Prime Day 2022 – Amazon's 48-hour summer sale – is official and will run from Tuesday 12th to Wednesday 13th July. The two-day event will see the retail giant drop new deals every few minutes, both on the website and on the Amazon app, flooding the internet with an unholy number of bargains. That's the plan, at least.
The big news is that Amazon has already teased some pretty tasty Prime Day 2022 deals, including up to 60% off its own devices (Echo Dot smart speakers, Fire TV streamers, Fire tablets and more). Some of the early Prime Day deals are live now (see below).
But that's just for starters. With the cost of living crisis beginning to bite, we'd expect to see some major price crashes come Prime Day 2022, including 'lowest ever' prices on selected 4K TVs, soundbars, headphones, speakers, hi-fi, home cinema kit and more.
So whether you've been eyeing up a stylish Bluetooth speaker, an immersive Dolby Atmos soundbar or a a state-of-the-art 4K OLED TV, there's every chance that Prime Day will knock the stuffing out of its original RRP.
Read on as we preview the best early Prime Day 2022 deals, share our ultimate Prime Day shopping hacks, and take a look back at last year's top-selling bargains...
Best early Prime Day 2022 deals
When is Amazon Prime Day 2022?
This year, Amazon Prime Day will take place on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th July 2022. Precise start/finish times are as follows:
- UK (BST): 12th July 00:01am to 23:59pm 13th July
- US (ET/PT): 12th July 3am (ET) / 00:00am (PT) to 2:59am (ET) / 23:59pm (PT) 13th July
- Australia (AEST): 12th July 00:00am to 17:00pm on 14th July
Prime Day is typically a summer affair but it was was all change in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic caused Amazon to delay its Prime Day sale until 13th and 14th October.
Here's a look at past Prime Day dates, stretching back to the original Prime Day in 2015:
- Prime Day 2022: 12th – 13th July 2022
- Prime Day 2021: 21st – 22nd June 2021
- Prime Day 2020: 13th – 14th October 2020
- Prime Day 2019: 15th – 16th July 2019
- Prime Day 2018: 16th – 17th July 2018
- Prime Day 2017: 11th – 12th July 2017
- Prime Day 2016: 12th July 2016
- Prime Day 2015: 15th July 2015
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Prime Day – Amazon's take on Black Friday – began in 2015 as a celebration of the retail giant's 20th anniversary. While other online retailers get involved in the Black Friday bargain bun fight, Prime Day is generally all about Amazon.
You'll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of the best Prime Day offers. Not yet a member? Amazon's Prime free trial gives you the option to sign up, bag a few bargains on Prime Day, and cancel your membership without paying a penny!
Prime members can also take advantage of limited time only 'Lightning deals', as well as broader Prime Day deals across the site. Amazon typically promises new deals every few minutes, with the deals dropping on the website and on the Amazon app, the latter of which actually gives members an early heads-up on the deals.
As well as the US, Prime Day 2022 is expected to take place in the UK, Australia, India, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore, the Netherlands, Mexico, Luxembourg, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, China, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Turkey and Brazil.
Fun fact: Australian Prime Day ends at the same time as the US Prime Day, which means the Aussie version lasts whopping 65-hours, rather than the usual 48. (Eager Aussie punters can access UK and US Amazon deals as well.)
Amazon Prime Day 2022: predicted deals
Amazon will have deals on everything from the OLED TVs to wireless headphones, but the retailer reserves the deepest discounts for its own tech.
Amazon is already discounting its own devices (opens in new tab), including the Echo Dot (3rd and 4th Gen) and Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) wireless speakers, Fire TV Cube video streamer and Fire 7 Kids Pro tablet by up to 60 per cent.
The Echo Dot (4th Gen) was one of the most popular deals among What Hi-Fi? readers last year. It's price dropped a whopping 50%, from £50 to £25 – could we see it sink to £20 this year?
From Wednesday 22nd June, a 60 per cent discount applies to TV shows to rent or buy through Prime Video (opens in new tab), including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Last Night in Soho, 9-1-1: Season 4 and Yellowstone: Season 2.
Four months of Amazon Music Unlimited will be available to new subscribers for free. (opens in new tab) You'll be able to make that six months free instead by purchasing a 'select Amazon Echo device', too.
With the Ryder Cup and the FIFA World Cup looming large, Prime Day 2022 could bring Black Friday-sized discounts on some of the best TVs. The retail giant recently cut the price of the five-star, 48-inch LG C1 OLED TV (2021) from £900 to £600.. could we see it drop even lower come July?
Wireless headphones sales are already booming thanks to the return of international travel. Amazon previously slashed our favourites, the five-star Sony WH-1000XM4, from £330 to £277, but with the new WH-1000XM5 on the scene, the older XM4 could in line for a huge Prime Day price crash.
Prime Day 2022 should be a big draw for gamers, too. With PS5 and Xbox Series X stock becoming readily available, we're expecting the first ever Prime Day console deals. Analysts are predicting that the Nintendo Switch OLED go for less than its £310 RRP and sell out fast .
Last but not least, from 21st June through 11th July, for every £1 spent on eligible small business products, customers will be in with a chance to win prizes. Amazon says hundreds of thousands of Amazon gift cards will be up for grabs, for starters.
Prime Day 2022 secret hacks and tips
1. Sign up for the free Prime trial
If you're new to Amazon Prime, make sure you take advantage of the 30-day free Prime trial (opens in new tab). And remember to cancel if you don't want a monthly bill for $14.99 when the trial ends.
2. Google a product before buying
Not every Prime Day 2022 deal is going to be a winner, so make sure you compare prices online before you buy.
3. Big brands can equal big savings
Amazon often slashes the cost of a few big brand items – think Playstation and Xbox accessories, Samsung TVs and tablets, etc – to get the attention of shoppers. Keep an eye out for these 'marquee' deals.
4. Check the Amazon Warehouse
Returned goods end up on sale at the Amazon Warehouse at a decent discount., so there's a chance you could spot an open-box bargain that beats the box-fresh Prime Day price.
5. Stay tuned to What Hi-Fi.com
Amazon unleashes thousands of deals around Prime Day, which can make it tricky to find genuine bargains on five-star tech and AV. That's why we'll be publishing an up-to-the minute list of the very best Prime Day 2022 deals.
Last year's best Prime Day deals
Prime Day headphones deals
- See all our best headphone deals
- And our best wireless earbuds deals
Prime Day TV deals
- See all the best TV deals
- Check out our best OLED TV deals
Prime Day speaker deals
- Here's our pick of the best speaker deals
- Our round-up of the best Bluetooth speaker deals
Prime Day tablet deals
- Browse all the best tablets deals
Prime Day hi-fi deals
- Browse all the best hi-fi and audio deals
Prime Day home cinema deals
- Browse our best home cinema deals
- Our pick of the best projector deals
Prime Day Apple deals
- See all our best Apple deals
Amazon quick links
Still in the mood for shopping? Check out the best deals right now via the links below.
- Amazon daily deals – today's Amazon deals (opens in new tab)
- Amazon electronics store – the home of all Amazon electricals (opens in new tab)
- Amazon devices – Alexa, Echo, Fire TV; all of Amazon's smart devices (opens in new tab)
- Amazon TV and home cinema – TVs, projectors, set-top boxes and more (opens in new tab)
- Amazon audio and hi-fi – record players, radios, speakers (opens in new tab)
- Amazon headphones and earphones – wired, wireless, noise-cancelling (opens in new tab)
- Amazon phones and accessories – cables, SIM cards, phone adapters (opens in new tab)
