Black Friday: 9 things you should buy, and 3 to avoid
As the holiday shopping season kicks off, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have transformed into an expansive event that stretches well beyond a single day, making it essential for consumers to navigate these sales wisely. With countless products, categories, and retailers vying for attention, it can be overwhelming to determine where to focus your efforts. To make the most of this shopping bonanza, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place. Mashable has provided an insightful guide to help shoppers identify the best deals while also highlighting items to avoid, ensuring that you not only save money but also make informed purchases.
This year, some of the standout deals already making waves include Apple AirPods 4, priced at $69 (down from $129), and an impressive $1,600 off a TCL 65-inch Mini LED QLED 4K TV, bringing the price down to $899. Other notable discounts feature the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones at $248, and HBO Max’s ad-supported subscription at just $2.99 per month for a year. The article emphasizes key categories that are particularly advantageous to shop during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Apple products, TVs, streaming services, and kitchen appliances are among the top recommendations. For instance, the best time to snag a new television is during this shopping season, with many models already at record-low prices. Additionally, kitchen gadgets, such as air fryers and Instant Pots, typically see significant discounts, making it an ideal time to upgrade your culinary tools.
However, not all deals are created equal, and shoppers should be cautious about certain purchases. The article advises against buying from third-party sellers on major retail platforms, as these listings can sometimes lead to counterfeit products. It also highlights concerns surrounding Ring doorbells and cameras due to privacy issues, recommending alternative security options instead. Ultimately, the key takeaway is to focus on purchasing items that you genuinely need rather than succumbing to impulse buys simply because they’re on sale. By following these guidelines, consumers can make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, ensuring a successful and satisfying shopping experience.
Black Friday
and Cyber Monday are beyond overwhelming. The biggest shopping holidays of the year feature so many products, categories, and retailers that it can be tough to keep track. Since Black Friday is no longer a single day, but an entire season, it’s
prime time
for us to bestow a little advice on how to shop it successfully.
You don’t want to get out over your skis and buy everything in sight, but if there’s a good deal on something you need, you don’t want to miss that either. It helps to know
what to buy and what to avoid
. Mashable has a
hub for Black Friday coverage
that can give you more in-depth analysis of every shopping category you can imagine, but here are a few quick tips on things to buy and things to avoid as you navigate Cyber Week.
Top 10 deals we’ve already seen for Black Friday 2025
Apple AirPods 4
—
$69
$129
(save $60)
HBO Max (with ads)
—
$2.99/month for 12 months
$10.99/month
(save $8/month)
Amazon Kindle
—
$79.99
$109.99
(save $30)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
—
$9.99
$39.99
(save $30 with code STREAM4K)
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones
—
$248
$399.99
(save $151.99 + get $30 Amazon credit)
Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2
—
$349
$799
(save $450)
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
—
$749
$999
(save $150)
PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Console (1TB)
—
$449
$489
(save $40)
TCL 65-inch QM8K Mini LED QLED 4K TV
—
$899.99
$2,499.99
(save $1,600)
Samsung 55-inch The Frame QLED 4K Smart TV
—
$897.99
$1,197.99
(save $300)
Best things to buy on Black Friday
Mashable
has lots of recommendations
on everything from
streaming services
to
Apple products
to
TVs
, but Cyber Week is a great time to buy things you already planned on buying at some point. Don’t spend big
just because
it is on sale — buy something you need and get it cheaper than the retail price. Here are the top categories to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
SEE ALSO:
What time Black Friday sales start for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy
1.
Apple products
Buying the
fruit company’s flagship tech
during Black Friday is a major hack. If you’re already planning on buying some of the most notoriously expensive tech on the market, why not buy it at a discount? You’ll find the best selection of Apple deals at
Amazon
. In the days leading up to Black Friday, almost all of the latest
AirPods
,
Apple Watches
,
iPads
, and
MacBooks
were sitting at record-low prices there. Competitors like
Best Buy
,
Walmart
, and
Target
were matching some, but not all, of its offers.
2.
