Update 11/22/24: This is our first look at gifts this year, and we must say that non-procrastinators have some fun items to pick up already. We’re excited to see what new and fun gift items become trendy as the fall moves along. We’ve also added a bunch of new stuff the Digital Trends team loves.
When we look at early Black Friday deals, we’re often looking for something for ourselves, a big-dollar item at an affordable price, or the excuse to finally get that thing we’ve been dreaming about all year. That means early Black Friday TV deals are popular, as are early Black Friday gaming laptop deals and the like. But, if we really look at the shopping holiday, it is clearly meant (at least originally) as a time to get all of the gifts for people we love at a somewhat lower price, enabling us to show our love to family and friends, but also our bank account. Here, we get back to this sort of original meaning of Black Friday, turning ourselves into gifts.
JLab JBuds Mini — $28 $40 31% off
The JLab JBuds Mini are affordable earbuds that come in several colors and tend to fit people with small ears better than the average buds. They make a thoughtful gift for the person in your life who’s always tuning in when they’re on the go
Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven — $239 $299 20% off
Pizza lovers in the family? What about aspiring gourmet chefs? Ooni offers a variety of full-sized pizza ovens to make delicious homemade meals. These are not your average ovens either — they are heavy-duty and arrive ready to rock. Our Digital Trends team has had the opportunity to fire one up and can attest to the hearty meals that come out. The Karu 12 can be fueled by wood, charcoal, or gas, but there are other options available.
MAXTOP SoundGuard AP003 Wireless Lavalier Microphone — $16 $38 57% off
For the content creators and podcasters in your life, this wireless microphone set allows them to set up an impromptu interview anytime, anywhere. It’s a dual microphone pickup with a single adapter. More importantly, it works with virtually any device, including smartphones, cameras, and more. The set is compact and portable, offers superior noise cancelation, and works up to 393 feet away with crystal-clear sound pickup.
85-inch Hisense Class U7 Mini LED Smart Google TV — $1,300 $2,200 40% off
Okay, I know it’s probably a lot to expect anyone would gift something like this for the holidays. I mean, TVs are expensive. But perhaps a gift for yourself and your family? You get a gorgeous mini-LED smart TV that’s capable of displaying four times the pixels of full HD panels. Reviewed and approved by Digital Trends, its theater-like immersive sound and video, superior brightness, high color contrast, and lifelike images and graphics all received our stamp of approval. Plus, it works for entertainment and gaming thanks to a native 144Hz refresh rate with Game Mode Pro and Game Bar. I dunno, just think about it?
Amazon Echo Spot (2024) — $44 $80 44% off
If you ever hear “Hey Alexa” at your pal’s house, this smart Alexa alarm clock and Alexa device all in one, which is complete with privacy features, might make the perfect gift for their bedside table.
Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department Vinyl — $37 $46 19% off
If your intended giftee has one of the best turntables, this Taylor Swift album just might be what their collection needs — she’s a pop icon for a reason, after all.
Lego Icons Tiny Plants — $40 $50 20% off
While it can be tempting to get a plant lover an extra plant, don’t forget that adds to their responsibilities. Instead, try this cute little Lego kit that (once assembled) doesn’t take any extra care. It makes 9 plants and comes with 758 pieces.
Soundcore Motion 3o0 — $56 $80 30% off
This is a small, portable speaker featured in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. The speaker is waterproof, has illuminated controls for easy nighttime use, and (as you’ll see in our Soundcore Motion 300 review) it can orient its speakers depending on if you’re laying the bar sideways or hanging it up by its strap, making for easy listening anywhere.
Keurig K-Slim Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker — $80 $130 38% off
This is perfect for that college student or grad student in your life who is really dedicated to their studies or getting that final thesis in. Made small and ready to serve one person with little fuss, they’ll enjoy the energy boost to get through the final pages of that term paper. Check out Black Friday Keurig deals for other models, too.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition — $200 $270 26% off
This version of the A9+ is made to be extra durable, with a fun, “puffy” cover. It comes with stickers for customization, “Crayo-Pens” (a sort of crayon-like stylus), and some tethers so they don’t get lost. Plus, it has advanced child-protection features to keep your kid safer online.
eufy X10 Pro Omni robot vacuum and mop — $550 $800 31% off
I don’t care what you say — nobody actually likes cleaning. It’s something we all do because we have to do it, and that’s it. But wouldn’t it be nice to have some real help from time to time? That’s exactly the thinking behind this great gift idea, the eufy X10 Pro Omni robot vacuum and mop. It offers 8,000 pascals of suction power, so it will leave no mess behind. Where it really shines is the weeks of hands-free and maintenance-free cleaning it can achieve. The versatile dock auto washes the mop, auto dries, self-empties the dustbin, and self-refills the clean water. That way, you — or whoever you gift it to — can sit back and relax without living in squalor.
Codenames — $20 $25 20% off
Codenames has to be one of the most elastic board games ever. Based on wordplay and easily accommodating teams of any size, just about everyone can pop into Codenames and have a good time. For crunchier games, also be sure to check out our collection of Black Friday board game deals.
Fanatics
This one is a bit of an anomaly because we didn’t pick out a single item in particular. But Fanatics is having a huge Black Friday sale, and honestly, they have some of the best gift ideas for people who love anything sports-related. We’re talking about the NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, WWE, NASCAR, and F1. Apparel, hats, collectibles, you name it, there’s an excellent variety of gear available, and you could probably do most of your shopping there if you’re a sports-loving family. I already know what I’m getting some of my people.
Cuisinart EasyPop 16-Cup Popcorn Maker — $60
This is perfect for that couple or family you know that can quote all of the best movies of the year, line for line, or at least has seen them all. It makes popcorn directly from the kernel and has dishwasher-safe parts for easy post-movie cleaning.
Meta Quest 3s — $300
A misconception I often come across is that VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3s are for gamers and younger crowds. That’s totally not true. Everyone can enjoy VR experiences, and there’s a lot to do with something like this. Yes, there are virtual worlds and games to explore, but you can also use them to sit down and watch a movie — in a virtual theater — browse the web, interact via social media, and so much more. You can even connect the VR headset to your PC and do some work or productivity tasks in a virtual environment. In other words, get your zen on. It makes for a great gift, and whoever the recipient is will love it.
How to buy gifts on Black Friday
While getting a good deal always feel imperative, don’t necessarily focus on percentages off when getting a gift for someone you love. You aren’t going to be reporting the price of the gift to them anyhow, at least not likely, so you won’t get the bragging rights of “I saved 40% on your gift,” which… doesn’t sound that brag-worthy anyhow if we think about it.
Instead, set a healthy budget and focus on finding what the person likes. It may help you to set a budget for each “tier” of person in your life (family and spouse, your kids, friends, etc.) and do the math to see if it will all be affordable to you in the end. At the end of the day, a gift is a gift, and it is always safe to go with something that has more general appeal.
How we chose these gifts for Black Friday
These gifts were chosen for being either standard Digital Trends fare (looking at you, earbuds) or a little off the beaten path but still likely in your wheelhouse if you’re here (looking at you, Taylor Swift vinyl).
Ultimately, gifts can be very personal, and the goal of such a list as this one is to help you get ideas. As a result, giving only the expected answers isn’t helpful at all.
We also chose these gift items for a wide range of giftees, from movie lovers to younger kids, and a wide range of price points, making sure that there was something that just about anyone could be comfortable gifting to just about anyone else.
