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Amazon Early Access Sports Tech Deals Round-Up

As you may have heard, Amazon is running a so-called “Early Access Sale” with Black Friday-like sale prices on October 11th and 12th. I’ve rounded up the best sports technology-related sales, or just sales on things that I like/use a fair bit. I’ll keep adding to this over the course of the two days, so keep checking back.

Note that this sale does require Amazon Prime Membership. Also, more importantly, you can find far more non-sports tech deals here:

Thus far looking at the available items and prices, I’d say we’re seeing prices pretty close to what we see on Black Friday (if not matching it), though, not quite the breadth of items we’d see on Black Friday. That makes some sense, given that companies know consumers are mostly on the lookout for big-ticket Black Friday deals, and may still wait till then.

If you know of a sports tech deal (gadget-focused), feel free to drop a note in the comments or in the contact form. As long as it’s not spam-like, I’m more than happy to share it out! :)

Watches & Wearables:

This covers anything you can wear that’s watch-like or activity band-like, including sensors.  Generally speaking, you’ll mostly find deals here that are on things I’ve written about in the past.  So you won’t find a deal on some random non-sports tech watch here, or on socks.  Unless the socks have some crazy sensor or something in them.

ProductSale PriceAmazonSale Notes
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen with USB-C) - $90 off$169⚡ Both myself and my wife have been using these since last fall, after years of using the Beats Studio Buds...man, these things rock. Sure, they're good for sports, but frankly, I use them on planes, editing, and such more than anything else.
Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd gen) - $70 off
$249/$299 (cellular)
$169⚡⚡This matches again the lowest price we've ever seen the Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) - a very solid deal, especially with the new WatchOS 11 features around Training Load, Vitals, offline mapping, and more.
Apple Watch Series 10 - $25 off
$399/$499 (cellular)
$375Hey, this just came out a few weeks ago, but there's some small deals on it. Better than nothing!
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium - $75 off$725This is a nice little deal for this unit which just came out.
FORM Swim 1 Goggles (with heads-up display) - $30 off$149
Garmin Enduro 2 - $200ish off
$1,099
$779Hoenstly, this isn't a great deal. The new Enduro 3 is $899, has better everything, and will get feature firmware updates for likely years (versus the Enduro 2 has probbly seen the end of the road for feature updates).
Garmin Epix Titanium (Gen2) - $$399⚡⚡⚡ This is the lowest price ever for a Garmin Epix watch, period, let alone the titanium/sapphire edition. The key difference to the Epix Pro, is this doesn't have ECG features. This is probably the best deal on this Prime Day Sales. Period.
Garmin Fenix 7 - ~$150 off!
$699+
$492⚡This is a good deal if you don't care about the new optical heart rate sensor (including ECG) of the newer Fenix 7 Pro or Fenix 8, especially given the Fenix 7 series has received virtually all of the Fenix 7 Pro's new software features, keeping them essentially identical. Of course, the Fenix 8 also adds diving/speaker features, but the MIP-version is more than double the price of this.
Garmin Forerunner 255 Music - 45% off$219⚡⚡This is argueably one of the best budget deals there is on a multisport watch, this go around!
Garmin Forerunner 265 Series - $27 off!
$449
$423
Garmin Forerunner 955 - $180 off!$319This is one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and it's down to an absoultely insane price. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. Note this is the base edition without solar. It'd be hard to find any better deal in sports watches today, from any company (given this has full mapping, tons of new features even this week, etc...). ***Note: This is still available, simply select the 'Other Sellers on Amazon' on right side of product page, and you'll see it there, new from Amazon, for delivery next week. Amazon will automatically prioritize faster shipment over lower price. Enjoy!*** Also, check both color options for non-solar.
Garmin Forerunner 965 - $36 off
$599
$564This isn't quite the $50 off we saw last Black Friday, but again, like some of the sales here - it's a minor discount.
Garmin Instinct 2 Series - $50 Off$249⚡The Instinct 2 base is from $249, a very solid deal - especially with all the major software updates it's had over the few years since release.
Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar - $200 off!$299This matches the lowest price we've seen on this, from this summer.
Garmin Venu 3 - $50 off!
$449
$399
Garmin Vivoactive 5 - $50 off!
$299
$249
Google Pixel Watch 2 - $80 off!$179While the new Pixel 3 just came out, this gets some of those features, including moving Daily Readiness to being a free feature.
Oura Ring Gen 3 - 20% off$281While Oura just announced the Oura Ring 4, there honestly isn't much difference hardware-wise. Thus, 205 off isn't too bad a deal, and roughly matches that we saw last Black Friday.
Polar H10 Chest Strap (Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart) - 25% off
$89
$76This is a great dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart (with two Bluetooth Smart connections) chest strap that you'll often find me using as a reference strap in heart rate sensor testing. We only tend to see deals on it around Black Friday, always topping out around 20%.
Polar Pacer - 21% off$189
Polar Verity Sense - 15% off
$99
$84
SHOKZ OpenRun Headphones - 23% off$99
SHOKZ OpenRun Pro - Open-Ear Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones - 31% off$124
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (40 & 44mm) - $40 off!$260
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra - $100 off!$549I believe this is the first time we've seen the new Ultra this low.

