Amazon will celebrate its eighth Prime Day next week. On a personal note, this will also be my eighth year covering Amazon's two-day event. The first Prime Day I covered in 2015 was exciting because I had no clue what to expect. Amazon was celebrating its 20th anniversary and there was no script to go by.
Subsequent Prime Days were less exciting. The deals became predictable (another $19 Echo Dot) and the event started feeling more like a clearance sale than a cool perk for Prime members. Fast forward to 2022 and I'm feeling a little excited for Prime Day again. Here are three things I'm looking forward to next week.
1. Dirt cheap OLED TVs
I'm very excited to see what Amazon will do with OLED TV deals this Prime Day. OLED TV prices have plummeted since the start of the year and the fact that you can get an LG 4K OLED TV for $739 right now at Amazon is pretty amazing. Sure, it's a 48-inch model and it's LG's entry-level TV, but even mid-tier and high-end OLED TVs are undergoing epic price drops.
This past Memorial Day, Amazon offered Vizio's 55-inch OLED for just $806 and earlier this week Amazon had the just-released Samsung 55-inch S95B 4K QD-OLED TV on sale for $1,799 ($400 off). This year I'm hoping we see a $699 OLED TV. (Make sure to follow our Prime Day TV deals coverage for the best sales this week and next).
2. MacBook Air M2 deals
I need a new laptop and I have my eyes on the Apple MacBook Air M2. The MacBook Air has been my favorite laptop ever since Steve Jobs pulled it out of a manila envelope, but the last few models have been missing that je ne sais quoi. Although it's $200 costlier, this 2022 MacBook Air has caught my eye, but I refuse to pay $1,199 for it.
So I'm hoping that Amazon offers either a $50 or $100 discount on Apple's new MacBook. It's worth noting that MacBook Air 2022 preorders will start this Friday (July 8), so the chances of seeing it on sale during Prime Day are possible. Alternatively, back to school sales are now live and the Apple Store's education discount is knocking $100 off the new MacBook Air. Here's hoping Amazon takes a page from Apple's sale.
3. The first PS5/Xbox price cuts
I'm not a gamer, but along with my colleague Rory Mellon we've been tracking PS5 restock and Xbox Series X restock since day one. Fortunately, it's become a lot easier to find both consoles in stock. The Xbox has been in stock regularly at Microsoft, whereas PS5 drops aren't as impossible to find as they were a year ago.
That said, I want to see deals on the consoles and Prime Day is the perfect opportunity. Amazon PS5 drops are now invite-only events. Likewise, the retailer recently limited its Xbox Series drops to Prime members as well. This should make it easier to get a console and hopefully Amazon will reward its Prime members with a discount instead of just the chance to purchase the console(s).
There's no telling what Amazon has in store for Prime Day 2022. One thing I can say is that the price of an Amazon Prime membership isn't getting any cheaper and one way to keep me renewing my $139 membership is with unique Prime member deals.
