Best Deals at Best Buy's Techtober Sale

KitchenAid’s Artisan Series is a step up from its Classic line. The 10-speed KitchenAid Artisan Series KSM195PSBK comes with the usual attachments, plus a pastry beater, a bowl shield to prevent splatters, and an extra 3-quart bowl for smaller jobs. The standard-issue stainless bowl is 5 quarts. In our tests this mixer aces our tasks for whipping cream and mixing cookie dough and is almost as good at kneading bread dough. It works quietly, and our testers find it very convenient to change the beaters and clean. It weighs 21 pounds and has a tilt-head, so you’ll need some clearance between the counter and the cabinets. Bonus: You have your choice of 10 colors.

The Ninja Foodi DZ550 is a large air fryer fit for a crowd. It has two separate baskets for cooking two different foods simultaneously, and we measured its capacity at 7.4 quarts. It earns impressive scores in our lab tests for its controls, convenience, and cleaning, but it may be on the noisy side. And it weighs a hefty 19 pounds, so you may want to leave it on the counter. At about 30 percent off, this is a great buy if you need a large air fryer for your household.

The Breville The Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro BOV900BSSUSC is a relatively large toaster oven that does a better job baking than most of the toaster ovens we’ve tested, which is ideal if you want to use a toaster oven instead of your full-sized oven to keep the heat in your kitchen to a minimum. This toaster oven also has a convection bake setting and an air fry setting, and it’s generally simple to operate and easy to clean. Breville toaster ovens aren’t cheap, so it may be worth snapping one up now.

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 AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s top-of-the-line earbuds, and they’re packed with features. The new functions include live translation and a workout mode that allows you to leave your Apple Watch at home. They still offer a clinical-grade hearing test and the option of turning your Pro 3s into an over-the-counter hearing aid. They also sound good and offer a better fit and noise canceling than last year’s Pro 2s. They don’t go on sale very often, so this is an opportunity to get the latest tech at an enticing price.

If you’re afraid of losing an earbud, the Sony WI-C100 is a great choice. With a wire tethering the two buds together, the odds of losing your headphones greatly diminish. Our testers give the Sony earbuds fine marks for sound quality. They don’t have noise cancellation, but the earphones will muffle some external noise and limit the amount of sound that escapes from the earpieces. They also have an in-line mic for phone calls.

No, the Beats Studio Buds + don’t carry the Apple name, but they’re close relatives. Apple owns Beats by Dre, and you can buy these true wireless earbuds at the Apple Store. Like AirPods, they’re sleek and stylish, and work seamlessly with an iPhone or another Apple device. So if you don’t want or need the hearing-test or hearing-aid features of the AirPods Pro, the Studio Buds + offer satisfying sound and impressive noise-canceling performance at a lower price.

The Roku 65R6C7, a model in the company’s midtier Plus series, does well overall in our tests, though not for HDR, which is relatively ineffective due to the TV’s peak brightness limitations. (This set supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.) It’s a QLED TV with a Mini LED backlight, and it has a remote-finder button on the TV that, when pressed, will cause the remote to emit a sound. Although not a lifestyle TV per se, it has a Backdrops setting that allows you to display artwork and photos when you’re not watching TV.

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. It was $40 less during Memorial Day, so check back later this week to see if the price drops.

The Roku 75R6C7 is a 75-inch model in the company’s step-up Plus series, which are QLED TVs with Mini LED backlights, sandwiched between Roku’s top-tier Pro sets and its entry-level Select models. Like many other models in this price range, this set delivers satisfying picture quality but a less-than-compelling HDR performance. It supports Dolby Vision HDR, and Dolby Atmos sound.

The 65-inch LG OLED65C5PUA, a 2025 set, is a top-notch TV, offering and excellent balance of price and performance. Like other LG TVs, this set supports Dolby Vision HDR, but not HDR10+. In addition to compelling picture quality, it has above-average sound.

We saw this model sell for $400 less last week, but you’re still scoring a nice discount.

This set, a 2026 65-inch QLED Mini LED TV that uses the Amazon Fire TV smart system, is a Best Buy exclusive. We didn’t test this set, but we did test the Hisense 65U6HF, which did well for overall picture quality. The main difference is that the SF sets feature Mini LED backlights, which could improve contrast and black levels.

The Hisense 65UR8 is one of the new “RGB Mini LED TVs,” which use red, green, and blue LEDs in the backlight to provide a very wide range of colors. We didn’t test this set, but we did test the flagship UR9 models in both 65- and 75-inch screen sizes, and both performed well overall, with exceptional HDR performance. (Hisense TVs support both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats. This set uses the Google TV smart system, with Google Assistant.