Cycling Gear & Trainers:

Got a bike? Then this section is for you.  Everything from bike computers to bike lights to trainers, it’s all here.  I won’t generally be adding things like brake cables or bike seats here, but if I find a good deal on a cassette to stack on that new direct drive trainer you just bought, I’ll probably list it here.

ProductSale PriceAmazonSale Notes
Garmin Edge 1040 Cycling GPS - $150 off!$479⚡ The deal is (mostly) back! After we saw this at $449 in May, it's returned. This is notable because while the Edge 1050 has launched, Edge 1040 got almost all the software features, keeping them in sync
Garmin Varia RVR315 Radar - $33 off$117Generally we see this at $99 on sale, so I'd hold off till Black Friday, unless you were in the market for it today.
Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $25 off$175Generally we see this lower at $149 as Garmin's near-monthly sales price, so I'd hold off on this one.
Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM V2 - 15% off
$399
$339

Action Cameras & Drones:

Wanna record it?  No better way than an action camera.  Anything that’s action camera-related or drone-related you’ll find here.  That’s especially true of action camera mounts, which are often found for great deals around the holidays.  Same goes with drone and drone accessories.  Usually a great time to pick up an extra battery or extra props.

ProductSale PriceAmazonSale Notes
DJI Air 3 Drone - 20% off all packages.From $879While this would normall be a good deal, I'd hold off. Very strong/reputable leaks over the past 48hrs have shown a new Air 3S coming out likely as soon as next week, with a sports tracking beacon and a far better video sensor. If you really want the Air 3 at this price, I'm sure it'll be there on Black Friday.
GoPro Hero 12 Black - $100 off!$299The new Hero 13 just came out, which mostly just adds a bunch of new accessory options. If you don't plan to purchase those accessories, then this is a solid deal.
Insta360 Ace Pro Action Cam - $20 off$329This price continues to be lowered from the original $449 when it launched, so, depending on how you define it - it's either $20 off the recent norms, or $120 off. Either way, Insta360 has some awesome Garmin/Apple integration for data overlays.
Insta360 GO 3S Tiny 4K Action Camera - $60 off!$239This is a great deal for this tiny little thing, which should really be named the Go 4, given how many new features it has (including 4K). It also has all the Insta360 sport integration features with Garmin & Apple, to overlay your Garmin/Apple data automatically on your footage.

Other Sports & Fitness:

Anything else that’s sports and fitness-related that I think is interesting will be here.  It may not be super techy – but it’s stuff that most readers will be using in pursuit of their running/cycling/swimming/hiking/whatever.

