Best Deals at Best Buy During Black Friday in July

This 55-inch smart TV, a new model for 2025, is an entry-level QLED set that nonetheless provides a satisfying picture, though it lacks the brightness to deliver a compelling HDR experience. (The TV supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR, plus Dolby Atmos audio.) It also lacks some features, such as local dimming, found in step-up models. Sound quality isn’t great, so you might consider adding a soundbar. It uses the Amazon Fire TV smart system with Alexa built in.

Anyone looking for a top-performing 48-inch 4K OLED TV should consider this LG set, which delivers in every respect except for HDR performance, where our test results show it’s only so-so. It’s in an entry-level OLED TV series for 2024.

The TCL 75Q750G is a midtier 4K Google TV for 2023 that offers very good overall picture quality. Though it lacks the Mini LEDs found in TCL’s 8-series sets, it does have a full-array LED backlight with a good number of local dimming zones. This set had been selling for over $1,000, but recent price drops make it eligible for this list.

The TCL 65QM6K, the entry-level model in the company’s new Precision Dimming Series of step-up models with Mini LED backlights for 2025, does well for overall picture quality, but not as well in our evaluation of HDR performance. It uses the Google TV smart system with built-in Google Assistant. At this sale price, the set is about $100 cheaper than it was last week at several retailers.

Situated right below Samsung’s pricier flagship QD-OLED TV for 2024, the Samsung QN65S90D is a smart all-around buy, with commendable picture quality and HDR performance. It has a lot of features, including an ATSC 3.0 tuner for receiving "Next-Gen TV" off-air signals where available.

The 75-inch Sony K75XR90, aka the Bravia 9, is Sony’s flagship 4K QLED TV for 2024.  It has top-notch sound, aced all our picture-quality tests, and has great HDR, thanks to its high peak brightness capability.  As with other Sony sets, it uses the Google TV smart system and comes with an ATSC 3.0 tuner for receiving NextGen TV signals where they are available.

The Sonos Ray is a compact 2.0-channel soundbar, and the least expensive Sonos model we’ve tested. Despite its small size, it manages to deliver impressive overall sound. It lacks an HDMI input—you connect it to the TV via the optical digital audio input—but it has built-in WiFi for playing music, podcasts, radio, from your favorite services.

This compact all-in-one smart soundbar delivers very good overall sound quality, so it should appeal to even more critical listeners for music and movie soundtrack playback. It supports Dolby Atmos audio, though it doesn’t have up-firing drivers; instead, it uses signal processing and phased speaker arrays to create Atmos effects. It also has built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant digital assistants.

This all-in-one Dolby Atmos soundbar from Bose delivers good overall sound. It has many features, including TrueSpace, which creates multi-channel sound from non-Atmos sources, and a dialogue mode that uses AI to improve vocal quality. One very unusual feature is a personal surround mode that lets you pair the soundbar with a set of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and use them together for a surround-sound experience.

These sleek true wireless earbuds may be a bit expensive, but their stellar sound quality makes them more than worth it if you care about music. They are sleek successors to the company’s stellar WF1000XM4s, and they deliver so much musical detail that you simply hear your favorite songs in a different way. The noise-canceling performance of the XM5s is top-notch as well, and Sonys have a very effective ambient mode that pipes in outside noise for safety or convenience.

The Sony WH1000XM4 is two generations old–Sony recently introduced the XM6–but headphone tech doesn’t advance that rapidly, and the XM remains a solid performer with fine sound and very effective noise-canceling. Most importantly, at less than $200, it’s a flat-out bargain, competing with models that are double the price.

The Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds sit near the top of our ratings, with really satisfying sound and exceptional active noise cancellation. Bose headphones also earn top marks from our members for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. The $50 discount might seem modest by Prime Day standards, but Bose products are rarely discounted at all.

The AirPods Max are cool, sound really good, and have superb and flexible noise-canceling. However, at their normal street price of $500, they cost more than almost every other pair of headphones in our ratings. The Maxes have transparency mode, to pipe in outside sound, as well as spatial audio capability. The biggest selling point for the Maxes is the distinct look and the premium feel you’ve come to expect from an Apple product. And they provide seamless compatibility with the company’s other products. 

