21 huge Amazon back-to-school deals I recommend this weekend
Save on laptops, monitors, coffee machines and more
The final weekend of July is here. For students across the country that means summer break will soon come to an end. It also means we're smack in the middle of back to school season and retailers are now offering their biggest back to school sales of the summer.
Not surprisingly, Amazon's back to school sales are among the biggest I've seen this year. I have over 10 years of experience covering retail events like back to school, so I've scanned today's best Amazon deals and highlighted a few of my favorite school-friendly deals below. From budget coffee machines to college friendly laptops, here are the best sales available now for students of all ages. (For more ways to save at Amazon, check out our guide to Amazon Prime Student and Amazon promo codes).
Amazon back to school sales — Quick links
- 4K TVs: deals from $64
- Apparel: deals on Gap, Nike, Ray-Ban, more
- Apple: iPads from $279, MacBooks from $749
- Backpacks: up to 60% off Adidas, Under Armour, more
- Back to school: up to 50% off supplies
- Beauty/makeup: save on sunscreen, face masks, more
- Furniture: up to 60% off tables, desks, bar stools on sale
- Kitchen/dining: cookware, small appliances from $49
- Laptops: HP, Samsung, Acer from $149
- OLED TVs: deals from $896
- Video games: games/accessories from $24
Best Amazon back to school sales
TP-Link WiFi Extender w/ Ethernet Port: was $34 now $12 @ Amazon
Large spaces need all the Wi-Fi help they can get, so this sale on TP-Link's tiny Wi-Fi extender is definitely one to take advantage of. It expands Wi-Fi by 1,200 square feet, helping you erase any dead zones on or around campus. It's especially useful for those who are far from their routers. Plus, its built-in Ethernet port helps you add wired-only devices to wireless networks. Click the on-page coupon to drop its price to $12, which is $5 cheaper than it was on Prime Day.
Keurig K-Mini coffee maker: was $99 now $59 @ Amazon
The Keurig K-Mini accepts K-Cup branded coffee pods to brew 6- or 12-ounce cups of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa quickly and efficiently. It even works with My K-Cup universal reusable pods, letting you enjoy your favorite blend without adding to the landfill. In our Keurig K-Mini review, we said it's super compact and excels at its one function — brewing a pod of coffee. It hit $49 last Black Friday, but I still think this is a solid deal for a dorm or off-campus living.
Price check: $80 @ Best Buy | $79 @ Walmart
TV sale: deals from $64 @ Amazon
Best Buy still has smart TVs on sale for as low as $64. Keep in mind, the cheap TVs tend to be smaller, 720p models (which are more suitable for a children's room, guest room, or dorm). However, the sale also includes larger sets. Not sure which TV to get? The Toshiba 43" 4K Fire TV is on sale for just $199 at Amazon.
Price check: from $64 @ Best Buy
UE Wonderboom 3: was $99 now $79 @ Amazon
The UE Wonderboom 3 is one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers under $100. It's IP67 waterproof and delivers up to 13 hours of rich 360-degree sound, helping to make it the perfect companion for BBQs, pool parties and music festivals. In our UE Wonderboom 3 review, we said the Editor's Choice speaker offers big sound in a petite package.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: was $149 now $89 @ Amazon
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 offer customizable sound, good ANC, and a comfortable fit. They’ve also got great functionality with the Galaxy Wearable app and wireless charging. They charge super fast, and can be topped off using PowerShare when they're running low on battery. In our Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review we said they offer plenty of functionality at an attainable price with sound that's both versatile and vibrant.
Price check: $99 @ Samsung
Acer 23" 1080p Gaming Monitor: was $119 now $89 @ Amazon
The Acer KC242Y is a no-frills gaming monitor that won't break the bank. It features a 23.8-inch 1080p panel with 100Hz refresh, 1ms response time, and VGA/HDMI connectivity. It also has a Low Blue Light feature for those times you find yourself in front of the screen for prolonged hours. It's now at its cheapest price ever in this back to school sale.
Razer Kaira Pro Wireless Headset: was $149 now $89 @ Amazon
An excellent third-party Xbox Series X headset, we awarded the Razer Kaira Pro an Editor's Choice award in our Razer Kaira Pro review. We were most impressed with its solid sound, comfortable fit, and sleek design. It hit $76 earlier in the month, but it's still a solid price at $89.
Acer 27" 1080p Monitor: was $169 now $119 @ Amazon
The Acer SB272 is a budget 1080p monitor that can be used for work or casual gaming. The 27-inch monitor sports an IPS display, 100Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and HDMI/VGA connectivity. It's now at its lowest price ever.
Seagate 1TB Storage Expansion Card: was $219 now $149 @ Amazon
The Seagate Storage Expansion Card is an officially-licensed Xbox Series X accessory that increases your hard drive space by a full 1TB. This is the ideal accessory if you want to store dozens of the best Xbox Series X games on your console at once. This crashed to $149 on Prime Day and it's still selling at its all-time price low.
Samsung 990 Pro SSD (2TB): was $239 now $159 @ Amazon
Editor's Choice! The Samsung 990 Pro SSD (2TB) sold for an all-time low of $179 on Prime Day. Today it's even cheap, which makes this a killer deal. This PCIe 4.0 M.2 storage device is PS5 compatible and packs seriously impressive speeds. Samsung's new SSD offers a sequential read speed of 7,450 MB/s and a write speed of 6,900 MB/s, plus it can achieve 1,400K random read input/output operations per second. It also comes with an optional heatsink with RGB lighting, which could come in handy if you're building your own gaming PC with a transparent panel.
