The dreaded holiday shopping season is upon us once again. As is tradition, it begins in the dead of night when the hordes swarm and overrun retailers, many of whom put up a paltry defense but ultimately fail to hold back the seething, shouting mob. Black Friday is equally loved and loathed; many of those who complain about the commercialization of the holiday season still wake in the small hours of the morning to queue in the cold for the best deals. As you would guess, iFixYouri is here to spill the beans on the best deals in popular technology.
You might notice a lack of deals from Apple in this guide. After skipping Black Friday entirely last year, the company has been whispering about some secret event with unknown offers. BOGO iPads? Free dongle sack with every 2016 MacBook Pro? Who knows? Only Apple does.
DISCLAIMER: These deals vary in availability. Some are offered in-store and online, some are Black Friday-only doorbusters, and you can get some starting Thanksgiving Day. Check the website for each retailer to see what the deal is and how best to take advantage of it. Happy hunting!
LAPTOPS
Apple is knocking $200 its 13” MacBook Air in both configurations: $800 for the 128GB model and $1000 for the 256GB. Traditional Apple craftsmanship that everyone expects but the non-Retina display is okay at best.
For the same price as the 256GB MacBook Air, you can snag a 13” HP Spectre x360 laptop at Best Buy instead. It’s a touchscreen convertible (folds back for use as a tablet) with a 256GB hard drive, 8GB of RAM, and an Intel i7 processor. Combine that with great battery life and a beautiful display and this chases the MacBook Air out of the ring.
For a little higher-end, Dell’s XPS13 laptop will be available, with premium options, at Costco for $1349, $300 off. We wrote a glowing review of this beauty recently, and our opinion still stands. You can’t beat a professional-level current-generation laptop at this price.
While we’re on Dell, the manufacturer is offering their Inspiron 11 3000 laptop for 50% off; only $100! It’s nothing fancy: 11” non-touch screen, 2GB RAM, and 32GB of storage. But for 3.6% of the price of a loaded 15” MacBook Pro, you get an HDMI port, microSD reader, and 10 hours of battery in a ¾-inch laptop. If you need a cheap laptop to get a student, even if it’s not your student, the Dell is the one to go for (just avoid the cruddy touchscreen model).
PHONES
Best Buy is offering the Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB for $550, $120 off retail. This is an amazing price for an unlocked current-gen phone. If you’re looking for something on a carrier plan, the retailer is also offering a $250 gift card and a $50 Oculus Content Pack (for use with the phone and a Gear VR device) when you sign up with a S7 or S7 Edge.
If the shiny new Google Pixel has your eye, Verizon (the only mobile carrier offering it) is knocking down the price of both the Pixel and Pixel XL 32GB to $240. If you want the 128GB model of either, it goes up to $360. That comes out to $10 a month and $15 a month, respectively, over two years. Yes, you will be locked to a data plan (the minimum starts at $55 a month) but it’ll be quite some time until you see this phone offered at this low a price.
If you’re not planning to buy a phone but want a case or screen protector for an existing phone, iFixYouri has you covered. We’re offering 50% off all cases, tempered glass screen protectors, and accessories (such as chargers, earbuds, charging packs) so check in at any of our 15 retail locations. We’re also offering 10% off any repair in-store or online at iFixYouri.com. These deals are available all weekend long and through Cyber Monday, so don’t stress. If you snag a new phone on Black Friday, stop by an iFixYouri store on the way home for all the accessories!
TABLETS
Target is knocking down prices on iPads, with $150 off the iPad Pro (to $450) and $125 off the iPad Air 2 (to $275). Far and away the best deals on iPads, unless Apple goes even lower (see above). If you’re torn between a tablet and a laptop, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 for $600. While a solid and worthwhile machine at its original $1000 price, at $600 this beast is the best deal out there. The 12.3” screen is larger than the Pro, and it uses Windows 10 as an operating system, allowing you to do anything a computer can. Included is an Alcantara cover with an integrated keyboard and trackpad. 128GB with a microSD slot for expansion rounds it out. It’s the ultimate peanut-butter-and-chocolate experience, best of both worlds.
CAMERA
Best Buy is slashing the price of the Nikon D3400 dual-lens kit in half. Great for beginner and semi-pro photographers, this kit comes with an 18-55mm VR lens for solid stabilization and low-light capture and a 70-300mm telephoto ED lens for sharp photos even from a decent distance, all for just $500. It even comes in a sleek matte metallic red for those who want to stand out from their peers in Intro to Photography class (or in classic black for the shy ones). Best Buy is also throwing in a 32GB SD card.
There’s also a similar D5300 kit for $600 (again $500 off) but there’s not much of an improvement over the D3400; slightly better lenses, a fancier screen, and wi-fi hookup (they both have Bluetooth, however). Same processor, aperture, and sensor.
HEADPHONES
We’re finally starting to admit that Beats aren’t as overrated as they originally were. We recommend snagging the Beats Solo 2 wireless on-ear headphones for $120 at Target (down from $300). No longer bass-heavy monsters, the Solo 2 are a great, reliable set for all types of music or podcasts.
If earbuds are more your thing, Best Buy has the SoundSport in-ears from Bose for only $40 (normally $100). These highly-rated buds are growing in popularity among athletes who haven’t quite jumped aboard the wireless train. Check out our review of the wireless model, and imagine all issues with battery and connectivity disappearing. Quality.
FITNESS TRACKERS
Several different options in the competitive arena of wearable fitness trackers. Should you go with the $90 Fitbit Charge (normally $130) at Target…or the waterproof Fitbit Flex 2 at Wal-Mart for $70 (down from $100)?
The Garmin Vivofit 3 has received attention for its purported year-long battery life. This $100 model will be available for $60 at Target.
TELEVISIONS
‘Tis the season for insane discounts on high-end TVs. If you don’t have a 4K screen yet, now’s the time to grab one, like the Hisense 50” model that Target is carrying for $250. Not cheap enough for you? Best Buy has a 49” Toshiba 4K TV with built-in Chromecast (great for streaming from less-than-legal sources) for only $200.
HOME DEVICE
Google is selling their Google Home speaker assistant for $99 through their store. If you’ve been ogling the Amazon Echo, save yourself $80 and go with the Home. We think Assistant beats Alexa any day of the week, and twice on (Black) Friday.