AirPods 4 are for anyone who likes the look and fit of the original AirPods and wants the best-ever version of that classic model. With their plastic ear tips, the AirPods 4 are a throwback to the early days of AirPods. Our testers give it a middling grade for noise cancellation, because it doesn’t offer the passive noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro and other earbuds with silicone or foam eartips. However, for fans of the model’s iconic design, this openness to hearing what’s going on around you when you need to is a feature, not a flaw. And the ANC still does a decent job of reducing background noise, so you can, for example, wear the buds on a commuter train with the ANC on and turn it off on your walk to work.

The Sonos Ace is the company’s first headphone, and our testers find this minimalist model to be a top performer. Its noise cancellation is first rate and it also ranks near the top of our sound quality rankings. Fit-wise, it is less-than-great for some users with large heads.

If you’re a Samsung Galaxy lover and due for a phone upgrade, you can nab a deal on the latest S25 smartphone. (The S25+ and S25 Ultra are also on sale, if you want a larger or more premium model.) Expect a vibrant display and excellent camera system, our testers say.

This is a substantial discount on Samsung’s premium foldable phone. Part-smartphone, part-tablet, the dual-screen device provides extra room for managing email, editing spreadsheets, and watching video. At 8.6 ounces, it’s a bit heavier than most phones, but hinges open to reveal an impressive 7.6-inch display.

Attention, travelers: If you’re looking for a lightweight option, this model is one of our favorites for travel—and the price has dropped over $100 in the last month. MSI’s 13-inch Prestige weighs a scant 2.1 pounds, earning top marks in our ratings for portability, while still delivering solid performance and 15-hour battery life.

Want an easy-to-install floodlight camera? The Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera runs on batteries and offers great video quality. Features include activity zones, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa, and up to 5 minutes of continuous live streaming at one time. You can also store footage locally, without a subscription, by using the included Blink Sync Module 2 (worth $50) and plugging in a USB flash drive (sold separately).

The Arlo Pro 5S is one of the company’s higher-end security cameras, and it’s back to the same low price we saw during the holidays. It’s weatherproof and battery-powered, allowing you to place it just about anywhere on your property within WiFi range. It offers decent video quality and features color night vision, a built-in siren, and two-way audio. Additional features like AI object detection and activity zones require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K is one of the best video doorbells you can buy. It provides the flexibility to install it wherever you need it. You can run it using the rechargeable battery or hardwire it to a home’s doorbell wiring for continuous power. Features include geofencing and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles) require an Arlo Secure subscription. This is the best price we’ve ever seen for this model.

If you’re looking to upgrade your Apple Watch (or invest in a smartwatch for the first time), the top-rated Series 10—reviewed here for CR members—comes with a bigger, brighter display than the previous model and faster charging capabilities, which might make tracking your sleep easier. This Apple Watch allows for cellular connectivity. 

The Versa 4 is a great fit for fans of Fitbit who want a sleeker-looking smartwatch. You get a good-sized display and all the basics from GPS-enabled workout tracking to heart rate monitoring, plus a generous six days of claimed battery life.

You can grab the sleek Fitbit Charge 6 for around $100 right now. It sports a full-color, 1.1-inch display. In addition to the basics like sleep and step tracking, it offers more advanced health-tracking features, like stress monitoring and an ECG (electrocardiogram) function that can alert you to irregular heart rhythms. The claimed battery life is an impressive seven days.

If you want a slim fitness tracker that just keeps tabs on the basics—like your sleep, step count, and heart rate—the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a good buy at this price. It has a convenient 10-day claimed battery life and comes with both small and large band options. 

The Garmin Vivoactive 5 has a 1.3-inch touchscreen color AMOLED display, is compatible with iOS and Android, and includes step counting, sleep tracking, and calories burned. In our tests, we found this model very easy to use, somewhat accurate for counting steps, and very good at measuring heart-rate accuracy. The watch face was very good in our scratch resistance hardness test, and the watch is water-resistant. It passed our water immersion test at 164 feet for 10 minutes.

