you might say that Labor Day marks the unofficial start of fall, but I always think of it as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. (I know, I know, it’s still August, sorry.) It’s sort of a warm-up for the main event that is Black Friday; You may not have your entire holiday shopping list crossed off just yet, but these soon-to-be Labor Day deals could be taking over those gutters.
Labor Day falls on Monday, September 5 in the US, and there’s a chance that some of the items on this list will be better discounted when the three-day weekend rolls around. These are still great deals on some of our favorite WIRED-tested products. We’ll be updating this story over the next week, so stay tuned for even more deals if you’re in the market for a new gadget.
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Deals on smartphones, tablets and laptops
The Pixel 6A (8/10, Wired Recommends) hasn’t been out for a long time, but it’s already dropped $50. That’s a great price for our favorite smartphone. This Pixel has the best performance for the money, which means you can run all your favorite apps and games smoothly. Its 60Hz screen is bright enough for sunny days, the battery reliably lasts a day, and the cameras are excellent. This deal is also available at Target and Best Buy.
This deal has popped up a few times since Prime Day, but it’s still a great price for a flagship Pixel (9/10, WIRED Recommends). You’ll get the same performance as the Pixel 6A but with superior cameras, wireless charging, a 90Hz display and better build materials. Google will release a successor in October, so if you want the best, it’s worth the wait. Read our Google Pixel guide to learn more. This price matches Target and Best Buy.
If you’re looking to save as much as possible, this is another great Android phone (8/10, Wired Recommends). You get benefits like a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, decent performance, and more than a day of battery life. You’ll get four OS updates and five years of security updates, so it’ll last you a good while.
This is the best deal we’ve tracked down on our favorite Chromebook. The 2-in-1 design makes it easy to switch between work and play, and it’s powerful enough to handle most average tasks. It’s especially good for students, as long as they’re comfortable working entirely in the Chrome browser.
Amazon devices go on sale every two months or so. The Fire HD 10 tends to bounce around between $100 and $150, so if you’re in the market now and don’t want to wait until Black Friday, when it’ll likely drop to $80, this deal is your best bet. bet The HD 10 (7/10, Wired Recommends) is our favorite Fire tablet, and overall a great cheap tablet if your budget is tight.
Want a big screen Android tablet? This Samsung model fits the bill and comes with an S Pen that magnetically attaches to the back of the tablet. It has a sharp and bright LCD screen, pretty great speakers, and the best software support window of any Android tablet. Unfortunately, there is no headphone jack. I tried the LTE version and found its performance to be a little choppy, but this Wi-Fi-only model has a better processor and should run much smoother.
If you don’t mind a slightly smaller screen, the new Tab S8 will give you much better performance, so every game will feel smooth on that 120Hz 11-inch LCD. It also comes with an S Pen, has stellar speakers, and will support software updates for a long time.
Games, streaming and TV deals
This hard drive doesn’t usually cost more than $130, but this $20 discount brings it below what we’ve seen in recent months. The 2TB version is also on sale, although the price is less tempting than its usual cost. These rugged hard drives are durable and portable. They are ideal for photographers and videographers who need to back up images in the field, especially since the read and write speeds are very fast. Read more in our guide to the best portable storage.
These wireless headphones are available in a few color schemes, and they’re all on sale. Wireless connectivity is supported on PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PS4 and PS5. The built-in microphone and 18-hour battery life are decent, and while the sound quality isn’t amazing, it’s hard to find reliable wireless connectivity at this price. This offer matches Target, Best Buy and Walmart. Read our guide to the best wireless gaming headsets to learn more.
Doom: Eternal It’s often in the $30-$50 range on a regular basis, so this deal is a nice pick-up for people with one of these titles on their wish lists. It includes every game in the franchise, plus extra goodies like downloadable content and soundtracks.
Based on past trends, it’s safe to assume this will drop to $25 or less around Black Friday. Amazon devices go on sale frequently, but the Fire TV Stick 4K doesn’t drop below $30 very often, so this is still a decent price. This gadget is best for those who are already rooted in the Amazon ecosystem. Check out our Best Streaming Stick guide for more information.
Deals on streaming services don’t come around very often, and that goes double for deals that include existing customers. The plan with ads is also on sale for $70 (regularly $120). The price only applies to the first year, and you’ll want to turn off auto-renewal to avoid being charged the full price later. HBO Max has a lot of good original series and a wide variety of movies. Read more in our guide to the best streaming services.
Offers for the home and mattresses
This is a great price on our favorite robot vacuum. The J7+ won the top spot because it has better navigation skills than its competitors. Aside from its self-emptying bin, we also like the included storage for extra brushes and other accessories that can easily get lost. Read our tips to get the most out of your robot vacuum cleaner.
Clip the coupon on the page to see the discount at checkout. The Eufy 30C goes on sale quite often, but this deal beats others we’ve seen. Eufy is owned by Anker, and while this model isn’t on our list of the best robot vacuums, the brand is generally reliable, and we’ve liked their budget vacuums in the past. The 30C has no smart maps and relies on boundary strips to figure out which areas to avoid. It may not be the smartest robot, but the price is much more accessible.
This offer is fairly standard and comes up several times throughout the year. The Helix Midnight Luxe is the best mattress we’ve tested. It has the Goldilocks effect, not too hard, not too soft, so it should work well no matter how you like to sleep. You also get two pillows.
The Casper is our second favorite hybrid mattress. Hybrids tend to be more suitable for most people compared to foam models. This discount is pretty standard and is a bit more affordable compared to the previous Helix. Read more about these and other recommendations in our guide to the best mattresses.
Outdoor watches and deals
Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy Watch5 recently, which means it’s a smart time to buy the older model if you don’t need the latest version. This is one of the steepest price drops we’ve seen for the Watch4 (7/10, Wired Recommends). Thanks to its bright screen, smooth performance and easy-to-use interface, the Watch4 is a great smartwatch for anyone with an Android phone (even better if you have a Samsung phone). There is no support for iPhone.
No coupon code is required to access this offer, which runs until September 5th. All dry bags, compression sacks and gear packs are for sale. The $30 trash bag ($10 off) is especially helpful for keeping your campsite tidy and your footprint minimal without using plastic bags.
We really like the Sony LinkBuds (8/10, wired recommendations). They’ve been on the market for a few months now and are among the best wireless headphones out there, especially if you regularly use headphones when you’re out and about. That’s because they let you hear the ambient noise around you much better than most headphones, meaning you can hear the traffic while running or cycling outdoors. Check out our guide to the best wireless headphones for more.
It’s usually pretty easy to get $10 off this speaker, but the $30 discount matches the best deal we’ve seen. Clip 4 rocks thanks to its built-in carabiner, you can easily carry your tunes while rollerblading or disc golfing. Despite the small size, the sound quality is surprisingly good. Built-in buttons let you control your music, and the case is dust and water resistant, so beach days won’t be a problem. It’s one of the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested.
Early Labor Day Sales Pages
There are some stores offering early Labor Day deals if you want to check out the sales for yourself.