End of year sales for 2023 in tech and gadgets officially kick off, so we’re rounding up what’s good that we’re seeing. What can you save money on?
As 2023 draws to a close, manufacturers and retailers are doing that thing they do every year: slashing prices to make way for the products set to arrive next year.
It’s not a direct replacement period: devices from one year don’t just suddenly disappear immediately in the new year, as there are rough timeframes we expect new products to arrive. However year end sales are a tradition, and almost every retailer and manufacturer participates in some form or another.
Technology stores and outlets are known to see some of the biggest deals, thanks in part to their already often high costs, which is why the final week of store sales can be so interesting. Often available for the entirety of that last week or until stocks last, the Boxing Day sales running from December 26 until the first few days of January can see your saving big dollars on gadgets and tech.
So whether you’ve been waiting all year to buy something or if you gave an IOU with a big promise at Christmas, now is your time to save dollars and shine. And to help, we’re rounding up some of the best Boxing Day tech sales we’ve seen in Australia this year, going category by category.
Phones
Let’s start with one of the categories that doesn’t always see big savings: phones.
Mobiles don’t typically have set replacement periods, so they hold their values for a lot longer, meaning you’ll typically be paying their recommend retail price or near it for a long time, often until the new model is announced.
Despite that, there’s a little bit of movement during this year’s sales, notably on Android devices.
Google’s flagship Pixel 8 Pro is seeing a price drop practically everywhere, falling from $1699 to $1349 for a $350 saving on the 128GB model, and there’s a $350 saving on the 256GB and 512GB models, too. Meanwhile, the standard Pixel 8 sees a $200 saving, while the Pixel Watch 2 gets $100 off in stores, as well.
Asus sees a $260 saving on the just-launched Zenfone 10, pricing it at $1039 in Australia for the sales, while last year’s ROG Phone 6 falls from $1199 to $796 at JB HiFi, saving $403 for a solid and large gaming phone. The newer model, the ROG Phone 7, will see a $360 saving from its $1799 price point, costing $1439 for the new hardware.
Motorola also has some savings for phone buyers, with the return of Black Friday prices for its range, dropping the Razr 40 Ultra from $1499 to $1199 and the more economically-minded Razr 40 from $999 to $799.
And there are some not-insignificant savings to be made on Samsung Galaxy phones, with the S23 range offering $350 off, whether you’re considering the large and premium S23 Ultra or the regular-sized standard S23, while last year’s S22 will save $400.
No such luck on savings for Samsung’s foldable this year, but interestingly, the budget Galaxy A05S drops $20 from its $299 price for the sales.
Headphones and speakers
One area you’re sure to see discounts is in headphones and speakers. These gadgets are often already seeing price drops, but there are some serious drops over the sale period this year.
Starting with Sennheiser, with the Momentum 4 drops $170 down to $469, while the recently reviewed Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones fall by around $30. A saving is a saving, after all.
Over at Anker’s Soundcore brand, pretty much every pair of headphones we’ve reviewed from the company has seen a price drop, including the:
- Space Q45 ANC headphones falling from $219.99 to $153.99
- Liberty 4 NC ANC earphones falling from $169.99 to $129.99, and the
- Space A40 ANC earphones falling from $129.99 to $89.99
Finally, Google’s noise cancelling Pixel Buds Pro drop $120 to $179, making them affordable by comparison to the $299 price they were released at.
Soundbars
Upgrading the sound of your TV could be more cost-effective this holiday season, as retailers mark down the cost of soundbars to end 2023.
Some of the deals we’ve found include the:
- Bose Smart Soundbar 600 priced at $599, down from $699
- Sonos Beam Gen 2 for $622, down from $799
- Samsung’s Q-series 9.1.4 soundbar (Q930C) priced at $899, down from $1599
- Sonos Arc for $1188, down from $1499
If you have a Sonos system and you want to expand with a subwoofer, you may want to consider it during the 2023 Boxing Day sales. The Sub Mini is fetching $545 at stores in Australia, while the Sub Gen 3 is a good $300 down from its original cost, fetching $992 for the week of sales.
TVs
Easily one of the most expensive consumer tech gadgets around, TVs and projectors can save respectable sums of money during the Boxing Day sales, going form hundreds to a thousand or two depending on what you’re after.
For the 2023 Boxing Day sales, some of the best TV sales we’ve found include Hisense’s 100 inch Mini-LED U7KAU for under $5K, saving $673 at JB HiFi for $4822, while LG’s 55 inch C3 OLED Evo costs $2088 down from $3295 with savings across the C3 OLED Evo size offerings, and much the same across the LG G3 OLED Evo models, as well.
Samsung’s S95C QD-OLED 4K screens may seem price drops, too, with the 77 inch S95C dropping $7995 to $5995 over the sales, while Samsung’s QLED variety sees different price drops across the model and size options, as well. TCL’s QLED options could see price drops between $500 and $1400 depending on where you look, so there are plenty of choices, not to mention models below.
As to which technology is best for you, auditioning the TVs and seeing them for yourself is important, and both OLED and QLED are exceptional technologies. However, people often use the logic of a bright room working better with LED, Mini-LED, and QLED, while rooms with a little less direct sunlight often being better for OLED. Both are great and can work well with well-lit rooms, but that’s a common approach for buyers.
