Black Friday deals the Android Authority team actually spent their money on

Here at Android Authority, we are all about tech, and we spend day and night learning all about new products, as well as the hottest deals. If one of our team members spent their hard-earned cash on a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal, you can bet it was worth it!

I went on a quest asking everyone around the virtual office if they took advantage of any Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, and I got plenty of fascinating answers. Let’s go over some of these offers. Some of these sales are actually still available! At the very least, you might want to keep note and wait around for the next time these products, services, and software go on sale. We can expect most of these deals to return sometime in December, which is always full of discounts.

Editor’s note: We will link to each product’s page in the bulleted lists at the beginning of each section. Click on the hyperlinks to check the current price.

Edgar Cervantes

• Ember Mug 2 14oz: Paid $109.99, usually $149.99
• Apple MacBook Air M2: Paid $749.99, usually $999

I’ll start with my own acquisitions. I’ve been planning to move to the woods for years, and it’s finally happening this month! I’ll need some new tech, and I took advantage of Black Friday deals to get a couple of them.

My morning coffee time is one of the most important parts of the day. I take my time to brew my cup of joe using the pour-over method, then enjoy it while I think about my day plans. Sometimes, I think too long, though, and my coffee gets cold, especially up in the mountains where it snows. There is no way I’ll be sipping on cold coffee up there! The Ember Mug 2 now keeps my coffee at the perfect temperature no matter how long I take to sip on it.

The Apple MacBook Air M2 with 16GB of RAM was also a superb acquisition. The $749.99 price just seems unreal for a laptop that can handle all my photo and video editing needs. Moving to a smaller space, I can’t be lugging around my huge gaming desktop PC. I needed something portable, smaller, and powerful. This one checks all the boxes for me.

Matt Horne

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Paid about $685, usually $999.99

Our buddy Matt Horne is actually living it up in Mexico, so this technically wasn’t a Black Friday deal. Mexico has a similar event called “El Buen Fin,” which translates to “the good weekend.” It’s the same idea.

This is actually a pretty surprising deal, as it is better than the one we saw in the US, which was $724.99. Those who have any experience with El Buen Fin will know the deals are almost never better than the ones we have in the States. Good catch, Matt!

This is a fantastic smartphone, and we’ve actually mentioned in the past that it is a better option than the higher-end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, at least for most users. It also sits proudly as the first option on our list of the best Android smartphones.

Adam Birney

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Paid $30, usually $69.99

Adam Birney is one of our audio experts over at SoundGuys.com, but his acquisition has nothing to do with sound products. Instead, he got himself a copy of the game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He also managed to get it for less than half the price, which is an amazing score!

Adam is part of our Canadian team, so we’re not sure if he got it in Canada, but we know Walmart was offering this game for $30 here in the US, so we can hunt for a similar deal, too. Regardless, it will be an excellent way for Adam to take a break from all that testing and writing.

Stephen Schenck

• Year of Hulu: Paid $11.88, usually $99.99
• Year of Peacock: Paid $19.99, usually $79.99
• 4 x Fangamer Mystery Shirt: Paid $20, usually $40
• Cities Skylines: Paid $2.99, usually $29.99
• Walkabout Mini Golf VR: Paid $8.99, usually $14.99
• Beelink Mini S12 Pro mini PC: Paid $169, usually $199

Wow, Stephen really knocked it out of the part with some of these streaming services and software savings. He managed to get Hulu for just $0.99 a month for a whole year. Additionally, he will be enjoying a whole year of Peacock for just $19.99. He also got some games at pretty unbelievable prices. I mean, Cities Skylines is 90% off.

The mystery Fangamer shirts are 50% off. Usually $10, they were reduced to just $5 bucks each. He was also a model son and got his mom a Beelink Mini S12 Pro mini PC. It’s a pretty nice little mini PC for casual users!

Chris Thomas

• RAPT Pill Hydrometer & Thermometer: Paid $55.99 Canadian, usually $79.99 Canadian

Apparently, Chris is a big-time brewer. He took advantage of a single deal on the RAPT Pill Hydrometer & Thermometer to help him make the most delicious marshmallow milk stout. He will be gifting some of it to all his loved ones during Christmas. I sure wish I was in Canada to try that!

Dhruv Bhutani

• Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Paid $239, usually $329
• 2 x Neural DSP plugins: 50% off!

Our friend Dhruv seems to have both style and talent. I’ve kind of always wanted a pair of these Meta Smart Glasses, but they seem a bit pricey for my taste. At $239, Dhruv definitely scored a good deal, though. If you’re into Neural amps and pedals, you might also want to check if this deal is still available. All of them were 50% off for Black Friday!

Jonathan Feist

• Lowepro ProTactic 350 AW II: Paid $130.18, usually $199
• Viofo A229 Plus Dash Cam: Paid $129.99, usually $259.99

Jonathan is a savvy shopper. Both of his purchases seem really practical and wise. Not to mention, the deals are pretty stunning! The camera backpack looks like a true warrior, with a solid construction, an adjustable interior, and multiple access points. He must be getting ready for CES!

He also told me that the Viofo A229 Plus Dash Cam is a real gem. Apparently, he went digging down a rabbit hole on Reddit, and people absolutely rave about how amazing this dash cam is. A real find, and at a price that can’t be beat.

Zachary Kew-Denniss

• Beats Studio Buds Plus: Paid £120, usually £179.99
• Need For Speed Unbound: Paid £4.20, usually £17.49
• Logitech MX Master 2S: Paid £40, usually £74.99

Zach is a proud member of our UK team, so deals will definitely be different around the US. That said, most of these were also discounted in the USA, and they are definitely worth a look, especially the Beats Studio Buds Plus. We loved these earbuds mainly because of their ability to work seamlessly across different platforms. For example, auto-switching will work across iOS, Android, and Windows devices! This is a rare feature, indeed. They are also great overall earbuds.

He also mentions that this game is very good for the discounted price. It will be a nice acquisition for racing fans, especially those who are into the Need for Speed franchise. The Logitech MX Master 2S might be an oldie, but at £40, it is definitely a goodie!

OMG, Rita El Khoury!

• 3 x Tado Thermostats: Paid €79.20, usually €199.99
• Auk Mini: Paid €209, usually €299
• Ajax security system: Saved 60-70%
• 2 x Philips Hue Enrave Small Ceiling Lamp: Buy one, get 40% off the second

So, Rita seems to have gone the wildest this Black Friday. She straight-up upgraded her smart home and security system. Rita lives in France, so there are some recommendations here that we barely hear about in the US. Just keep in mind deals will be different in other markets. Some of our European readers might want to keep an eye on these, though.

Rita got quite creative with the discounts here. She only got three starter kits because it was cheaper than getting one starter kit and two thermostats. She will be selling the bridges to recover some of her investment. Additionally, she mentioned that she got the Ajax security system from CFP Sécurité and Espace Domotique. While the official site offers 60-70% discounts, apparently, these add another 15-20% extra discounts.

I also didn’t know about that Auk Mini. Apparently, you can use it to grow plants indoors! To close things off, she also got herself a couple of Philips Hue Enrave Small Ceiling Lamps, mainly because you get 40% off the second unit.

These are all very unique purchases. I am surprised by the variety, and I love seeing how these purchases show a bit of my coworkers’ personalities. Now, tell us, what did you guys buy this Black Friday or Cyber Monday?