readers, I have an aversion to the sheer amount of subscriptions everyone is paying these days. In isolation Prime is a fantastic deal - for a small monthly fee you get unlimited free delivery and a huge range of perks, not least exclusive access to Prime Day deals. Most people, however, are balancing a Prime subscription with a Netflix account, a Walmart Plus account, and countless others. Honestly, it's getting really pricey really quickly - especially with inflation and the cost of basic items.
Here's my pitch to Amazon - why not offer a small subscription saving for existing and loyal Prime members over Prime Day? It doesn't have to be a huge discount, say $10 to $20 on the usual $139 you'd pay over the entire year, but it would go a long way in helping people decide whether another annual billing cycle is worth it.
A few years ago Amazon offered this very thing in the UK so it's not an unprecedented request. With the cost of living crisis gripping both the US and the UK, we think the time is ripe for a worldwide comeback for Prime member discounts.
Unlikely: PS5 or Xbox Series X deals
After months of scarcity, we're finally approaching a level with PS5 restocks and Xbox Series X restocks where consoles are starting to become more readily available. While consoles still regularly sell out - particularly at Amazon - it's actually fairly easy to get your hands on a console if you're even slightly quick off the mark.
For my money, however, I think we're still a long away from bona fide next-gen Xbox and PS5 deals actually cropping up at a retail event, let alone Prime Day. It's simple supply and demand - as long as listings are selling out, you can be sure that retailers will be reluctant to even offer the slightest of price cuts.
While we wouldn't rule out a big stock drop over Prime Day (Amazon has made its PS5 restocks exclusive to Prime members, after all), it's highly unlikely we'll see anything close to approaching a price cut. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's best not to get your hopes up if you're looking to pick up a cheap next-gen console.
Unlikely: MacBook Air M2 deals
The biggest release in the tech calendar this month is Apple latest ultrabook, the MacBook Air M2. As the successor to the excellent M1 model from 2020, it's a highly anticipated release and one that's definitely going to be making its way to shopping lists for Apple enthusiasts worldwide.
We, for one, are excited for this new model but we think big discounts are highly unlikely over Prime Day. In fact, with MacBook Air M2 pre-orders going live on Friday, the first devices won't even have been shipped for delivery by the time Prime Day rolls on. If it's a popular release, which I think it will be, I don't think there will be any price cuts for at least a month or so after the official release date of July 15th.
I base this assumption on previous Apple releases over the past year where it's generally been around four to six weeks before Amazon offers anything resembling a discount. If the device sells out during launch then you can expect that window to be even larger. Again, like next-gen console restocks, it's simple supply and demand.
Instead, if you're looking for a bargain, I'd highly recommend looking at the older M1 MacBook Air instead. It's a little older now sure, but the M1 chip still holds up for 2022 and it's outwardly identical to the new model. If we see a return to its record-low price of $799 / £799 it's also dirt-cheap in comparison to the latest model.