ProductSale PriceAmazonSale Notes
Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $50 off$349This is my defacto satellite communicator when out of coverage area, and I've used it on a number of major treks over the past two years when well outside of cellular service, both in a 24x7 tracking mode for friends and family, but also there in case of emergency. Would strongly recommend for anyone doing anything in the wilderness.
Garmin inReach Messenger - $40 off$260While the new inReach Messenger Plus just came out last week (which adds photo/voice messaging), it's otherwise identical to this....except that's double the price $499). Not gonna lie, sending photos from the backcountry is super cool. But this does the trick.
Optimum Nutrition Recovery Drink: 39% off$25This is what both myself and my wife use as a recovery drink (for me, primarily after longer workouts, though she smartly does it after almost all workouts). This is a very solid deal.
Peloton Guide - A crapton % off$80Peloton keeps trying to get rid of these. $80 is the new price they're trying (it started in a bundle for $495, and has slowly worked it's way down from there).
Peloton Tread - $440 off!$2,550This is my main treadmill at home, and I really like it. I've got no complaints about it, and am happy I went with the smaller Peloton Tread versus the bigger unit.
Withings Body Comp WiFI Scale - 25% off$149
Withings Body Smart WiFI Scale - 20% off$79
ZOLEO Satellite Communicator - $50 off$149I have not yet tried the Zoleo unit, though, many of you have and it's super popular. Given the sales today, I just ordered one, and will give it a whirl and report back in a review.

DCR Random Gadget List:

This is basically the mostly totally unrelated gadgets and things I think are cool deals that I’ve likely bought one or five of (you can never have too many, right)?  Some of it’s probably photography stuff.  Some of it’s random stuff like chargers and battery packs that I use daily, fun camera gear I use to make videos like sliders and turntables, and well…just random things you’ll find around the DCR Cave.  It’s all random…but it’s all awesome randomness!

ProductSale PriceAmazonSale Notes
Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Deluxe Kit - 30% off!$125⚡ Let's be honest: This place runs on Nespresso (or, well, the knock-off pods we buy). But, the machine is Nespresso. Without it, reviews most definitely would not get done (and certainly not on time). This is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me!
9th Gen Apple 10.2-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB) - $75 off!$199⚡ This is an awesome deal. I use my iPad primarily for TrainerRoad as well as Zwift when not with a larger display. I also occasionally use it for other apps, namely Indievelo, Kinomap, Rouvy, and Peloton. But I pretty much test every smart trainer app on it. For all these cycling apps, the graphics capabilities is really pretty irrelevant, so having the absolute top-end/latest model won't make any difference. I prefer the budget options.
Apple AirTags (4-Pack) - 20% off!$79⚡I make no secret how much I utilize AirTags, mainly, cause they've saved my butt numerous times already. We have them in every suitcase, and every backpack, and every bike bag. They're also hidden in most of our bikes (sometimes two of them). We were able to get our cargo bike back when it disappeared, as well as figure out when all our suitcases went missing during an annual family vacation where they were (for 5 days!), and plan appropriately. Seriously, just get them.
Samsung T9 SSD (1-4TB) - up to 23% off$134I use a literal flotilla of these small SSD's for all my photo/video projects until they get moved off to the NAS system (Synology) for longer term storage. I have T5/T7 units, and are picking up a few of the larger T9 ones given the sale prices. Love them, incredibly fast and reliable.

I’ll continue to add deals as I find them.

With that – thanks for reading, and for supporting the site via the links above. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Have a great weekend!

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30 Comments

  1. Pavel Vishniakov

    Hi Ray,
    GoPro table is slightly inconsistent – the link is for GoPro 11, but the description talks about GoPro 10

    And out of curiosity – will you write anything on Peloton Guide or is it slightly outside of your regular scope?

  2. David

    In the UK early access Amazon deals, the Garmin 245 is £139.99 and Garmin 245 with Music is £169.99. Any thoughts/comparisons?

