The best Amazon Prime Day early access deals for 2023

Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2023 will begin on July 11th, but you don’t have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices and services. We’ve rounded up the best early access Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you’ll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the offers, and that there’s always a chance that prices drop lower during the event itself. For those with no interest in Prime, we’ve also included a few of the best tech deals from this week that aren’t explicitly tied to the event. We’ll stay on the lookout as Prime Day gets nearer and update this roundup with new offers as they arise.

Amazon Fire HD Kids tablets

Amazon

This matches the lowest price we’ve seen for Amazon’s 10.1-inch child-friendly tablet, and it comes as part of a wider sale on Amazon Kids slates.

$120 at Amazon

If you want to buy your little one a tablet, Amazon has also discounted its entire lineup of Fire Kids slates for Prime members. The Fire HD 8 Kids and Kids Pro are each down to $75, while the Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro are available for $120 apiece. Those are all-time lows for each respective tablet.

All of these devices will feel sluggish next to an iPad, and Amazon’s app selection is more limited than Apple’s. If you just need a cheap screen for a young kid to read comics and watch TV shows, though, they should do the job. The Fire HD 10 is the better option of the two: Its processor is a bit faster, and its 10.1-inch 1080p display is both larger and sharper. But both tablets come with strong parental controls, protective cases, built-in kickstands, two-year warranties, and a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+. The Kids tablets have big rubbery cases built to withstand the abuse of a toddler, while the Kids Pro editions have slimmer hard-plastic cases designed for slightly older children.

Amazon Echo Dot Kids

Amazon

This is the best price we’ve seen for the Kids version of Amazon’s compact smart speaker. 

$28 at Amazon

Staying on the kid-friendly Amazon device train, the latest Amazon Echo Dot Kids is on sale for $28. That’s another all-time low and about $25 below the smart speaker’s typical street price. Again, the offer is only available to Prime members. The Echo Dot Kids has the same impressive hardware as the standard model, which we consider the best small smart speaker for most people. The main difference is its cutesy design: One model looks like a dragon, the other looks like an owl. Like the Kids devices above, it also comes with a two-year warranty and a year of Amazon Kids+. In this case, the latter supplies kid-friendly podcasts, playlists and audiobooks along with more education-focused Alexa skills. The quality of that content can be hit or miss, but it’s all age-appropriate.

Amazon Echo Show 5 Kids (3rd gen)

Amazon

Add two of these smart speakers to your cart and use the code SHOW5KIDS at checkout to see this deal.

$100 at Amazon

If you subscribe to Prime, you can get two Echo Show 5 Kids smart displays for $100 by adding them both to your cart and using the code SHOW5KIDS at checkout. The recently refreshed smart display normally goes for $100, so this offer gives you two for the price of one. Like most other Amazon Kids devices, the Echo Show 5 Kids takes the same hardware as the “normal” variant and adds a more playful design, a longer warranty and easier access to kid-friendly content. The 5.5-inch device isn’t as powerful as the larger Echo Show 8 for streaming or making video calls, but it makes for a nice smart alarm clock or bedside display if you regularly use Alexa. Of note, the device also comes with a physical camera shutter and mic mute button for when the kids aren’t playing around.

Amazon Echo Pop + Ring Video Doorbell

Amazon

This deal effectively bundles Amazon’s diminutive new Echo Pop speaker with Ring’s 1080p wired video doorbell for no added cost. 

$40 at Amazon

A bundle that pairs Amazon’s Echo Pop speaker with a wired Ring Video Doorbell is down to $40 for Prime members. The Pop is more or less a cheaper version of the Echo Dot with a unidirectional design and less powerful audio quality, but it goes for $40 on its own, so this deal effectively nets you a video doorbell for no extra cost. The Ring doorbell here is decidedly entry-level, too, as it lacks local storage, won’t work with existing chimes and requires a subscription to store and view recordings. Like other Ring devices, it also comes with its share of privacy concerns. But if you just want the basics for as little as possible, it captures 1080p video and is generally easy to set up and use.

If you don’t care about the Echo Pop, the doorbell alone is available for $35, which is about $20 off its street price. A bundle with the doorbell and the Ring Chime, meanwhile, is down to $50, which is roughly $25 less than usual. Both of those offers are also exclusive to Prime members.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited 3-month membership

Amazon

Prime members who are new to Kindle Unlimited can get three months of the all-you-can-eat e-book service for free.

$0 at Amazon

If you’re a Prime member who has never subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can get a three-month trial to Amazon’s e-book service for no extra cost. Normally, the subscription goes for $12 a month after a 30-day free trial. Just note that the membership will be set to auto-renew by default. As a refresher, Kindle Unlimited makes a selection of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines accessible on-demand. It doesn’t include every e-book in the Kindle library, but it may still be worthwhile if you’re a particularly avid reader. If nothing else, this deal makes it easier to figure out if it’s worth paying for.

Audible Premium Plus 3-month membership

Amazon

Prime members can get a three-month free trial to the Audible Premium Plus, so long as you’ve never subscribed to the audiobook service in the past.

$0 at Amazon

Similar to that Kindle Unlimited offer, Prime members who are new to Audible Premium Plus can get three months of the audiobook service for free. This membership usually costs $14.95 a month after a 30-day free trial, so you’re saving about $30. Premium Plus is Audible’s upper tier: Like the less expensive Audible Plus, it provides an assortment of audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content you can access on-demand. The main difference is that it also includes a monthly credit that you can use to buy any book in the Audible store permanently. As with Kindle Unlimited, Premium Plus will be most worth it if you burn through audiobooks and podcasts quickly, but this extended trial is a comfier way to see if it’s useful. Again, be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

Eero Pro routers

eero

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70.

