Prime Day 2020: When it's happening and what to expect - CNET

After weeks of speculation, we're confident we know when Amazon Prime Day 2020 will start: Tuesday, Oct. 13. That date comes courtesy of CNET's Ben Fox Rubin, who broke the story on Tuesday. It was supported by a story on The Verge less than two hours later, which noted that the event will run two full days (as in recent years). In both cases, Amazon's reaction was to kick the can down the road: "Stay tuned for more details on Prime Day," a company spokesperson said. And the site's Prime Day page is basically just an empty placeholder. 

Those additional details are reportedly coming Sept. 27, according to the latter story, and nothing is official-official until that press release hits the wires. But these dates line up with Amazon's earlier declaration that Prime Day would be delayed until the fourth quarter this year, after the traditional July window was scratched because of COVID-19 complications. And, logistically speaking, anything after mid-October would begin to jam up against the holiday shopping window. With red-hot new Xbox and PlayStation game consoles launching in early November, pandemic-stretched supply lines and Black Friday shopping expected to be more of a season than a long weekend this year, it only makes sense that Amazon pushes its self-branded sale through the gates sooner rather than later.

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What about new Amazon devices?

Even sooner than Prime Day is Amazon's product-launch event, which kicks off today at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST). We're expecting lots of new hardware across nearly every Amazon product line, and perhaps some new smart-home services as well. 

Typically, Prime Day brings price reductions on just about everything on Amazon's roster. We'll have to see if the new gear gets the discount treatment as well, given that it's happening so close to launch. One thing is for certain: Expect the usual major discounts on Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets and TV streamers, Blink cameras and the full range of Echo smart speakers. We're also expecting solid sales on non-Amazon products like iPads, Instant Pots and Bose headphones.

Stay tuned to this post (and CNET in general) for all the updates as we learn more.

Where can I find more Prime Day advice?

It's never too early to start learning the tricks of the Prime Day trade. For now, you can check out my main stories from last year:

I can't wait for Prime Day. Where can I find good deals now?

Yes, it's still months away. But there are still plenty of sales and deals in the meantime.

And, as always, feel free to share your own tips for Prime Day and saving money in general!

Read more: All the latest Amazon coupons

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