Price check: $159 @ Samsung | $159 @ Best Buy
AirPods Pro 2 (2022): was $249 now $199 @ Amazon
The AirPods Pro 2 pack Apple's new H2 chip to provide 2x more noise cancellation than their predecessors. They also offer Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for a more immersive audio experience. In our AirPods Pro 2 review, we said they take everything we loved about the original AirPods Pro to the next level.
Price check: $225 @ B&H Photo | $199 @ Best Buy
Zinus Green Tea Mattress: was $419 now $243 @ Amazon
The Zinus Green Tea mattress is a solid pick for anyone in need of an inexpensive mattress. In our Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam mattress review, we said it's a great value for anyone with a low budget, of average weight, or for children. After the discount, the 12-inch twin costs $243 (was $419), whereas the 12-inch queen costs $395 (was $595).
Bose QuietComfort 45: was $329 now $279 @ Amazon
The Bose QC 45 offer enhanced active noise cancellation, better sound, and longer battery life than their predecessors. In our Bose QuietComfort 45 review, we said they're a no brainer for Bose fans who want to swap out their older QC headphones for something more modern, or shoppers who want first-class Bose noise cancellation at a cheaper price than the premium Bose 700.
Apple Watch 8 (41mm/GPS): was $399 now $329 @ Amazon
The Apple Watch 8 sports a new skin temperature sensor to monitor sleep tracking and cycle tracking. It also comes with new advanced safety features like Crash Detection, which can sense when you've been in a car crash. In our Apple Watch 8 review, we called it the best smartwatch hands down.
Price check: $399 @ Best Buy | $329 @ Walmart
10.9" iPad 2022 (WiFi/64GB): was $449 now $399 @ Amazon
The 2022 iPad features a large 10.9-inch (2360 x 1640) screen, A14 Bionic CPU, 12MP rear/front cameras, USB-C connectivity, and Magic Keyboard Folio ($249) support. Although it received a considerable $120 price increase from its predecessor, it's now on sale. In our iPad 2022 review, we said it delivers almost everything you could want in a modern table.
Price check: $399 @ Best Buy | $449 @ Walmart
Samsung Galaxy A54: was $449 now $399 @ Amazon
The Galaxy A54 is the best budget smartphone you can buy. In our Samsung Galaxy A54 review, we said it offers solid battery life, a bright and colorful display, and an improved main camera that's great when the lights are low. It features a 6.4-inch FHD AMOLED 120Hz display, Exynos 1380 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Rear camera lenses include a 50MP main (f/1.8), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2), and 5MP macro (f/2.4). On the front you'll find a 32MP (f/2.2) lens.
Price check: $449 @ Best Buy | free w/ trade-in @ Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: was $699 now $599 @ Amazon
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 features an 11-inch Full HD 120Hz display, a 12MP front-facing camera, three microphones and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU. In our Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 review, we called it a speedy, long-lasting Android 12 slate that's beautiful to look at and sets a new standard for premium Android tablets. Just keep in mind the new Tab S9 will release on August 11.
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3: was $899 now $669 @ Amazon
If you want to get into the world of PC gaming, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is an excellent entry point. This gaming laptop sports a 15.6-inch FHD display, an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. It should be sufficient to play many games at low to medium settings.
Check other retailers: sold out @ Best Buy | $699 @ Walmart
MacBook Air 13 (M1/256GB): was $999 now $749 @ Amazon
Lowest price! It's no longer Apple's flagship, but the MacBook Air M1 offers fantastic performance and value. The M1 CPU never stuttered in our tests and also helped it reach over 14 hours of battery life. It features a 13.3-inch Retina display, Apple M1 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. In our MacBook Air M1 review, we said it offers amazing endurance and shockingly good speed. This ties a deal I saw from two years ago as the lowest price ever.
Price check: $869 @ B&H Photo | $749 @ Best Buy
Galaxy Tab S9 preorder: was $919 now $799 @ Amazon
Amazon is offering the Galaxy Tab S9 (256GB) model on preorder for $799, which is normally the cost of the 128GB model. Upgrades include a new OLED display and better rear cameras. In our Galaxy Tab S9 hands-on review, we said it's an entry-level tablet that feels more like a premium slate. It will release on August 11.
Price check: up to $650 off w/ trade-in @ Samsung
MacBook Pro 14" (M2 Pro/512GB): was $1,999 now $1,799 @ Amazon
The 2023 MacBook Pro 14-inch packs Apple's new M2 Pro silicon, which outperforms most of today's flagship laptops. (It can also be configured with the M2 Pro Max). In our MacBook Pro 14-inch 2023 review, we called it the world's best laptop. It offers an incredible battery life of over 14 hours. The base model includes a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), M2 Pro 10-core CPU (w/ 16-core GPU), 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Price check: $1,999 @ Best Buy | $1,799 @ B&H Photo
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As deals editor-in-chief at Tom’s Guide, Louis is constantly looking for ways to avoid paying full price for the latest gadgets, appliances, and apparel. With over 10 years of deals-hunting experience, Louis price checks against multiple retailers and searches high and low for the best deals to bring readers. He's also always on the look out for the best coupon codes to use when shopping. A born-and-bred New Yorker, Louis is also an avid swimmer and marathoner. His work has appeared on Gizmodo, CNET, and Time Out New York.