Tech Deals for Black Friday 2021

The day after Thanksgiving has become an excellent time to buy electronics. While the sales encompass everything from clothing to exercise equipment, you'll find some of the best Black Friday deals on tech.

Although Cyber Monday took the crown for the most sales in 2020, Black Friday is still a huge day for retail, having raked in $7.34 billion. In the last few years, the lines have become increasingly blurred between the days of this holiday weekend, which means you can often find Black Friday deals long before and long after the official event. Whether you've been eyeing a new piece of tech or want to stock up on affordable gifts, this holiday week is a great time to buy.

Let's dive into what you can expect this year and how the best Black Friday tech deals for 2021 are shaping up.

What to Expect

Black Friday occurs on November 29 this year. It kicks off the holiday shopping season and brings tech prices down with deep discounts, often to the lowest prices of the year.

2020 looked a little different for this iconic event, with the number of online-only shoppers increasing by 44%. The popularity of e-commerce is expected to carry over into 2021. When many retailers had to close their doors in 2020, they offered their Black Friday deals online. Of those who did keep brick-and-mortar locations open, many spread the sales over the entire week, weekend or month to help disperse the crowds. That's a trend that's likely to stay this year, as the event continues to expand and evolve with health requirements.

Expected shipping delays may also prompt retailers to start sales earlier, with many running through the entire month or even October so customers can get their products before Christmas. Fortunately, these changes mean that many Black Friday deals will be available online. You won't necessarily need to brave a crowd to get the best Black Friday sales in 2021. Hopefully, Black Friday will leave enough time for most orders to arrive.

The items and deals themselves should look similar to what we've seen in recent years, covering many big-ticket items like TVs, laptops and phones. Of course, smaller electronics are also on sale, like affordable tablets, headphones and small kitchen appliances. Some of the most popular tech items from last year included AirPods, Apple Watches and Samsung TVs.

Deals will cover plenty of well-known brands, including some that rarely go on sale. Whether you're looking for some high-quality Bose headphones or a crystal-clear LG TV, you're sure to find them at discounted prices. Remember that supply chain and shipping issues may cause low stock for some items so you might need to snatch them up quickly.

What to Look For

Before Black Friday hits, you'll want to have an idea of what you're after. When it comes to tech, remember that the big-ticket items are usually where you'll find the steepest discounts, but you'll still find sales all over the place. Consider what exactly you're looking for, and be sure to know what you want before you go shopping. If you go into Black Friday blind, you may find yourself trying to research and compare different items while under the pressure of a ticking clock.

You could end up rushing into a purchase that isn't quite what you want because you see acronyms and specifications and don't know what they mean or how they compare to other products or models. By doing your homework beforehand, you can go in prepared. You'll know what features you're looking for and what factors might be dealbreakers.

Discounts aren't the only type of deal to look for, either. You can also expect to see:

If you want to outfit your new purchase with some add-ons, keep an eye out for these kinds of deals. They often stack on each other, too.

You can find these deals in many different places, including email lists, flyers and retailer websites. Retailers typically start releasing their ads in early November, but they may begin even earlier this year for a less-congested holiday weekend. Sales may start from the beginning of the month, with deals announced as early as October. Start checking out retailer websites, and consider signing up for their emails. Usually, you'll get emails when the ads get announced, and may even be privy to flash sales that pop up.

Another place to look is social media. Subscribe to your favorite store brands on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and they'll often tip you off to good deals as soon as they drop. You may also find old-fashioned flyers in-store or in your mailbox.

Popular Black Friday Tech Deals for 2021

We know we'll see some good deals, but what's actually on the docket for 2021? Both big and small retailers will be filling their shelves and web pages with great deals, including department stores, tech stores and specialty retailers such as camera and appliance shops. Here are some of the popular items we expect to see on sale this year.

1. Laptops

You'll almost always see strong Black Friday laptop deals, including those from Apple, Microsoft and Dell. Everything from Chromebooks to high-end MacBooks could be on sale. On the Windows side of things, laptops sporting the newest 11th-generation Intel Core processors should be easier to find and discounted accordingly, along with computers with the previous 10th-gen processors. We could also see price cuts to gaming laptops with Nvidia RTX 3000 graphics cards, which were released this year.

Apple is expected to release a new MacBook lineup this fall, so we may be in for some sales there, too. These new laptops should have the newest M1 chip and will be a hot product. Apple's discounts may not be quite as steep as other computers, but you can usually expect deals of $100-$250 off.

