This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET’s guide to knowing everything you need and how to find the best deals.
Bottom line? Prime Day sales on low-cost Amazon Fire TVs are generally excellent, but if you want a different smart TV system or are buying a mid-range or high-end model, the prices could be better and you’ll have more options if you wait until later in the year.
If you’re looking for a new TV, it’s still worth paying attention to the Amazon Prime Day sale prices. The giant retailer’s annual summer extravaganza won’t have the wide variety of brands and price drops like Black Friday or the holiday season, but if you don’t want to wait for a new screen, it’s best.
This is because TV prices follow a predictable pattern. In the spring and summer the new 2022 models are presented for the first time, and that is when the prices are the highest. The first great opportunity for price falls in a year is often Prime Day, but it only lasts a few days and after it is over, TV prices will remain relatively high until the end of autumn, when the Black Friday sales. These sales tend to last longer and are distributed among more retailers and brands.
If you’re considering a new TV on Prime Day, here are some trends to watch, based on my years reviewing TVs and tracking sales. They are not written in stone, but they can give you some guidelines for entering.
The 43-inch Amazon Fire TV Series 4.
Amazon
Amazon Fire TVs will predominate
Prime Day’s offerings typically include Amazon’s own devices, from Echo speakers to doorbells, and this group includes smart TVs that run on Amazon’s Fire TV system. Featured at brands such as Toshiba, Insignia and Hisense, Fire TV is also available on Amazon-branded TVs, including the Omni and 4-Series Fire TVs (which my colleague Jared DiPane saw reduced to just $ 100 per in the 50-inch model). Everyone could receive big discounts on Prime Day.
Prime Day TV sales are likely to include some screens other than Fire TV. Samsung, LG, Sony and TCL TVs could get discounts, but they probably won’t be as high as those offered on Fire TVs. This is because Amazon tends to favor its own products, especially those that cater to its own ecosystem. That said, many compatible TVs have Alexa voice built-in, including most Samsung and LG TVs, and almost all smart TVs run on the Prime Video app.
Expect a lot of smaller, less expensive TVs
If you’re looking for high-performance models, such as an OLED TV, or even a mid-priced LCD screen with a few extra bells and whistles, such as next-generation console game support or full-matrix local dimming , do not hold your breath. These features are largely absent in Fire TV models (with one exception) and non-Fire TVs on sale during peak audience day are also usually relatively inbound. Sure you can see some exceptions, especially on 2021 TVs to clean up inventory, but smaller, cheaper TVs are the rule.
Check out Best Buy, Walmart, Target and other retailers
Amazon’s competitors are also holding sales around Prime Day for a ride. Many of them also offer TV deals, and because they don’t have any Fire TV ax to grind, they often feature a wider variety of brands, sizes, and feature sets.
Inflation is a wild card in 2022
Television prices rose for the first time in almost a decade last year and that was before the current rise in inflation. That’s not to say you won’t find deals and discounts on TVs during Prime Day and Black Friday, but it could mean that prices are a little higher than in the past. If you can’t find an offer you like on a Prime Day TV, it would be worth waiting until these sales at the end of the year to pull the trigger.