"The best Black Friday deals that make for great gifts" by Sheena Vasani

jaydiaz2013

Nov 25

A photo of LG's 65-inch C2 OLED displaying its home screen. — *You can save hundreds on LG's C2 OLED, which is currently on sale in numerous size configurations.* | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Times are hard, and if you've been stressing about how you're going to afford a good gift this holiday season, it's understandable. Thankfully, Black Friday offers one of the best (and last) opportunities to save big before the holidays. This year, we're seeing some steep discounts on the newest and most popular products, including the new AirPods Pro and LG's latest C2 OLED. There are also deals available that won't absolutely destroy your budget — like those on the new fifth-gen Echo Dot and even a year of Hulu.

Below, we've curated a guide to some of the best deals on presents you can buy right now. Many of these are taken right from our various holiday gift guides as well, so if you need further inspiration, be sure to take a look at those. And, of course, to save even more this Black Friday, be sure to check out our roundups of the best early Black Friday deals.

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Choose a price range

Gifts under $50

A streaming device like the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) is a gift anybody will enjoy, no matter their interests or personality. It's also our favorite streaming device, one that supports 4K content, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and Google Assistant, and can even curate recommendations from your giftee's favorite streaming services. Right now, you can buy the device for $39.99 at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.
You can gift Amazon's fifth-gen Echo Dot while saving quite a bit this Black Friday. The Alexa-enabled smart speaker sounds good but also doubles as an Eero Wi-Fi system extender with a temperature sensor. Right now, you can buy it for just $24.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target instead of $49.99; the clock-equipped model is also on sale for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Read our review.
Speaking of streaming services, quite a few are discounted at the moment and available for less than $50. You could, for example, gift your loved one a year of ad-supported Hulu for $1.99 instead of $7.99 a month, or $23.88 a year instead of $95.88 if you subscribe before November 28th at 11:59PM PT (or November 29th at 2:59AM ET). If they're less into The Handmaid's Tale and more into Paramount Plus' Yellowstone spinoff, 1883, you could alternatively gift them a year of ad-free Paramount Plus for $24.99 instead of $49.99.

Gifts between $50 and $150

The waterproof Sonos Roam SL is the mic-less version of one of our favorite Bluetooth speakers, one that also sounds terrific. It's a portable speaker, so your giftee can enjoy listening to tunes while picnicking or at the beach, and it meshes well with the rest of the Sonos ecosystem if you have other speakers. Right now, you can buy it for around $127 instead of $159 from Best Buy and Sonos. Read our Sonos Roam review.
The latest Kindle Paperwhite is an excellent e-reader bookworms will treasure. It's waterproof, so they can enjoy reading while in the bath, but also comes with months-long battery life and a sharp, 300ppi display. You can currently buy the ad-supported version with 8GB of storage for $94.99 instead of $139.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, or the ad-free model from Amazon for $114.99 ($45 off). Read our review.
Fujifilm's Instax Mini 11 instant camera is our favorite mostly because it's fun, easy to use, and takes great photos for the price. It makes for a good present for all ages and is on sale for $59.95 at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.

Gifts between $150 and $400

Whether your giftee is a self-proclaimed audiophile or just likes to listen to some tunes while working out, they'll likely love the second-gen AirPods Pro. Apple's newest pair of wireless earbuds offer better noise cancellation capabilities than their predecessor, along with swipe-based controls. They also sport a fourth, smaller ear tip that allows for a more secure fit with some people. Right now, you can buy them for $199.99 instead of $249 at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.
Fitbit's new Versa 4 is a gift that will help the fitness enthusiast in your life keep better tabs on their health. The tracker sports physical buttons — unlike its predecessor — but shares many of the same features, including built-in GPS, voice assistance, and heart rate monitoring. You can buy it for $149.95 ($80 off) at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.
Our pick for the best auto-emptying robot vacuum, iRobot's Roomba i3 Plus EVO, is on sale for around $350 ($201 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The i3 Plus EVO makes cleaning easier and faster thanks to advanced mapping features, so your giftee can tell it to clean certain rooms either through the app or a via their voice assistant like Amazon Alexa.

Gifts over $400

An OLED TV is a gift that's probably on a lot of people's holiday wishlist — and this is the year they might be within reach for a lot of people. LG's C2 OLED, while still one of the more expensive modes, offers a brighter display than its predecessor while retaining a fast 120Hz refresh rate and other gaming-centric features. Right now, various configurations of the TV are on sale, including the 42-inch model, which is available at Target, Amazon, and Best Buy for just shy of $900 ($400 off). Read our review.
Gifting an Android fan Google's new Pixel 7 Pro is a no-brainer, especially since it's the best Android phone available. The terrific smartphone boasts a number of impressive features, including a great triple-camera array and a large, 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display. Right now, you can buy the Pixel 7 Pro on sale for as low as $730.58 ($168 off) at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy in the unlocked, 128GB configuration. Read our review.
If you've got the money, you might as well splurge on the best laptop. It doesn't matter whether your giftee is a student or professional, Apple's redesigned M2-powered MacBook Air will cater to their needs quite nicely. It offers a number of perks, including excellent performance, all-day battery life and MagSafe charging, a great display, and a better 1080p webcam than its predecessor. Right now, you can buy it with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for $1,049 ($150 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Read our review.