Amazon Black Friday deals 2023: recap

Amazon Black Friday deals 2023: these are the best early offers
Black Friday is over and gone now, and so are the fantastic deals we came across. In case you missed it, the merchant treated us to not just one day but two weeks of superb promotions on its entire portfolio of products. Expectedly, tablets, phones, smartwatches, and other nifty gadgets made an appearance in the deals section.

Many deals landed products at their lowest price for the entire year. One of those, for example, was a gigantic $500 price cut on the mighty Galaxy Z Fold 5. Another deal slammed the Motorola Razr (2023) under the $500 barrier, making it the most affordable clamshell foldable phone on the market.

Of course, it wasn’t just smartphones that got ostentatious markdowns. Let’s dive into the virtual world of savings we went through this November. Stay with us if you’d like to know which products had the best discounts during the Black Friday shopping spree.

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Black Friday Amazon deals on phones


Motorola razr+
5.8

Motorola razr+


The Good

  • Almost crease-less screen
  • All-screen front!
  • Slim and elegant design
  • Closes with almost zero gap
  • Motorola has some cool gestures
  • Fast charging!

The Bad

  • Pricey!
  • At certain angles, phone feels a bit wobbly
  • Software support not as long as competition
  • Lacks strong water protection

Black Friday brought smashing offers on the best flagship phones of 2023. From a huge $500 discount on the Z Fold 5 to a handsome $300 price cut on the clamshell foldable perfection by Motorola, fans of foldable devices were in for a real treat at this event. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
6.9

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra


The Good

  • Battery life is great, big improvement from predecessor
  • New Snapdragon chip is the best one in years
  • Design is improved, feels more ergonomic
  • Screen is less curved and gets very dim (perfect for night time use)
  • Camera improvements are there, but not quite huge
  • Loudspeakers sound much better now
  • You get double the storage (256GB) at base model

The Bad

  • Base model still only has 8GB RAM
  • Charging speeds have not improved
  • Haptics are still not as good as rivals
  • Camera system hasn't improved as much as hoped for
  • Expensive if you buy at full price

In the universe of non-foldables, Samsung phone users could claim $300 in savings on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. This deal first went live on November 17 when Amazon launched its Extended Black Friday campaign and remained active until Cyber Monday, giving shoppers quite some time to take advantage. The OnePlus 11 also got its price tag reduced substantially during the event. Shoppers could save $150 on this flagship killer.

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Nothing Phone (2)
5.6

Nothing Phone (2)


The Good

  • Unique, quirky, interesting design
  • Good display and performance at great price point
  • Nothing OS offers great homescreen customization

The Bad

  • Speakers are a bit tinny
  • The UI needs more reskinning to keep the feel consistent throughout phone
  • Camera improvements are noted, but it still needs work

Those who were after something unique had the chance to snag the Nothing Phone (2) and save 21% in the process, which equates to $140. The gaming-oriented Asus ROG Phone 6 was another interesting proposal by Amazon this Black Friday. During the event, you could get this fantastic smartphone for $100 less than usual.

Google Pixel 7a
6.0

Google Pixel 7a


The Good

  • Good value for money
  • Stock Android with tons of AI/ML-powered software features
  • Display finally has a 90Hz refresh rate
  • Compact and user-friendly size
  • Face Unlock on board
  • Wireless charging
  • Capable camera with lots of features

The Bad

  • More expensive than its predecessor
  • Some slight build quality issues
  • Only a single 128GB storage option
  • Uninspiring digital zoom
  • Charges slowly

It wasn't hard to find affordable alternatives this Black Friday. For instance, one of the best budget phones, the Pixel 7a, got a 25% markdown, which landed it under the $380 mark. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) was also available, boasting an even more impressive discount of 38%. Additionally, the Moto G Play (2023) was up for grabs at 41% off, a deal that knocked it down under the $100 mark. 

Black Friday deals on smartwatches at Amazon


As usual, Amazon's Black Friday deals weren't all about the phones. At this event, you could easily complete your ecosystem at a bargain, for Amazon threw many exciting promos on the most sought-after smartwatches and fitness trackers

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm)
8.5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm)


The Good

  • Superb design with a rotating bezel
  • Large and bright display
  • Very decent battery life
  • Excellent value
  • Lots of features and functionalities

The Bad

  • Some of its best features are limited to Galaxy devices
  • New latch mechanism is too stiff, bands are a bit hard to swap
  • A bit too big and heavy, not comfortable to wear at night

For instance, the fantastic Galaxy Watch 6 Classic got a 20% discount, making it a no-miss for some fans. There were also discounts on the Galaxy Watch 6, which was available at about 24% off during the event. Another handsome deal landed the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro Bespoke Edition at a $100 cheaper price.

Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm)
9.0

Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm)


The Good

  • Much brighter screen
  • Siri responds faster to basic requests
  • New Double Tap gesture looks promising
  • Most accurate heart rate sensor in the industry

The Bad

  • No major changes at all
  • Battery life remains just one day
  • No round shape option
  • Only works with iPhones

The Apple Watch Series 9 with a 41mm case and cellular connectivity was retailing at 10% off this Black Friday. While the markdown definitely wasn't all that impressive, we didn't expect the latest Apple wearable greatness to receive gigantic price cuts anyway.

Google Pixel Watch
6.0

Google Pixel Watch


The Good

  • Extremely comfortable to wear
  • Google Assistant on a watch is great
  • Stylish, circular design

The Bad

  • Poor battery life
  • Buggy software
  • No larger size available
  • Charger has very weak magnets

This Black Friday, we hoped to see the just-released Pixel Watch 2 at reduced prices. We didn't have the pleasure, but the good news is that Amazon went extra generous with the discounts on Google's first-ever wearable. This one was retailing at 43% off throughout the two-week savings event. Fitness trackers like the Fitbit Sense 2 were about $100 off, and discounts for the amazing Garmin Epix Gen 2 hovered around the 45% mark.
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Black Friday deals on tablets


Epic deals on hot tablets were abundant as well. This Black Friday, you could get an iOS, Android, or Windows tablet on the cheap. There's no beating our gums here — there was something for everyone! 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
8.6

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9


The Good

  • Bright and vivid AMOLED display
  • Excellent performance
  • Very decent battery life
  • Functional interface, S Pen stylus
  • Compact size makes it super-manageable

The Bad

  • Absolutely terrible haptic feedback
  • Not enough bass
  • Camera is so-so
  • No version with cellular connectivity

For instance, the fantastic Galaxy Tab S9 was available at 15% off this Black Friday, a deal we were truly impressed to see. The larger-sized Galaxy Tab S9+ was also discounted at this event, offered with a markdown of 11%. Prices for older models like the Galaxy Tab S8 plunged some $240, while the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite of 2022 got its price tag reduced by a hefty 40%. 

Apple iPad (2022)
8.0

Apple iPad (2022)


The Good

  • Refreshed design
  • Fast and reliable Touch ID
  • Super performance thanks to A14 Bionic
  • Dual-stereo speakers
  • Reliable battery life
  • USB-C port, goodbye Lightning
  • 5G and Wi-Fi 6 support

The Bad

  • Non-laminated screen that's just okay
  • No more 3.5mm audio jack
  • A serious price hike

The Microsoft Surface was up for grabs at $306 off, and Apple fans could save 22% on the 2022-released 10th Gen iPad. The iPad mini 6 was another cool choice, as the 256GB model with cellular connectivity got 21% cheaper. 

Black Friday Amazon deals on headphones and earbuds



Earbuds and headphones of different brands were up for grabs at Amazon, sporting hefty markdowns of 30% and up. During the event, there were irresistible offers on Google's Pixel Buds Pro, which are 40% off during Amazon's Black Friday shopping event. The incredible Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are substantially cheaper as well. These were sold at 32% off, giving you way more value for your money.

Apple fans could pull the trigger on the AirPods Max, which got their usual discount of $100, a deal we usually see during big-time shopping events. Earbuds by Soundcore, JBL, and Bose were up for grabs at discounts ranging around the 30-45% mark.


Black Friday Amazon deals on Bluetooth speakers



There was no shortage of cool offers on Bluetooth speakers as well. For example, we saw a smashing discount on the incredible JBL Boombox 3, a deal that let you save $150 on this super powerful speaker. 

More affordable choices like the JBL Clip 4 were available at dirt-cheap prices. This small speaker was offered at 44% off its price tag, while the Marshall Emberton II got a 29% markdown during the event. Indeed, you could get some really fantastic speakers on the cheap this Black Friday.

When will Amazon Black Friday deals start?

This year, Black Friday at Amazon have started one week ahead of the official Black Friday date. This means Black Friday sales at Amazon were official on Friday, November 17. These deals are expected to continue onto the next week, the official Black Friday week. Of course, stocks may not last as long, so our advice is to find your device at the beginning of the sales and just go for it if the price feels right to you.

Is an Amazon Prime membership required to shop the Black Friday deals?


Nope, Black Friday deals at Amazon don't specifically require you to have a Prime membership. However, it is always possible that some deal may be available with better condition for Prime members. Generally though, that's more of an exception rather than a rule. Prime members do get other benefits at Amazon such as faster shipping, but the Black Friday deals themselves are expected to be available for non-Prime members as well.

Are Amazon Black Friday deals worth it?


Yes. As you may know, Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, and given the fact that it's a big competition between all the retailers to give you the best offer possible, offers during Black Friday are generally awesome. You may want to monitor prices (as those change during the event) if you see a deal at Amazon is not matching deals at other retailers. But the general conclusion from our years of experience in covering this event is that Black Friday deals at Amazon are epic.


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