Amazon Prime Day The curtain has officially kicked off and will end within 48 hours of July 13th. If you’re a fan of Google hardware, whether it’s a Pixel phone, a Nest smart thermostat, or a Chromecast, there’s a ton of tech stuff on sale right now at low prices. These are our favorites.
The WIRED Gear team tests products throughout the year. We hand curated hundreds of thousands of transactions to make these choices. The crossed out product is out of stock Or no more discounts. Our Amazon Prime Day coverage page features the latest stories, and our Prime Day shopping tips will help you avoid bad deals.You can also get a Subscribe to WIRED for 1 year for $5 here.
Update July 12, 2022: As Prime Day officially kicks off, the deals are back, and at even lower prices. We have rechecked and given this story.
We may earn a commission if you purchase something using a link in our story. This helps support our journalism. learn more.
Deals on phones, laptops and earbuds
If you want a new Android phone, most people should go for the Pixel 6. It’s the lowest price we’ve tracked, and it’s a great value. You get a 90-Hz AMOLED screen, wireless charging, the same powerful Tensor processor, and an excellent dual-camera system. Read our Pixel Phone guide for tips and accessory suggestions. This deal is also available at Target.
We love Google’s Pixel 6 Pro (9/10, recommended by WIRED) for its great camera system, excellent 4x optical zoom, 120-Hz screen refresh rate with AMOLED panel, and lots of useful smart software features Tensor Processor by Google. Oh, and a battery that usually lasts all day. The phone had quite a few bugs, but many have now been fixed. This deal is also available at Target. Just know that the Pixel 7 Pro will arrive by the end of the year (and the Pixel 6A later this month).
If you can do everything on the Chrome browser, you probably only need a Chromebook. This Pixelbook Go is a bit old, but it’s still one of our favorite Chromebooks, and it works just fine. With a crisp screen and a lovely keyboard, this Core i5 model is more than capable for most people.
For most people, these are our favorite earbuds (8/10, recommended by WIRED), and at this price, they’re better value. You can pair instantly with many Android devices, great Google Assistant integration, IPX4 water resistance to protect them from sweaty workouts, and comfortable ergonomics. They sound good too! Pretty much the only downside is the 5-hour battery life, which is a bit low right now (though you can top it up a few times with the egg-shaped charging case). Sadly, there’s also no wireless charging on the case, so you’ll have to plug it in via USB-C.
This Pixel Stand was a few dollars cheaper last week. It’s Google’s first-generation wireless charger, not the newer second-generation version (see below). It can charge any device that supports wireless charging, whether in landscape or portrait orientation. If you put your Pixel phone on it, you’ll get some perks, including ambient lighting that mimics the sunrise, digital photo frame functionality, and quick access to smart home controls. Read our guide to the best wireless chargers for more options.
The second-generation Pixel Stand is more limited. If you pair this phone with a Pixel phone, you’ll get a similar system of perks, but any phone that supports wireless charging should charge just fine. However, you can only charge in portrait orientation, not landscape orientation. The great thing about both is that they don’t have any distracting LEDs, so they’re perfect for nightstands, and they support your phone so you can easily read notifications.
Doorbell and Security Camera Deals
This deal only includes certain colors. Nest’s video doorbell is our second-best spot behind Arlo’s Essential because it’s more expensive. This is one of the lowest prices we have seen. It’s easy to install and remove for charging (the battery lasts over a month). Smart notifications that recognize faces and packages are also accurate, but you’ll need a Nest Aware subscription ($6 a month). You can also find this deal at Best Buy.
Need an indoor security camera? This simple one looks elegant, can be installed, and has no battery, which means you’ll need to be plugged in. (On the plus side, you never have to recharge.) Wired review editor Julian Chokkattu has a point at his front door for the past year and has had a good experience with it, though Subscribing to Nest Aware expands your video history. It’s also available at Target.
This security camera works just like the indoor camera above, except it’s battery-powered and can withstand rain, wind, and snow. It has a 130-degree field of view and 1080p video that, says Wired editor Adrienne So, can clearly see her driveway, front door, and even most of her front yard. The battery needs to be charged after more than a month. Target has a similar deal.
If you plan to monitor dark and dull areas, this camera is functionally similar to the Nest Cam above, but doesn’t drain the battery, and has two floodlights on either side. The lights can be turned on automatically, for example when the camera detects movement. You can also set schedules or turn them on with your voice. Target has a similar deal.
Smart speaker, monitor and router deals
Nest Wifi is easy to set up and elegant to create a reliable mesh network in your home. This deal works on routers and points, so you can easily extend your coverage. What is the biggest disadvantage of this model? There’s no Wi-Fi 6 support, but since your device needs to support Wi-Fi 6 to use the new standard, that’s probably not a big deal. This deal is also available at Target. Read our guide to the best mesh routers for more recommendations.
The new Nest Thermostat isn’t quite as smart as the original Nest Learning Thermostat, which means it won’t learn and adapt to your habits, but you can still set a schedule. It also automatically turns off when you leave the house, saving you energy, and you can control the temperature through the app. If you like the way Google runs its smart home, we think you’ll like it.
Just plug it into your TV and you’ll get a smooth Google TV interface with all your favorite apps, including YouTube, Netflix and HBO. You can control your Chromecast via the included remote (8/10, WIRED recommended), or you can cast directly from your smartphone. It’s the best of both worlds.
The Nest Mini is a cheaper, smaller, smaller version of the Nest Audio. It doesn’t sound great, but it’s a great tiny speaker for small areas of your home where you want to use your voice to control smart home devices. You can also mount it on the wall (as long as there is an outlet nearby).
Google’s Nest Audio (8/10, recommended by WIRED) is one of our favorite smart speakers. This is the typical transaction price to drop to during a major sales event. Nest Audio is the successor to 2016’s original Google Home, offering deeper bass and louder sound for better streaming. Naturally, it’s powered by Google Assistant, so you can ask it by typing anything into the Google search bar. Pair the two together for a solid stereo system. There’s a physical switch to turn off the microphone, which we appreciate. This deal is also available at Walmart.
That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for a Nest Hub Max (8/10, WIRED recommendation). This version has a webcam so you can use it to video chat. It’s a useful companion, as it can be used as a security camera feed (if the camera supports it), walk you through cooking instructions, or just act as a digital photo frame.
The cameraless Nest Hub is also on sale. Compared to the Nest Hub Max’s 10-inch screen, the screen is 7 inches, so it’s more suitable for small spaces like bedrooms. This second-gen model also detects your sleep habits in case you want to make sure you hit 7 hours (no wearable required). Check out our guide to the best smart displays for more details.
