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The Amazon-concocted Prime Early Access Sale is, in essence, yet another Prime Day. In truth, most of the deals you’ll see this week aren’t actually worth pursuing, so as ever, we’re committed to sorting through the overhyped “discounts” on crummy gear to find the truly great deals on Wirecutter-recommended products. We’re keeping this post updated with only the best of the best.
Coway Airmega 200M Air Purifier (Black) Deal price: $128; street price: $200
What we like: Nearly identical to our top pick in noise level, CADR, controls, and overall performance. Display-shutoff feature lets you dim its lights.
Other things to know: Square grille rather than the round one offered by the AP-1512HH Mighty. Only available in black.
Read our review of the best air purifier.
Coleman 70-Quart Xtreme Cooler (Black) Deal price: $40; street price: $70
What we like: Great insulation. Build level is of a high quality. Discounted black color disguises dirt.
Other things to know: Variant of our top hard cooler pick. Matches the best price we've seen this year.
Read our review of the best coolers.
Worx WG521 Turbine 800 Leaf Blower Deal price: $60; street price: $90
What we like: Most powerful leaf blower we’ve ever tested. Corded blower controlled with a three-speed thumb dial that's easy to reach and turn.
Other things to know: Not as ergonomic as our top pick. More difficult and tiring to handle.
Read our review of the best leaf blower.
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine Deal price: $900; street price: $1050
What we like: Sleek and powerful. Great programming and quality built-in grinder. Offers lots of guidance in the form of a touchscreen control center with step-by-step tutorials and multiple programs.
Other things to know: Comes with a two-year warranty. Not cheap, but the built-in grinder saves you from having to buy a separate grinder.
Read our review of the best espresso machine for beginners.
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) Wireless Earbuds Deal price: $70; street price: $100
What we like: Decent noise cancellation. Only earbuds to offer hands-free Alexa compatibility.
Other things to know: A little large for smaller ears. Five-hour battery life is middling.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021) Deal price: $70; street price: $115
What we like: Great sound and crisp screen. Convenient smart-home control. Includes a 13-megapixel camera for video calling. 8-inch touch display is big enough for comfortably viewing video from streaming services.
Other things to know: Now compatible with Zoom. Compatible with Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix.
Read our review of the best smart display for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Ring Video Doorbell Wired (Amazon) Deal price: $40; street price: $60
Ring Video Doorbell Wired (Target) Deal price: $40; street price: $60
What we like: Smaller and cheaper than most Ring doorbells. Captures clear 1080p images. Delivers accurate motion and person alerts.
Other things to know: Needs to be hardwired. Compatible with Amazon Alexa and other Ring products. Doesn't offer detailed alerts or local storage. Requires a Ring Protect Basic plan (which starts at $3 per month or $30 per year) to record motion events.
Read our review of the best smart doorbell camera.
Amazon Echo Glow Night-Light Deal price: $17; street price: $25
What we like: Smart night light ambience helps your child sleep. 16 colors, Echo-controllable and routine-compatible.
Other things to know: No physical controls (app or smart device only).
Read our review of the best ways to use smart lights to help your kids get to bed (and stay asleep).
Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) and one month of Amazon Music Unlimited Deal price: $10; street price: $30
What we like: Affordable addition to an Amazon Alexa smart-home speaker system. Nice opportunity to try Amazon Music Unlimited if you were considering a subscription.
Other things to know: The Echo Dot typically costs $25 to $50 and Amazon Music Unlimited is $9 monthly. The Amazon Music Unlimited subscription auto-renews after the first month. You can cancel or change your subscription anytime. For those interested in trying Amazon Music Unlimited without the Dot, there's now a free 4 month trial available to new users.
Read our review of the best Alexa smart speakers.
Amazon Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen, 2021 release) Deal price: $35; street price: $60
What we like: Ideal for a nightstand or bathroom counter. Able to play music, check the weather, and communicate with any smart-home device.
Other things to know: Has a smaller, 5.5-inch screen. Display auto-dims when you turn out the lights. Prime members can use codes SHOWOFFICE30 and JULSHOW30 to get an extra $10 off at checkout.
