The best deals for Black Friday

We've rounded up some of the best discounts in gadgets and games.

Reporter

UpdatedWed, November 23, 2016 at 10:45 PM UTC

Black Friday, the shopping mania that occurs the day after American Thanksgiving, may be more important than ever in 2016. Between 4K TVs, new game consoles, media hubs, mobile devices and wearables, there are many potential gifts this year -- those discounts could be crucial to splurging on someone or treating yourself. But where do you go to find the best bargains? Never fear, as we're rounding up some of the bigger deals you'll see on and around November 25th. And many of these deals will be online, so you might not have to brave packed stores and shopping malls to save some cash.

Amazon likes to go all-out for Black Friday, and that's certainly true this time around. It's offering some hefty discounts on its rapidly growing hardware lineup, and you should see sales on at least a few big-name products. It's not disclosing everything at once, but you can check its Black Friday page to see what's new.

The flagship Echo speaker is selling for $140 ($40 off).

The Amazon Tap is on sale for $90 ($40 off), and the Echo Dot is down to $40 ($10 off).

Amazon's budget tablets are on sale: the Fire HD 8 sells for $60, the Fire Kids Edition is $75 and the entry Fire tablet is $33.

Kindle e-readers are on sale. The starter Kindle has dropped to $50, the Paperwhite is $100 and the Voyage goes for $170.

Now's the time to go smart home shopping: the Nest learning thermostat sells for $199 ($50 off).

Samsung's SmartThings Hub, meanwhile, has dipped to $50 (down $50).

Blue microphones are more affordable: the Yeti mic is on sale for $90, and the Snowball ICE is down to $40.

You know Microsoft wouldn't let Black Friday go without some hefty price cuts. Most of them start on November 24th, and are available both in its stores and on the web.

The Surface Pro 4 is more affordable: a Core i5/128GB version is down to $799, and a Core i5/256GB bundle with a keyboard is $999.

A Surface Book with a Core i5, 256GB of storage and dedicated graphics is going for $1,499 ($400 off), while a 128GB/integrated graphics edition is $1,249.

Xbox One S consoles are not only $50 off, but come with a "select" game and a $25 gift code. Controllers are dropping to $40.

Want VR? Both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift come with $100 Microsoft Store gift cards.

Numerous third-party PCs are on sale. Among the highlights: an Alienware 15 laptop with touch and GeForce 970M video is selling for $1,497 ($1,002 off), and a Dell Inspiron 15 variant is $799 ($300 off).

Online retailer Newegg is best known for its PC parts, but its Black Friday deals (starting November 24th) are eclectic, covering everything from complete PCs to phones to TVs.

LG's 49-inch and 65-inch UH6030 4K TVs will cost you just $400 and $800 respectively.

PC buyers have multiple choices. Our highlights: a 15.6-inch Gigabyte P55Wv6 gaming laptop with GTX 1060 graphics is on sale for $1,229, and the desktop crowd can score a CyberPowerPC Syber M with a Core i7 and GTX 1060 video for $899.

If you need a monitor to go with that PC, Samsung's 34-inch curved S34E790C is $580, or $420 off.

Samsung's 1TB 850 EVO solid-state drive is $250 with a free copy of *Watch Dogs 2*, and a 960GB SanDisk Ultra II is $239.

Huawei's Honor 8 smartphone with 64GB of storage is $350, or $100 lower than usual.

Just like last year, Samsung wants you to skip third-party retailers and buy straight from the source... namely, its website. And in some cases, its Black Friday sales (which run all week long) will be worth it.

The biggest 4K TV discount applies to the 65-inch KS9800, selling for half off at $3,000.

The 55-inch KS9000 is $1,500 (a sizable $1,300 off), while its same-size KS8000 counterpart is $1,000 ($1,200 off).

Smartwatch fans will be happy: both the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier are $300, or $50 off.

Apple doesn't really do holiday discounts, but the company isn't averse to giving away a gift card or two. This Black Friday, Apple is tempting shoppers by including gift cards of between $25 and $150 with some purchases, which you could consider a discount, albeit on the *next* expensive product you buy.

The catch is that Apple's newest products are exempt from the offer. You get a $25 gift card with an Apple Watch Series 1 or Apple TV, a $50 card with any last-gen iPhone, a $100 card with most iPad models, and a $150 card with a selection of older Macs.

So if you had your eye on an Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, or any of new MacBook Pro models, then no gift card for you we're afraid.

Staples' Black Friday deals this year focus on PCs, but there are a few treats in other categories. They're typically available both in stores and online.

The Surface Pro 4 with a Core i5, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is $799, although a keyboard is optional.

A Lenovo Flex 14 hybrid PC with a Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is on sale for $500, or $250 off.

HP's Pavilion 15 with a Core i7, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive is $500 ($280 off).

Staples is matching many of Amazon's device deals, which means price drops on the Fire HD8 ($80), Kindle Paperwhite ($99), Echo Dot ($40) and Fire TV Stick ($30).

Target has loads of Black Friday deals in 2016, some of them huge -- it may be your destination of choice for Apple gear. Retail stores open at 6PM on Thursday the 24th, but you can also shop online.

iPads are particularly affordable. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $449 ($151 off), the iPad Air 2 begins at $274 ($126 off) and the iPad mini 2 is down to $200 ($70 off).

Apple Watch Series 1 is $198, or $72 off.

Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are $0 down and come with a $250 Target gift card, provided you're a "well-qualified" customer activating on AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.

Samsung's 55-inch KU6500 curved 4K TV is $698 (a $402 drop), while a 60-inch flat KU6300 costs just as much ($502 off). A 50-inch KU6300 is $398 (a $352 discount).