    The Garmin instinct is also on offer.

  3. John

    While I agree with the Pizza oven size of 12 over 16, I have to disagree with the aspect of using a grill as a pizza oven for gas powered. You don’t get that flame from above like you do with an Ooni. It’s not the same. Sounds like we need a review of the full Ooni lineup!

    • Dave Lusty

      Having gone from Uuni 2s* to Ooni Koda 12 I am definitely on the side of wood pellets. They’re messy but the heat is way better for the base and produces a better pizza.

      *In the it took Ray to finish his jobs list and get approval from the boss they changed the company name from Uuni to Ooni because English speakers couldn’t pronounce it. Uuni means oven, I believe Ooni is just a trademark and otherwise meaningless.

    • Tom

      Ooni Karu 12 (can use gas or wood) owner here and LOVE it.
      My $ .02
      * Agree, that pizza stone in grill does not do the same thing
      *either gas or wood will get you to 500C degrees
      *wood is convenient (always there) but i find no wood/smoke flavor transfer
      * gas keeps flame/heat at consistent temp for longer time, important if doing multiple pies/plates
      *Ooni ovens have gotten pricey but usually there are black friday deals

    • Dave Lusty

      The gas is definitely not as hot as the wood pellets, and takes considerably longer to get up to max temperature as well as to reset between cooks. It’s definitely cleaner though, and agree the pizza ends up tasting the same. I wouldn’t go back to wood, but that’s just because gas is so much cleaner, everything else is better with pellets.

  4. Peter Z.

    The Apple TV natively runs the training apps, without linking a phone or laptop?

  5. Craig Robertson

    Garmin Speed & Cadence Sensor is good price too on Amazon UK – £39.99
    Cheapest it’s been for a long time..

  6. David E

    Suunto also just reduced the price of their 9 Peak watches considerably, to US$469 and US$569 for titanium (down from $575 and $700). But they also just released the 9 Peak Pro today too (better battery life, faster menu, and other things??). I’m interested in Ray’s opinions on the 9 Peak Pro and if it’s worth the $549/$699 price over the regular 9 Peak.

    • Dave Lusty

      My thinking is that Ray prioritised this post and the Marq post over the new Suunto. Even at the newer low price it’s overpriced in 2022 as a watch with no music or maps, and a very iffy track record of app support from Suunto. The FR955 is similar in price and is more capable in almost every way, you’d have to really hate Garmin or really love the look of the Suunto to get the new 9 which although it has a new charge cable doesn’t really add anything over the original 9 Baro.

    • David E

      I do prefer the look of the Suunto 9 Peak (and pro) to any of the Garmins. But coming from a Garmin Fenix 3, the question is if I’m going to be disappointed in the functionality of a Suunto. I have heard some say they love the Suunto phone app for interfacing with their watches. But you’re right in that functionality/feature wise, all signs point to Garmin.

    • Yup, full post on the Peak Pro coming.

      Frankly, I just wrote down the wrong embargo date (as tomorrow), and woke up this morning to see that apparently, it was not the 12th. Sigh.

      Sadly, with as busy as things are these past 5-6 weeks, nothing is done/ready till minutes before something announces (or, when I thought it would announce).

    • Dave Lusty

      Surely the Peak Pro you can just copy and paste from the original 9 and add a section about shiny titanium? Did they add any actual functionality?

      I’d love to see them move forwards, the watches are quite nice looking (same for Polar) but realistically compared to pretty much any Garmin it’s a hard choice. Maybe if they reassigned the budget/team in charge of charge cable design to music, maps, apps, anything else…

    • blueridgerunner

      So much snark! You’re clearly not a Suunto fan, but everybody’s deserves to find what works for them.

      Lets wait for the review before dogpiling.

