We're Tracking Prime Day Live
Prime Day is here, and so is our live blog. We'll bring you deals, trends, and commentary throughout Amazon's annual summer sale.
Prime Day is here, finally. Amazon's annual summer sale will get blanket coverage across the internet as publishers step over each other to push discounted air fryers and phone chargers.
Prime Day has moved up a few weeks from its usual timeline to get ahead of July 4, and all the incoming Sesquibicentennial Sales. ("America's 250" seems to be more widely adopted terminology—we prefer sesquibicentennial). Having spent the last few weeks digging through deals under embargo, we can attest that this year's bargains aren't quite as good as we've seen in the Peak Prime era, but there are still lots of very serious discounts to be had if you're patient and a little picky.
We'll be updating our overview of the absolute best Amazon Prime Day deals several times a day, and we'd encourage you to check that out if you're shopping for something specific. Our coverage is a little different than what you find on the rest of the web—we only include products someone on our team has personally tested, and we limit ourselves to products actually discounted from the prices we've been tracking. Over here on the live blog, we'll be having some fun spotting trends and odd products, plus going a little deeper on some gadgets we love.
Featured deals
This Easy-to-Use Affordable MagSafe Wallet Stores 2 Cards Securely
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Take it from someone who has used a dozen: MagSafe wallets can be pretty annoying. The concept of storing physical cards on your phone is all fun and games until you're struggling to get them out at the cash register, dying in a puddle of shame while everyone in line looks at you. This MagSafe wallet is actually easy to use. Press your thumb into the divot at the side and it'll slide your cards out for you. Press in again to secure them. There's really only room for your ID and whichever payment method you want to use, but that's really all you need. A couple of colors are on sale.
Our favorite AI notetaker is on sale
Our top pick for AI notetakers is the Comulytic Note Pro, which our reviewer raved about, especially for the price:
This gadget is $20 off its typical low right now and is just $109.
My Second-Favorite Pit Viper Sunglasses Are Down to $56
I love me some Pit Viper sunnies and can usually be found wearing one of my 5 pairs of the heart-shaped Admirers, which are not on sale on Amazon right now. My second-favorite style are The Original 2.0, which make me look like a character straight out of the Terminator series and can be adjusted to my preferred tilt. They're lightweight, they don't slip, they stay comfortable all day long, and you'll get complimented on them constantly. A few different colors are discounted.
We've got the best headphone deals rounded up here
Headphones are always a popular Prime Day purchase as they're usually actually discounted, and everyone needs a pair or eight. Longtime audio contributor Chris Haslam did this year's roundup of the best bets, which include the stylish Nothing over-ears above along with the standard sales on Bose and AirPods.
That's not an Anker power bank, THIS is an Anker power bank
My colleague Louryn reports that the Anker 737 is “beefy,” and I suppose it is for a portable power bank. But check out the Anker power bank above, which is sitting in my basement right now.
I am increasingly convinced that in the future, almost everyone will have a big battery in their basement. Power companies are jacking up rates and implementing “time-of-use” pricing that makes it very advantageous to do so, as you can buy power for a few pennies per kilowatt-hour in the dead of night and then use it during the afternoon.
I wrote all about it for a story published earlier today. The Solix E10 I'm reviewing is on sale for Prime Day, bringing the price to $3,799. It has enough juice to run your whole household during a blackout and can be used with a time-shifting scheme to save a lot of money over its lifetime.
The Most Affordable Fitbit Just Got Even Cheaper
At its full price of $100, the Inspire 3 isn’t the most compelling Fitbit. The newer Fitbit Air, which costs the same, is a tough competitor unless you specifically want a screen. But with this Prime Day discount, the Inspire 3 becomes a much more appealing option. It also offers up to 10 days of battery life, the longest of any Fitbit model. Although it has only 20 exercise modes compared to the latest Fitbits’ 40, most users will find 20 more than sufficient. If you want an affordable fitness tracker that promotes healthier habits without overwhelming you with data, this is the deal I’d recommend.
