Merry Boxing Day to you, intrepid sales explorer! It's the day after Christmas, and it's a Sunday... just to help you work out what day of the week it actually is after they get supplanted by official titles like 'Christmas' and 'Boxing Day'.
The Boxing Day sales are now in full swing, but unlike Black Friday, they rarely go out of stock as quickly (although can sell out still).
With that in mind, I'm picking through the best deals we're seeing in tech, appliances and more - our main hub is bringing you a comprehensive round up of all the top sales around, but I think there's space to talk about the actual products too.
I've been using data - that handy little thing that tells me what's actually proving popular on TechRadar, and these are the 15 most attractive sales around at the moment, according to what you're clicking on:
Boxing Day sales: the 15 hottest around
- Amazon: absolutely loads of stuff on sale - an easy place to start
- GAME: 50% off Switch, Xbox and PS5 games and accessories
- Currys: once again has a huge sale - loads of top discounts to be found
- Box: super-cheap 4K TVs, gaming laptops and monitors
- PS5 console: now available for pre-order at GAME, delivers late January
- Ao.com: big discounts on TVs, coffee machines and large appliances
- Coffee machines: up to 70% off De'Longi coffee machines at Amazon
- Boots: 50% off make up, skin care and fragrances for Boxing Day
- John Lewis: up to 50% off lighting and furniture
- Lovehoney: big savings on sex toys and lingerie
- TVs: cheap 4K TVs from £249 at Currys - even cheaper than earlier
- Dell: cheap laptop deals and high-end Alienware machines
- Nike: save on hoodies, trainers, T-shirts, and more
- Very: big price drops on fashion, TVs, laptops, and beauty items
- Adidas: 25% off trainers, tees and hoodies at Amazon
Right, no time for pre-amble or welcoming you to the live blog this time - let's get right to it.
GAME is offering a pre-order on the PS5 console and bundles too - according to the retailer, it's got a number of options available for sale, from the basic console all the way up to bundles including clothing, extra games and controller cases too.
All of them are slated for release on January 21st, but that's something that could change - I'd anticipate that the console-only deal will be in high demand, so I think going for a bundle would be good.
The Miles Morales and FIFA 11 bundle for £626 looks a decent option, although sniff around and see if any others take your fancy. Maybe they'll all stay in stock, or will all deliver on the day, but if not... I think the more detailed bundles will ship first.
Just made my first (and, hopefully, only) purchase of the Boxing Day sales - I've been hankering after a decent pressure washer for a few years now, since I did a group test of them and managed to accidentally pressure wash a rude image into my drive - the Karchers were the best for this.
I just bought this Karcher K2 for £75, which is a huge saving at the moment - adding in the car wash accessories means my car will be washed for the first time in a year. Yep, I know, but my last house didn't have a hose and I'm not using buckets.
I really wanted to go for the K4 - or even the K5, as it's so powerful - but I was forced to admit that paying twice as much would be a real waste of money. The K2 will do the job just fine for my tiny drive and car.
Right - what's next? I could push you to the Fire TV Stick Lite: £29.99 £14.99 at Amazon.This basic Fire TV Stick drops the functionality to control your TV with the included remote, which isn't a terrible loss in the grand scheme of things when you're paying just £15.
After all, you still get access to all the same streaming apps in HD, plus the option to use the voice remote to bark orders at Alexa.
But my Mum has one, and I've been using it over Christmas. It's not the quickest, and even though she doesn't have a 4K TV I'm thinking of upgrading her to the FireTV Stick 4K Max... although, even though it is down to £36.99 from £54.99, it's probably a bit overkill. She doesn't have a TV that can do 4K HDR... but maybe she will one day...
No, Gareth. This is like the Karcher K4 power washer all over again. You don't need it.
She needs the Fire TV Stick. The standard one. And it's got extra controls, with Alexa and is only £24.99.
How about some AirPods Pro next? £239 £189 at John Lewis, these popular AirPods Pro deal is just £4 more than the lowest-ever price I've seen (£185 over Black Friday).
They come with significant improvements over the previous model, such as Active Noise Cancellation and a better design - I use these regularly, although they're still not great for running.
Meanwhile, the MagSafe wireless charging case is included in the price to give you more than 24 hours of total battery life - honestly, while MagSafe is expensive to invest into, all wirelessly-charging things need a magnet. It's so much better.
