If you’ve been saving all year for the Black Friday sales, there’s plenty going on in Australia, whether you want a new spot of tech in your life or an early gift.
Thanksgiving may be a word Australians don’t really connect with, but some of what comes from Thanksgiving does. Sorry North Americans, but before you ask, Thanksgiving does not exist in Australia, though we do partake in the shopping events that follow.
The Friday after Thanksgiving Thursday has long been known as “Black Friday”, and is largely known as the time when shopping season begins, with the online digital equivalent of Cyber Monday on the Monday that follows as well. Australians love a bargain as much as the next person, so while we don’t have Thanksgiving, we do play with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and may even start those sales a little earlier, as well.
Truth be told, Australians have two big sales events in the back half of the year, with November’s Black Friday weekend kicking it off, before ending the year in our Boxing Day sales. Australians have seen Black Friday sales both last year in 2020 and in the years before it, and given we’re in November now, what can we expect from the 2021 Black Friday sales in tech in Australia?
We’ve checked with quite a lot of the manufacturers from around Australia, and while we’ll be adding to this until Black Friday hits, here’s what we’ve been able to find so far…
UPDATE (November 25): And we keep adding to the list! Keep checking daily for more Aussie Black Friday sales as we see them.
Computers, laptops and tablets
Computers can be an expensive purchase, which is why Black Friday can seem like such a smart time to buy. To help, we’re looking for the sales to round up what’s out there, which might help you land a laptop bargain.
Apple
There mightn’t be a whole heap of major discounts from Apple this year during the Black Friday sales — there rarely are — but we know of at least one: Coles is selling a slightly older iPad Mini for well below the price of the current iPad Mini.
We haven’t found Apple discounts per se, but Apple will be providing Apple gift cards for purchases made at its store, with a $280 card if an eligible iMac is purchased — likely the M1 iMac 24 — while an eligible Mac Mini, MacBook Air or other MacBook model will see a $140 gift card. Select Apple iPad models may also see that $140 gift card, as well.
Dell
Dell is also offering some options, with savings of 15 percent ranging all the way to 45 percent off dependent on the computer you might be eyeing.
Some examples include:
- $285 taken off the Dell XPS 13, priced at $1613.98
- $500 off the Inspiron 15 3000, down to $999
- $928 cut from the XPS 15 and priced at $1970.99
- A hefty $1327 cut from the cost of the Inspiron 15 2-in-1, priced at $1621.99 for Black Friday 2021
Lenovo
Thinking of grabbing a ThinkPad, IdeaPad, or something else with Lenovo’s brand on the box. There’ll be a few things happening from November 23 to November 29, including:
- 45 percent off the ThinkPad X1 Fold
- Up to 25 percent off Lenovo Chromebooks
- Up to 40 percent off Lenovo’s tablets, including the 11 inch P11
- Up to 35 percent off select Lenovo laptops, including the Yoga Slim 7 and IdeaPad Flex 5 15
Microsoft
Microsoft’s presence in Windows laptops is pretty clear, but we’ve not actually seen Black Friday savings as such announced for this year, It will offer free accessories for anyone buying a Surface Book 3, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Go 2, Surface Laptop Go, Surface Pro 7, or Surface Pro X, but that mightn’t be the “sale” per se you’re looking for.
However, Microsoft will be cutting the cost of some laptops from other brands at its store, seeing as much as a thousand dollars shedded from the cost, depending on what you’re after.
Glance at the online Microsoft Store, and you’ll find Asus VivoBook Flip models will see falls in price, as will MSI gaming laptops, and the Razer Blade 14, the latter of which will move from $3999 to $2999 for a 14 inch gaming-focused laptop.
Phones
Thinking you might save a few bucks during Black Friday on a new phone? That is entirely a possibility, with mobiles from a few manufacturers and telco providers cutting costs in some places, and even letting us know about it ahead of time.
Apple
Sadly, there’s no major discount on Apple’s recent iPhones, but in line with its offering in computers and tablets, Apple will provide a $70 gift card for use at an Apple Store if you grab an eligible iPhone during the Black Friday period.
Motorola
One of the oldest and more established phone brands is participating in the sales this week and through to Monday, where all Moto devices out at the moment will see 20 percent off including the recently released Edge 20 range.
If you’ve been eyeing one of those, such as the recently reviewed Moto Edge 20, you’ll find it at $559.20 down from its typical $699 price tag, while the Edge 20 Pro will cost $719.20 down from its $899 RRP, and the less expensive Edge 20 Fusion costing $399.20 down from its regular price tag of $499.
Oppo
Heading into the weekend, Oppo announced what we could expect from its phone sales this year, with $700 being taken off the Find X3 Pro, pricing it at $999 for the weekend instead of its regular $1699 price, while the X3 Lite dropped from $749 to $499. And over in the midrange, the Oppo A54 5G also dropped in price, seeing $100 cut from its $399 price tag to make for a $299 5G phone over the Black Friday period.
