We’re inching ever closer to Black Friday 2023 on November 24, the day after Thanksgiving. But if you thought the deals weren’t going to land until then, you might want to think again. Now’s the perfect time to start some early shopping to get ahead of the holiday rush, especially with various ongoing shortages and supply chain issues. It’s never too early to start thinking about what you’ll need to buy this year. That’s especially true if you don’t have a Prime membership to take advantage of Amazon Prime Day deals, as Black Friday (and by extension Cyber Monday) are the only sales that are really comparable.
Today’s best early Black Friday deals
HP Stream 14 — $199, was $229
HP is one of the best laptop brands around so while you shouldn’t expect great performance from the HP Stream 14, you can count on a more reliable experience than from a lesser brand. The laptop has an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of memory, and 64GB of eMMC storage. It runs Windows 11 in S mode and also has a year’s worth of Office 365 to help you with typing up documents and other office work. To make it more eye-catching, it’s available in either blue or pink so it feels more personal to you.
HP Chromebook X360 — $199, was $329
For a Chromebook with some great flexibility, consider the HP Chromebook X360. It won’t beat the best Chromebooks for speed but it’s pretty good at providing you with plenty of options thanks to having a 2-in-1 14-inch touchscreen so you can use it as either a tablet or as a regular laptop. It has an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC storage. It offers over 13 hours of battery life while other useful extras include a HP Wide Vision webcam and Google Assistant support.
Apple Watch SE (40mm, 2nd Gen) — $219, was $249
The second-generation Apple Watch SE is the updated version of the brand’s entry-level smartwatch, and it’s a fairly capable wearable device despite its affordable price. It features a comprehensive suite of health monitoring features, including a heart rate sensor and basic sleep tracking, and it’s swimproof up to 50 meters. You can receive notifications on your wrist, and even answer text messages without having to take your phone out of your pocket. The Apple Watch SE 2 is down to $219 from $249, for $30 in savings.
HP Laptop 17z — $300, was $500
The HP 17-inch laptop offers all the basics with the advantage of a 17-inch HD screen for those who need more screen space to work with. It has an AMD Athlon Gold processor, along with 8GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage. It runs Windows 11 Home so it’s ideal if you need a Windows-based system for less. It’s also comfortable to use thanks to its lift-hinge design and an enlarged clickpad with both making it easier to use for extended periods of time.
Razer Raptor 27 Gaming Mo
nitor — $400, was $800
Playing the best PC games on the Razer Raptor 27 gaming monitor is a feast for the eyes because of the QHD resolution on its 27-inch screen, combine with a 165Hz refresh rate, an up to 1ms response time, and support for Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync Premium. You can tilt the screen by 90 degrees to easily access the ports at the back, and the monitor’s built-in cable management system reduces the clutter on your desk for less distractions.
Apple AirPods Max — $450, was $550
The Apple AirPods Max are in our list of the best headphones as the top choice for pairing with an iPhone, as they work seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem. They’re extremely comfortable to wear, they provide high-quality audio, and their active noise cancellation will drown out all unwanted sound. The wireless headphones also support spatial audio, and with that and ANC activated, they can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. The $100 discount on the Apple AirPods Max is only available to shoppers with a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 — $469, was $499
With a bright and colorful 13.3-inch OLED touchscreen featuring Full HD resolution, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is included in our list of the best Chromebooks as the best OLED Chromebook. It’s not just about the display though, as the Chromebook also performs smoothly with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor, integrated Qualcomm Adreno Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. You’ll also have a 128GB eMMC where you can save your documents.
Apple Mac Mini (M2) — $499, was $599
The Apple Mac Mini M2 is a powerhouse of a CPU within a small package, as the performance provided by Apple’s M2 chip and 8GB of RAM is simply amazing. You’ll also get a 256GB SSD for ample storage space for your files, support for two displays, and no shortage of ports — there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI port, two USB-A ports, and headphone jack. The Apple Mac Mini M2 is down to $499 from $599 following a $100 discount.