The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar smartwatch aced our step count performance and water resistance tests. It tracks swimming metrics as well as calories burned and sleep metrics. What’s more, it has a very generous claimed battery life of 40 days. However, unlike many other smartwatches we’ve tested, the model lacks WiFi connectivity.

If you’re serious about doing a lot of high-quality printing in color—say, you’re a small business owner or a graphic designer—our experts suggest a color laser printer. This Canon model prints beautifully, it’s relatively inexpensive for a color laser model, and the estimated toner cost is reasonably low compared to the competition’s. Keep in mind that the unit is quite large for a home office, though.

You can snag a substantial discount on this Epson all-in-one color inkjet printer that scans and makes copies, too. It’s not a particularly fast printer, but you can expect sharp-looking text, graphics, and photos. And because it’s a tank model that you fill from ink bottles, you’ll spend far less on replacement ink over time—around just $7 annually, per our estimates—than you would buying a model that uses pricey cartridges. 

This all-in-one cartridge inkjet printer comes with an integrated scanner and copier and makes for a reasonable pick if you’re on a budget. We don’t typically love inkjet printers that take cartridges—they tend to be less reliable and more costly to use over time compared to laser printers—but this Brother model comes recommended by our experts and performs reasonably well when it comes to text and graphics quality, as well as its speed when printing text.

Much like trackers made by Samsung and Tile, AirTags work best if you’re looking for one within Bluetooth range (roughly 30 feet) of your own phone. But that said, there are millions of iPhones and other Apple devices roaming around out there that can pick up a signal and discreetly convey it to you when you find yourself searching for, say, a park or a school campus for the keys you dropped. Is the tracking pinpoint accurate? No. But it’s close enough to give you a little peace of mind.

The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket air fryer has one basket with a divider, which allows you to either cook one large batch of food or two different foods simultaneously. (Since they’re separated by just a divider, though, if you want to check on one side, you have to open the whole basket.) It has a measured capacity of 4.9 quarts, and we found this model easy to use and clean. While it’s not the quietest air fryer, it’s not overly noisy, either. It has six cooking modes—air fry, air broil, bake, roast, reheat, and dehydrate—and pre-programmed settings for specific foods, and it comes with a 1-year warranty.

The Ninja Pro AF141 is an easy-to-use air fryer with a measured capacity of 3.8 quarts and a range of cooking functions, including a dehydrate setting. It’s not the quietest air fryer, but it’s not especially noisy either, and our testers found it easy to clean. It comes with pre-programmed settings for cooking different foods, plus a recipe book and cooking charts to help guide your cooking. You’ll get a 1-year warranty with this machine.

A top-rated model in CR’s tests, the Vitamix Ascent X2 may look unassuming with its dial and toggle controls, considering its excellent overall performance in our blender lab. It aces our purée and durability tests, performs admirably in our icy drink and ice crush tests, and is convenient to use, according to our testers. Plus, Vitamix blenders as a brand receive excellent scores for owner satisfaction and predicted reliability.

The Ninja Single Serve Pods & Grounds PB051 dual coffee maker is virtually three machines in one: A pod coffee maker, a drip coffee maker, and a milk frother. For single-serve Keurig K-Cups, a speedy first cup is paramount, and our testers found this model excellent in that regard. For drip brewing, we found brew performance very good, meaning the machine brewed at between 195° and 205° F for five or six minutes, the industry standard for optimal brewing and the best flavor. This Ninja model has a removable reservoir, water filter, and an indicator to tell you when you’ll need to clean it.

The portable Blue Pure 211i Max features an indicator light to alert you when you need to change or clean the filter. It also has a dirt sensor and four speeds. On its higher setting, it’s terrific at removing dust, pollen, and smoke, but expect a bit of noise. Try it on low and you’ll have more quiet while still experiencing top-notch results. This model is designed for use in a large space of 350 to 650 square feet and costs about $109 a year to maintain—just more than half that of the Pure 211+. It also weighs just 17 pounds, making it easy to move around. CR members found Blueair air purifiers highly reliable and were quite satisfied with their purchase.

