Black Friday tech tips for shopping for video games, headphones, TVs, and more

It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which means you’re either laying the groundwork for how best to avoid awkward conversations tomorrow or prepping your Black Friday shopping list. Or both.

My advice for blocking out those cringe-worthy chats is to bury your face in the sweet potatoes and never look up. My advice for shopping for gadgets on Black Friday is a little more helpful.

Here are my tips for how to shop for tech products this year, whether you’re prowling the aisles of your favorite store or perusing an app from your couch.

Video games, game consoles, and game accessories are an easy score on any Black Friday. You’ll find deals on consoles including Sony’s (SONY) PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s (MSFT) X Box Series X, and Nintendo’s (NTDOY) Switch, not to mention a solid amount off on controllers, which are mighty pricey when not on sale. I’m hoping my wife opts for a new PlayStation 5 controller at $20 off, since ours are always dying.

Discounted gaming gift cards are also a great option for Black Friday shopping. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve’s Steam, Roblox, and others offer gift cards for in-game purchases or to pay for a few months of access to their respective online services.

Whether you’re looking for over-the-ear headphones or in-ear earbuds, you can score some exceptional deals during Black Friday. Be on the lookout for Apple’s (AAPL) AirPods and AirPods Pro if you’re an Apple fan, or check out the various offerings from Beats, JBL, Bose, and Sony that will be on sale at different retailers.

It’s important to remember that some people are exceedingly particular when it comes to their earbuds. Some prefer those with silicon tips and others can’t stand them. You should also take into account whether you want active noise cancellation (ANC) or not. ANC, as its name implies, actively cancels out background noise while you’re listening to music, podcasts, shows, whatever you’re into.

You’ll usually only find ANC on more expensive headphones and earbuds. So, if you can find a pair with the technology at a good price, like the Bose QuietComfort for $199 at Amazon, go for it.

In the market for a laptop this Black Friday? You’re in luck. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and others are offering up sales on everything from Apple’s MacBooks to ASUS gaming rigs and Microsoft’s Surface laptop. Not every laptop you see on sale is worth buying, though. My advice is to look for a laptop with at least 16GB of RAM. That’s more or less the norm for modern laptops, but lower-cost models often only provide 8GB, which can translate to slower overall performance.

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Generally, when you’re shopping for a laptop, or desktop for that matter, you want to purchase the most expensive model you can comfortably afford. That’s because pricer models tend to have the latest and greatest chips and more RAM and storage, which means they’ll last longer than more modestly priced computers.

TVs are some of the most sought-after Black Friday items. But don’t just settle for the first TV you see at a suspiciously low price.

When it comes to TVs, your best bet is to get an OLED model, thanks to their brilliant colors and inky blacks. Unfortunately, OLED TVs are pretty expensive, with most coming in at $1,000 or more. QLED TVs are a great alternative, though you’re not going to get the same kind of color performance as an OLED set.

If there’s one thing to remember when buying a TV, though, it’s that you get what you pay for. In other words, if you opt for a $400, 55-inch model, don’t expect it to provide the best picture quality. But if you’re looking for the kind of TV that turns your friends green with envy, like LG’s C3, expect to splash out $1,300.

If you’re looking for smartphone and tablet deals on Black Friday, you’re in for a mixed bag. In the market for a new iPhone? Then you’ll generally need to search for trade-in options or sign up for a new mobile plan. Android phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, however, are on sale at places like Best Buy.

Tablets, on the other hand, are great buys during Black Friday, whether they’re from Apple, Samsung, or Amazon. You can often find slates for hundreds of dollars off with a quick online search.

Amazon, Roku (ROKU), and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) tend to go all out when it comes to Black Friday sales on their smart speakers and streaming boxes, and this year is no different.

Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is $70 off at Best Buy, Roku’s Streaming Stick is $20 off at Amazon, and Google’s Nest Audio speaker is $50 off on the Google Store site. I’ve been holding off on buying a new Roku for my bedroom until Black Friday specifically because the sales are too good to pass up.

Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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