Black Friday Smart Home Deals: What's Actually Worth Buying
Black Friday is the single best time of year to buy smart home devices. Not because every deal is good — plenty are not — but because the devices that are genuinely discounted tend to hit their lowest prices of the year during this week. I have tracked smart home pricing across Black Friday events for the past four years, and patterns emerge. Certain categories always see deep discounts. Others barely budge. Here is my honest assessment of what is worth buying this Black Friday and what you should skip.
Always Buy: Amazon and Google Hardware
Amazon and Google both use Black Friday to aggressively discount their own hardware. Echo devices, Fire TV sticks, Ring cameras, Blink cameras, Nest speakers, Nest cameras, Chromecast — all of these will be 30-50% off their list price. This is not a sale in the traditional sense; this is closer to the actual price these devices should be sold at year-round. Amazon in particular prices its Echo devices high for most of the year and then drops them to impulse-buy prices during Black Friday.
An Echo Dot for $22 instead of $50 is a genuine deal. A Ring Video Doorbell for $60 instead of $100 is worth it if you have been considering one. A Nest Hub for $50 instead of $100 is a solid buy for a kitchen smart display. These are loss leaders — Amazon and Google sell hardware at or below cost to get you into their ecosystems, and Black Friday is when the discounts are deepest.
My specific recommendations this year: the Echo 5th gen with Thread support if you are in the Alexa ecosystem, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus for a solid wireless doorbell camera, and the Nest Hub (2nd gen) if you are a Google Home user. All should be significantly discounted.
Usually Worth It: Smart Plugs and Bulbs
Smart bulbs and smart plugs are commoditized enough that Black Friday deals bring already-cheap devices to absurdly cheap prices. Kasa smart plugs for $5 each, Wyze bulbs for $5-6, Sengled bulbs for $4 — at these prices, the cost of entry for basic smart home automation is essentially nothing. If you have been thinking about adding smart lighting or smart plug control to any room, Black Friday is when to do it.
The caveat: do not buy more than you need just because the price is low. I made this mistake two years ago and ended up with a box of 12 smart plugs that I have never used. Buy for the specific rooms and use cases you have in mind, plus maybe two extras for future use. Not twenty extras because "they were so cheap."
Good Deals If You Need Them: Security Cameras and Robot Vacuums
Security cameras see decent Black Friday discounts, especially from Ring, Blink, Wyze, and Arlo. The savings are typically 20-30%, which on a camera system can add up to significant money. If you have been planning a camera setup, Black Friday is a good time to buy. If your current cameras work fine, do not upgrade just because there is a sale.
Robot vacuums have some of the biggest absolute dollar discounts during Black Friday. Roborock, iRobot, Ecovacs, and Shark all discount their mid-range and high-end models by $100-200. The sweet spot for value is usually the previous year's flagship model, which gets the deepest discount once the new model is announced. The Roborock S8 (not the S8 Pro Ultra — the base S8) at $300-350 on Black Friday would be an excellent buy if it hits that price.
Skip: Smart Locks and Thermostats
Smart locks rarely see significant Black Friday discounts. The major brands — August, Yale, Schlage — might drop $20-30 off list price, but these are not the deep discounts you see in other categories. If you need a smart lock, Black Friday savings are modest at best. These products maintain their pricing year-round because demand is consistent and there is less competitive pressure to race to the bottom.
Smart thermostats are similar. The Ecobee Premium might see a $20-30 discount, the Nest Learning Thermostat maybe $30 off. These are not impulse-buy prices. If you have been planning to upgrade your thermostat, the Black Friday discount is a nice bonus but should not be the deciding factor. Buy the thermostat you want when you need it.
Avoid: "Smart" Appliances
Every Black Friday, retailers promote "smart" appliances — smart microwaves, smart air purifiers, smart coffee makers with WiFi. Most of these are regular appliances with a WiFi chip bolted on and a mediocre app that you will use twice before forgetting it exists. The "smart" features rarely justify the premium over a non-connected equivalent, even at a discount. A $150 smart air purifier on sale for $100 is still a worse value than a $60 non-smart air purifier that does the same job.
The exceptions are devices where the connected features are genuinely central to functionality. A smart robot vacuum needs WiFi for scheduling, mapping, and zone control — those features are core to the product. A smart coffee maker that lets you start brewing from your phone is a novelty feature bolted onto a coffee maker. Focus your Black Friday budget on devices where the "smart" part adds real daily value.
Timing Strategy
Black Friday deals increasingly start early — often the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Amazon tends to start its best prices by Wednesday evening. Some deals are genuinely time-limited (Lightning Deals on Amazon expire after a set quantity or time), but most of the major price drops hold through Cyber Monday.
My approach: make a list of what I actually want before any deals go live. Check prices on Black Friday morning. If the items on my list are at good prices, buy them. If they are not, check again on Cyber Monday. Do not browse deal sites looking for inspiration — that is how you end up with devices you do not need just because they were cheap. The best Black Friday strategy for smart home shoppers is knowing what you want before the sales start and having the discipline to stick to your list.