I Love This Power Bank So Much, I Bought It Twice
The Anker 737 is beefy, weighing nearly a pound and a half. But the 24,000-mAh capacity and up to 140 watts of power means it can charge your laptop as well as your phone or tablet or headphones. Best of all, the power bank itself can be fast-charged and topped off in under an hour. I keep this thing on me at all times while traveling. While we've seen it drop $15 lower during Black Friday, this is still a great deal if you're in the market and don't want to cross your fingers and wait until November.
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This Is Basically the Swiss-Army Knife of Handheld Vacuums
This super-lightweight hand vacuum weighs less than a pound and can also blow debris/dust, inflate and deflate, and vacuum-seal. It does this through the large number of included assorted attachments, which are: a dust brush, dust cup nozzle, a pointed crevice nozzle, air nozzle, and swim ring nozzle. It’s surprisingly powerful, with a 96,000 RPM brushless motor and 20,000 Pa suction, and it can hold a little over 3 ounces in the dust cup. The attachments are good for vacuuming up virtually every type of household mess, and I liked that when I needed to blow up an air mattress and vacuum-seal my storage bags, I didn’t need another tool to do so in my already crowded apartment.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P Lets Your Teammates Hear You Swear In Crystal Clarity
I would like to consider myself a calm person, but online gaming brings something truly terrifying from the depths of my soul. I bought this gaming headset while it was on sale during Black Friday last year and have yet to regret it. It’s lightweight and comfortable, the battery lasts for hundreds of hours, and it looks cute. But most importantly, the audio quality and microphone quality are both fantastic. So fantastic that I know my teammates are letting me down solely due to user error on their behalf because my comms have been excellent ever since upgrading. Best of all, this headset plays well with everything from consoles to desktops to cell phones. The removable mic adds another layer of privacy, should you want it in addition to the mute button.
Quick, to your cart!
My favorite part of Amazon Prime Day is not all the deals we spot on products we've tested, but, in fact, going to my own shopping cart to see what's on sale.
I have like six camp stoves, but no titanium alcohol stoves (so light and easy to use—also unwelcome in much of the West for most of the summer). I have had this wee boy in my cart for months now, waiting to pull the trigger. It just finally dropped below $20 for the first time.
Head over to your cart, I'm sure you'll find the same little joys.
Hot Coffee Here
Drip coffee is back in style with a new generation of high-end coffee makers that optimize for flavor while maintaining the same ease of use you get from that crusty old Mr. Coffee in the basement.
The Fellow Aiden got an 8/10 review from our writer, who said it “has plenty of esoteric bells and whistles to tickle the fancy of design-minded coffee geeks, but it also makes really good coffee with minimal hassle.”
The biggest issue with the device is that it's normally $400. Well, for Prime Day it's $320. If you've had your eye on it, this is as good a time as any.
I Will Never Not Need Aquaphor’s Lip Balm
I have sensitive skin, which means I can’t afford to experiment with lip balms. Most irritate my lips or dry them out. Aquaphor’s Lip Repair is one of the few that has never betrayed me. There are no fragrances, dyes, or preservatives. I can reapply it as often as I want, and there’s no waxy buildup. These Lip Repair Sticks also have broad-spectrum SPF 30, which, for me, is the bare minimum for a daytime lip balm.
You Probably Shouldn’t Drink Javvy Coffee Concentrate Straight From The Bottle
…And yet, it is 5:45 AM, and I am considering doing exactly that, and I am telling you all about it as is live blog tradition. Coffee concentrates may seem like an abomination to most connoisseurs, but nothing could be better for my bleary morning brain. Fill a cup with ice, add a splash of this stuff, mix with the appropriate ratio of milk and creamer and water, and you’re good to go. You can technically drink it hot, but I like it best ice cold and questionably diluted. All the flavors are tasty, and most of them are on sale.