Dell XPS 13 — $599, was $799
One of the best laptops around, the Dell XPS 13 is a reliable option for the majority of users looking for something to be productive on the move with. This model has a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. Alongside that, it has a 13.4-inch full HD+ screen with anti-glare properties, 500 nits of brightness, and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It’s Dell’s thinnest and lightest 13-inch XPS yet but still packs in up to 12 hours of battery life. Thanks to that, it’s ideal for taking out and about with you.
Dell G16 Gaming Laptop — $800, was $1,250
Dell makes some of the best gaming laptops with the Dell G16 gaming laptop standing out. This model has a 12th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. For the graphics card, there’s an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti which may be stretched for the most demanding of games but is still pretty respectable for this price. It’s paired with a great looking 16-inch QHD screen with 165Hz refresh rate and 2560 x 1600 resolution. Designed so that the whole laptop fits into the shell of a 15-inch laptop, it’s a more portable gaming system than you’d expect.
13-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 — $899, was $1,099
One of the best MacBooks you can buy, the Apple MacBook Air with M2 chip is highly portable but also powerful too. It packs the latest M2 processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. Its 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display looks great with support for one billion colors, P3 wide color, and over 500 nits of brightness. There’s also up to 18 hours of battery life so this laptop will keep going all day long.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon — $1,159, was $2,319
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a 13th-generation Intel Core i5 processor paired up with 16GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. A 14-inch WUXGA screen offers 400 nits of brightness, 1920 x 1200 resolution, and 100% sRGB, while above it is a 1080P full HD RGB web cam. For added security, the backlit keyboard has a fingerprint reader built-in to save you needing to enter passwords manually. Designed with work in mind, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is lightweight yet robust having been tested against MIL-STD 810H standards and passing more than 200 quality checks.
Razer Blade 17 Gaming Laptop — $2,000, was $3,200
If you want a large display on your gaming laptop, check out the Razer Blade 17 and its 17.3-inch screen with QHD resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. The device maximizes its size with powerful performance from its 12th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. You’ll have plenty of storage space in its 1TB SSD, which ships with Windows 11 Home.
When (and what) is Black Friday 2023?
The beginnings of Black Friday are a not well-known, and there are several prevailing theories. In the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving has marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season since the 1950s or possibly even earlier. The term “Black Friday” actually pre-dates the shopping event, too, originally referring to a 19th century gold market crash, with the “Black” moniker typically referring to negative events such as financial crises. How the term eventually came to refer to a post-Thanksgiving sales event is unclear, and although it may be something of a misnomer, the name has stuck and been a part of common parlance in the U.S. since the mid-2oth century.
The origins of Cyber Monday are less murky. A much more recent invention that dates to 2005, this event was originally intended to be an online-only counterpart to Black Friday that took place on the Monday following Thanksgiving. Today, however, it’s no surprise to find most retailers offering their Black Friday deals online as well, so “Cyber Monday” could be considered a misnomer, too. Although many shoppers still flock to brick-and-mortar retail stores to fight over the best bargains, you don’t have to in order to shop the 2023 Black Friday sales. You can do it right from the comfort of your couch, and with our guide and our ongoing sales coverage, we can direct you right to all the best Black Friday deals to save you even more time and money.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are rivaled only by Amazon Prime Day when it comes to discounts and sheer sales volume, so this is one of the best (if not the best) times of the year to find high-end, brand-name stuff at the lowest prices you’ll see.
Where are the best Black Friday deals?
Black Friday is not only not exclusive to any specific retailers (unlike Amazon Prime Day or Walmart’s Days of Deals, to name two merchant-specific sales) but it’s no longer even limited to physical brick-and-mortar stores. Within the last decade, Black Friday sales — once intended to be only an in-store event, even in the online age — have increasingly spilled over onto the internet. That’s good news for homebodies and anybody else who doesn’t want to risk being trampled to death just to score a new smart TV.
