Best tech deals in the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale: Offers to expect on tablets, laptops and more
They say Prime Day comes but once a year, but it seems Amazon has other ideas. For the first time, the retail giant is breaking all the rules and running a second Prime Day sale in 2022, called the Prime Early Access Sale. That means there’ll be savings on everything from homeware and clothing to technology, laptops and phones.
Taking place on 11-12 October, the autumn shopping event lands just weeks before Black Friday – the biggest online shopping event on the calendar – and just three months after the most recent Prime Day in July.
As always, our team of IndyBest experts will be on hand to filter through the deals and bring you the best bargains. Whether you’re shopping for a new TV or a pair of headphones, we’re here to spot the best discounts on top-rated tech from a mile off.
Amazon Prime Day is exclusive to Amazon Prime members, so you’ll need to sign up to Amazon Prime if you want to take advantage of the discounts. We usually suggest signing up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial and then cancelling your membership if you’re simply interested in the Prime Day deals.
As Prime Day approaches, we’ll be gathering the best tech deals right here, so bookmark this page and keep checking in with us as the big day approaches, to stay on top of the best offers and discounts Amazon has to dish up on its first Prime Day 2.0.
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When will Prime Day tech deals begin?
Amazon has confirmed that Prime Day Early Access will take place on 11-12 October. Amazon held its first Prime Day sale in 2015 to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, and it has quickly become one of the biggest online shopping events of the year. The event usually sees price cuts on products across Amazon’s TV, laptop, gaming, homeware and fitness departments, among many others.
Like other sales events, technology is a major feature of the Prime Day sale. Shoppers can expect to see deals on tech products from brands such as Apple, Samsung, Philips, Shark, KitchenAid, Miele and more, plus discounts on Amazon’s own Kindle, Echo and Fire product lines too. If you’re looking to build a smart home full of Alexa-powered kit, this could well be the sales event for you.
Do you need Amazon Prime to buy Prime Day tech deals?
Yes. You’ll need to have an Amazon Prime membership, paid for either monthly or annually, to get access to the October Prime Day deals. But there are ways to make this more cost-effective than it sounds, since Prime is available with a 30-day free trial. That way, you can sign up now, shop Prime Day deals, then cancel your membership right after the event.
However, it’s only possible to start a free trial if you haven’t been a Prime member for at least 12 months prior. As such, if you created a Prime account for 2022’s first Prime Day event in the summer, you won’t be eligible for another free trial during the October sale. Sorry, but them’s the rules.
What to expect from Prime Day tech deals in 2022
We don’t know exactly what tech deals will be offered during Prime Day Early Access, but a look at the last sale in July will give you an idea of what to expect.
Highlights among 2022 Prime Day tech deals included the Xiaomi redmi note 10 pro (£237.99, Amazon.co.uk) being reduced from £269 to £129, a £100 saving on a GoPro Hero 8 black bundle (£329.99, Amazon.co.uk), more than £350 off a Microsoft Surface pro 8 (£1,001.01, Amazon.co.uk), and the Bose NC700 headphones (£259, Amazon.co.uk) had their price slashed from £350 to £175.
We also expect to see money off Amazon’s own products, such as Echo smart speakers, Kindle ebook readers and Fire TV-streaming sticks.
The best tech deals from July’s 2022 Prime Day event in the UK
Xiaomi redmi note 10 pro: £237.99, Amazon.co.uk
With more than 50 per cent off for Prime Day, the excellent Xiaomi redmi note 10 pro fell to just £129. Xiaomi was practically giving away this budget Android phone – you don’t often see a 6.7in 120Hz AMOLED screen on phones for less than £400, let alone less than £130.
How was it so cheap? Well, the processor is a few generations old, so it’s not as speedy to open apps as a Samsung, Google or Apple flagship. And the camera, while running rings around similarly priced handsets, is average compared to those found on pricier phones. Even so, the redmi note 10 pro was already a great deal at full-price, and with half-off it was truly unmissable.
Microsoft Surface pro 8: £1,001.01, Amazon.co.uk
During the summer sale, there was a whopping £379 off the Microsoft Surface pro 8 – one of the best portable Windows devices you can get your hands on. The Surface pro 8 runs on full-fat Windows 11, meaning it’s compatible with all of your standard Windows apps and programs, making it more useful for everyday business than an iPad.
Bose NC 700 headphones: £259, Amazon.co.uk
A superb pair of headphones, the Bose NC 700s come highly recommended by our expert shoppers and were included in our round-up of the best noise-cancelling headphones. They sound sublime across all genres, they’re comfortable to wear for hours on end, and they block out external noise better than any other over-ear headphones we’ve tested. Our reviewer was suitably impressed. In their Bose NC 700 review, they said: “It really is a pleasure to switch them on and switch the world off.”
Apple iPad air, 2020, 10.9in, 64GB: Was £519, now £419, Amazon.co.uk
The fourth-generation iPad air received a tidy £100 discount last Prime Day. While it’s recently been superseded by the fifth-generation iPad air, released earlier this year, it’s still a worthy choice if you’re in the market for a new Apple tablet. The redesigned iPad air has a bright 10.9in display, features a USB-C connector instead of lightning and uses Apple’s powerful A14 bionic chip under the hood. It’s relatively light at 458g, and comes with 64GB of storage. In our review of the device, our writer said: “The redesigned iPad air is essentially an iPad pro with some of the settings dialled down.”
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