You might say that Labor Day marks the unofficial start of fall, but I always think of it as the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season. It’s sort of like a warm-up to the main event that is Black Friday—you might not cross off your entire holiday shopping list just yet, but these early Labor Day deals might take care of those stocking stuffers.
Labor Day falls on Monday, September 5, in the US, and there’s a chance some of the items in this list will see better discounts when the three-day weekend rolls around. These are still some great deals on some of our favorite WIRED-tested products. We have a separate story on our favorite Labor Day outdoor sales, and you can expect to see more crop up over the long weekend.
Updated September 1: We’ve refreshed this story with current deals, including gear from Apple and Google as well as our favorite pizza oven.
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Smartphone, Tablet, and Laptop Deals
The Pixel 6A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) hasn’t been out for very long, but it’s already down $50. It’s a fantastic price for our favorite smartphone. This Pixel has some of the best performance for the money, meaning you can run all your favorite apps and games without issues. Its 60-Hz screen gets bright enough for sunny days, the battery reliably lasts a day, and the cameras are excellent. This deal is also available at Target and Best Buy.
This deal has popped up a few times since Prime Day, but it’s still a great price for a flagship Pixel (9/10, WIRED Recommends). You’ll get the same performance as the Pixel 6A but superior cameras, wireless charging, a 90-Hz screen, and better build materials. Google will be releasing a successor sometime in October, so if you want the very best, it’s worth waiting. Read our Google Pixel guide for more. This price is matched at Target and Best Buy.
If you want to save as much as possible, this is another great Android phone (8/10, WIRED Recommends). You get perks like a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 120-Hz refresh rate, decent performance, and more than a day of battery life. It’ll get four OS upgrades and five years of security updates, so it’ll last you a good while.
Apple is expected to announce a new iPad at its September 7 event, though this announcement could get pushed to a separate October event. The new 10th-gen iPad is expected to feature USB-C charging, a design similar to the new iPad Air, and a more powerful processor. It’s worth waiting to see what’s new, but that also doesn’t stop the 9th-gen iPad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) from being an incredible slate. If you need a new iPad right now and your budget is tight, this is a good deal. You can snag accessories that can make the user experience even better. This deal is matched at Best Buy.
This is the best deal we’ve tracked on our favorite Chromebook. The 2-in-1 design makes it easy to switch between work and play, and it’s powerful enough to handle most average tasks. It’s especially good for students, provided they’re comfortable working completely in the Chrome browser.
Want a large-screen Android tablet? This Samsung model fits the bill, and it comes with an S Pen stylus that magnetically sticks to the back of the slate. It has an LCD screen that’s sharp and bright, pretty great speakers, and the best software support window of any Android tablet. There’s sadly no headphone jack. I tested the LTE version and found its performance a bit stuttery, but this Wi-Fi–only model has a better processor and should run much smoother.
If you don’t mind a slightly smaller screen, the newer Tab S8 will net you much better performance, so any and all games will feel buttery smooth on this 120-Hz, 11-inch LCD screen. It also comes with an S Pen stylus, has stellar speakers, and will be supported via software updates for a very long time.
Gaming, Streaming, and TV Deals
This hard drive doesn’t usually cost more than $130, but this $20 discount brings it down lower than we’ve seen in recent months. The 2-TB version is also on sale, though the price is less tempting based on its usual cost. These rugged hard drives are both durable and portable. They’re great for photographers and videographers needing to back up footage in the field, especially since read and write speeds are super fast. Read more in our Best Portable Storage guide.
This wireless headset is available in a few color schemes, and all of them are on sale. There’s support for wireless connectivity on PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PS4, and PS5. The built-in mic and 18-hour battery life are decent, and while the sound quality isn’t amazing, it’s hard to find reliable wireless connectivity at this price. This deal is matched at Target, Best Buy, and Walmart. Read our Best Wireless Gaming Headsets guide for more.