LG fans can score a 55-inch 4K set (Target is initially shy on the model) for $500.

If you're looking for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, it's free on activation along with a $250 Target gift card, a free Gear VR headset and a $50 Oculus content pack.

Both the PS4 and Xbox One S are $50 off, as at other stores, but Target sweetens the Xbox One S deal with a $40 gift card.

The Sonos Play:1 speaker is $150 ($50 off).

A Nest thermostat will cost just $200 ($50 off), while a Nest Cam is $150 (also $50 off).

Fitness fans will be happy: a Fitbit Charge HR is $90 (a $40 discount), and Garmin's Vivosmart HR+ is $120 ($80 off).

Walmart is practically the poster child for Black Friday, and its 2016 deals are a good example of why -- it's cutting prices across a slew of gadgets, in some cases by hefty margins. Retail stores will offer the discounts at 6PM on November 24th, but they're available all day if you shop online.

Samsung 4K TVs are on sale now until the 28th. Our highlights: the higher-end 55-inch KU8000 is $998 ($1,202 off), while a budget 60-inch KU6270 will go for $648 on Black Friday (a $450 discount).

All Apple and Samsung phones bought on AT&T or Verizon installment plans are $0 down, and come with a $250 Walmart gift card.

Walmart is honoring the $50 price cuts on both the slim PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, but the PS4 comes with a $30 gift card.

*Lego Dimensions* and *Skylanders* starter packs for multiple consoles are $39, a minimum $35 discount.

Nest's thermostat and security camera are $199 and $149, both $50 off.

Apple's 32GB iPad mini 2 is down to $199 (a $70 savings).

Samsung's 11.6-inch Chromebook 3 will cost $119 (a $60 drop).

eBay isn't where you normally shop on Black Friday, but it'll have a big drone deal: a DJI Phantom 4 drone is $899 ($400 off).

If you miss out on eBay, DJI itself is cutting prices on Phantom 3 and 4 drones. They'll start at $399 and $999 respectively.

The PlayStation Store is running a sale until November 29th. Many games are on sale, but the high-profile choices are *Destiny* (down to $45), *The Witcher 3* ($20) and *Grand Theft Auto V* ($30). Prices will sometimes go lower if you have a PS Plus subscription, and a promo code knocks 10 percent off your total purchase.

Nintendo's eShop is holding a Cyber Deals sale until December 5th, with large discounts on 3DS and Wii U games like *Hyrule Warriors Legends* ($28), *Twilight Princess HD* ($35) and *Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens* ($18 3DS, $24 Wii U).

Steam's Autumn Sale is on until November 29th, with major discounts on *Batman* games (50 to 75 percent off), the *Elder Scrolls* series (50 to 73 percent), *Far Cry* titles (50 to 75 percent), *Grand Theft Auto* (50 to 70 percent) and *Civilization* (10 to 92 percent). Many, many other individual games are on sale as well.

Like digital comics? Comixology is running a Marvel collections sale that cuts prices up to 80 percent off until November 28th at 11PM Eastern.

HTC wants your business: the Vive VR headset is $699 ($100 off) on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, while the HTC 10 is $499 ($200 off) through November 29th. Older phones, the Re Camera and the UA Band are also on sale.

T-Mobile will give you discounts on the iPhone 7, Galaxy S7 or V20 if you trade in a qualifying phone and sign up for a One plan. Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge buyers also get a free Gear VR and $50 in Oculus store credit.

Our corporate masters at Verizon have their own promo running through Black Friday weekend. You can get any iPhone 7, Galaxy S7, Moto Z or Pixel variant for $0 down if you trade in one of 13 qualifying phones. A Pixel will cost you $10 per month if you buy it on the 24th or 25th, and you'll save between $100 to $200 on higher-end ($400-plus) Android phones if you either switch to Verizon or upgrade your device.

Sprint's Black Friday focus is on service rather than devices. As of November 23rd, you can get your third, fourth and fifth lines of unlimited service for free. And if you switch to an Unlimited Freedom plan on AutoPay by December 1st, you'll get a rate of $20 per month per line (for up to five lines) until January 31st, 2018.

Razer is cutting prices on key PC accessories. The biggest deals: a BlackWidow X Chroma keyboard is $110, and the Leviathan Soundbar dips to $139 (a $60 discount).

eBay is selling a 34-inch ultra-wide PC monitor (albeit 1080p) for $250, or $350 off.

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Amazon

Amazon likes to go all-out for Black Friday, and that's certainly true this time around. It's offering some hefty discounts on its rapidly growing hardware lineup, and you should see sales on at least a few big-name products. It's not disclosing everything at once, but you can check its Black Friday page to see what's new.

The flagship Echo speaker is selling for $140 ($40 off).

The Amazon Tap is on sale for $90 ($40 off), and the Echo Dot is down to $40 ($10 off).

Amazon's budget tablets are on sale: the Fire HD 8 sells for $60, the Fire Kids Edition is $75 and the entry Fire tablet is $33.

Kindle e-readers are on sale. The starter Kindle has dropped to $50, the Paperwhite is $100 and the Voyage goes for $170.

Now's the time to go smart home shopping: the Nest learning thermostat sells for $199 ($50 off).

Samsung's SmartThings Hub, meanwhile, has dipped to $50 (down $50).

Blue microphones are more affordable: the Yeti mic is on sale for $90, and the Snowball ICE is down to $40.

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The best deals for Black Friday

We've rounded up some of the best discounts in gadgets and games.

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