Vivo
While Vivo has a high-end phone out in the X60 Pro, that won’t be the target of its 2021 Black Friday sales in Australia. Rather, Vivo is looking at the budget and mid-range end of the market, focusing on its Y-series of phones for folks happy to save a few bucks here and there.
As such, the Vivo Y21 will drop $20 down to $219, while Vivo’s mid-range 5G phone, the Y52 5G, will drop to $349, saving buyers $30 in the process. Like many of these sales, the prices will go back to normal after November 30.
Vodafone
One of Australia’s big three telcos will also have sales, provided people sign up to a 24 or 36 month plan over the Black Friday weekend, if you’re into that. As such, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will see $400 off, the Galaxy S21 5G and S21 Ultra 5G $600 off, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G $500 off.
Vodafone will go beyond the phone pricing for the weekend, with discounts on prepaid phones, as well, and the regular price of its $150 80GB long-expiry prepaid starter pack costing $75 over the weekend, cutting the price in half.
Over in its “Infinite SIM” offering, the price of 80GB monthly is now $40 per month, 200GB monthly is $50 per month, and 300GB for $60 per month, with Vodafone saying the extra data will stay not just for the weekend (which would be silly), but rather for “as long as the customer stays connected to the plan”.
Headphones and speakers
Quite possibly the biggest area for Black Friday tech sales in Australia, there is a lot happening for headphones and speakers, making it genuinely possible that you’ll be able to save some money if you’re shopping for either.
Amazon
We’ll start a Black Friday audio roundup with “A”, specifically “Amazon”, which will be dropping the price on quite a few of its audio gadgets, found at its online presence of — you guessed it — Amazon.
For instance, the current spherical Echo Dot will see a price cut from $79 to $39, while the hockey puck edition from a year or two before it will be even less expensive, priced at $19 instead of its usual price of $59. A little less than $20 for a wireless speaker could make the Echo Dot a great little stocking stuffer, secret Santa, thieving Santa, or maybe just a way to bring yourself into the world of the smart home for not much money.
Amazon will apply the same approach to a couple of its Echo Show smart displays, with the Echo Show 8 2nd-gen seeing its price cut in half, moving from $199 to $99 for the week, while the Echo Show 5 2nd-gen also gets 50 percent off, priced at $59 down from $119 for the 5 inch equivalent.
Even Amazon’s recent introduction to the world of earphones sees a price fall, with the Echo Buds falling from $169 to $99 without a wirelessly charged case, while the model with the Qi charging case is priced at $129 down from $199, bringing noise cancellation to a lower price point for the season, as well.
Apple
The maker of the recent AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and the larger AirPods Max doesn’t appear to have discounts, but much like its offer in computers, tablets, and phones, you can get up to a $105 Apple Store gift card if you purchase a pair of eligible AirPods during the Black Friday period. Our guess is the number will be lower depending on the price of the AirPods, with the bulk of that possibly going to folks spending on the higher-priced AirPods Max.
Bose
Wireless earphones don’t have a huge showing at Bose, but at its online presence at Amazon and indeed in other places too (such as Myer), Bose will be cutting the cost of this year’s Tenor sunglasses open-air earphones, as well as the more sporty Tempo edition, as well.
More like speakers focused on your ears than anyone else’s, both editions of the Bose Frames will cost $249 during the few days of Black Friday 2021, down from their regular recommended retail price of $399.
EPOS
A brand that typically features a few headphones connected to Sennheiser (because at one point, the two were collaborating), EPOS has a few headphones and mics going for sale during the 2021 Black Friday event, including the GSP 301/302 dropping from $149.90 to $79, the GSP 670 headset falling from $469 to $299, the wired H3 headset falling 24 percent from $129.90 to $99, and the B20 microphone falling from $329 to $249.
Next up is Google, and while the maker of the Pixel 6 Pro won’t have any phones on sale this week, Google will have a few audio gadgets on sale for the occasion, depending on what you’re after. Mostly speakers.
For instance, the Nest Mini will be cut in price, moving from $79 to $39 for the week, while this year’s Nest Hub 2nd-gen will be near half-price, too, costing $79 down from its RRP of $149. The larger edition in the Nest Hub Max will also shed some dollar bucks, costing $249 instead of its regular price of $349.
Google will also cut the price of its Pixel Buds A-Series in half, though only if you grab a Pixel 6 phone during the sales this week.
Jabra
A regular in Pickr’s review lists, Jabra wireless earphones are going on sale over at Amazon for the 2021 Black Friday event in Australia, seeing a combination of the Elite 75t earphones, Elite Active 75t, and the more recent Elite 85t along for the ride, as well.
