Amazon Prime Day is back, again. And so is the WIRED Reviews team's liveblog. As with Amazon's other big sale events, plus good old-fashioned Black Friday, our team is tracking the best Prime Day deals live to bring you a selection of products our editors and reviewers have tested and loved. Stay tuned through the end of the event on Wednesday night to see our selection of finds, which will include lightning deals and trending products. Head over to the absolute best Prime Day deals if you're looking for our highly curated list of deals by category.
The Sonos Ray is cheaper than we expected
In 2022 our reviewer loved the “small but fierce” Sonos Ray soundbar, giving it a 9/10 and dinging it only for its price and the app experience. We cannot vouch for the current app experience which is famously under fire but at a Prime Day price of $169 this soundbar is $100 off the normal price and much cheaper than we expected to see it today.
Our favorite Android smartphone is amazingly affordable
Most people do not need to spend $1,000 on a phone, so pay $380 for the Pixel 8A instead. Yes, battery life on Pixel phones isn’t all that impresive, but they’re good-performing devices with a lot of helpful smart features. The cameras here are excellent, but there are a few crazy AI-powered camera tricks that make the whole device go even further than the hardware. This price is $20 cheaper than we had expected.
This Zojirushi is about to be the first pick off the board
Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer
One of our favorite sale event games here on the WIRED Reviews team is "did you buy anything?" We all love… stuff…. which is why we do this job. But it is generally considered poor form to shop on shift and most of the team can last until the afternoon on the second day of a Prime Day sale event before they click that little buy button.
I'm about to set a new land speed record on this Zojirushi rice cooker which I have had my eye on for months and is now at the lowes price I've seen it, $143, which is $90 off the normal price.
We have a guide to the Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers but my takeaway from that guide is that like Dyson vacuums they're all pretty good. (This one also happens to be our best overall.)
A Name-Brand Beginner Pickleball Set
JOOLA Ben Johns Pickleball Set
Either Amazon's recommendation engine is getting better or I'm getting more predictable. My homepage is flooded with pickleball stuff this morning including this starter set from Joola.
I have not tested this set but I've tested four or five Joola paddles over two seasons for our guide to the Best Pickleball Paddles and found them universally well-made. Joola comes from the table tennis world which means the brand has some unique design touches.
This set is interesting because it's the first time I've seen one of the big makers like Joola, Selkirk, or Diadem playing in the “two paddles and a couple balls for ~$50 on Amazon” space which is dominated by brands that don't otherwise exist. Prime Day brings this Joola set down to $60 but my price tracking tools show it's normally about $80 which makes this a great way to hit the courts with a friend or kid.