There's not long now until Black Friday deals take over the internet, and there are many things you can do to prepare for the sales, including making a shopping list of all the products you're interested in, or categories you'll stick to.
Well, we wouldn't give advice if we weren't going to stick to it ourselves, and each of the writers and editors at TechRadar has their own 'shopping list' to follow over Black Friday. Many of the entries are tech-related, but there are some other pieces of kit, including toys and essentials, that we're hoping for too.
To give you an idea of what we're expecting – and wishing – will be discounted, we've amassed the list below, along with some helping buying advice if you're interested in the same products we are.
Gareth Beavis
Global Editor in Chief
LG OLED C8
This year – please, this year – I'll buy my white whale of a TV: a properly good OLED set. I saved up a few years back to buy one, but every year I've missed a great sale because I meant to get around to snapping it up… and the deal had ended by the time I'd refocused.
An OLED TV is something I desperately want for my tech collection, as the brightness, contrast ratios and inky blackness – combined with sublime color reproduction – make OLED TVs a real winner. I'm thinking that the OLED C9 could be in the right sweet spot of price, at the lower end of the range but still packing great picture quality and top smart TV capabilities.
Now I just need to follow the advice we give every year: set your budget, and if you see the thing you want for a price that you can accept, snap it up. You'll regret it if you don't… trust me.
Keith Walker
Managing Director – Prosumer
I'm excited by the thought that the Lego Millenium Falcon could be mine this year. I've watched the 71592 Falcon set go up to over £600 and the 10179 set now retails at almost £10k second hand, but if any of the retail partners drop the 75257 set significantly I will probably invest and end the internal debate about whether I need to have 1,351 new pieces of Lego in my life.
Victoria Hood
Gaming Writer
This Black Friday, I plan on picking up a bunch of AAA games that I've missed out on this year – because unfortunately I don't get to review every new game that comes through our doors.
However, nowadays a new console title would set you back at least £45 so I'm hoping to grab discounts on the likes of Borderlands 3, Resident Evil 2 Remake and MediEvil.
The likes of Amazon and Walmart tend to do great deals on games during Black Friday and Cyber Monday but if, unlike me, you're a PC gamer then you may want to keep your eyes set on Steam instead.
Henry St Leger
Home Technology Writer
It is finally, finally time to replace my laptop. My old Asus Zenbook UX305 has served me well for a good five years, but now that the speakers have given out I have no choice but to move on.
The Zenbook range is a bit pricey for me these days, so I'll be looking for a mid-range laptop that's small and slim enough to carry around all day without breaking my fragile spine – if I could get even a couple of hundred pounds off a new PC it would make grieving my Zenbook that little bit easier.
Joe Osborne
Senior Editor
Being the curmudgeonly, nostalgia-obsessed 30-something that I am, I'll be hunting down deals on retro mini game consoles and retro arcade machines. I'm dying to get a hold of one of these Arcade 1Up or other modern retro arcade cabinets and modding it to play any arcade games that I wish.
(There's a reason why the trackball-based models are all deeply discounted.) With one of these, my ultimate basement would be complete.
James Peckham
Phones Editor
It's not the most exciting purchase, but the only thing I know I'll definitely buy this November is yet another 12 months of PlayStation Plus. If you subscribe to PS Plus, I can't recommend buying a year long pass over the Black Friday period enough.
It's almost guaranteed to be discounted each year – which makes it much less than if you were to subscribe monthly – and you know that by the time it's finished there will be another discount ready and waiting.
Who knows, maybe I'll even own a PS5 by 2020's big sales period.
Désiré Athow
Managing Editor, ITProPortal & TechRadar Pro
As a father of two young kids, Black Friday has turned into an early warm up to Christmas. For better and for worse.
Top of my daughter's list is something called LOL Surprise Doll House, part of a family of products that currently top Amazon's most wished list for dolls and accessories.
It doesn't have a smart thermostat (yet) but comes with a working elevator, a rooftop patio, a pool, 85 surprises and a spa. Its glitzy and over-the-top design (including a moving truck) has won it the Toy of the Year Awards in 2019. Oh and there's also an even more extravagant Winter Disco Chalet version with an ice-skating rink but shhhhh, she doesn't need to know yet.
