Buying guide
When is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is Friday 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November. In practice UK retailers spread offers across the days around it, starting some early and running others through the weekend.
That spread matters. A deal announced on the Monday before is not automatically worse than one on the Friday, and some of the best prices sell out before the weekend. Decide what you want now, so that in November you are checking prices rather than browsing.
What usually drops on Black Friday, and what doesn’t?
Established products that have been on sale for a while are the ones that tend to drop. New releases, consoles and consumables tend not to, or drop in ways that are easy to misread.
The categories on our lists were chosen because they are the ones most often discounted: TVs, laptops, air fryers, robot vacuums, cordless vacuums, smart home kit, controllers and fitness watches. Within those, last year’s model is usually cut harder than this year’s, which is why so many of our cards tell you which model code to check.
What tends not to drop is anything just launched, anything in short supply, and things you buy again and again such as pods, filters and subscriptions. Consoles more often come as bundles with a game or accessory than as a straight price cut, so compare the bundle with buying the parts separately. And a big-name product with a high list price can show a dramatic percentage off while still costing what it did in September.
How can you tell if a Black Friday deal is real?
Ignore the ‘was’ price and compare with recent history. A real deal is lower than the product has sold for in the last month. A fake one is lower only than a list price nobody paid.
This is the whole point of our Black Friday lists. We log the Amazon UK price of every product on them each day, and where a product has dropped below today’s price in the last 30 days, the card shows that low. If we have been tracking it for less than a month, the card says ‘Low since’ and gives the date, so you know how much history you are looking at.
Three quick checks catch most bad deals:
- Same model? Older stock often sells under a near-identical title. Our cards name the model code to look for.
- Same bundle? A low price may be for fewer attachments, no charger, or a smaller size.
- Same seller? Check it is sold by the brand or the retailer, not an unknown marketplace seller.
What should you watch, and what should you check?
These are the lists we track, with the current price band for each and the trap we see most often.
| Category | Watch first | Band today | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| TVs | Hisense E6Q 55-inch | around £300 | Model year and HDR formats |
| Laptops | ASUS Vivobook S14 OLED | £600 to £700 | Chip, and whether a charger is in the box |
| Dyson | Airwrap i.d. Straight+Wavy | £450 to £500 | Hair type version and attachments |
| Ninja | MAX Dual Zone DZ400 | around £200 | Colour variants priced separately |
| Shark | PowerPro Pet IZ380UKT | around £200 | Older and newer model codes |
| Coffee machines | Nespresso Essenza Mini | £100 to £150 | Pod type and bundle contents |
| Garmin | Forerunner 165 | £150 to £200 | New, not renewed, and case size |
| Robot vacuums | Roborock Qrevo S Pro | around £550 | Dock type and inflated list prices |
| Smart home | Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus | £150 to £200 | Subscription needed to record |
| PS5 | DualSense Midnight Black | around £60 | Standard or special colour |
| Xbox | Carbon Black controller | around £50 | Pad only or bundled with a cable |
| Gaming monitors | AOC Q27G3XMN | £250 to £300 | Price has moved a lot this autumn |
| Gaming headsets | SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 | around £80 | Wired or wireless version |
Are Black Friday TV and laptop deals worth it?
Often yes, but only for the right model. TVs and laptops have the most confusing names on the market, and the model code is where the saving hides.
On the TV list, the LG OLED C6 is our pick for films in a dark room, but older C-series sets sell under similar titles, so check the code on the day. The Sony BRAVIA 3 we list is the 2025 model, and the TCL SF560 is Full HD rather than 4K, so its price should not be compared with the 4K sets.
On the laptop list, two models need a charger you may not own: the ASUS Vivobook S14 OLED listing says it ships without a power cable, and the Vivobook 15 comes with no charger. Budget for a 65W USB-C charger if so. The HP 15.6-inch with a Ryzen 3 includes one, which can make it the cheaper buy overall.
Which Dyson, Shark and Ninja deals are worth watching?
Big-brand deals are where inflated ‘was’ prices are most common, so the 30-day low matters most here. Brand names also cover many near-identical models.
The Dyson list covers the Airwrap, the Supersonic Origin, the Airstrait, two cordless vacuums and the HushJet Compact purifier. For the purifier, add up the cost of replacement filters before you count the saving. If the Airwrap is still too dear on the day, the Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 on the Shark list is the alternative we track; check it is the 5-in-1 with both curler sizes.
On the Ninja list, the DZ400 air fryer sells in two colours at separate prices, so a ‘deal’ on one may still cost more than the other. The Creami Deluxe we track is an Amazon-only colour, which makes like-for-like comparison with other shops harder.
What about coffee machines, robot vacuums and smart home?
These are the categories where the box contents change the most. Read the bundle before you read the discount.
On the coffee machine list, check that a Nespresso deal takes Original pods, not Vertuo, and that a Sage Barista Express bundle includes the milk jug you expect. Today the plain Barista Express is priced above the newer Express Impress, so a discount on the older machine may still leave it the dearer of the two.
On the robot vacuum list, high-end models such as the Dreame L40 Ultra AE carry high list prices that make any reduction look dramatic. Budget picks like the eufy G50 are already inexpensive, so the saving there is small in pounds. On the smart home list, remember the Ring doorbell needs a subscription to record, while the Tapo C210 camera records to a memory card without one.
Is a Black Friday Garmin deal worth waiting for?
If you have a Garmin in mind, yes, but check exactly which one the deal is for. Renewed units and older generations turn up in the same searches as new stock.
Our Garmin list starts with the Forerunner 165, the best value running watch we track, then the Forerunner 265 for people training for a race. Compare the two on the day: compare what each listing includes before paying the difference. The Venu 4 comes in two case sizes with different battery life, the Fenix 8 shares results with Fenix 7 stock, and the Instinct E lacks the AMOLED screen and flashlight of the Instinct 3.
How do price alerts help on Black Friday?
They let the price come to you. Instead of refreshing a page all week, set the price you would pay and wait for an email.
Every product page on the site has a Watch price button. Enter your email and, if you like, a target price, and we email you when the price drops. There is one email to confirm, then nothing until the price moves. Set alerts in early November on the two or three things you actually want, and you will know within a day if any of them reach your number.
Are Black Friday gaming deals worth it?
Accessories, yes. Consoles, wait and see. Controllers are the gaming items most consistently cut, which is why one leads both the PS5 and Xbox lists.
The PS5 list does not include a console yet; we will add bundles when Amazon has them in stock. On the Xbox list, the three-month Game Pass Ultimate code is worth buying ahead if you already subscribe, provided the deal is for the three-month code and not the one-month one beside it.
For PC players, the gaming monitor list runs from a 1080p AOC under £100 to a 4K Samsung OLED over £700. On a screen that costs hundreds, a small percentage is real money, so the 30-day low is the number to read. The headset list notes that the wired HyperX Cloud III is already good value without a sale.
How do we choose and track these deals?
We pick products people search for most at Black Friday, then rank them from UK listings and published review research. We do not test them by hand. Prices are Amazon UK and eBay UK at the time of our last check, refreshed daily. The full process is on our methodology page.
If a gift is the reason you are shopping, the Christmas gift guide lists ideas by person and Secret Santa budget. Buy the big items here in November, then check the retailer’s last order date for everything else.