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Amazon's Prime Day has returned for its fall edition, and the Amazon Alexa-powered devices are already on sale. But are the sales actually any good?
There's already the question of whether you want Alexa in your house, and now it's a question of whether the sales are more of a mind game than a real discount. That's thanks to Amazon raising prices across its device categories at the end of August, leaving us with the same product lineup but a worse case to recommend it. Some devices are already on sale right now ahead of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days for $40 off, but went up in price by $20 just a few weeks ago, cutting that discount into something that feels barely worth the spend.
If you're interested in Amazon's device sales but want the real picture of what the discount is and which devices are worth it, I've got you covered. I've been testing Amazon Alexa speakers since they launched in 2012, and I am also WIRED's resident Kindle tester, which gives me almost too much insight into the price games Amazon plays with these devices. Here's my full breakdown.
Right now, Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo speakers and Fire TV sticks are currently on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days next week (October 6-7). These devices saw price hikes at the end of August, so some of the deals aren't as good as in the past. They do seem to be permanent price changes, though, so if you're certain you want one of these models, this is the best time to buy.
So far, most Kindles aren't on sale yet, but all three Kindle Kids models (the Kindle Kids, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, and Kindle Colorsoft Kids) are already on sale. (Amazon also announced new versions of these Kindles today, along with the rest of its lineup, so it's up to you whether you want the current on-sale model or to preorder the new one!) If you're looking for a Paperwhite and Scribe, they aren't on sale yet as of this writing. Neither are Eero routers.
But I expect most of those models will be discounted once the event begins. Both Kindle and Eero products also saw price hikes at the end of August, so I recommend buying them only on sale (even if the sales aren't as good as they used to be, since they're similar discounts but on higher prices).
Not all deals are great, especially given the recent price increases. If you're set on getting a new Amazon Alexa-powered speaker, though, here are the discounts (and devices themselves!) that are still worth it.
The best deal in Amazon's early device deals is easily the second-gen Echo Spot, revived in 2024. It's 50 percent off its new price, and it's still a solid discount off its original price of $80. I really like this fun little smart speaker. It works great as a bedside alarm, shows when your next alarm is set, and can display the weather or your calendar details when you ask Alexa. Best of all, you get the fun benefits of a screen without a camera to worry about.
The only new Amazon Alexa speaker that didn't get hit with a price change is the second-gen Echo Studio. It still sits at $220, which is not only its original price, but also the original price of the first-gen model. It's a nice thing to see. Its discount isn't huge for Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, but it's $40 for powerful, room-filling sound that could extend across great rooms without getting muddy.
The Amazon Ember Artline TV is another rare device from Amazon that didn't see a price hike at the end of August, maintaining the $1,099 price it had at launch (and now has a $300 discount off that). It's a well-priced art television that is more accessible than its more expensive competitors, and comes with handy features like built-in Alexa+. I'm usually not a fan of the Fire TV devices, but this one keeps catching my eye and is already on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
Out of Amazon's new smart displays, the Echo Show 11 is my favorite. It's a little larger than the Echo Show 8, but not so much that you can't comfortably fit it onto a kitchen counter. It also has better sound than the newer Echo Show 8. The price rose by $30 at the end of August, but $100 is still a good discount, even if it is off the new price.
If you're looking to get an Echo for as cheap as possible, this is the one to get, and this is the best time to buy it. The fifth-generation Echo Dot packs good sound for its size, but is best on sale since I don't think it's worth the new $80 price tag it got in August. But $40 is fine, and the cheapest you'll get for a current model. (Still more than I think it needs to be, though.)
If you're shopping for a Kindle, this is the best time to buy since most were hit with price increases. You won't get as good a deal anymore, but it's much better to buy it at a discount on the new price than the full, higher price for the same product. There's also new Kindles that were just announced, so it's up to you if you want to grab an older on-sale model (which all work great!) or wait for the new one.
As of this writing, only Kindle Kids models are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, but only one is a good deal after taking the price changes into account.
I think kids and kids' books have a much better chance of taking advantage of the color screen than adults, which is why I love the Kindle Colorsoft Kids if you're shopping for a young reader. It also comes with a full year of Kids+ content—more than any other Kids model—and the color covers are beautiful. It has a good discount, even though the price did increase by $30 at the end of August.
Looking for a different device during Amazon's sale event? We've tested several other Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices that are also on sale right now. Here's what else you can consider, and what the discount looks like.
Amazon raised prices across several of its device categories at the end of August. It's not a shocking move, but it hit many affordable products and makes for a worse sale season since we're getting discounts on a higher price tag for no other improvements. Here's a quick breakdown of most of the price changes to help you navigate what sales are good and which are really just bringing you back to the old price.
Either way, I'd only buy an Amazon device on sale now, but it is unfortunate the sales just won't be as good anymore on these existing devices. I expect most, if not all, of these devices to go on sale at some point during Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
The Amazon Echo smart speaker price changes were:
The Amazon Kindle e-reader price changes were:
The Amazon Eero mesh Wi-Fi routers we recommend saw price changes of:
And finally, the changes to Fire TV devices we recommend were: