The best deals from Shark, Bosch, LG and more
The retailer is kicking off the new year with huge savings (The Independent) With Christmas
The retailer is kicking off the new year with huge savings
(The Independent)
With Christmas and Boxing Day now officially over, the New Year sales are the next big shopping event to look forward to. And, while there have already been many amazing offers, retailers still have plenty of deals that are guaranteed to cure your festive hangover.
A month when many typically try to tighten their purse strings after all the present buying in December, January is a great time to get huge discounts on pieces that didn’t quite make it under the tree or that you’ve had your eye on for some time, with savings on everything from tech, gaming, kitchen appliances, toys and more.
One of the best places to pick up a big-ticket bargain is Amazon, which is no stranger to a sale. In 2020, the online retail giant’s discounts were bigger than ever, with its annual Prime Day in October (which is usually held in July but was delayed because of the pandemic), before a month-long series of discounts for Black Friday and impressive Boxing Day discounts.
So, it may come as no surprise that Amazon will also be participating in the New Year sales, with huge discounts on a number of big brands, including Apple, Shark and Nintendo. It also discounts its own-brand products, including the Echo Dot, Fire tablet and Fire TV stick devices, so you’ve come to the right place if you want to make big savings.
Not sure where to start? Fear not because we’ll be busy hand-selecting the best bargains the retailer has to offer, so you don’t have to spend time endlessly scrolling. So whether you’re looking for a new laptop, kitchen gadget or vacuum, read on to find the best products in Amazon’s 2021 January shopping bonanza.
Our IndyBest team has hand-picked every deal featured here. We may earn some commission from the links in this article, but our selections have been made independently and without bias. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When does Amazon’s January sale start?
Amazon’s official January sale is expected to commence on, you guessed it, 1 January 2021.
The retailer has been offering impressive savings across a range of products for some time, with its Black Friday sale beginning on 26 October, over a month ahead of the big day, followed by the launch of its last-minute deals on 7 December, ahead of Boxing Day.
Its new year sale will run until 31 January, with new deals launching regularly.
How to get the best deals in Amazon’s January sale
When faced with pages upon pages of impressive discounts, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and overspend. To ensure you don’t go over budget, we suggest making a list of the items you are specifically looking for and setting yourself a rough spending limit.
If you’re hoping to buy more expensive items, such as laptops and TVs, it is also a good idea to do some research beforehand so you can be confident you’re getting the best price possible.
To do this, we suggest using sites such as PriceSpy or CamelCamelCamel to check the original price of products.
Tips for shopping Amazon’s January sale
Amazon often offers “Lightning deals”, which last a limited amount of time, and with numerous people vying for the same products, you’re going to want to make sure you’re ahead of the game.
If you haven’t already, we recommend signing up for an account before you plan on shopping. This way, your address and delivery details will already be saved, making checkout a speedier process.
It’s also worth considering signing up to Amazon Prime, as doing so gives you free next-day and same-day delivery on a huge range of items. It cost £7.99 a month or an annual fee of £79 but you can also sign up for a free 30 day trial for Prime, which you could cancel after the sales.
Best Amazon January sales deals
Nintendo Switch Lite (Turquoise) Animal Crossing: Was £219, now £209.99
If Santa didn’t deliver the Nintendo Switch Lite on Christmas day, snap up this deal on Amazon on the console. Although it’s not a huge saving, discounted Switch models always sell out fast.
While the original Switch console is designed to connect to your TV, despite its portability, the lite version is designed for hand-held use only.
The Independent’s technology editor and avid gamer, Andrew Griffin, describes the Nintendo Switch Lite as “a cheaper and lighter version (of the original) that can be carried around. It will suit anyone on a budget, with limited space or who never wants to play it on their TV anyway.”
This bundle comes with Animal Crossing too, which has been a popular game throughout lockdown and three months Nintendo Online membership so you can access all Nintendo games and play with friends and rivals.
Buy now
Shark Upright Vacuum Cleaner: Was £299, now £199
Shark is regarded for making some of the best vacuum cleaners around and has appeared in our best corded vacuum cleaners, best cordless vacuum cleaners and best pet vacuum cleaners, so we can attest to its reliability.
This upright design has £100 off and includes features such as a pet power brush attachments to lift hair from carpets, sofas and stairs, strong suction for both carpets and hard floors and it promises to be easy to convert into a hand-held device for those harder to reach areas.
Buy now
Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation: Was £49.99, now £29.99
Save a huge 40 per cent on Amazon’s hugely popular smart speaker in the online giant’s January sale. The echo dot has had a re-vamp recently, and this latest version has improved sound and design.
The earlier third generation model impressed our reviewer in our round-up of the best smart speakers. They said: “It can do all the Alexa-related stuff of the most advanced speakers such as answering questions, turning smart home gadgets on or off, and so on. Radio, podcasts and audio books all sound good, with clear vocals. Echo devices can make audio calls to one another and these work well, too.” We imagine this latest version is even more impressive.
Buy now
Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS + Cellular, 44mm) – Space Black Stainless Steel Case with Black Milanese Loop: Was £799, now £494.99
For high-performance arm candy, then this Apple watch is for you, which currently has a huge saving of more than £300. There’s not much it can’t do, with features including making calls (even without your phone), monitoring your heart rate, tracking your period cycle and sleep analysis.
The later model, the Apple Watch Series 6, won the Best Buy title in our review of the best smartwatches. The Independent’s technology critic, David Phelan, said: “The Apple watch is easily the classiest smartwatch with gorgeous design and immaculate build quality. It’s easy to control how many (or better, how few) emails, texts, calls or other notifications come through to your wrist. Battery life is enough to get you through a full day.”
Buy now
ghd Curve Creative Curl Wand: Was £129, now £108.99
ghd knows a thing or two about hair, with a range of styling tools that have held a spot in our beauty routines for decades. This curling wand particularly impressed us in our review, where we compared it to the Dyson airwrap.
“Curling wands can be tricky to master at first, but we found this easy to use. It heats up to its maximum temperature of 185C very quickly, dinging to let you know when it’s done,” our tester said.
They added: “This heat is maintained throughout the whole barrel so is powerful enough to create your perfect curl on the first try. Even very loose curls lasted well into the next day.”
Buy now
Asus ROG strix go core gaming headset: Was £79.99, now £59.99
Thanks to it being lightweight, this headset is designed to be used for long gaming sessions and will drown out background noises or distractions while you get on with playing your favourite games in peace. The airtight chambers are said to deliver rich, pure sound with optimised deep bass for an immersive audio experience. We think these will offer a bit of escapism when you need to focus on beating your opponents.
Buy now
Oculus Rift S PC-Powered VR Gaming Headset: Was £399, now £299
Enjoy 25 per cent knocked off this Oculus Rift VR Gaming headset from the original company that started the VR revolution. This flagship headset has a top VR gaming library, allowing you to play hundreds of games and exclusives available on the Oculus store. You can stare down the competition with next-generation lenses while the sharper display delivers improved and brighter optics.
A previous model featured in our round-up of the best VR gaming headsets, with our reviewer saying: “This latest version adds touch controllers that let you see your hands in virtual space as well as room sensors that can track your movement. This makes for a far more interactive VR experience than with previous versions of the Rift.”
Buy now
Fire HD 10 Tablet: Was £179.99, now £124.99
Save 31 per cent one this tablet that’s part of Amazon’s extensive home devices range. It’s also earned a spot in our review of the best tablets.
“The fire HD 10 tablet has the biggest, highest-resolution display of any Amazon tablet – and is easily the best for video playback,” our reviewer said, adding, “it’s a sleek and effective machine, with plenty of power and strong battery life, this is easily the best-value full-size tablet on the market.”
Buy now
Ring Video Doorbell Pro: Was £219, now £139, Amazon
Keep a close eye on your home when you’re not in with this smart camera that can be monitored using your phone, tablet or laptop through the free Ring app. The camera records in HD 1080p, so you’ll know exactly who’s at the front door, plus you can answer the door remotely to let the postman know where to leave your parcels. Ring’s earlier model – the video doorbell 2 – featured in our review of the best video doorbells, where our technology critic, David Phelan, noted: “You can view what the camera is seeing at any time, and receive notifications when it spots any movement.”
Buy now
Fitbit Versa 3: Was £199.99, now £159
As the most popular fitness tracker on the market, snap up a Fitbit watch while it has 20 per cent off at Amazon. It promises impressive features including; a battery life that lasts up to six days, built in GPS, heart rate, pace, distance and calorie monitoring and built-in voice assistant. You can also use it play music and podcasts via streaming services such as Spotify or Deezer.
The earlier versa 2 model from Fitibit featured in our review of the best fitness trackers too. “The sleep tracking is detailed, recognising REM sleep as well as light and deep,” our reviewer said, before adding, “The continuous heart rate tracking is useful and it also has a useful guided breathing session to help if you’re stressed.”
Buy now
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e: Was £379, now £319, Amazon
Treat yourself to a new tablet while we continue working from home, that will also be a handy companion during your downtime too. It promises a lengthy 14.5 hours of battery life, fast charging ability and a clutter free design to help you manage your apps, emails, calls and messages.
