golden day is The best time to save money on Amazon devices. This is when you can take advantage of the best deals. Whether you’re looking at Kindle e-readers, Echo smart displays or Fire tablets, Amazon is selling a variety of its own gadgets during the two-day annual event. We’ve compiled all WIRED approved devices below.
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 13: We’ve added a deal on Amazon’s Smart Plug and updated links and prices throughout.
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We’re big fans of WIRED’s Kindles for many reasons – they’re easy to use, reliable, and work as expected. They can hold thousands of books, a month of battery life, and more. If you want to explore more options than listed below, be sure to check out our guide to the best Amazon Kindles.
Amazon’s newest Kindle Paperwhite is our best recommendation for most people. It has a bright 6.8-inch screen and adjustable warm light, and it’s waterproof—a great option if you like to read poolside, beachside, or in the bathtub. It’s a great alternative to the pricier Kindle Oasis below.
If you’ve got some extra cash to spend, the Paperwhite Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED’s recommendation) has more features than the standard Paperwhite. The display automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient light, turns pages faster, and has more storage—32 GB for the Signature Edition and 8 GB for the Standard Edition. If you listen to a lot of audiobooks, we recommend this one.
For those who want a super simple ebook reader, the basic Kindle (8/10, recommended by WIRED) is the best option. It comes with a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen and a built-in headlight for night reading. You also get 8 GB of storage for around 5,000 books. This is the lowest price we have tracked.
For a luxurious experience, you’ll want to use the Kindle Oasis. It features an aluminum body, a large 7-inch display with automatic brightness adjustment, tactile page-turning buttons, and fast performance. If you’re looking for a feature-packed Kindle, the high price is worth it.
We think the Kindle Kids Edition is a reliable and affordable children’s ebook reader — and it’s also the lowest price we’ve seen. Amazon will offer a case, a free year of Amazon Kids+ (where parents can add books to their child’s library, set reading goals, add age filters, and more), and a two-year warranty after purchase.
If you want something more sturdy than the Kids Edition, the Paperwhite is best because it’s waterproof. At 6.8 inches, you’ll also get a larger display than the standard model’s 6-inch screen.
In addition to the products below, we also tested a variety of speakers and smart displays. You can read our guide to the best Echo and Alexa speakers for more Alexa-enabled devices. If you want to outdo Amazon yourself, check out our guide to the best smart speakers and our guide to the best smart displays.
The Amazon Echo Show 8 is our favorite Alexa-powered smart display. The 8-inch display is perfect for watching movies, reading recipes, making video calls (it has automatic pan and zoom to keep you in the picture), checking your calendar, and more. Its compact size makes it a great addition to a kitchen counter or nightstand. We’ve never seen it priced this low.
In our review of the Echo Show 5, we criticized the device’s small screen — because it’s too small to navigate comfortably. However, it’s still a great option if you want a smart display that’s compact enough to fit on a desk or nightstand. It also has a physical mute button and a privacy-preserving camera shutter. But if you want a bigger display, we recommend the Echo Show 8. Its price fluctuates frequently, but this is the lowest we’ve ever seen.
We haven’t tested the Echo Show 15, but we like most of the Echo Show models in Amazon’s lineup. It comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD display, making it Amazon’s largest Echo with a screen to date.The home screen includes widgets for to-do lists, shopping lists, and more – so it’s a great option for those with large families and busy schedule. It’s also the lowest price we’ve tracked.
We rated the Echo Dot (8/10, WIRED’s recommendation) as the best Alexa speaker in our buying guide. The spherical speakers can be installed anywhere in the house, filling the room with 360-degree sound. Thanks to Alexa, you can also keep up with the weather and news, and you can set timers and alarms. Concerned about privacy? There’s a physical button that also lets you turn off the microphone. It’s also $5 less than its lowest price.
It’s hard not to laugh at the panda and tiger print on the Echo Dot Kids Edition. In addition to the fun print, this smart speaker features great sound quality, parental controls, and a year of free Amazon Kids+ with access to Audible books, Alexa skills, and games.
The Echo Buds (8/10, recommended by WIRED) pack a ton of features, including noise cancellation, wireless charging, and customization through their connected app. But we especially like these earbuds for Alexa integration, which let you check the weather, set timers, and update your shopping list with voice commands while listening to music. These earbuds dropped to $50 in April, but it’s still a great deal.
Interested in Fire Tablets? We don’t blame you. They’re affordable, powerful, and useful—though the software could use some improvements. Be sure to check out our buying guide for the best Amazon Fire tablets.
WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson said the Fire HD 8 is “one of the best values for a tablet.” It features an updated processor for fast performance, an HD display and 12 hours of battery life. The Fire HD 8 Plus is also on sale for $50 ($60 off) if you want extras like more RAM and wireless charging.
The Fire HD 10 (7/10, recommended by WIRED) is our favorite Fire tablet. The latest version has a brighter screen, solid battery life, and extra RAM for smoother performance. We also recommend the HD 10 with Bluetooth Keyboard for $170 ($25 off). It comes with a free year of Microsoft 365 and is the ideal setup to get some light work done.
If you want a bigger display, there’s also the Fire HD 10 Plus. If you plan to use it to watch movies, TV shows and videos, the 10.1-inch screen with 1080p resolution is a good choice. It also has slightly more RAM than the standard version at 4 GB.
We think the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is the best Fire tablet for kids. It has the same features as a standard Fire tablet, but also comes with a durable case and a two-year warranty — so if your kid accidentally breaks it, Amazon will replace it. Like Amazon’s other devices aimed at kids, this one comes with a year of Amazon Kids+.
For those with older kids, we recommend the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, as it’s larger than the Fire HD 8.it Yes It’s more expensive, but in addition to the larger display, kids can also request to install apps from the Kids’ App Store—parents have to approve it manually. It also comes with a smaller protective case.
Don’t buy old fire 7 pieces
Amazon’s previous model Fire 7 tablet is on sale, but we don’t recommend it. The new Fire 7 isn’t terrible — it’s still pretty small, but it’s more powerful than the previous model — but at this point, the 2019 model, never top-notch, is pretty much useless.
If you like to watch most of your content on Amazon Prime, then you need to add the Fire TV Stick to your entertainment system. It prioritizes Amazon content over other popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, but it still provides access to all major streaming services. Be sure to check out our best TV streaming device buying guide for more options. It’s also worth noting that all three streaming sticks below are the lowest prices we’ve tracked.
Photo: Amazon
It streams in HD rather than 4K, and has the same interface as Amazon’s other smart devices. The remote also has power and volume buttons, as well as Alexa Voice, which you can use to start and search for shows using your voice.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the go-to choice for Amazon loyalists, as the menu targets the company’s Prime Video app and buys content from its store. It also has several upgrades over its predecessor, including more memory (2 GB vs 1.5 bytes), picture-in-picture functionality for pulling security camera feeds, and support for Wi-Fi 6.
If you own a standard HDTV and don’t plan to upgrade to a 4K TV, we recommend the Fire TV Stick Lite. The Lite version has access to all major streaming apps and a more basic version of the Alexa remote — no Netflix-specific buttons, TV power button, or volume controls. But you can download another app for this.
Other Amazon Device Deals
Eero’s 6 Mesh system is very easy to set up and use. In our tests, we had solid coverage and a solid connection. Since Eero is owned by Amazon, you’ll also get support for Alexa. It’s worth noting that it’s one of the slower systems we’ve tried (it had issues at long distances), but it should work fine for most people.
We generally prefer to use Google Assistant for our smart home devices, but if you prefer Alexa, this smart plug makes it easy to extend your smart home to “dumb” devices. Timers and schedules are not as easy to navigate as some systems. You’ll have to set up a routine to turn the plug on or off, but it won’t make any difference if you’re using Alexa with other devices. Alexa Guard works similarly to vacation or travel mode on other plugs, and it automatically turns off and on to make you look like you’re home.
Amazon Glow is a great option for parents whose children frequently video chat with distant family members. With a built-in 8-inch display, the device can project a 19-inch interactive puzzle, drawing activity or story on a 22-inch pad in front of the child. Using the Glow app on an iOS or Android tablet, the adult on the other end can play or read in real time. WIRED editor Adrienne So says there are two caveats – it’s big (14 inches tall), and you have to plug it in, and you have to make sure it’s always next to an outlet.
The Halo View earned an honorable mention in our best fitness tracker buying guide. It’s also the lowest price we’ve ever seen. It’s affordable, comfortable on the wrist, and has an easy-to-use companion app. However, Wired editor Adrienne So doesn’t like the way it promotes business partnerships or tells you to take off your underwear to measure your body fat composition.
The Blink Mini earned an honorable mention in our best indoor security camera buying guide. We love that it’s compact, affordable, and versatile. In terms of features, the Mini has solid video quality, accurate motion detection (though it can’t distinguish between pets and people), two-way audio, active zones, and built-in Alexa. However, it requires a subscription to use – it costs $3 per month.