We didn’t test this set, a fairly basic 55-inch 4K smart TV from Best Buy’s house brand. However, we did test a similar model, the Insignia NS-55F501NA22, and it performed well for overall picture quality—though not as well for high dynamic range or sound. (It supports DTS Virtual-X sound, which tries to create a 3D sound experience using just the TV’s speakers.) This set utilizes the Amazon Fire TV smart platform, featuring built-in Alexa.

The JBL Flip 7 is a classic do-it-all speaker. It’s small enough to stuff into a bag, but delivers enough sound to provide background music at a barbecue. It’s IP68 water-resistant and dust-proof, and the company claims you can drop it onto a concrete floor from a height of one meter and it’ll keep working. Also, according to JBL, it delivers 16 hours of music on a single charge. The $120 price tag represents a decent value, especially if you think there’s a good chance you’ll be abusing your new speaker more than a little.

If you’re looking for a medium-sized outdoor speaker with volume aplenty and more than adequate bass, the Sony ULT Field 5 is a serious contender. It has an IP67 rating and features restrained LED lighting effects aimed more at adults seated around a fire pit than kids on a sleepover. Size-wise, it’s perfect for a barbecue or a poolside dance party. It’s a bit big for tossing into a bag for a jaunt to the beach, though. If you want a more portable Sony, try the ULT Field 1, which bears a family resemblance in a smaller and less loud, and bassy package.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is an all-in-one 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos model that delivers decent overall sound. It’s the company’s flagship model; although it has built-in subwoofers, it lacks an outboard one to increase bass response. It does have two upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos height effects. It has the Amazon Alexa voice assistant built in. It comes with a headband with microphones that work with Bose’s AdaptiQ calibration feature, or you can use the soundbar’s mics.

The Bose Smart Soundbar is a Dolby Atmos model that delivers decent overall sound, making it suitable for both music and movie soundtrack playback for more casual listeners. It’s a full-featured, 3.0.2 nonsurround model that can be expanded into a full 5.1.2-channel surround system. It can also be used as part of a multi-room WiFi audio system. It features Amazon Alexa built-in and works with Google Assistant (via the Google Home app on a mobile device and/or an optional Google smart speaker). It also supports Bluetooth wireless streaming from a portable device.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 is $50 off its last big sale price, so this is a great time to invest in a soundbar. Plus, it’s a 3.1.2-channel soundbar that delivers satisfying sound, so it’s a good choice for both movies and music. This model supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound, and its main enclosure has upfiring drivers for height sounds. It has Bluetooth wireless connectivity for streaming audio from a portable device.

For those looking for a vacuum that cleans carpets well, the bagless Shark Navigator Professional NV360 sucks up dirt and pet hair from carpets better than any other upright vacuum. One of our favorite features of this model is its lift-away functionality. You can detach the vacuum "pod" to make cleaning stairs and the spaces under your furniture easier. As a brand, Shark vacuums get solid ratings in reliability and top-mark scores in owner satisfaction based on our member surveys. It was $20 less for Memorial Day, so it may drop in price later this week.

A standout among the portable carpet cleaners we’ve tested, the Shark StainStriker PX201 is decent at cleaning stains and gets high marks for drying carpets. It comes with a 57-inch hose and other attachments, including pet tools. It’s now selling at the lowest price we’ve seen this year.

The Dyson Car+Boat 586119-01 is pricier than the other handheld vacuums we test, but its 24-minute run time is really impressive. It’s also a strong cleaner, especially with pet hair. (Though it’s not as effective at sucking up debris from smaller crevices.) We love that this handheld vacuum comes with a pistol grip, which means less strain on your wrist.

In our survey-based owner satisfaction ratings of home security systems, SimpliSafe scores well both as a professionally monitored system and a self-monitored system. Our members report that SimpliSafe provides good value for the money, transparent prices, and great tech support. For Prime Day, SimpliSafe is discounting two of its system starter kits by about 50 percent.

The Blink Mini 2 is the first outdoor version of Blink’s budget-friendly wired camera. Its features include activity zones, a built-in spotlight, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa, and the ability to use the camera’s speaker as a chime for the Blink Video Doorbell. To use the camera outdoors, you’ll need to purchase it with its outdoor power adapter, which costs an extra $10.

It performs well in our tests, with high scores for video quality, response time, and data security. With a Blink Subscription Plan, you will gain person detection and the ability to store footage in the cloud, livestream your camera continuously for up to 90 minutes, save recordings of your livestreams, “instantly” watch recordings as soon as they’re done, and share recordings with others.

The 28-inch-wide Samsung RT70F18LRSR is available for the same discount we saw for Memorial Day. It performs well across most of our tests, though it isn’t as easy to use as we’d like. The refrigerator features a stainless steel finish, an optional icemaker (sold separately), digital temperature controls, and WiFi connectivity to control the fridge from your smartphone. And it’s Energy Star-certified.