And as if by magic, the Prime Day hard drive deals have come to an end - but there's still time to snag a bargain if you're fast.
For more top hard drives, my team has reviewed all the best external hard drives, the best external hard drives for Mac, and the best portable SSDs. And, if can wait that long, we'll be back to cover all the best Black Friday SSD and hard drive deals and Cyber Monday SSD and hard drive deals when they're live.
Still want a Prime Big Deal Day offer? See our round-ups of the best Prime Day SSD deals and our Amazon Prime Day deals hub.
Recent updates
With Prime Day over, prices are beginning to rise once more - so, if a deal is too good to miss, grab it.
- Out of stock items? Pricing mistake? Incorrect specs? Let me know via email
Editor's Picks: Prime Day hard drive deals
US retailers
- Amazon: Save on portable hard drives
- Best Buy: Discounts and deals on hard drives
- Newegg: Save on selected hard drives
- WD: Get money off top portable hard drives
- Adorama: Big discounts on hard drives
- Micro Center: Savings on hard drives
Amazon Prime Day Hard Drive deals
Amazon Prime Day NAS deals
Looking for Prime Day NAS device deals? See what network-attached storage solutions we rate in our guides to the best NAS devices and best NAS hard drives - and check back here once the deals kick off.
Amazon Prime Day hard drive deals: what to expect
Show more
While we expect hard drive discounts across the board on Prime Day, the market has been a little slow moving so far.
Positively, we’ve already spotted massive discounts on the WD Elements desktop hard drive, and we expect other everyday storage products like this to drop around Prime Day itself.
Right now, though, other mainstream hard drives like the Seagate Portable, the Barracuda internal drive and the Toshiba Canvio Basics haven’t actually been given a discount. Analysis of their historic pricing also finds them sitting at steady, consistent levels over the past few months.
We recommend holding your nerve until Prime Day itself unless you need to buy basic storage right now. Wait a little longer and you’ll likely get a bigger price drop.
If you need to act sooner, we recommend installing a browser extension like Keepa or using a website like CamelCamelCamel to check if prices have dropped recently and to ensure you avoid pre-sale inflation. And because other companies join in the Prime Day fun, check out other retailers if the drive you want isn’t yet discounted on Amazon.
We’ve observed more discounts on specialist products, like the LaCie Rugged Mini outdoorsy drive and the WD Black P10 gaming SSD. The price drops aren’t as drastic as the monster 44% drop on the WD Elements, but we don’t expect those specialist products to see those kinds of reductions, anyway. In short, that’s probably about as good as it’ll get for specialist gaming or ruggedized drives, so you can buy now with confidence now rather than wait until Prime Day.
No matter what kind of hard drive you want to buy, make sure you’re getting the right product. Only shell out for a pricier portable or internal drive with loads of speed if you need the extra pace for high-end creative work tasks or gaming, and don’t bother buying a rugged drive unless you regularly need to use it in tough environments. Buy kit like that without needing the features and you’re simply throwing money away.
Elsewhere, consider paying more for drives that include software packages, encryption and longer warranties if you want peace of mind for your data, and check customer reviews before purchasing to avoid any bugs, common pitfalls or performance issues.
Be aware that Amazon sometimes offers coupons to drop prices further, and create alerts for lightning deals if you want to grab last-minute bargains on Prime Day itself.
Amazon Prime Day Hard Drive deals: FAQs
When is the second Amazon Prime Day 2024?
The second Amazon Prime Day 2024, which is called the Prime Big Deal Days, will have sales running throughout October 8 - 9.
Will I need an Amazon Prime Day subscription to get Prime Day portable hard drive deals?
Always! And it’s never been so easy to get your hands on a subscription, either, because you don’t have to spend money – if you haven’t been a member for a year, just sign up for a free thirty-day trial to take advantage of the price drops. And if you’re already a member, you’re golden.
How do I become an Amazon Prime member?
You need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to get access to Prime Day deals, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 for a year.
However, new subscribers can take advantage of the 30-day Amazon Prime free trial to buy the deals. You can only use this if you've never been a member before, so it won't be available if you've used it already or if you've signed up for Amazon Prime in the past.
While on the free trial, you get all the other membership benefits including free shipping, access to Prime Video and much more. Do read our Amazon Prime review for full coverage of what you get as part of a membership. That can help you decide if you want to cancel Amazon Prime once your free trial has ended to avoid being charged the monthly fee.
Which hard drives will be discounted on Prime Day?
Hard drives are commoditized these days thanks to the popularity of SSDs and relatively cheap prices, so companies like WD, LaCie and Seagate are always keen to offer deals to help differentiate their products. That bodes well for customers on Prime Day, where almost everything will be available with a discount.