The later model, the Samsung Galaxy S6, featured in our review of the best tablets too, our tester was impressed with its video playback and audio quality, adding: “It also has a classy all-metal design with a groove carved into the back where the Samsung stylus, called the S Pen, nestles, held in place magnetically.”
Buy now
Fire HD 10 Tablet: Was £149.99, now £109.99
Save £40 on Amazon’s Fire 10 HD Tablet which boasts 32BG of memory, a 30 per cent faster processor and 12 hours of reading, browsing the web, watching videos and listening to music. You can enjoy easy access to your favourite apps, from BBC iPlayer to TikTok and hands free control with Alexa.
David Phelan, our technology critic, awarded a previous version of the device a spot in our round-up of the best tablets, praising its affordability and reliable performance. He said: “If you only need a small display, the 7in screen here, though not high-resolution, is perfectly usable. Like the Amazon Fire HD8 Plus tablet, it is tightly integrated with Amazon’s other services such as Kindle books and Prime Video.” Don’t miss out and pay just £109.99 during Amazon’s winter sales.
Buy now
Sony SRS-XB33 bluetooth speaker: Was £150, now £99
Save more than 30 per cent on this portable, waterproof and Bluetooth Sony speaker during Amazon’s winter sale. With up to 24 hours of battery life, the ability to charge your smartphone directly from the speaker and multi-coloured lights that move to the beat of your music, it is no wonder the model featured in our round-up of the best Bluetooth speakers. “We liked the mini boombox vibe: the woofers on each side are a nice and productive touch, and… the bass is impressively full for the product’s size,” our tester said.
Buy now
Philips Azur Steam Iron: Was £90, now £70.67
While ironing is hardly an exciting chore, make it easier with this model from Philips, which currently has 21 per cent off. It has a large water tank and provides a continuous jet of steam to get rid of creases with a drip-stop system that promises to help from splashes ruining your freshly clean clothes.
Buy now
Samsung Galaxy watch active2 – Under Amour edition 44mm: Was £319, now £248
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker and smartwatch, this device is bound to get you motivated to move, with features including real-time coaching and workout tracking. It can even connect to your Under Armour trainers to help you fine-tune your form. Landing a spot in our review of the best smartwatches, David Phelan, our technology critic, noted: “The Galaxy watch active2 has a smooth round edge and, like the Galaxy watch3, a searingly bright display. The fitness apps measure up to 39 different activities.” We’re sold.
Buy now
Philips beard and stubble trimmer and hair clippers for men, series 5000: Was £65, now £34.99
To neaten your stubble, look no further than these Philips hair clippers, which are currently reduced by a huge 46 per cent. A similar model featured in our review of the best hair clippers, with our tester noting that “Philips has mastered a superior interface that guarantees consistency, [and it] even cuts across a huge range of lengths”, so it’s certainly a brand you can trust.
Buy now
Philips essential air fryer with rapid air technology: Was £140, now £104.99
Looking to fry up a feast with less fat, faff and hot oil? This Philips machine is the answer you have been looking for. With a capacity of 800g and temperatures up to 200C, this will cook food that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It can also grill, bake and even roast your favourite meals too.
While we can’t speak to this exact model, a similar Philips appliance landed a spot in our review of the best air fryers. Our tester praised the “patented technology, named ‘turbostar’, which makes for consistent circulatory heat, meaning you don’t have to stir the food every few minutes”, which also features in this discounted version.
Buy now
Oral-B genius 8000 electric toothbrush: Was £279.99, now £89.99
With five brushing modes, including pro clean, whitening, gum care and sensitive, you’re sure to be able to find the best setting for your teeth. While we can’t testify for this exact model, the Oral B Genius 2000 did feature in our round-up of the best electric toothbrushes. Our tester was impressed with the accuracy of the accompanying app – also included in the genius 8000 model – that identified which teeth had been neglected. At nearly 70 per cent off, we doubt you’ll find a better electric toothbrush deal.
Buy now
Flymo C-Link 20V grass trimmer: Was £119.99, now £85.10
Searching for a way to make sure your garden is looking good during spring and summer? Enter this Flymo grass trimmer. With its interchangeable powerhead and soft-grip handles, the brand claims it’s easy to manoeuvre. While we can’t vouch for this exact one, a similar model featured in our review of the best grass trimmers.