Read our review of the best smart display for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Echo Dot Kids Edition + Echo Glow Bundle Deal price: $36; street price: $65
What we like: Echo Dot Kids identical to Echo Dot 4th gen. Echo Glow displays 16 colors, Echo-controllable and routine-compatible.
Other things to know: Matches previous bundle deals. Includes parental controls, longer warranty (two years), and a year of Amazon Kids+ content.
Read our review of the best ways to use smart lights to help your kids get to bed (and stay asleep).
Ring Video Doorbell Wired + Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) Bundle Deal price: $60; street price: $120
What we like: Ring is cheap, easy to install, captures clear 1080p images, and delivers accurate motion and person alerts. Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) has a compact 5½-inch screen.
Other things to know: Bundle includes our budget smart doorbell camera with the smaller Alexa smart display pick. Requires a Ring Protect Basic plan (which starts at $3 per month or $30 per year) to record motion events.
Read our review of the best smart doorbell camera and smart display for Alexa.
Google Nest Hub Smart Display (2nd Gen) Deal price: $55; street price: $80
What we like: Offers the same abilities as larger Google Assistant–enabled smart display models. Privacy-friendly as it lacks a built-in camera. Includes sensors to track sleep.
Other things to know: Screen is 7 inches in size, a little larger than the Echo Show 5. $55 price matches the low we've seen for a single Nest smart display.
Read our review of the best smart display for Google Assistant.
Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 3rd generation, 256 GB) Deal price: $700; street price: $850
What we like: Great tablet, passable laptop with added accessories. Faster processor and a more capable camera than other iPads. Vivid screen. Offers access to a wide library of finger-friendly tablet apps.
Other things to know: iPadOS and its apps are limiting for coding or web development. Available in space gray and silver.
Read our review of the best tablets.
Apple iPad mini (6th generation, 64 GB) Deal price: $400; street price: $460
What we like: Fast and powerful as a 4th-gen iPad Air. Edge-to-edge display, Touch ID in power button, and rear camera with flash. Nearly 11 hour battery life.
Other things to know: Available in all colors. Only 64 GB storage for deal price. Feature packed but still pricey.
Read our review of the best tablets.
Apple Watch Series 7 Smartwatch (45 mm, GPS) Deal price: $310; street price: $360
What we like: Fast with a bright large screen. Always-on display, more crack-resistant glass, and faster charging. Also, health tracking features like ECG and blood oxygen.
Other things to know: 45 mm watch face available in black, forest green, and gunmetal blue. 45 mm size on sale least often.
Read our review of the best smartwatch for iPhone owners.
Beats Solo3 Bluetooth Headphones Deal price: $90; street price: $175
What we like: Easily pairs with Apple devices. 40-hour battery life. Sound profile offers nice highs and mids with a slight bass boost.
Other things to know: Typically sells for more than our budget pick, but this deal makes them more affordable. Discount applies at checkout
Read our review of the best Bluetooth wireless headphones.
Acer Swift 3 (SF314-511-51A3) 14" Ultrabook (8 GB RAM, 512 SSD) Deal price: $400; street price: $580
What we like: Lightweight with solid performance. 10.5 hour battery life. No deal-breaking flaws.
Other things to know: Keyboard is a little cramped. Doesn't come with a USB-C charger. Build feels a little cheaper than the Yoga 7i.
Read our review of the best Windows Ultrabook.
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar Deal price: $36; street price: $45
What we like: Fun for kids and an alternative to sweets. Makes a festive holiday display when finished.
Other things to know: Pieces/characters are different from those in our official pick. Cut off build instructions and store them in a zip-top bag with the Lego for easier rebuilding. Price reflects in cart.
Read our review of the best Advent calendars.
Lego Boost Robotics Kit Deal price: $120; street price: $160
What we like: A joy for kids to put together in testing and the easiest to program. Possibilities for creative expansion are almost limitless. Great for kids interested in robotics and programming.
Other things to know: Recommended for ages 7 to 12. The lowest price we've seen for this kit.
Read our review of the best robotics kits for beginners.
Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller Deal price: $39; street price: $50
What we like: Comfortable to hold. Easy to set up with Windows for PC use. Works wired or wirelessly.
Other things to know: Requires AA batteries or battery pack for wireless. Currently only available in white. Delayed shipping.
