The best Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals: Everything you need to know

Prime Day 2019 may still be months away — Amazon hasn’t announced the official date —  yet preparations for Amazon’s biggest retail event of the summer can never begin too early. If you’ve had your eye on some sweet new Alexa-enabled smart devices, 4K TVs, gaming consoles, or kitchen gadgets, Prime Day is the best time to save a pretty penny on all of those things. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still two of the best times to save big, Amazon Prime Members know that come mid-July, there’s really only one shopping event to keep your eye on. Though you might be able to snag a pretty good deal with the best Memorial Day sales if you know where to look.

We’ve been taking a look at the best discounts from previous Prime Days to give you our predictions of what to expect this year. So before you buy that Echo or Fire HD tablet at full price, read on to learn more about Prime Day 2019 and our predictions for the best deals. We may not yet know when the big day will occur, but we have a pretty good idea of what it will look like this year.

Best Amazon Deals Going on Right Now

Prime Day is still a ways off, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few deals still floating around. Here are the best Amazon discounts you can take advantage of right now:

• Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker — $114 ($66 off)
• Garmin Forerunner 35 — $120 ($50 off)
• Echo Auto — $25 (50% off)
• Cuisinart Portable Tabletop Grill — $68 (55% off)
• Apple Watch Series 4— $349 ($50 off)

When is Prime Day 2019?

Amazon Prime Day 2019 will likely start on July 15 this year, but we can’t be certain. The date keeps shifting from year to year. Prime Day, like Black Friday, has become less of a one-day event, and more of an all-out buying frenzy. Prime Day 2018 was a full 36 hours of deals, discounts, and flash sales, making it the longest Prime Day we’ve ever seen. We’re predicting Prime Day 2019 will be even longer.

Last year, Prime Day officially began at 3 p.m. on July 16 and stretched on through midnight on July 17. However, if you start to factor in all of the lead-up deals and sales the retailer pushes, that start date landed somewhere around the beginning of the month. Considering this shopping holiday has continued to grow in popularity, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see deals start coming down the pipeline at the end of June this year.

Do you need to be an Amazon Prime Member to find deals?

While there will be some discounts available for non-Prime Members, the majority of the price cuts will be reserved for those who have already taken the plunge. This massive buying event was created, in part, to get more folks to sign up for Amazon’s subscription service. If you want to avoid paying for a full year of this service, you can always pick up a free 30-day trial. Just make sure you start the service in July and cancel it before your 30 days are up to avoid any fees at the end of your trial period.

Considering what you get with Prime, however, it’s definitely worth holding on to. You get access to exclusive shows, music, and discounts that you won’t find anywhere else. Plus that free 2-day shipping is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

What Prime Day deals should we expect?

Though the deals tend to shift each year, there are some staples you can expect. We’ve been through multiple of these buying extravaganzas at this point, so we’ve got a pretty good grasp on what to look for.

Amazon devices: Considering Prime Day is primarily a members-only event, it’s no surprise that some of the best deals are always on Amazon devices. You can expect steep price cuts on Echo Dots, Echo Shows, Fire TV Sticks, Amazon Fire Tablets, and Kindles.

Alexa-enabled Devices: Some of the best-selling products on Prime Day every year are smart plugs, smart bulbs, security cameras, video doorbells, and other smart home accessories. Some of these items will also be bundled with Echo smart speakers for additional savings.

4K TVs: Like any buying holiday, there will likely be quite a few TVs at insanely low prices. Amazon has a tendency to drop some steep discounts on Toshiba Fire TVs and chances are pretty good TCL will be dropping prices on 55-inch, 43-inch, and 40-inch televisions as well.

Wireless headphones: If last year is anything to go off of, this online shopping event is one of the best times of the year to snag a pair of wireless headphones or wireless earbuds for a great price. Brands like Sony, Bose, and Beats are all likely to drop an awesome deal at some point during this massive sale.

Kitchen gadgets: Like any good summer sales event, kitchen gadgets and appliances will be receiving solid price cuts. Instant Pots, sous vide, blenders, juicers, and air fryers will likely all be discounted throughout Prime Day 2019.

Smartwatches: Smart wearables have become one of the most sought-after tech items to buy, and Amazon has been slashing prices on these devices all year long. Apple Watches, Fitbits, and more smartwatch deals are all likely to happen on the big day.

Gaming Consoles: Much like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, Prime Day is a great time to find some decent deals on consoles. Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch will all be on sale in some form or another. The Switch almost never gets discounted, but you can expect a slew of new bundles to come down the pipeline.

Are Prime Day deals actually good deals?

Prime Day may be known for its discounts, but like any buying holiday, it’s up to the consumer to make sure they’re actually getting a good deal. In general, we’ve seen some really great discounts on Xbox consoles, Amazon Echo devices, Instant Pots, and 4K TVs. However, there are quite a few discounts floating around that won’t really be saving you very much money. To help you out, here are some tips for spotting a good deal:

Filter your deals through a trusted source

The easiest way to ensure you find the best possible discounts is to have someone do all the hard work for you. If you bookmark this page for later, we’ll have our entire editorial staff digging through the depths of Amazon to deliver the saving to you. If you have trust issues, though, we’ll let you in on few of the tricks and techniques we use for spotting great deals.

Do a quick Google search

If you find yourself staring down a set of pots and pans, an air fryer, or gorgeous soundbar but aren’t sure if it’s the best possible price available, head to Google. One quick Google search on a specific product will often pull up pricing information across the board. If it’s actually on sale, then prices from the likes of Walmart, Best Buy, and the manufacturer page will likely be higher.

Check price histories

This may seem like a labor-intensive process, but it’s actually really easy to do. There’s a website called CamelCamelCamel that tracks and displays the price history of any item sold on Amazon. Though this only works for Amazon products, it’s an easy way to see whether or not you’re getting the best deal historically or not.

Read the fine print and comments

Shopping online is a lot less dangerous than it used to be, but that doesn’t mean you can just stop reading the fine print. A lot of retailers will hide important details where you are least likely to look. Most commonly, this happens with third-party sellers who are trying to get a leg up on their competition by offering deep discounts on refurbished tech.

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