    • Dave Lusty

      It’s not snark, it’s just where we’re at in 2022. I have several Suunto watches, actually, and used to be a huge fan including my Stinger dive watch which is still going strong after 23 years. They’ve fallen very clearly behind on features due to constant changes in direction instead of focusing on innovation. They’ve added almost nothing since the original 9 (or even Spartan, realistically, which removed a bunch of features from their older range). In that time they destroyed a great platform (movescount) and replaced it with a barely functional app. On the dive side they’ve replaced the platform multiple times in order to make watches obsolete, leading to users like me using third party apps. Every watch has had a different charge cable for no reason whatsoever.
      In the mean time, Garmin added maps, music, Wi-Fi, drastically improved their app and web platform, which has been consistent throughout. They also added Amoled to the range, LTE, increased battery life to literally weeks or months, added solar, and kept a single charge cable for all of their watches so they are interchangeable. I now have 5 spare Garmin charge cables plus the ones in use in my work bag, car, boat, home.

      It’s not up for debate that Garmin have a better range, better plan, and better execution. The Peak is a nice looking watch, albeit more bulky in person than it looks in marketing pics. But realistically, it’s a $300 watch in 2022 when viewed alongside Forerunner, Fenix, and Epix. Even measured against a Polar it comes up short due to their much better training platform (I also have a few Polar watches).

    • Fabio

      Spot on.
      I think the swim, bike, run drills from the Suunto App+ might be a good starting point. If they add an AI training feature included in the ecosystem at a free or better price than Humango or simillar they might get a something new out of it.. Otherwise it’s a very nice, very good looking sportswatch assembled in Finland.

    • blueridgerummer

      @Dave Yeah, Garmin is a bigger company with better “range,” but that’s like saying GM is automatically better than Tesla because GM makes sedans, trucks, SUVs, minivans, etc. while Tesla makes … a car. For some people, that car is all they want and/or need and it suits them best. Likewise, many people find that smaller brands like Suunto or Coros deliver exactly what suits them in a combination of features, design, activity tracking and price.

      A company like Suunto has formed its niche in the ultrarunning and adventure space and isn’t necessarily expecting to shoot for mass appeal.

      There are many reasons I have zero interest in a Peak or even the newer Peak Pro, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why others are drawn to the watch. Everyone has their preferences. Even in this conversation, you call Sunnto’s app “barely functional,” but in many ways, it is worlds better than what Garmin’s app is. So is Coros’ app. Garmin’s app is functionally loathsome, visually obnoxious, and directionless, and it’s the reason I left Garmin in early 2021.

      But I’m probably wasting my time here, since “it’s not up for debate” …

  7. Paulo Menezes

    Hi Ray,

    Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt V2 -22% 232,89€ in Amazon Spain.
    Is it a good option?

    Thanks.

  8. Joe

    I don’t know why, but Apple TV sells for 219 Euro when I click the Amazon.de link.

  9. Brandon

    What do we think of that first grit x at half off? $213 seems like a great deal.

  10. Peter Z.

    So, Apple just announced new Apple TV devices. This while the 2021 Apple TV 4K 32GB I bought from Amazon sale last week ($105) just arrived and is still in the box.

    Is it worth returning and upgrading to the new, faster WiFi model for $129 or even the $149 model with Ethernet now?

    The one I have does have network connection I might use. How crucial is that compared to CPU? I’m guessing many if not most people just use WiFi

    • Yeah, I’d honestly return it and get the $129 one (unless you really need Ethernet, but I doubt most do) if you’re using it for Zwift. We probably won’t know for 3-4 weeks what the perf on Zwift will be like, but realistically it’s heavily likely to be better – perhaps substantially so.

      Given you’ll probably have this unit for 2-3 years (or longer), I’d spend the extra $25. I ordered one, and will dig into it, once things are released and Zwift updated.

      Thanks for being a DCR Supporter!

    • Peter Z.

      Thanks for the reply! Wasn’t sure if you’d see question on old thread.

  11. Akshay

    Does Tacx Neo 2T ever go on sale on Black Friday in the US?