Expect pretty much every retail store — both brick-and-mortar and online — to run Black Friday sales. That includes the obvious ones such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon, as well as more specialized merchants like Newegg, Lowe’s, and Wayfair. Brand outlets like HP and Dell also run Black Friday sales right on their own websites, although Apple is typically absent from the post-Thanksgiving retail festivities.
Note that this is only a handful of retailers that get in on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday action. It is indeed possible to cast too wide a net when hunting for Black Friday deals, so you should narrow the scope of your search so you don’t get frozen with decision paralysis. Black Friday is a relatively short sales event (even if many stores offer extended Black Friday deals after the weekend is over), so time is of the essence. If you’re curious about what retailers are the best for specific products, keep reading to see what Black Friday deals we expect for 2023.
What Black Friday deals can you expect in 2023?
Just as Black Friday sales aren’t exclusive to any retailers, Black Friday deals aren’t limited to any particular product categories. You’re likely to find what you’re looking for on discount during the 2023 Black Friday sales: That includes clothing, bedding, home and kitchen appliances, office essentials, and — of course — pricey electronics.
We’re always the most excited about tech deals ourselves, and that’s probably what you’re here for. You probably also already know that technology and entertainment deals always feature heavily among Black Friday sales. Markdowns of around 30% or even more are quite common during the Black Friday rush, but remember that the hottest and most in-demand items, such as Apple products and laptops, go out of stock quickly. That might be even more of a pressing issue this year if ongoing supply chain issues aren’t resolved when the holiday shopping season rolls around.
Not all retailers offer the same types of deals, and since Black Friday sales span pretty much every product category, you’ll want to zero in on a few stores that have the best deals on what you want. For example, if you need a new computer or want to upgrade your setup, then outlets like Best Buy, Walmart, HP, Dell, and Newegg are among the best places to shop for laptop deals, Chromebook deals, gaming laptop deals, monitor deals, and desktop PC deals. MacBook deals might be less common, but there are still likely to be a few good discounts on select models. That also goes for less exciting things like printer deals.
Merchants including Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Wayfair, Home Depot, and Lowe’s are great places to shop for Black Friday deals on home essentials like appliances, furniture, and bedding. We also shouldn’t have to mention Staples as the go-to outlet for office supplies and electronics. Walmart and Best Buy are hands-down the best places to find 4K TV deals. Amazon carries a few of these, too, particularly models that run on Fire TV software (although you’ll find these at Best Buy as well).
Amazon’s pickings are a bit slimmer than those of other stores when it comes to deals on bigger things like computers and home appliances, but it’s good to go for just about everything else. Headphone deals, Bluetooth speaker deals, tablet deals, you name it — if it’s portable and runs on battery power, expect to see it on sale here during Black Friday. Amazon also offers deep discounts on its own in-house brand products including Kindle e-readers and tablets, Fire smart TVs and streaming sticks, Alexa-powered Echo devices, and other smart home products under its Ring, Blink, and Eero lines.
If, like many, you’re specifically on the prowl for some gaming deals come Black Friday, there’s not going to be a better time to shop for them. GameStop, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg are the top picks for this, and we’re sure to see some great discounts on everything from new AAA game releases to the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Black Friday sales will also be one of the few times throughout the year that you can expect to find any Nintendo Switch deals, although these are most likely to come in the form of consoles bundled with games or accessories rather than a standalone price cut (but you never know for sure until the sales go live).
Whatever Black Friday deals you have on your radar, just remember to have a plan and remain disciplined. If you rush in blindly, you might end up with a deal that’s not really a good discount off the item’s normal price, or you might get stuck with a last-gen item when you wanted the latest model. On the bright side, most retailers have good return policies, which they extend during the holiday shopping season, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much. The bigger risk is that you’ll miss that Black Friday deal you’ve had your eye on since summer. Make a list, check it twice, and bookmark this page, because we’ll keep you updated with all the latest Black Friday 2023 info that you need.
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