The 20 Hottest Black Friday Tech Deals And Sales For 2021

CRN breaks down the 20 hottest Black Friday tech deals and sales for 2021 to help you get a head start on your holiday shopping.

Whether you’re figuring out how to boost your home office for 2022, planning ahead for Christmas and other seasonal gift-giving holidays or just hungry for a good deal, CRN has you covered for Black Friday.

Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Best Buy and the websites of various manufacturers including Dell, Google and Lenovo are already offering discounts on all types of devices, including laptops, headphones, 2-in-1 devices and phones.

Laptop, mobile workstation and 2-in-1 deals are available for models including the Lenovo ThinkPad P15s, HP 15 FHD laptop, Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and Dell Inspiron 15 3000.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, Motorola Moto G Power and Google Pixel 5a are among the phones to receive notable markdowns for the holiday season.

And in this era of remote work, CRN has also added deals on routers from Nest and TP-Link to build homes friendlier to connectivity, second monitors from companies such as Dell, earbuds from Apple and Tozo, and even a ring light kit from Bower.

We also looked at discounted software deals, including ones featuring Norton antivirus and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Here are 20 Black Friday tech deals and sales we’ve found that could be useful for home-bound work, entertainment or education.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 Intel Mobile Workstation

This “doorbuster” Lenovo offering takes 46 percent off the original $2,789 price tag for this 15-inch mobile workstation.

The workstation has an 11th generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, comes with Windows 10 as the operating system and Nvidia Quadro T500 4-GB graphics. The workstation has a battery that lasts up to 9.9 hours.

The ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 has updated ThinkShield features for security, discrete Trusted Platform Module for data encryption and a fingerprint reader for secure login.

The 2-TB non-volatile memory express SSD storage and 48-GB 3,200MHz memory decreases lag time on the machine. The ThinkPad has a backlit keyboard, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 15.6-inch 4K UHD display.

Where: Lenovo

How Much: $1,479

Lenovo Chromebook Duet

The Lenovo “doorbuster” deal also applies to this laptop, saving customers 18 percent of the original $299.99 price. The Duet has a MediaTek Helio P60T processor with integrated ARM Mali-G72 MP3 graphics.

It has 4 GB of low-power double data rate 4X and a 64-GB embedded MultiMediaCard, according to Lenovo, The Duet’s touch-screen display is 10.1 inches full HD and the operating system is Chrome OS. The Duet has a detachable keyboard to turn it into a 10.1-inch tablet. The purchase includes a 12-month, 100-GB membership of Google One.

As a tablet, the Duet weighs less than 1 pound. As a laptop, it weighs about 2 pounds, according to Lenovo.

Where: Lenovo

How Much: $244.99

HP 15 FHD Laptop

Walmart’s online store has an early Black Friday deal for HP’s 15.6-inch full HD laptop. The laptop has an 11th generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8 GB of random access memory, 256-GB solid-state drive, the new Windows 11 operating system and comes in silver.

The laptop comes with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, more than seven hours of battery life, HP TrueVision HD camera and HP QuickDrop wireless file sharing, according to Walmart.

This laptop’s display allows for multi-monitor setups in home offices.

Where: Walmart

How Much: $379

Apple AirPods Pro

On Walmart.com Nov. 22 and in-store Nov. 26, customers can save $38 on Apple’s AirPods Pro active noise-canceling earbuds, according to an ad scan on BlackFriday.com. The original price was $197.

A present for any occasion, AirPod Pros have internally tapered tips to conform to ear shape, vents to equalize pressure and offer active noise cancellation. AirPod Pros’ noise cancellation adjusts 200 times per second. Their H1 chip features 10 audio cores for low audio processing latency, according to Apple.

The Pros are sweat- and water-resistant with batteries that last more than 24 hours. Their charging case is compatible with wireless chargers. Users can switch from iPhone to Apple Watch to iPad to Mac to Apple TV when connected to multiple devices, according to Apple.

Where: Walmart

How Much: $159

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

Originally $499, Walmart will offer these phones for $200 off on Walmart.com Nov. 22 and in-store Nov. 26, according to BlackFriday.com.

The 5G phone has a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display and ceramic shield to protect it from drops, according to Walmart.

That’s smaller than the regular iPhone 12’s 6.06-inch display. The Mini is also splash-, water- and dust-resistant, according to Apple.

CRN recently ranked all models of iPhone 12 among the 10 coolest 5G devices of 2021.

