Update 2, 11/28 6:30PM ET: Amazon is now matching Walmart's AirPods deal, bringing the headphones down to $129 as well.
Update, 11/27 11:10PM ET: The two Apple deals highlighted below appear to be going in and out of stock at Walmart. If the $129 AirPods offer runs dry for good, we'll note that the headphones are currently available for $5 more at Amazon and other retailers. There are several other good Black Friday deals that just went live beyond that—check them out below.
Original story
Holiday deals have been flowing in since November began, but we're now starting to see proper Black Friday deals take effect. With Black Friday just a couple days away, Walmart has kicked off its shopping event with a bunch of savings and discounts that are some of the best we've seen all ready. Apple products top the list: now you can get AirPods with a charging case for $129 and an Apple Watch Series 3 for $129.
As for what youre getting here: AirPods are some of the most popular wireless earbuds available, and the newest model with the standard charging case typically goes for $144. While we have seen major retailers drop the price to $134 before, this $129 price tag is a new low. These are the second-generation AirPods, featuring hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands, 50-percent more talk time, and the new H1 chip that helps the AirPods pair and switch between devices more quickly.
These AirPods have a battery life of around five hours, and the case that comes with them provides an addition 24 hours of life. The included case is Apple's standard AirPods case, not the optional Qi wireless charging case that Apple introduced with the second-gen AirPods. However, that's always been an optional accessory that you can get for $79 and enables you to charge the case and the AirPods themselves with any Qi-compatible wireless charging pads.
Walmart also has the Apple Watch Series 3 at a new low price of $129 (38mm, while the 42mm models are $159). The two-year-old Apple Watch may be considered ancient by some, but it has most of the features that made the Apple Watch the most dominant smartwatch on the market. It's a stellar daily activity and workout tracker thanks to its continuous heart rate monitor, built-in GPS, and water-resistant design, plus it has a bunch of customizable watch faces and a solid 18-hour battery life. It also supports watchOS 6, the latest software for the Apple Watch, so it will have new features including enhanced Siri, Activity Trends, Hearing Health, menstrual cycle tracking, and the on-watch App Store.
What it won't have are the hardware differences between it and the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5 models. The biggest new feature is arguably Apple's ECG app, which lets you take individual ECG measurements that can help detect instances of irregular heart beat or atrial fibrillation. An improved accelerometer and other internal sensors also allow the Series 4 and Series 5 Watches to detect when you've fallen and need emergency assistance, and the provide generally improved performance as well. Series 5 Watches also have a new always-on Retina display, but in most other cases, those devices aren't radically different from their Series 4 counterparts.
The Apple Watch Series 3 represented a pivotal moment in the history of Apple's main wearable. Not only was it the first Apple Watch with optional LTE, but it was the first model that truly had all of the "necessary" features of a smartwatch—and Apple executed those features very well. While the Series 4 and Series 5 Watch have many convenient and useful improvements, the Series 3 is remains a great smartwatch made better by watchOS 6. At this Black Friday price of $129, it's a great deal for anyone who wants the best smartwatch for iPhone users and one of the best smartwatches you can get, period.
In addition to the AirPods and Apple Watch Series 3 deals, Walmart also has a number of other early Black Friday deals available right now. Apple's newest iPad is on sale for $249, which is $80 off its regular price of $329. The most popular Instant Pot model is on sale right now for $49.99 as well, and there are numerous Playstation and Xbox bundles on sale as well. Check out the full list below.
Dealmaster: An Ars newsletter
The Dealmaster is launching its very own newsletter! Sign up to receive a shorter, tightly curated list of the very best tech deals on the Web—no nonsense, direct to your inbox, and often before they make it to the Ars homepage. Sign Me Up!
Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
Apple device deals
- Apple AirPods w/ charging case for $129 at Amazon (normally $144).
- Apple AirPods w/ charging case for $129 at Walmart (in and out of stock – normally $144).
- Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) for $129 at Walmart (normally $199).
- Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) for $159 at Walmart (normally $229).
- 10.2-inch iPad (32GB, latest model) for $249 at Walmart (normally $329).
- 10.2-inch iPad (128GB, latest model) for $329 at Walmart (normally $429).
Gaming deals
- Nintendo Switch (old model) + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $299 at Walmart (normally $359.99).
- Xbox One S (1TB) All-Digital Edition + 3 digital game downloads (Fortnite, Sea of Thieves, Minecraft) for $149 at Walmart (normally $249.99).
- Xbox One S (1TB) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle for $199 at Walmart (normally $299.99).
- Xbox One X (1TB) Gears 5 bundle for $349 at Walmart (normally $499.99).
- Sony Playstation 4 (1TB) bundle for $199 at Walmart (normally $299.99).
- Sony Playstation 4 Pro (1TB) for $299.99 at Walmart and Amazon (normally $399.99).
- Sony PS Plus (12-month membership) for $44.99 at Walmart (normally $59.99).
- Xbox One wireless controller (camo edition) for $39 at Walmart (normally $69.99).
- Sony Dualshock PS4 controller for $38.99 at Walmart (normally $59.99).
- Razer Mamba wireless gaming mouse for $50 at Walmart (normally $79).
Video game deals
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) for $30 at Amazon (normally $49.99).
- Super Mario Odyssey starter pack (Switch) for $39 at Amazon (normally $49.99).
- Super Mario Party (Switch) for $30 at Walmart (normally $49.99).
- Mario Tennis Aces (Switch) for $30 at Amazon (normally $49.99).
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Switch) for $25 at Amazon (normally $40.99).
- Splatoon 2 (Switch) for $30 at Walmart ($49.99).
- Zombieland: Double Tap – Roadtrip (Switch) for $27 at Amazon (normally $32.99).
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Switch) for $25 at Amazon (normally $29.99).
- Diablo III Eternal Collection (Switch) for $25 at Amazon (normally $37.99).
- Crash Team Racing (Switch) for $15 at Walmart (normally $29.99).
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition (PS4) for $15 at Walmart and Best Buy (normally $29.99).
- Borderlands 3 (PS4) for $30 at Walmart (normally $44.99).
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) for $30 at Walmart (normally $39.99).
- NFS: Heat (PS4) for $35 at Amazon (normally $49.99).
- NHL 20 (PS4) for $30 at Walmart (normally $49.99).
- Fifa 20 (PS4) for $27 at Walmart (normally $49.99).
- NBA 2K20 (PS4) for $27 at Walmart (normally $44.99).
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4) for $25 at Walmart (normally $44.99).
- Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4) for $25 at Walmart (normally $49.99).
- Ghost Recon Breakpoint (XB1) for $30 at Walmart (normally $59.99).
- Gears 5 (XB1) for $24.99 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $49.99).
- Madden NFL 20 (XB1) for $27 at Walmart (normally $39.99).
- WWE W2K20 (XB1) for $27 at Walmart (normally $59.99).
- God of War (PS4)for $9.99 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $29.99).
- Days Gone (PS4) for $19.99 at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy (normally $34.99).
- Gran Turismo Sport (PS4)for $9.99 at Walmart and Amazon (normally $29.99).
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition (PS4) for $9.99 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $29.99).
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) for $9.99 at Walmart and Best Buy (normally $19.99).
- Read More – Source