Note, you can get this deal slightly cheaper at Amazon but not with immediate delivery.
Here's one for those that want to spend a bit on a new TV... but not too much. Starting at £799 at Currys, the LG A1 OLED is one of the cheapest ways to get a good OLED screen in your home, and today's price is a whole £100 cheaper than the usual sales discount.
With 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and 20W of Dolby Atmos audio. You're getting plenty of good specs, even if the processor is a bit less powerful than that used in the C1.
Will that make a difference? Yes, if you're really into pin-sharp picture quality and need the decent speakers, but if you're just after a nifty TV then this is a great choice and saves a fair few hundred over the (admittedly excellent) C1 option.
- Check out the options at Currys - 48-inch:
£899.99£799 | 55-inch:£999£899 | 65-inch£1,499£1,249
Now, it's time for a BeavisWarning, a chance to remind you that not all sales are really sales... but are still offering cheaper items if you've waited until now to buy something.
For instance, we like the Oral B IO range, but the iOS Series 6 has been on sale for £99.99 for a few weeks... but that deal has expired.
It's been replaced by the same listing for £109.99 at Amazon, but that's (obviously) £10 more. Then again, it's a decent toothbrush and many of you will want to invest as you seek to get a little healthier - so that's maybe a price to swallow.
Afternoon everyone - Josie here taking over to ensure Gareth takes at least some time off, which he hopefully won't spend breaking his one-purchase-only rule this Boxing Day.
I've yet to make any big buys today, so let's hope we can find something great for me to blow out on.
Let's start with something pretty New Year's resolution-friendly, the Tefal ActiFry Genius XL air fryer, now on sale for just £148.99 (down from £284.99) at Amazon.
It's an all-time low for the ActiFry Genius (although only by £1), which we're pleased to see - one of our main criticisms in our review of the Genius XL air fryer was its hefty pricetag.
I'm on the market for some new earbuds, so I've been scouring through the deals to help me out.
You can imagine my delight to discover that the Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds are on sale today with £50 off at Currys (or for the same price Amazon, if that's your preference).
Not only did we give these handsome little buds a 5-star rating in our review, but they were also voted best in-ear headphones at the TechRadar Choice Awards 2021. So I guess you could say these are of a pretty decent quality.
I've never shopped at Box before, so I'm quite enjoying sifting through what they've got on offer.
Doing so led me to a contender for a Boxing Day treat - the Lenovo Y27gq-20 gaming monitor, now just £399.00 at Box.co.uk. Other retailers such as Amazon and AO.com have listed similar low prices.
This screen is another one of those products where we highlighted its high price as a detractor in our review, so this might make for a slightly more palatable price.
My mum's TV seems to have gone kaput this week. The bottom half of the screen is way dimmer than the top half, and it's driving us all mental - still, 7 years of service is pretty good.
Perhaps it's time for a change in manufacturer, seeing as she's a little bitter that the Christmas telly was interrupted.
This Boxing Day deal for £100 off the 55-inch Toshiba UL21 at AO.com is pretty much everything my slightly technophobic mother needs (and can handle) - a 4K screen, HDR and an easy-to-use entertainment center with apps and streaming services.
I've always really liked hitting the Boxing Day sales at Boots. Buying myself gift sets of fancy (or just fancier than the classic own-brand pharmacy make-up) cosmetic goods made me feel like I could camouflage myself among the pretty people for a few months in the New Year.
This time around though, I'm more excited by 50% off this Naeo 5.5kg weighted blanket at Boots.
Sleep-assisting devices are of particular interest to me with my raging insomnia, and £17.50 is a pretty enticing price for what can be a very expensive purchase generally. Can't say much for this particular blanket's quality, but it seems to only be available in-store. Darn it.
While we're on the topic of sleep, I really, really want an Emma mattress. Not only is the Emma Original our best mattress 2021, but it's competitively priced at the best of times.
If I were in control of my furniture choices (the joys of flat rentals in London), the first thing I'd be doing today is jumping on these incredible 50% off Emma mattress deals. The Emma Original mattress is down from £499 to £249.50 at Emma - plus, if stock runs out here (which I wouldn't be at all surprised about) you can always grab one for the same price at John Lewis.
Now all I can think about are ways to keep myself de-stressed. Christmas can be pretty stressful at the best of times, and if Parks and Recreation taught me anything, it's the importance of making space for a "Treat Yo' Self" day.