Buy now
Read more on the January sales
Best January sale deals – Read our IndyBest guide to all the best deals on offer
Best January sale tech deals – From smartphones to noise-cancelling headphones, these are the biggest savings to enjoy
Best January sales fashion and beauty deals – Whether it’s a new winter coat or eyeshadow palette, you’ll find the best deals here
Which other stores are taking part in the January sales?
Below are more retailers to watch out for and quick links to their pages, with huge discounts expected:
All Saints – Known for its stylish leather jackets, the retailer currently has impressive discounts with 20 per cent off everything full price as well as clearance items.
AO – The online electrical retailer is offering huge deals on its products, from appliances and TVs to smart home products.
Argos – The retailer currently has deals across technology, home, kitchen appliancesand toys.
Arket – The Scandi brand are offering up to 50 per cent off its fashion and homeware items, with discounts on everything from knitwear to tailoring.
Apple – While the tech giant is known for not participating in sales, there are savings to be had on Macbooks, iPhones and iPads via third-party retailers.
Asos – Home to more than 850 brands, Asos is well-loved for its huge sales across fashion and beauty. It’s offering great savings over the winter period, with discounts of up to 70 per cent on men’s, women’s, beauty and more.
Anthropologie – Well loved for its fashion, homeware and furniture, Anthropologie are offering as much as 50 per cent off selected lines during its winter sale.
Boots – The health and beauty retailer has up to 50 per cent off fragrance, make-up, skincare and electricals to enjoy.
Cult Beauty – An online retailer that stocks some of the best beauty brands in the business, this is one sale you won’t want to miss. Cult Beauty is offering up to 50 per cent off on selected products.
Currys PC World – For January 2021, it has sale items already with offers that currently have up to 40 per cent off.
DFS – Looking to invest in a new sofa? Hold out for DFS’s sale, as it’s offering up to 50 per cent off selected lines.
Debenhams – Known for impressive discounts during the Black Friday and Boxing Day sales, you can expect slashed prices on thousands of products in January too. It’s already offering up to 70 per cent off in its closing-down sale.
Emma Mattress – We all need a good night’s sleep after the madness of Christmas, so now is the time to treat yourself to a new mattress in this sale.
Fenty Beauty – After seeing some impressive discounts on the popular beauty brand on Black Friday, Fenty Beauty is offering up to a third of its holiday gift sets. The brand also launched its Fenty Skin range in stores and online in the UK on Boxing Day, as well as its new Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Powder Foundation.
Habitat – Homeware company Habitat launched its December sale with up to 50 per cent off selected lines that’s expected to continue into January too.
H&M – The fashion brand has slashed its prices by 50 per cent on its fashion and homewares in its sale.
House of Fraser – The department store kicked off its 2020 discounts with 50 per cent off a range of its lines, including women’s, men’s, beauty, home and kids.
John Lewis & Partners – This year, John Lewis & Partners’s clearance sale includes fashion, tech, electricals and beauty.
Lookfantastic – Another popular beauty retailer, Lookfantastic has a huge sale on everything from electrical products, like ghd hair tools, to make-up brands including Urban Decay and Benefit.
La Redoute – The French brand is known for both fashion and furniture. This year it is offering up to 50 per cent off selected products online.
M&S – In its big sale, M&S is offering up to 50 per cent off selected furniture, cookware, fashion, kids and beauty products.
Next – A big hit with shoppers, Next’s sale is offering at least 50 per cent off all sale items so treat yourself to something new.
River Island – In River Island’s January sale there’s a huge 60 per cent off selected lines, so have your shopping basket ready.
Selfridges – In the post-Christmas Selfridges sale, you can find many designer goods across fashion, beauty, home and electrical.
Simba – Another popular sleep brand, Simba are offering 35 per cent off all orders over £200, meaning you can save on mattresses, pillows, duvets and more.
Superdrug – Whether you’re hitting the high street or shopping online, Superdrug’s beauty sale is one to watch. This year, it’s offering savings of up to 60 per cent off some of brands like Spectrum, Dove, Revolution, and Simple.
Topshop – The fashion retailer has kicked off its post-Christmas sale with up to 60 per cent off selected lines including coats, dresses, shoes and bags, with bigger discounts expected throughout January.
The White Company – Known for its minimalist, quality clothing from pjs to cosy jumpers and great homeware, the brand are offering up to 50 per cent off in its “white sale”.
Urban Outfitters – This year there is up to 75 per cent off fashion and homewares at Urban Outfitters.
Very – With impressive discounts on fashion, home, tech and gifts, Very should be on your sale shopping list this year.
Zara – Fashion crowd favourite Zara are offering huge discounts on its winter essentials, including coats, dresses, footwear, jeans and accessories.