TVs
Since the early days of Black Friday, when shoppers would line up at 3 a.m. and get in fist fights,
TV deals
have dominated Black Friday. It’s the
best time of year to buy a TV
, hands down. So far in 2025, every single TV in Mashable’s list of the
best 65-inch TVs
is already at a record-low sale price. Heads up: these deals do tend to sell out quickly, though.
3.
Streaming services
Black Friday is the only time of year that we see widespread
discounts on streaming services
. This year, most of the heavy hitters have already thrown their hats in the ring — including HBO Max, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. The best we’ve seen so far is HBO Max offering its ad-supported tier for $2.99 per month for an entire year.
4.
Amazon devices
It’s no secret that the biggest discounts of Prime Day are usually on
Amazon’s own devices
, but somehow Amazon tends to one-up itself on certain gadgets on Black Friday. Whether you’re working on building out your smart home or you’re finally ready to pull the trigger on a new e-reader, expect record-low pricing on
Echo devices
,
Kindles
, Fire TVs, and more. Just stay away from Ring cameras (more on that below).
5.
Kitchen gear
Kitchen appliances, cookware, and bakeware all tend to see widespread deals on Black Friday. From
air fryers
to Instant Pots to Mashable’s favorite
Ninja appliances
, you’ll likely find some all-time low prices this season. If you’ve been eyeing that
Ninja Slushi
, now’s the time to grab it. It’s $100 off at most of the major retailers, which drops it to a best-ever $269.99.
6.
Headphones
and
speakers
Mashable’s favorite brands of headphones and
speakers
drop to their lowest prices of the year during Black Friday season — and this year is no different. You can find all of Mashable’s top picks for both
headphones
and
speakers
, from brands like Apple, Bose, Sony, and Beats, on sale for record-low prices before Black Friday proper even arrives. Of note: the AirPods 4 are only $69 (reg. $129), and the
Sony WH-1000XM5
s (our former top pick) are down to a new low of $248 and come with a $30 Amazon credit. In the speaker department, the
JBL Charge 6
(our favorite Bluetooth speaker) is chilling at a new low of $129.95.
7.
Smartwatches
In addition to sweet Apple Watch deals, you can bet that Cyber Week will bring steep discounts on Fitbits, Garmin smartwatches, and Samsung Galaxy watches. Already, we’ve seen
early deals
from Apple and
Samsung
, in particular.
8.
Gaming deals
Upgrading your
gaming console
, laptop, monitor, or even buying new games feels like a drag — when you’re doing it at full price, that is. Luckily, during Black Friday season, you can catch markdowns on both. So far this year, we’ve seen pretty epic early deals on
gaming monitors
,
gaming laptops
, and even the
PlayStation 5 Slim
. If there’s a gaming-related purchase you need to make, Black Friday is the time to do it for less.
9.
Toys
As the official holiday season kickoff, it only makes sense that all the hottest toys of the year — including
Lego
— drop down to all-time low prices for Black Friday. If there’s a specific toy on your shopping list for the holidays, you’ll likely be able to score it at its best price of the year. But as one of the hottest items to snag during Cyber Week, toys also tend to sell out quick.
Things to avoid on Black Friday
While Black Friday might have some great deals, there are some things to look out for. Here are a few quick tips on what to avoid on Black Friday.
1. Third-party sellers
In general, you can trust things sold and shipped by Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy. However, all three of these retailers also allow third-party listings, which will often have outrageously low prices on high-demand items. While some of these sellers are genuine, others tend to be less reliable, and you run the risk of buying counterfeit products. If a deal from a third-party seller seems too good to be true, it probably is.
2. Ring doorbells and cameras
The steep discounts on Ring cameras and bundles might be tempting, but we don’t recommend anything from Ring due to privacy concerns. Not only are they easily hackable, but Ring is also notorious for giving people’s info away without their consent. There are plenty of home security deals from other brands on Black Friday, and if you need a little guidance on the good ones, check out our
guide to the best home security cameras
.
3. Anything you don’t need
As we mentioned before, it’s best to use Black Friday as a way to get something you need at a good discount. What’s not as advisable is buying things
just because
. Something you don’t need or won’t use is still something you don’t need or won’t use, no matter how great the price is.