Added to this is the fact my dad has put his back out today - so I'm thinking the HoMedics Pro Phsyio massage gun could be a good shout. We thought this was a pretty good all-rounder in our review, and it's £55 off today in Amazon's Boxing Day sales.
Ok, now here's one that I am actually about to buy. My current hair dryer is absolutely awful, and this Panasonic EH-NA65 is one of our best-ranked hair dryers.
Currently, it's on sale for £43.49 at Amazon - just £1 higher than its all-time low price from Black Friday earlier this year, and a tidy 60% saving overall. It's a bit weird looking, but then I suppose invading alien species would find it weird in general to see humans firing hot air guns at their heads no matter what, so I'll take it.
Fun fact, my household doesn't do turkeys on Christmas - or even any other kinds of roast. We actually celebrate the holidays over a fun family fondue (cheese, that is), a tradition that started after we all realised we just didn't care much for 90% of what typically makes up a Christmas dinner.
There's 25% off this fondue set at Amazon, taking the price from £49.99 to £37.49. Plus, it's heated electrically - we tend to go for burners for the more authentic feel, but the fuel gel pots can be a little terrifying if you're not confident around fire.
Whether or not you'll be joining us in this anti-turkey mandate, fondues are great fun. Usually, I'd recommend ceramic pots for cheese, but you can easily make metal work - just don't forget to keep stirring, as it's much harder to get off the burnt bits.
I'm helping someone choose a gaming chair today and I'm delighted to see the noblechairs Epic Copper Limited Edition get a sweet discount from £329.99 down to £284.99 at Noblechairs.
The real leather version is our second-best ranked gaming chair so it's a great find, and this deal price is consistent with prices we found around Black Friday earlier this year. My dad has the original in vegan leather (which happens to also be on sale at Overclockers for just £15 more than the Copper Limited Edition).
Didn't get the Apple Watch 7 of your dreams for Christmas this year?
Well, if you have an older model (specifically a fully working, unlocked Apple Watch Series 6 44MM LTE 32GB.) then you're in luck! John Lewis will let you claim up to £120 if you trade it in for an Apple Watch 7 in this Boxing Day deal. We're not seeing a lot of deals beyond this for the newest Apple Watch, so if you fall into the "wants a new one, has a new-ish one to trade in" category, it's a pretty sweet deal.
Another top-ranking product on sale here today, this time from our choice of the best Dell laptops.
Currently, you can get £150 off the Dell XPS 13 from Amazon, after the same offer from Dell sold out. It's still a pretty pricey buy, but we've consistently found the XPS range to be top-performing.
A lot of the deals I'm drawn to now seem to be selling out. I'd better check out my Amazon basket if I don't want to miss out on my hairdryer.
There's still plenty to see though, like this deal for £65.99 off the Dolce Gusto Infinissima from Currys, beating out AO.com's price by a whole £5
In our review, we thought Nescafé's pod machine was pretty solid, if not a little power-hungry and drip-prone.
Still, it's a pretty big discount, even if the product is a few years old now.
Ooh, Very actually has some pretty nice gaming deals today, among other things.
In addition to some discounted games (Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS4/Xbox One down to £22.99, Life is Strange for PS5/Xbox One at £39.99 and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy for PS5/PS4 for £39.99) they also have higher ticket gaming devices discounted, like the Razer Kiyo Pro webcam, now £129.99 from £179.99.
This is our chart-topping, best webcam of 2021 - so worth grabbing, if you're on the market for a new camera.
While you're there, check out this deal on the Corsair HS70 Pro, the cousin of one of the best PC gaming headsets.
Very is offering £25 off the HS70, giving you a stylish, minimalistic wireless headset to yell through while you're playing Halo: Infinite with friends this Christmas break.
But wait... they're actually even cheaper at Amazon, coming in at £74.99 - £35 off!
I'm starting to fizzle out - the fondue hangover from yesterday is finally hitting. Thankfully, it's nearly the end of my shift, so I can go and sleep off the dairy-induced coma before we have raclette later... oh...
I'll leave you with this deal - if you want to protect your home and all your new goodies post-Christmas, Amazon has some great home security deals.
Here, you'll find a pretty good selection - including the Ezviz C8C outdoor security camera, now 33% off. We called this camera an "affordable outdoor home security camera that records clear, detailed footage both during the day and at night" in our review.
