Amazon’s October Prime Day kicks off Oct. 6 and 7, and the big stores are fighting for your dollar this season. Target and Walmart are running competing festivities alongside the event, so shoppers have more than one place to look. The sale is live now, with prices dropping across all categories.
This year’s Prime Big Deal Days come after a rough stretch for tech buyers. The RAMageddon price hikes have hit the industry hard, and Amazon responded by raising the prices of nearly two dozen Kindles, Fire TV Sticks, Echo smart speakers, and eero routers this summer due to rising component costs. Seasonal sales like October Prime Day and Black Friday should help cancel out some of those markups.
We’ve sifted through hundreds of October Prime Day deals to find the best ones. Prices are dropping, and the first wave of discounts is already live. Kindles are on sale, and the AirPods Pro 3 are $70 off. We’ll be regularly updating our picks throughout Prime Big Deal Days.
Headphone Deals Lead the Pack
The standout headphone deal comes from Bose. Ahead of October Prime Day, we spotted the first discount on the second-generation Bose QuietComfort headphones. Mashable’s audio expert Bethany Allard says these are the best combination of comfort, noise cancellation, sound quality, and value. They’re now 11% off, down to $319 from their usual $359.
The deal is notable because it’s the first time the headphones have been discounted. The $40 savings makes the QuietComfort (2nd gen) an even better value than before.
JBL offers a solid mid-tier option. The JBL Tune 730BT headphones are down to $59.95, saving $30 off the full price of $89.95. The Beats Solo 4 wireless headphones are also on sale, priced at $99.95 for a $100 discount off $199.95.
For earbuds, the selection is just as strong. The Soundcore P30i by Anker noise-cancelling earbuds are $24.99, saving $25 off $49.99. The Beats Fit Pro (1st Gen) sports earbuds are $124.95, down $75 from $199.95. The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are $189.99, saving $39.01 off $229. And the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are $249.99, saving $49.01 off $299.
Apple Deals Worth Watching
Apple’s early deals arrive ahead of October Prime Day. The AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for $234, a $15 discount off the regular price. The price isn’t bad for an early deal, but we recommend waiting for Prime Big Deal Days to begin. We expect the price to drop to $199 or lower once the sale starts.
The AirPods Pro 3 includes ANC, a more comfortable fit, and brings live translation to the AirPods experience. Athletes will appreciate the heart-rate monitoring feature, which pairs well with a good workout playlist.
More Apple deals round out the lineup:
- Apple AirPods 4: $99, saving $30.99 off $129.99
- Apple AirPods Max 2: $429, saving $120 off $549
- Apple iPad (A16, 128GB, WiFi): $399, saving $50 off $449
- Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 512GB): $1,299, saving $200 off $1,499
- Apple iPad Pro, 11-Inch (M4, WiFi, 2TB, nano-texture glass): $1,899, saving $200 off $2,099
- Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD): $1,399, saving $200 off $1,599
- Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD): $1,839, saving $160 off $1,999
- Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Max, 48GB RAM, 2TB SSD): $4,499, saving $500 off $4,999
- Apple MagSafe Charger: $39.99, saving $9.01 off $49
- Apple Pencil USB-C: $69.98, saving $9.02 off $79
- Apple AirTag 2 (4-pack): $89, saving $10 off $99
Kindle Deals Are Back
Kindle fans have waited for this moment. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is the reviewer’s favorite e-reader, the one used daily. With 32GB of storage, it holds thousands of books. The auto-adjusting front light and wireless charging capabilities make it exceptionally fast, never stuttering when opening books or turning pages.
In August 2026, the e-reader’s MSRP rose to $249.99 from its previous list price of $199.99. Now, the Paperwhite Signature Edition has dropped back down to $169.99, a 32% discount off the new list price. That saves $80 on the e-reader.
The standard Paperwhite is more expensive right now. When buying a new Kindle, the reviewer recommends including three months of Kindle Unlimited in the purchase, which is totally free and carries a value of $35.97.
More Kindle options round out the category:
- Amazon Kindle (16GB): $103.99, saving $46 off $149.99
- Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids: $169.99, saving $60 off $229.99
- Amazon Kindle Colorsoft (16GB): $189.99, saving $100 off $289.99
- Amazon Kindle Scribe (32GB): $379.99, saving $120 off $499.99
- Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft (32GB): $479.99, saving $150 off $629.99
Amazon Devices Are On Sale Too
Kindles aren’t the only Amazon hardware getting discounts. Echos, Fire TVs, and tablets are all marked down. The best deal is on the Amazon Echo Dot, which is down to just $39.99. That’s not the lowest sale price ever spotted on the Echo Dot, but it’s the best price since Amazon increased prices on its devices.
The Echo Dot is a perfectly compact smart speaker. It’s compatible with Alexa+, a smarter home assistant that helps with meal planning and booking dinner reservations.
More Amazon device deals round out the lineup:
- Amazon Echo Glow: $22.99, saving $7 off $29.99
- Amazon Echo Show 5: $59.99, saving $40 off $99.99
- Amazon Echo Dot Max: $79.99, saving $40 off $119.99
- Amazon Echo Show 11: $149.99, saving $100 off $249.99
- Amazon Echo Show 21: $349.99, saving $150 off $499.99
Fire tablets are also discounted:
- Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB): $72.99, saving $82 off $154.99
- Amazon Fire HD 8 (64GB): $79.99, saving $50 off $129.99
- Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (64GB): $94.99, saving $75 off $169.99
Fire TV Sticks round out the selection:
- Amazon Fire TV Stick HD: $15.99, saving $24 off $39.99
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select: $17.99, saving $32 off $49.99
- Amazon Fire TV Stick Voice Remote Pro: $19.99, saving $15 off $34.99
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus: $37.99, saving $32 off $69.99
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max: $44.99, saving $40 off $84.99
What the Price Hikes Were About
The RAMageddon price hikes affected the entire tech industry this year. Amazon increased the prices of nearly two dozen Kindles, Fire TV Sticks, Echo smart speakers, and eero routers this summer because of rising component costs. Those increases were passed along to consumers across the board.
Seasonal sales like October Prime Day and Black Friday are designed to cancel out some of those markups. The idea is simple: raise prices during the off-season, then lower them when the big sales arrive.
Which Deals Arrive First
Not all deals arrive at the same time. Some are live now, while others are expected to drop further as the sale progresses. Here’s how the major deals stack up by expected availability:
- The AirPods Pro 3 is currently $234, with a projected drop to $199 or lower when Prime Big Deal Days begins.
- The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is already discounted to $169.99, a 32% reduction from its new MSRP of $249.99.
- The Echo Dot is down to $39.99, the best price since Amazon raised its device prices.
The Bottom Line
Prime Big Deal Days is a good time to buy if you’ve been holding off. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is a standout pick, and the AirPods Pro 3 are a steal at $234. The Bose QuietComfort headphones are the best value in the headphone category, and the Echo Dot remains a cheap entry point for smart speakers.
Target and Walmart are running competing festivities, so shoppers have multiple places to look. The sale is live now, with prices dropping across all categories.
The RAMageddon price hikes are still working their way through the market, but seasonal sales like October Prime Day and Black Friday should help cancel out some of those markups. Amazon has raised prices on nearly two dozen Kindles, Fire TV Sticks, Echo smart speakers, and eero routers this summer due to rising component costs.
We’ll be regularly updating our picks throughout Prime Big Deal Days. The sale runs Oct. 6 and 7, and the deals are live now.
Source material: “Weve scoured hundreds of sales to find the 35+ best October Prime Day deals: Bose, Lego, Apple,” Mashable.
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