$70 at Amazon

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. We recommend going for the Eero Pro if you can, since it’s a tri-band system that supports speeds up to 1Gbps and covers slightly more square feet than the standard Eero does. Just keep in mind that these are not the latest Eero systems; for WiFi 6 support, you’ll have to shell out a bit more money for an Eero 6 set.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Apple

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low.

$199 at Amazon

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. These remain the best true wireless earbuds for Apple lovers, even though the company didn’t overhaul their design with the latest update. All of the new features are under the hood, with Apple noticeably improving sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency mode.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nintendo

This is the best price we’ve seen for Nintendo’s critically acclaimed open-world adventure.

$60 at Amazon

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is $10 off at Amazon and Walmart, bringing the hit Switch game down to a more traditional price of $60. As our review notes, Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t stray too far from Breath of the Wild, but it enriches its landmark predecessor’s ideas with a full-size underworld, fantastical sky islands and malleable crafting mechanics. Most importantly, it gets the core promise of a Zelda game right: that sense of being and adventuring in another world.

There are a few other video game deals of note. For the Switch, Metroid Dread, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are each down to $42, the remake of the classic RPG Live A Live is down to $35 and the Portal Companion Collection is on sale for $10. Over on PC, the open-world racer Forza Horizon 5 is down to $30, while Prime members can claim a couple of underrated older gems, the space FPS Prey and the 2D Metroidvania SteamWorld Dig 2, for no added cost.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD card

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

This is a new low for the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards.

$13 at Amazon

The 128GB version of Samsung’s latest Pro Plus microSD card is down to a new low of $13. That’s $6 off its MSRP. If you need more space, the 512GB model is within a few cents of its best price at $43.52. The Pro Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it finished at or near the top of all of our sequential and random speed tests. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

This matches the best price we’ve seen for Apple’s wallet-friendly 10.2-inch iPad. 

$250 at Amazon

The 64GB model of Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is down to $250 at Amazon, matching the lowest price we’ve tracked. You should see the full discount at checkout. Apple normally sells the device for $329, though we’ve seen it retail closer to $275 in recent months. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide: It lacks the accessory support, thinner bezels and laminated display of the iPad Air, but it’s by far the most affordable route into iPadOS, and it remains fast and comfortable enough for casual reading, streaming and gaming. It’s also the only current iPad with a headphone jack.

Apple MacBook Air M1

Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

This matches the all-time low for the entry-level configuration of Apple’s M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

$800 at Amazon

Apple’s M1 MacBook Air is back on sale for $800, which is a deal we’ve seen multiple times before but ties the laptop’s all-time low. Like the 9th-gen iPad, the M1 MacBook Air is on the older side these days; if you can afford the newest Air with an updated design, better webcam and faster M2 chip, it’s worth doing so. But if you just want a competent MacBook to do light work and web browsing for as little cash as possible, the M1 Air remains a solid value at this price. Its keyboard, trackpad and battery life are still excellent, and the M1 chip is still fast enough for the essentials. Just make sure you stick to lighter workloads, though, as this model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Xbox Series X + bonus controller bundle

Photo by Aaron Souppouris / Engadget

This deal bundles Microsoft’s most powerful Xbox with an extra white controller for no added cost.

$500 at Verizon

Microsoft had a big showing at this month’s Summer Game Fest, so if you planned on picking up an Xbox Series X before Starfield and Forza Motorsport arrive, note that Verizon is selling the $500 console with a second controller for no extra cost. That isn’t anything crazy, but spare Xbox controllers normally go for $50 or so, and discounts of any kind for the Series X have been few and far between. In fact, Microsoft said this week that it’s raising the price of the console in much of the world on August 1. The $300 Xbox Series S is still a strong value for those who don’t care about top-of-the-line hardware, but if you need a disc drive and more consistent performance, the Series X is your best bet.

Samsung QN90B 55-inch 4K TV

Samsung

This is a new low for this bright LED TV we recommend in our guide to buying a TV for gaming.

$998 at Amazon

The 55-inch version of Samsung’s QN90B, a recommendation from our gaming TV buying guide, has dropped to $998. That’s a new all-time low. Most reviews say this TV delivers enough brightness for well-lit rooms, with smooth motion performance and richer contrast than most non-OLED TVs thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. It also has four full HDMI 2.1 ports and can play up to 120 Hz in 4K. It still can’t match the contrast, response time or viewing angles of a good OLED TV, but it should be better equipped for rooms plagued by glare. Like most Samsung TVs, however, it doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR. Samsung has replaced this 2022 model with the new QN90C, but the 55-inch version of that set currently costs $600 more, so the QN90B remains the better value for the time being.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

This is within $10 of the best price we’ve tracked for our favorite smartwatch for Android users.

$229 at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $229 for a 40mm model and $259 for a 44mm model. Neither deal represents an all-time low, but both are within $10 of their best prices to date. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it’s currently the “best for Android users” pick in our smartwatch buying guide. While its battery life could be better, its design is durable and attractive, its OS is easy to navigate and its health tracking is relatively comprehensive. Samsung is expected to announce a Galaxy Watch 6 in the coming weeks, however, so it may be worth waiting to see how that model stacks up if you don’t need a new smartwatch right this instant.

Google Pixel 7a + Pixel Buds A-Series

Google

Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you’ve needed a phone upgrade but didn’t want to spend a ton of money.

$499 at Amazon

Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you’ve needed a phone upgrade but didn’t want to spend a ton of money. The Pixel 7a is the best midrange phone you can get right now, thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. The Pixel Buds A-Series are almost the earbud-complement to the Pixel 7a — they’re not as feature-rich as the Pixel Buds Pro, but they have deep Google Assistant integration, solid sound quality and a comfy fit.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know, and hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals.

Originally published June 27, 2023 at 2:20 PM