In the Elite 75t standard, you’ll see the price drop from $219 to $135, while the version with a hint more water resistance in the Elite Active 75t falls from $249 to $169. And if you prefer something a little newer in the Elite 85t, they’re seeing a price cut of $299 to $195 for the season.
Microsoft
Microsoft is also throwing a few options in for Black Friday this year, and while it doesn’t have much in the way of audio gear, what it does have will be on sale, even ever so slightly.
Both the Surface Earbuds and the Surface Headphones 2 will be on sale for the week, with the former seeing the Earbuds fall from $319.95 to $255 in Australia, while the second-generation of the first Surface Headphones will go from $399.95 to $319.
Nura
One of the regular favourites at Pickr is getting a price drop for Black Friday, as Australia’s Nura sees a discount depending on the model you might be looking at.
There are only three models of Nura’s distinctive ear-testing headphones and earphones, and each model is seeing a price drop over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021 period, meaning that November 29 is the last day.
The original Nura headphones, the Nuraphones, will drop from its $499 RRP price tag to $349 in Australia, while last year’s wired Nuraloop earphones go from $199 to $139 in Australia.
And this year’s truly wireless variety, the Nura True, also sees a price shift, jumping from $299 in Australia to $270 for the short period that is the 2021 Black Friday event.
Sennheiser
Expect a few savings from Sennheiser for the Black Friday 2021 season, with Sennheiser’s store on Amazon providing some sales, covering as little as 35 percent off and as much as 56 percent off.
You won’t find the discounts on every pair of Sennheiser earphones, but the CX True Wireless earphones are down to $129 from a price of $199.95, among others, giving you a reason to look around at Sennheiser gear this week.
Skullcandy
Youth-focused brand Skullcandy will be dropping prices on a few of its less expensive styles of earphones, as the Sesh Evolution drops from $139 to $104.95 and the Jib True goes from $79.95 to $59.95.
But if you’re looking to spend even less, the recently reviewed Skullcandy Dime will go from their $69.95 tag to $52.45, basically making for one of the least expensive pairs of wireless in-ears yet.
Those prices will hold over the weekend, with the last day being November 29.
Soundboks
A speaker brand with only one speaker in Australia, the crazy big party-focused 40 hour battery-based Soundboks Gen 3 speaker will see a price cut over the Black Friday weekend and through to Monday in Australia, dropping from $1599 to $1439 for the sale period.
Health and wearables
Health-related gadgets could also see you save a few bucks in this year’s sales, with a little bit happening in this category, as well.
Apple
No major discount on the Apple Watch seems to be on the cards if you order one of the recent Series 7 Apple Watch models from Apple itself, but the company has said a $70 Apple Store gift card is something you’ll get as an extra if you purchase an eligible Apple Watch over the Black Friday weekend.
ChiliSleep
A rather unusual gadget we’ve not checked out in person yet, ChiliSleep’s idea of a gadget sits under the mattress and aims to keep you cool, feeling like an ideal gadget for the summer time in places without air conditioning when they’re looking to keep the heat down, though it apparently goes beyond that.
The water-powered solution is more about monitoring and regulating temperatures while sleeping, cutting back on the heat in the summer while bolstering it in the winter, keeping your body at the temperature it needs to be.
ChiliSleep’s gear is not remarkably cheap, starting at $1199 for the app-controlled ChiliSleep Ooler in Australia, or $1049 for the version without an app, the ChiliSleep Cube. For Black Friday in Australia through to December 7, the company is taking 15 percent off the Cube system, and 10 percent off the Ooler.
Huawei
Surprisingly, Huawei hasn’t popped up in many places for Black Friday, but will have a wearable on sale, with its Watch GT 2 Pro down in price, cutting $150 off its typical $499 RRP, and costing $349 for the week.
Therabody
If you’ve heard of the “Theragun”, you’ve probably been looking up gadgets to help you relax, and these are kind of built for that. Also called a “massage gun”, these are vibrating rollers that use percussive massage to vibrate against parts of your body almost as if you were receiving very fast small punches to your muscles, helping to loosen the tension and emulating aspects of what a professional masseuse would do.
Up until 11.59pm on November 30, Theragun’s massage guns are on sale, with the least expensive of the bunch — the Theragun Wave Roller — seeing $80 off for a $169 price, while the Theragun Prime is down $80 to $419, the Theragun Elite down $150 to a $499 price tag, and the Theragun Pro model sees $300 cut off its rice for a $599 tag.
Withings
French wearable and health gadget maker Withings will also have a few things on sale from November 22 through to December 1, covering the Black Friday period in Australia, some of which we’ve reviewed.
You’ll be able to find the ECG-connected ScanWatch for 20 percent off the cost at Amazon, JB HiFi, and The Good Guys, while Withings’ range of scales, thermometers, and the sleep analyser will be 40 percent off at JB and The Good Guys, and 35 percent off at Amazon Australia.
