This year has been rather different for most of the world, but there’s one thing for certain: Black Friday is coming. In fact, it’s likely to be bigger and better than ever, with a huge shift to online shopping.
We’ve made some predictions about what to expect this year, but many of you probably just want to know where to pick up the best Black Friday 2020 deal on the Apple AirPods or Galaxy Note 20 that you’ve been eyeing – if that resonates with you, you’ve come to the right place.
We are bringing you the very best tech deals in the UK right here, as well as bringing you tips on how to bag them before they sell out.
Best early Black Friday deals 2020
Black Friday 2020 predictions
Based on past years and closely monitoring trends from past sales, here are some speculations on deals we expect to see as we approach Black Friday 2020. Let’s see how well we do!
Amazon will discount its Echo range, with the Echo Dot 3 (RRP £49.99) likely to sell for £22 or lower (likely with 2-3 months of Amazon Music Unlimited bundled in)
Google will follow suit and also discount its Google Nest Mini (£49.99) to match Amazon’s pricing, along with discounts on its Pixel 4a or possibly the Pixel 5
Apple will offer Apple Store gift cards worth up to £160/$200 until Cyber Monday – this may include discounts on the rumoured iPhone 12
Currys PC World may offer free next-day delivery vouchers, but on purchases above a certain value
eBay will offer an additional 10% discount code on top of Black Friday deals offered from its merchants
Adobe CC will launch its 40% off deal for a very limited time
VPN providers like Nord, Surfshark and CyberGhost will offer 70-80+% off multi-year subscription plans with an exclusive code
Three will launch an unlimited data deal that will outdo its current offer
Fitbit will bring back discounts on the new Charge 4 Special Edition– and Amazon will beat those prices marginally
We’d also like to see Disney+ bring back its 7-day free trial before the holidays
A look back at Black Friday 2019 deals
To give you an even clearer idea of the kinds of deals you can expect from Black Friday 2020, we’ve kept a record of the best deals from last year below. We saw incredible offers several major brands and retailers last year, including Amazon, Kaspersky, Xiaomi, Asus, O2, Sony (and PlayStation), Philips, and more. Browse through our 2019 coverage for an idea of discounts from last year. Will 2020 beat these prices?
Software
Laptop & PC
TV
Wearables
Smartphones
Gaming
Smart Home
Other gadgets & deals
When is Black Friday 2020?
Every year Black Friday falls the day after Thanksgiving, which we appreciate means little here in the UK. The date you need for your calendar is 27 November 2020, which thankfully will for most people fall just after pay day.
Cyber Monday is also a thing, and that happens the very next Monday, so in 2019 it’s on 30 November 2020. Expect huge discounts all weekend in between, and most likely in the weeks either side.
What is Black Friday?
After a holiday of giving thanks for family, friends, and settled life, American retailers opted to juxtapose Thanksgiving with a huge day of commercial spending. Who were we Brits to resist the allure of heavily discounted items, too?
It is debated whether or not Black Friday refers to a day retailers finally went ‘into the black’, meaning they finally made profit for the year thanks to heightened sales, or whether it actually has morphed from a description of horrible traffic in Philadelphia on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
When Black Friday first gained huge popularity about 10 years ago, it was usual to see newsreel of people physically fighting over big TVs in the middle of Walmart (or Asda in the UK, who has now opted to not take part because of the mayhem).
You can’t blame them really, as scenes often got out of hand at shops. But Black Friday has passed beyond trivial now as it has moved online, and it is serious business for retailers.
How to get the best Black Friday 2020 deals
The most important thing to do when considering whether something is a good deal is to ask yourself: “Would I still want and buy this if it was full price?” Often the answer may be no, which means you need to think whether you’re saving money with a discount, or wasting it caught up in the excitement of a sale.
A deal for one person won’t be a deal for someone else, no matter how many times Amazon, Argos or John Lewis might tell you otherwise.
It’s important to track the prices of the gadgets and tech you want well before Black Friday too – you don’t be fooled into a deal that’s not such a great deal after all.
It isn’t unusual (or difficult, or illegal) for some retailers to put prices up on Black Friday. Yes, that’s right – sometimes discount prices are higher on Black Friday compared to the rest of the year because dishonest retailers know they will get more page views from people ready to click buy.
Black Friday 2020 Amazon deals
Amazon is one of the best places to go for Black Friday deals, and its Black Friday sale began on Friday 22 November last year and ran through to Friday 29 November.
Amazon is likely to have huge discounts on its own products, from Echo speakers to Kindle e-readers and tablets, Ring doorbells and media streamers, but also across the site – especially through its short-lived Lightning Deals.
We’d recommend signing up to Amazon’s 30-day Amazon Prime free trial. It will get you free next day delivery (although it sometimes takes a little longer during the Black Friday rush) but will also get you access to Lightning Deals 30 minutes before those who aren’t Prime members.
Some Lightning Deals are so great that they sell out before that 30 minutes are up so without the Prime membership or free trial you may find you miss out completely.
Black Friday 2020 phone, gaming and entertainment deals
If you’ve been waiting to spend on a new phone, particularly if you are buying the handset outright, you might be waiting for a Black Friday deal.
Carphone Warehouse and others such as Mobile Phones Direct often have lots of decent smartphone deals, be it on contract or SIM-only.
Given that we now have excellent new handsets like the OnePlus 8T and iPhone 12 you can expect retailers to offer some very tempting deals. We’ve gathered all of the best phone deals here.
You’ll also find excellent deals on games and games consoles. We expect Nintendo Switch deals to be among the most popular so make sure you act fast.
Meanwhile, places like Currys PC World and AO.com discount 4K TVs, sometimes by hundreds of pounds, as well as home appliances and more.
Which retailers will have Black Friday sales?
Based on their participation in past years, you can expect Black Friday Sales from the following retailers:
