Allow me to preface this by saying: Black Friday is insane. It is a day that defies all sense and logic. People haul themselves out into the bleak, cold darkness, into the night. Turkey is still digesting in their bellies. They lie in sleeping bags and tents, huddled together, waiting for the doors to open so that they can buy discounted socks, or those tin cans that have different flavors of popcorn in them, or holiday decorations for next year, because they’re on such a great sale!
Black Friday is full of uselessness. If you want to subject yourself to a deluge of deals on everything ever, then you can. There are lots of sites intensely cataloging in multiple page spreads the products you can get at bargain prices if you’re willing to put yourself through the collective horror of IRL Black Friday.
Still, not everyone wants to wade through the clutter to find the proverbial diamonds in the rough of Black Friday. In lieu of that, here are our favorite Black Friday deals on the best Internet-friendly, “smart”-something, app-enabled tech of 2014.
Phones
Black Friday is historically the day everyone wants to get a new TV, but in recent years the masses have increasingly been clamoring for smartphone deals instead. Who can blame them? We’re hooked on smartphones and the best ones have exorbitant price tags. If you need a new phone, Nov. 28 has your name all over it.
What: iPhone 6 16GB (with new two-year contract)
Where: Wal-Mart
When: Starting at 6am Black Friday, through Sunday.
How much: $179; comes with a $75 Walmart gift card.
What: Samsung Galaxy S5 (with new two-year contract)
Where: Wal-Mart
When: Starting at 6am Black Friday, through Sunday.
How much: $99 with $100 Walmart gift card.
What: iPhone 6 16GB (Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint with new two-year contract)*
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $179.99; comes with $30 gift card.
*Available at 9pm and quantity will be limited.
What: iPhone 6 16GB (Verizon, AT&T, Spring with new two-year contract)
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $99.99
What: iPhone 5S (Verizon, AT&T, Spring with new two-year contract)*
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving; close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $1
*With use of trade-in gift card.
What: iPhone 6 16GB (with new two-year contract)
Where: Sam’s Club
When: Doors open at 7am Friday.
How much: $99
What: Samsung Galaxy S5
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $149.99
What: Samsung Galaxy S5 (with new two-year contract)
Where: Sam’s Club
When: Doors open at 7am Friday.
How much: $0.96
What: LG G3 (with new two-year contract)
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving; close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $1
What: Samsung Galaxy S5 (Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, with new two-year contract)*
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $0.01
*Available at 9pm and quantity will be limited.
What: Samsung Galaxy S5 (with two-year contract)
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving; close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $1
What: Amazon Fire Phone, unclocked
Where: Amazon
When: Cyber Monday through Dec. 1.
How much: $199
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Phablets
The phablet, that strange hybrid of a tablet and a smartphone, has become a surprisingly popular device. If you are of the large-handed persuasion, you have a few Black Friday options.
Photo via Janitors/Flickr
What: Samsung Galaxy Note III
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $99.99
What: Samsung Galaxy Note III (with new two-year contract)
Where: Sam’s Club
When: Doors open at 7am Friday.
How much: $0.96
What: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (with new two-year contract)*
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: -$50 (free and includes a $50 Best Buy gift card)
*Only “qualified buyers” are able to take advantage of this deal.
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Tablets
Tablets exist in this strange in-between world right now. There isn’t a ton of tablet innovation happening. Instead, new, slightly upgraded versions are released on an existing timetable. This actually makes tablets a good Black Friday buy, though, because they’re more likely to stay current for a long time than phones or phablets.
What: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7-inch Wi-Fi
Where: Wal-Mart
When: Doors open at 8pm on Thanksgiving.
How much: $99
What: Surface Pro III
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $100-$150 off regular price
What: Apple iPad Mini 16GB with Wi-Fi
Where: Wal-Mart
When: This deal comes with strings attached: You have to be in “designated areas of the store between 6 and 7pm on Nov. 27.”
How much: $199 and comes with $30 Wal-Mart gift card.
What: iPad Air 2 16GB, Wi-Fi
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $499 and comes with $140 gift card.
What: iPad Air 2
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: Starting at $399
What: iPad Mini 16GB, Wi-Fi
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $249 and comes with $80 gift card.
What: iPad mini 3 16GB
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: Starting at $324.99
What: Kindle Fire HD
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $79.99
Where: Amazon
When: Thursday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, Nov. 29
How much: $79 and $109, respectively
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Streaming devices
Cord-cutters and pretty much anyone who likes to watch Netflix, Hulu, or another streaming service will appreciate these deals on new set-top boxes and streaming tech. Whatever we can do to slowly erode Big Cable’s reign of terror, right?
