Amazon’s fall Prime Day has begun, bringing with it a fresh wave of discounts on Alexa-enabled hardware. However, consumers should approach these sales with caution, as the perceived value of the deals has shifted following a series of price increases across Amazon’s device lineup at the end of August. While the product range remains familiar, the recent hikes have made it more difficult to categorize the current discounts as significant savings.
Nena Farrell, WIRED’s gear editor and resident expert on both Kindle e-readers and Amazon Echo speakers, notes that understanding the true depth of these discounts requires looking past the marketing. With over a decade of experience testing Alexa devices since their 2012 launch, she provides a breakdown of which gadgets offer genuine value and which are merely mind games.
For shoppers looking to make the most of the second day of Prime Day, certain deals stand out from the rest. The Echo Spot is currently available for $55, representing a $55 discount. For those seeking the most affordable entry point into the Alexa ecosystem, the fifth-generation Echo Dot is priced at $40, marking a $40 reduction.
In the e-reader segment, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is offered at $170, down by $80. Additionally, the color-enabled Kindle Colorsoft is available for $190, reflecting a substantial $100 discount. These selections represent the most compelling offers among the 13 Amazon device deals highlighted for the event.
The Kindle Colorsoft deal is suspiciously good. $100 off feels like too much of a stretch for a new device.
Good to know about the price hikes. I was about to buy an Echo Dot without checking the history first.