Read our review of the best PC gaming controller.
Gears! Gears! Gears! Deluxe Building Set Deal price: $16; street price: $23
What we like: Gears! More complex than basic wood blocks. Allows for more complex structures and building challenges. Also, gears!
Other things to know: Ages three and up. Can be loud on bigger projects. First deal we've posted in nearly two years.
Read our review of the best learning toys and stem toys we love.
3Doodler Create+ 3D Pen Deal price: $60; street price: $80
What we like: Comfortable to hold and easy to use for hours. Minimal setup to start using. Wide variety of useful accessories Excellent customer service.
Other things to know: Proprietary filament. Cord feels a little short. For ages 12 and older.
Read our review of the best 3D pen.
Educational Insights Artie 3000 The Coding Robot Deal price: $31 with store pickup; street price: $41
What we like: Nurtures curiosity, creativity, and imagination. Pairs with an app and website kids can use to program simple works of art before advancing to coding in Python.
Other things to know: Comes with four washable markers but accommodates any skinny pen. Runs on AA batteries. Select store pickup or add to order over $35.
Read our review of the best gifts for 7-year-olds.
Microsoft Xbox Series S + Free Controller Deal price: $250 for store pickup only; street price: $290
What we like: Small, light, and capable of playing the newest generation of games. Backward-compatible with a vast library of older games. Supports 4K media streaming.
Other things to know: Has 512 GB of storage and allows you to add an external hard drive for more. Lacks a disc drive. Doesn’t support 4K gaming. Now limited to store pickup only, depends on local stock.
Read our review of the best game consoles.
TCL Class 5-Series 4K Roku TV (65-Inch, Model 65S555) Deal price: $550; street price: $700
What we like: Still testing, but looks very promising per Wirecutter senior staff writer and TV expert Lee Neikirk. Snappy and bright image. Local dimming is strong for a budget model in early testing.
Other things to know: Previous model was our pick. One of our finalists for the best 4K TV on a budget. Won't compare to higher-end options, but good value for the price.
Read our review of the best 4K TV on a budget.
Samsung S95B OLED TV (55-Inch) Deal price: $1600; street price: $1800
What we like: Perfect black levels, high contrast, and huge viewing angles. Vivid color saturation and high brightness. Great for bright rooms.
Other things to know: Does not support Dolby Vision HDR. Only available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes. New low price for 55-inch.
Read our review of the best OLED TV.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K (2021) Deal price: $27 with clipped coupon; street price: $40
What we like: Widest selection of streaming services overall. Player supports all the major 4K HDR standards (including Dolby Vision, HLG, and HDR10+).
Other things to know: Interface is simple but feels dated. Doesn't integrate recently watched and preferred content into one menu like our top pick does.
Read our review of the best media streaming devices.
We largely don’t recommend Fire TVs, especially at their usual list prices, but of the ones available for sale, senior staff writer Lee Neikirk prefers the Amazon Omni Series 4K. That model is presently available for $400 in the 50-inch size, but unless you’re an Alexa enthusiast, other TVs have less annoying streaming navigation and better overall features. We also suspect that prices may get even better for Omni models as we approach Black Friday.
iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum Deal price: $175; street price: $220
What we like: Basic, durable, and repairable. Good at cleaning rugs, and a nimble navigator. Wi-Fi connectivity enables remote control, scheduling, and smart-home integration.
Other things to know: Bumps into stuff and scoots away semi-randomly, over and over, until the battery dies. Works best on three or four rooms at a time.
Read our review of the Roomba 600 series.
Roborock S5 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop (White) Deal price: $350; street price: $480
What we like: Advanced obstacle-recognition camera system. Handy controls. Nice option for floors that already stay relatively clean.
Other things to know: One-year warranty. Price reflects in cart. Deal matches the best price we’ve seen for the S5 Max in new condition.
Read our review of the best robot mops.
Which products are most likely to see great deals this month? The Wirecutter Deals team makes its expert predictions.
We are already seeing signs of holiday sales creep, which means that shopping season now starts before Halloween.
Which products are most likely to see great deals this month? The Wirecutter Deals team makes its expert predictions.
Which products are most likely to see great deals this month? The Wirecutter Deals team makes its expert predictions.
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