Photo via EricaJoy/Flickr
What: Google Chromecast
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $24.99
What: Google Chromecast
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $23.99
What: Apple TV
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $89
What: Apple TV
Where: Fry’s
When: TBA
How much: $79.99
What: Amazon Fire TV
Where: Staples
When: Doors are open from 6pm-10pm Thanksgiving Day and reopen 6am on Friday.
How much: $74
What: Roku streaming stick
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $39.99
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Fitness trackers
Fitness trackers are feeling significant pressure from smartwatches, but that doesn’t mean they’re obsolete. It does mean you can get them at some pretty sweet prices.
What: Fitbit Flex
Where: Wal-Mart
When: Doors open at 8pm on Thanksgiving.
How much: $69
What: Fitbit Charge
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $99.99
What: Jawbone Up24
Where: Sam’s Club
When: Doors open at 7am Friday.
How much: $69.98
What: Samsung Gear Fit
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $99.99
What: Misfit Shine
Where: Misfit.com
When: Friday, Nov. 28
How much: $79.99
What: Misfit Flash
Where: Misfit.com
When: Friday, Nov. 28
How much: $24.99
What: Mio
Where: Mio
When: Nov. 26-Dec. 1
How much: $79
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Smarthome tech and other cool gear
Do you need any of these? Probably not—the age of the smart or connected home is still ever-so-slightly out of reach. And the average person definitely doesn’t need a GoPro. Still, these gadgets are really, really cool (and really, really on sale).
Photo via BitBoy/Flickr
What: GoPro HERO3+
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $249.99
What: Neato XV-21 Robotic Vacuum
Where: Wal-Mart
When: Online-only deal, starts Thanksgiving morning.
How much: $269
What: Hue starter kit
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $199.99
What: 2nd-generation Nest Thermostat
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $199.99
What: Belkin WeMo Smartphone Appliance and light switch
Where: TigerDirect
When: (It’s a site…so Nov. 28.)
How much: $49.99
What: Ion Audio Forever LP Digital Conversion Turntable
Where: Kohl’s
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $49.99
What: Dropcam HD
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $100
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Smartwatches
The Apple Watch won’t be released until this spring, but it’s going to come at quite the cost (reportedly starting at $350 and skyrocketing up to $5,000). Ahead-of-the-curve and price-conscious buyers can skip the wait—and the bankruptcy—by picking up a different smartwatch on Black Friday.
Photo via ChrisF/Flickr
What: Pebble Smartwatch
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $79.99
What: Pebble Steel Smartwatch
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $149.99
What: Pebble Smartwatch for select iOS
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $79.99
What: LG G watch
Where: Google Play Store
When: Friday Nov. 28
How much: $99, plus $50 for the Play Store
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Smart TVs
TVs are in a weird place right now. There are a lot of really innovative things happening in the display world—curved OLED displays! 4K! 3D?—but at the same time Americans appear to be questioning whether it’s worth it to buy one. Still, Black Friday is TV’s big day, and if you’re going to buy one, we suggest an Internet-enabled model.
Photo via Best Buy
What: 55-inch Samsung LED 1080p 240 Hz Smart TV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $997.98
What: 65-inch Samsung LED 1080p 240Hz Smart TV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $1,497.98
What: 60-inch Samsung LED 1080p 120Hz HD Smart TV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $799.99
What: 55-inch LG LED 1080p 120Hz HD Smart TV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $779.99
What: 55-inch Vizio 4K LED 2160p 240Hz UltraHD Smart TV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $1,299.99
What: Vizio 50-inch 1080p 240Hz Smart LED HDTV
Where: Best Buy
When: Doors open at 5pm on Thanksgiving, close at 1am, reopen at 8am Friday.
How much: $499
What: Samsung 60-inch 1080p 120HZ Smart LED HDTV
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $797.99
What: Samsung 40-inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV
Where: Target
When: Doors open at 6pm Thanksgiving Day.
How much: $327.99
What: Vizio 60-inch 1080p 240Hz LED Smart HDTV with Wi-Fi
Where: Sam’s Club
When: Doors open at 7am Friday.
How much: $848
What: Vizio 65-inch Smart LED HDTV
Where: Wal-Mart
When: This deal comes with strings attached: You have to be in “designated areas of the store between 6 and 7pm on Nov. 27.”
How much: $648
What: Samsung 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Curved Smart TV
Where: Wal-Mart
When: This is an online deal, available Thanksgiving morning at Walmart.com.
How much: $1,298
What: Samsung 55-inch 1080p 120Hz LED Smart TV
Where: Sears
When: Doorbusters start at 6pm Thursday and run through 1pm Friday;
How much: $799.99
Update 2:05pm CT, Nov. 12: Some of the deals listed here are available before Black Friday; the guide is intended to be of use for Black Friday, but click out to the ad in question to find detailed information. We will also be adding new deals as we find them.
Photo via djLicious/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)