Where: Walmart

How Much: $299

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Walmart will offer this phone at $450 less than its original $699 price, according to a post on BlackFriday.com. The deal applies to Walmart.com Nov. 22 and in-store Nov. 26.

This Galaxy phone has a rear triple camera, a 10-megapixel front camera and 128 GB of storage, according to Walmart. It uses 4GLTE for its cell network and measures 0.3 x 2.9 x .33 inches.

Where: Walmart

How Much: $249

Bower 12-Inch RGB Ring Light Studio Kit

Remote work is here to stay, meaning users of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other teleconference tools might be on the hunt for ways to spruce up their appearance on camera.

One option is this ring light studio kit designed for smartphones by manufacturer Bower. The kit is available for almost half the original $39.88 price on Walmart.com Nov. 22 and in-store Nov. 26, according to an as scan on BlackFriday.com.

The kit includes a ball head adapter for flexibility when moving the ring light, nine light colors to choose from, eight special effects modes and 12 levels of brightness. A phone clip attaches to the ring on the tripod. The kit is compatible with Apple, Samsung and LG phones and weighs about 4 pounds.

Where: Walmart

How Much: $20

TP-Link AC1200

A Target ad scan on BlackFriday.com shows a TP-Link AC1200 dual band mesh three-pack Wi-Fi system available on discount from its regular $149.99 price in a deal good from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27.

The three Deco units in this package work together to provide uninterrupted AC1200 dual-band Wi-Fi, according to Target. The Deco M4 three-pack covers up to 5,500 square feet, and users can add more Deco units to increase coverage.

Users can get a wired connection with two Gigabit Ethernet ports that work with all internet service providers, according to Target. The Deco has TP-Link Mesh technology to help switch bands based on traffic congestion and roaming.

Earlier this year, TP-Link was a finalist for wireless networking in CRN’s 2021 Tech Innovator Awards.

Where: Target

How Much: $89.99

Motorola Moto G Power

A scan on BlackFriday.com of an ad from members-only retail chain Sam’s Club shows these phones available for $25 off the regular $194.98 price.

The G Power has a 6.6-inch Max Vision display, 64 GB of storage and up to three days of battery charge. It has a 48-megapixel triple camera system and water-repellent design, according to Sam’s Club. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and 4 GB of random access memory.

The phone works with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon networks. It runs on the Android 10 operating system, according to Sam’s Club.

Where: Sam’s Club

How Much: $169.98

Epson EcoTank 2760 All-In-One Printer

Sam’s Club offers $30 off this all-in-one print system from the regular $249.87 price, according to an ad scan on BlackFriday.com.

The printer has a cartridge-free system with borderless and two-sided printing capabilities. The deal also includes a replacement ink set with bonus black ink for up to 7,500 pages.

The printer has a 1.44-inch color LCD screen and offers 5,760 x 1,440 dpi resolution. The EcoTank 2760 measures 9.2 x 15.4 x 23.3 inches, according to Sam’s Club. The printer has Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct and Ethernet connectivity, plus a USB port and memory card slots.

Where: Sam’s Club

How Much: $219.87

Netgear Nighthawk AX5200 Wi-Fi 6 Router

Best Buy holiday sales started Oct. 18 with “Black Friday price guarantees” for Best Buy Totaltech and My Best Buy members. This means that those members are refunded the difference if they buy a “price guarantee” item and the price drops by Nov. 26.

The deal applies to select Wi-Fi and networking devices, including this router from Netgear. This router provides speeds up to 5.2 Gbps for faster connecting, streaming and downloading with mobile devices, according to Best Buy. It has a 1.5GHz triple-core processor, virtual private network support and automatic firmware updates.

The router has amplifiers to increase the home network range and can handle 25 connected devices. It works with Microsoft Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista, XP, 2000, macOS, Unix or Linux, plus Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or higher, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome 55 or higher, Firefox 45 or higher and Safari 10 or higher.

Where: Best Buy

How Much: $149.99

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

The Best Buy Black Friday price guarantee also applies to select laptops, including this 12.4-inch touch-screen laptop selling for $150 less.

This Go device has up to 13 hours of battery life, a Pixelsense touch screen and 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor. It has an 8-GB system memory, 128-GB solid-state drive and weighs 2.45 pounds, making it one of the lightest Surface laptops. Colors include platinum, ice blue and sandstone. It has a built-in 720p HD camera as well, according to Best Buy.

The laptop has Intel UHD graphics and uses Windows 10 as the operating system, according to Best Buy.