Of course, you don't need a newly released product to get a good deal. Sellers like to get rid of old stock on Black Friday, so you'll probably see some nice sales on older models. Again, make sure you know what you need in a laptop because some Black Friday deals skimp on the specs. They might not offer much RAM or have out-of-date hardware. Still, if you don't need the latest, fastest tech, this could be a good way to get a nice computer for less.

Computers were one of the products that have had supply chain issues this year due to chip shortages, so it helps to stay on your toes and know what you want.

2. Tablets

Businesspeople, parents, college students and many others can take advantage of steep tablet deals on Black Friday. These include high-end iPad Pros and Surface Pros all the way to Fire tablets and Kindles that don't break $100. Mid-range Android tablets usually see sizable discounts, like products from Lenovo and Samsung.

Newer iPads usually come with moderate discounts, which we could see on the newly-released iPad 10.2. If you're looking for the best iPad Black Friday deals, consider looking at last year's models. They'll usually have stronger sales but could run out more quickly.

You'll also find discounts and bundles on accessories, like cases, keyboards, styluses and screen protectors.

3. Phones

Carriers, manufacturers and retailers offer deep discounts on phones new and old. This year, we saw new flagship releases for the iPhone 13 lineup and the Google Pixel 5. Expect decent discounts on these, but you'll likely see lower prices on last year's models. Technically, the Galaxy S21 came out in 2021, too, but that was way back in January, so it will probably see some considerable price drops before next year's model comes out.

As with tablets, some of the best Black Friday phone deals will be on last year's models. So the iPhone 12 and Galaxy S20 should be particularly affordable. If you work with a carrier, you can find these and flagship phones at extremely low prices or even free. When you sign a contract, many major carriers will drop the price of the phone over the length of your plan. You could get last year's flagship or more affordable phones for a few dollars a month.

Of course, that means signing a contract. If you're not interested in that, you can expect solid discounts on unlocked phones, too. Depending on the phone, Black Friday deals could easily shave hundreds of dollars off the regular cost. These deals are typically limited to Android phones, as Apple doesn't allow third parties to sell unlocked iPhones. Still, the manufacturer tends to offer its own deals.

A handy benefit of the rise in e-commerce is that you can purchase your phone online and activate it later. Phone activations can be a long process that leads to traffic jams on Black Friday. Buying online can often help you avoid the crowds and still get the same great Black Friday deals. You can usually have your phone shipped to you and activate it on your own or head in-store on another, less-hectic day.

4. Headphones and Earbuds

Audiophiles and casual users alike can find steep discounts on all varieties of headphones and earbuds. These include different types of wireless models, over-ear and in-ear options and sport headphones. Even premium brands aren't shy about discounting headphones on Black Friday. You can expect price cuts from brands like Apple, Beats, Bose, Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL and Jabra. Many tend to see discounts from $50-$100, with some premium models falling even more.

Audio is another popular choice for gifts, especially when the prices drop this low. AirPods were one of the hottest items last year and probably will be again.

5. TVs

For many shoppers, TVs are the main goal of a Black Friday outing. This year, 4K TVs will probably be big, along with 8K TVs, but the jury's still out on whether 8K resolution is even perceptible — so don't be swayed just because the number is higher. Many of the best Black Friday TV deals are likely to have OLED or QLED displays and smart connectivity.

Whatever style you're looking for, there's a good chance you'll see some great prices. The bigger the TV, the bigger the deal tends to be. It's not uncommon to find upwards of $500 off the bigger 65-inch TVs. Moving down to the 55-inch range could still net you several hundred dollars of savings. And of course, smaller TVs will also be on sale and tend to be very popular for guest rooms, bedrooms and kids' rooms.

It's important to do your homework with TVs, too. Sometimes, Black Friday TVs are more limited than you expect. A 32-inch TV can look much smaller in your living room than in the store, and some extremely cheap TVs are missing important features. They may not have high definition, maxing out at 720p, or they could lack smart features like streaming apps. Pay attention to these specifications, and maybe even bring a checklist to help you get everything you want.

As usual, TV deals should be very strong this year. In the past, retailers would commonly reserve the best TV deals as in-person doorbusters, but, again, the rise in online shopping could change that. Keep an eye on the ads and make sure you know where to be on the 26th.

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Recycle Your Used Phone With ecoATM

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See what your device could be worth with our online pricing tool, or find an ecoATM kiosk near you to get started!