Best Holiday Deals on Echo Speakers, Fire TVs, and Other Amazon Devices

The Fire HD 8 is the cheapest tablet we recommend. You probably won’t be blown away by the screen, and its speed is just okay, but it’s perfectly suited for simple tasks such as reading or scrolling through social media. It’s a relatively small tablet at 8 inches, so it’s easy to slip into a bag when you’re on the go. As with other Fire tablets, you’re restricted to the Amazon app store, and you’ll have to find alternatives to some popular apps.

Why it’s a good deal: This $40 discount is the same price we’ve seen during other big sales.

This deal gives you a solid discount on a 10-inch Amazon Fire tablet. This model doesn’t get outstanding scores in our tests, but it’s a solid device. And given the price, it’s worth considering if you don’t mind a screen that’s just okay. For reading books, scanning the news, browsing emails, and so on, it works perfectly well, though movies might not look as vibrant as you’d like. The biggest drawback is the Amazon app store, where you won’t find some mainstream apps such as Gmail. But you can use a web browser instead, as you would on a computer.

Why it’s a good deal: This is $5 more than the lowest price.

The latest orblike Amazon Echo tops its predecessor, the classic cylindrical Echo, in a number of important ways. The sonics are significantly improved, with a strong but slightly boomy bass and enough volume to fill a midsized room. Our testers also found that two Echo speakers sound good when paired in stereo, delivering you-are-there appeal.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the same low price we’ve seen during major Amazon sales.

The Echo Show 5 is Amazon’s smallest smart screen. Our testers report that the sound is subpar for a music-listening device, but that’s not why you should consider this device. It’s a utility machine that works well placed on a night table or desk. You get all the Amazon Alexa functionality you’d have in other Echo devices, including the super-cheap Dot, and some added value thanks to the small screen and camera.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the best price we’ve seen for this speaker.

The Echo Show 10 has a large, 10-inch touchscreen that pivots around a squat cylindrical base (reminiscent of the “Pixar” iMac.) And the screen has a silent electric motor that moves the screen automatically to follow you as you move around your kitchen. This model has a decent screen and sound. But you need a pizza-sized clearance area around the Show 10. Otherwise, if you use it in the kitchen, the pivoting screen could knock over objects ranging from a metal travel mug to a mostly filled bottle of cooking oil, creating a potential hazard. If you’ve got a large kitchen with lots of counter space and the discipline to keep things away from the screen, the Show 10 could be a great option. If not, consider the less expensive Show 8, which lacks the motorized screen and requires much less counter space. 

Why it’s a good deal: This kind of discount will probably last only through Cyber Monday.

The Echo Show 15 is a wall-mounted 15-inch touchscreen that Amazon envisions as a smart home hub and a digital replacement for magnets on the fridge and Post-its on a kitchen wall. A smart speaker as a family message center is an intriguing idea, but in our opinion, the execution is lacking. Sonically, the Show 15 sound leaves a lot to be desired, performing at a level in our labs about as well as models like the Echo Dot that can be bought for $50 or less. Evaluation in a real-world kitchen revealed the touchscreen to be balky, as well as some problems interacting with a small array of smart home devices. The much less expensive Show 8 isn’t quite as sexy, but it’s a better performer.

Why it’s a good deal: As with many other Amazon devices, this is probably the best price you’ll see for this one.

If you’re not picky about having the fastest speeds and WiFi 6 compatibility, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K delivers a solid performance at a better price. The 4K stick-style player has a nice array of content and features—including voice control and Dolby Vision HDR. You can control it from Alexa-enabled devices such as the Echo and Dot, and use the included remote to control power and volume on many TVs and sound bar speakers. The player comes with an Alexa remote control with dedicated buttons for Amazon, Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a solid discount. It was $5 less during the last sale, though.

This latest stick-style streaming player from Amazon is also the company’s fastest because of a more powerful processor, so apps launch quicker than on earlier models. Also, it includes WiFi 6, the latest WiFi version. This 4K model supports the HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision HDR formats, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.

Why it’s a good deal: This matches the low price we saw during Prime Day.

This 55-inch Fire TV, sold under Amazon’s own brand, is part of its step-up Omni Series, with a slimmer design and a few more features than the 4-series sets. It does fairly well overall, though its HDR performance was very limited.

Why it’s a good deal: It’s about $50 cheaper now than it was a month ago, and it will appeal to fans of the Fire TV smart TV system.

The Amazon B08T6JZTH4, one of the newer Fire TVs sold under Amazon’s own brand, is in the step-up Omni series, with a slimmer design and a few more features than the Amazon 4-series sets. Those features include Dolby Vision HDR and built-in microphones for hands-free operation. We tested this model and it performed well for HD and 4K picture quality, but its HDR performance was minimal, mainly due to limited peak brightness. The TV uses Amazon’s Fire TV system, with built-in Alexa and a voice remote for voice commands.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a solid discount, but still about $100 more than the best price we’ve seen.

This 75-inch 4K TV, the Amazon 4K75M600A, is a step-up Omni series set in the company’s new lineup of its own Fire TVs. We haven’t tested it but have tested other Amazon Omni TVs, and they’ve done fairly well for overall picture quality, though not for HDR.

Why it’s a good deal: Best Buy’s 50 percent discount is the lowest price we’ve ever seen. Even Amazon doesn’t have a price this good for its own TV.

The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is the cheapest model in Ring’s lineup. In our tests, this bell received high scores for its video quality and data security, but we found its response time and free feature set a bit lacking. The latter mainly includes monitoring zones and voice control via Amazon Alexa. And while this doorbell needs to be wired for power, it won’t ring your home’s existing doorbell chime. However, if you already own an Amazon Echo smart speaker or display, it can act as a chime for the doorbell. Cloud video storage and additional features require a Ring Protect subscription.

Why it’s a good deal: This doorbell is currently 38 percent off at a handful of retailers. Best Buy is also selling this doorbell with a plug-in chime for $60, netting you a savings of $30.

Now owned by Amazon, Eero helped popularize the very concept of mesh routers a few years ago, so it’s no surprise to see this early-generation Eero Pro model perform well. The speed is fast at near and far distances, though less so at midrange. The model also scores well for data security. There’s automatic firmware updating, app-based setup, and support for WiFi 5 (as opposed to WiFi 6 or WiFi 7), plus five Ethernet ports (useful for when you want a fast, stable link for, say, playing Xbox or PlayStation games). You won’t find a USB port, though, which hurts the model’s versatility score.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a hefty discount on a model replaced in 2020 by the Eero Pro 6.