Where: Best Buy

How Much: $549.99

Google Pixel 5a

Google starts its Black Friday deals Thursday. Deals include $50 off this phone.

This 5G phone comes with a Titan M chip and boasts two days of battery life on a single charge, plus a battery that adapts power use to most-used applications. The phone’s Personal Safety application allows for location sharing with emergency contacts, and it has a locked folder in Google Photos for privacy, locking files behind a fingerprint or device lock, according to Google.

Buyers also receive three months of Google Fi, getting unlimited calls and texts without needing to change their numbers or service providers. They can also receive three months of Google One—which includes Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos—and YouTube Premium.

Where: Google

How Much: $399

Nest Wi-Fi Router and Point

Google’s Black Friday deals this year also include $90 off this scalable system that aims to blanket an entire home with strong signal.

Each Wi-Fi point has a smart speaker with the Google Assistant virtual assistant. The router with one point can handle up to 200 connected devices and stream multiple 4K videos at a time. The router receives automatic security updates and has a security chip installed, according to Google.

A phone app for the router allows for network management, content blocking, device prioritization and guest network creation, according to Google.

Google bought Nest in 2014 in a $3.2 billion deal.

Where: Google

How Much: $179

Adobe Creative Cloud

Black Friday isn’t limited to only deals on tangible goods. Adobe offers 40 percent off its Creative Cloud through Nov. 26, taking the price to $29.99 a month from $52.99 a month for the first year.

Adobe Creative Cloud includes 20-plus applications for photography, video, design, web, user experience and social media. The apps include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and Acrobat DC.

Stock & Marketplace features thousands of fonts and collections of photos, images, audio, video clips and 3-D content.

Where: Adobe

How Much: $29.99 a month

Dell Inspiron 15 3000

Dell’s Black Friday deal for this laptop saves buyers $120, according to an ad scan on BlackFriday.com. The deal is available Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

This laptop has a Celeron processor and Windows 11 Home as the operating system. It has 4 GB of RAM, 128-GB solid-state drive and Intel UHD graphics.

On Dell.com, a Black Friday “early access” deal takes $289 off an Inspiron 15 3000 for a total cost of $399.99. The listing adds that the laptop is less than 4 pounds with a 15.6-inch display and a 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor.

Where: Dell

How Much: $229.99

Dell 14 Portable Monitor

Dell’s online store offers 25 percent off plus free shipping for this monitor used for a dual screen with a laptop. It weighs about 1 pound and has in-plane switching technology for wide viewing angles.

The monitor has a continuous tilt stand that bends from 10 degrees to 90 degrees, has USB-C cable support with power pass through, and measures 12.69 inches wide x 7.98 inches high.

Where: Dell

How Much: $269.99

Dell XPS Desktop

This Dell desktop has $250 off the price on Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. Eastern, according to an ad scan on BlackFriday.com.

The desktop has an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor, with Windows 11 Home as the operating system and 8 GB of memory. It also has a 256-GB solid-state drive.

Dell.com has an XPS Desktop already listed at the Black Friday price. This listing adds that the desktop has an Intel UHD Graphics 750 card, 512-GB hard drive and 16 GB of memory.

Where: Dell

How Much: $599.99

Norton 360 Platinum Antivirus

Amazon will hold a 48-hour Black Friday sale starting Nov. 25, according to a statement Monday. Without giving exact prices, the online retail giant promised up to 30 percent off Amazon brand tech accessories and home products, up to 42 percent off select Alexa-enabled devices and up to 30 percent off on select desktops, laptops, monitors and tablets.

Until then, Amazon has an early Black Friday sale on this antivirus package, down 73 percent from the list price.

The package is for 20 devices, including PCs, Macs, iOS or Android. The deal is for three months free and comes with a secure no-login virtual private network for anonymous browsing.

This Norton deal also comes with dark web monitoring, 75 GB of PC cloud backup and auto-renewal.

Where: Amazon

How Much: $34.99

Tozo NC9 Hybrid Active Noise-Canceling Wireless Earbuds

As Amazon shoppers await the online retail giant’s Black Friday deals, they might be interested in another early deal that takes $10 off these earbuds.

The earbuds have an outward-facing microphone that detects external sounds and counters with equal anti-noise plus an inward-facing microphone inside the ear canal to pick up internal sounds and produce more anti-noise.

They last more than eight hours from a single charge and 24 extra hours in the charging case.

Where: Amazon

How Much: $49.99