Olivia Tambini
Staff Writer
This Black Friday, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a pet camera to keep a watchful eye on my elderly cat and my hyperactive puppy – I want to know what they get up to when I'm at work! There are some really cool models out there at the moment, and I'm particularly keen on the PetCube Bites 2; it comes with two-way audio so you can talk to your pets, as well as a treat dispenser that lets you fling treats using your smartphone. It even has Alexa built-in, so you can ask the camera to dispense treats and even reorder more supplies, without the need for a separate Amazon Echo speaker.
Catherine Ellis
Downloads and Developing Technology Editor
When Black Friday arrives, I'll be hunting for a great deal on a set of true wireless earbuds for running. Winter is on its way in the UK, so I'm looking for something that'll stay put and stay charged during those long, cold training sessions. In a perfect world I'd find a brilliant Black Friday deal on the Jabra Elite Sport True Wireless Earbuds. With a snug fit, great audio quality and a heart rate tracker, they'd give me the extra push I need to lace up my trainers with numb fingers and put in those important miles.
Matthew Hanson
UK Computing Editor
This Black Friday I'll be on the hunt for a Nintendo Switch, plus loads of games for it, some PS4 games I've missed out, a new TV, bags of Hue bulbs (they are always on sale on Black Friday) and all kinds of things that I love. Oh, wait… I have a newborn baby, so actually it will be bulk packs of diapers, wooden toys, things to make my home safe for the tiny human that's now rolling around in it and other essentials. I might treat myself to some loose leaf tea to help keep me awake, though…
Adam Marshall
Editor, Subscriptions and Services
My mum has been bugging me to help her replace her ailing old iPhone SE for ages, but I keep telling her to wait until Black Friday phone deals start rolling in. Every year we see some ridiculous prices on budget, mid-tier and even flagship smartphones – we're expecting some very attractive Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone XR offers this time around. Personally, I'll be directing her towards the likes of the Huawei P30 Lite and Samsung Galaxy A40 and A50. Perfectly decent phones from big-name brands at prices that will suit her bank balance.
John McCann
Deputy Editor
It's time for me to upgrade my PlayStation controllers. One is the bundled controller I got with the original PS4 back in 2014 – after 5+ years of gaming abuse, the rubber on the analogue sticks is almost non-existent. I upgraded to the PS4 Pro in 2016, keeping the original controller as well as getting the updated DualShock 4 alongside it. However, that too is slowly starting to show its age. In previous years we have seen great Black Friday PS4 controller deals, and this year I'll be treating myself to a pair if the discounts flow once again.
Gerald Lynch
Senior Editor: Homes and Lifestyle
I'm nearly there – an Amazon Echo for every room. One to give me recommendations when I'm cooking in the kitchen. One to listen to me sing in the shower. One to diagnose my groans from the toilet… you get the picture. Whether wisely or not, I've gone from being a smart speaker tin-foil hat wearing skeptic to a convert, and Black Friday is always one of the best times to pick up a new one from Amazon. With 2019's range now hitting its digital shelves, and it being one of the most consistently discounted lines on the site, I'm looking forward to checking out Amazon's Black Friday sales.
Tom Bedford
Staff Writer – Phones
Something I've been considering for Black Friday is a Sony A7S Mark II camera, great for film projects, but with the Mark III just around the corner (hopefully), and the Mark II pretty expensive still, I may just wait off another year or two.
Instead, I'll see if any board games, video games, or LEGO sets on my wishlist are on offer – that's a pretty long wishlist at this point though, so I'm probably going to have to be pretty pick. Honestly though, I may use the usual excuse of 'actually, I may just wait and see if this deal is beaten later on' until all the sales have passed, and I'm left empty-handed.
Bill Thomas
Associate Editor – Computing
I've wanted to upgrade the RAM in my home PC to 32GB for a while now, but its never been cheap enough to really justify it. I've already got 16GB of speedy RAM (with shiny RGB lighting to boot), but I want to bump that up to 32GB for more bragging rights. Plus, I've noticed plenty of new PC games push up against that 16GB limit, and I just don't want to close any of those Chrome tabs.
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