Deals on streaming services don’t come around very often, and that goes double for offers that include existing customers. The plan with ads is also on sale for $70 (usually $120). The price applies only to the first year, and you’ll want to turn off auto-renewal to avoid subsequent full-price charges. HBO Max has a ton of good original series plus a wide array of movies. Read more about it in our guide to the Best Streaming Services.
Home and Mattress Deals
This is a great price on our favorite robot vacuum. The J7+ earned the top spot because it has better navigation skills than its competitors. Aside from its self-emptying bin, we also like the included storage for extra brushes and other easily misplaced accessories. Read our tips on getting the most out of your robot vacuum.
The Eufy 30C goes on sale pretty often, but this deal beats others we’ve seen. Eufy is owned by Anker, and while this model isn’t on our list of the Best Robot Vacuums, the brand is generally reliable, and we’ve liked its budget vacs before. The 30C lacks intelligent mapping, and it relies on boundary strips to figure out what areas to avoid. It may not be the smartest robot, but the price is much more accessible.
This is a match of the deal we saw during Prime Day earlier this year. As mentioned in our review (7/10, WIRED Recommends), this small smart display is better suited to a nightstand or end table than a kitchen counter. The Nest Hub has one big benefit over its competitors—it doesn’t have a camera. If the thought of sticking a Google-owned eyeball in your bedroom gives you the heebie-jeebies, this is a good pick. You can ask Google Assistant virtually anything and use it to control your smart home devices too. You can also save on the Google Nest Hub Max, which does have a camera (this enables video calls). Both Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max deals are price-matched at Best Buy.
Enter code LDSALE200 at checkout to see the discount. This deal is pretty standard and comes around several times throughout the year. The Helix Midnight Luxe is the best mattress we’ve tested. It’s got that Goldilocks effect—not too hard, not too soft—so it should work well no matter how you like to sleep. You also get two pillows.
The Casper is our second-favorite hybrid mattress. Hybrids tend to be more suitable for most people compared to all-foam models. This discount is pretty standard, and it’s slightly more affordable when compared to the Helix above. Read more about these and other recommendations in our Best Mattresses guide.
Headphone and Outdoor Deals
We’ve seen the AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) drop this low in price a few times, but this deal doesn’t come around frequently. Despite the mind-boggling MSRP, these are the absolute best noise canceling headphones. They have excellent sound quality and noise cancellation, though they’re best suited for anyone with an iPhone.
When it comes to striking a balance between cost and features, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series (8/10, WIRED Recommends) do a great job. They hold the top spot in our guide to the Best Wirefree Earbuds. We don’t love the battery life, and despite lacking some bells and whistles included with more expensive earbuds, these still offer a lot of value. They can automatically connect to many Android phones, and they’re sweat resistant. This price is icing on the cake.
We really like the Sony LinkBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends). They’ve been on the market for a few months, and they’re among the best wireless earbuds, especially if you frequently use buds when you’re out and about. That’s because they let you hear ambient noise around you much better than most earbuds, which means you can hear traffic as you run or bike outdoors. Check out our Best Wireless Headphones guide for more.
The Solo Stove Pi (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite pizza oven. We love the design, both aesthetically and functionally. It doesn’t take up too much space, and the top of the oven doubles as a flat cook surface. The biggest drawback is the price. This deal beats previous discounts by $50. Read more about it, and additional recommendations, in our Best Pizza Ovens guide.
It’s usually pretty easy to snag $10 off this speaker, but the $30 discount is a match of the best deal we’ve seen. The Clip 4 rocks thanks to its built-in carabiner, making it easy to take along your tunes while rollerskating or disc golfing. Despite the small size, the sound quality is surprisingly good. Onboard buttons let you control the music, and the housing resists dust and water, so beach days won’t be a problem. It’s one of the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested.
No coupon code is necessary to get in on this deal, which runs through September 5. Dry bags, compression sacks, and gear packs are all on sale. The Trash Dry Sack for $30 ($10 off) is particularly handy for keeping your campsite tidy and your footprint minimal without using plastic bags.
Early Labor Day Sales Pages
There are a few stores offering early Labor Day deals if you want to peruse the sales for yourself.