The cordless Shark Stratos IZ862H has Shark’s signature DuoClean brush roll and a flexible wand for reaching under furniture. It earns top scores for cleaning bare floors and removing debris along edges. But if you have carpet, it’s only so-so. A dirt sensor increases suction when the vacuum senses debris and decreases when the floor is clean. It has a self-cleaning mechanism that prevents hair from getting tangled around the brush roll. The vacuuming mode and battery life are displayed on the console.

The Shark PowerDetect IP1251 comes with lots of bells and whistles, including a dirt detection feature and a floor detect mode that adjusts the brush roll speed based on the surface it’s vacuuming. It’s very good at sucking up debris from carpets and is even more impressive at picking up pet hair. The vacuum can be converted into a hand vac and folded for storage.

If you’re tired of lugging around a heavy hand vacuum while cleaning, you should consider the Shark Ion W1 WV201. At 1.4 pounds, it’s one of the lightest hand vacs we’ve tested. And despite its strong cleaning performance, it’s also fairly quiet. The one downside is that its bin is on the small side, which means you have to empty it frequently when you’re tackling a bigger mess.

If you’re a pet owner, the price on this Shark Vertex DuoClean AZ2002 is a real steal. It picks up pet hair especially well, has exceptional suction power, and does a solid job containing small dust particles. It also has a lift-away canister, which makes cleaning hard-to-reach places easier. The self-cleaning brush roll prevents pet hair (and any long hair) from wrapping around it and getting tangled in the vacuum.

It doesn’t come with tons of extra features, but the Shark Matrix RV2310AE gets the job done when it comes to cleaning. It’s excellent at picking up pet hair and does an exemplary job at sucking up debris from bare floors. While its dustbin is relatively small, our testers say it’s very easy to empty the dustbin and to clean the filter.

Despite its priciness, the Dyson 360 vis nav stands out for its unique features and powerful cleaning performance. It’s on the heavy side but compensates with extremely strong suction, effectively picking up pet hair and embedded dirt. Instead of a conventional side brush, it uses an extending side duct to tackle edges and corners. It also has a large brush roll that spans the full size of the vacuum for effective cleaning, and though its dustbin is relatively small, it’s equipped with a convenient one-touch ejection system for easy emptying.

The Shark CarpetXpert EX201 isn’t exactly quiet—it earned a middling rating in our noise test—but it boasts strong performance in cleaning stains. It also did well in our dryness test and is excellent at removing cleaning solution from carpets. It comes with a hose that’s 60 inches long to get into tight spots.

Best Buy’s compact Insignia NS-CZ70WH0 is a great low-cost option for adding extra freezer storage so you can stock up. It’s a champ at keeping a set temperature, and its thermostat is spot-on. Your food will survive a typical power outage, and this small chest freezer runs quietly. Energy efficiency is near the top, but some larger chest freezers are even more efficient.

A Best Buy exclusive, the midsized Insignia NS-CZ10WH6 gets high scores in most of our tests. It’s an energy-efficient freezer with an accurate thermostat that does a great job of remaining at a constant temperature. And your food will be safe during a power outage—this model aced that test, too. On the downside, it lacks tiered bins, compartment dividers, and an interior light, leading to a failing score for ease of use.

The LG LTGL6937F has dropped in price since June: You’ll be able to save around $700 more if you buy the range now. The model has a gas cooktop and two gas ovens, both with convection. It’s among the best double-oven gas ranges in our ratings, and it comes with continuous grates, a griddle burner, and WiFi connectivity that lets you control the oven temperature from your smartphone. Broiling is just middling. Otherwise, it heats fast, simmers steadily, and bakes evenly.

The GE JGBS86SPSS is the least expensive model of the double-oven gas ranges recommended by CR. But it doesn’t skimp on features. It’s equipped with continuous cast-iron grates, two high-power burners, and convection and air-frying modes. The ovens perform solidly in our baking and broiling tests, and the cooktop simmers very steadily, but its boiling speed is on the slower side of all the gas ranges we’ve tested. Our members give GE gas ranges a top-notch rating for reliability and a mediocre rating for owner satisfaction.