What the T3 team are buying in the Black Friday deals 2023

The best Black Friday deals are here, and this year’s sales are offering the biggest price cuts on TVs, laptops, air fryers, smartwatches, running shoes, mattresses and much more.

The T3 team has covered the Black Friday sales for years and this week, we’ll be hunting down the cheapest prices on best selling products from multiple retailers and brands. 

If you’re not sure what to buy or want some shopping inspiration, here’s what the T3 team is buying for Black Friday this year.

Mat Gallagher, Editor-in-Chief:

This Black Friday I’m planning on getting all of my Christmas shopping done early. My sister, parents and wife will all be getting the gifts I can find in the sale, which should benefit them too, as it means my money will go further. Once I have them covered, I’m on the look out for an oil-filled radiator, as they’re a great way to heat just one room in the house when working from home, and have the De’Longhi Dragon 4 in my sights. I’m also hoping there will be some deals on the PlayStation 5, so I can treat myself as well.

Mike Lowe, Tech Editor:

I’m going to be greedy this year as I have my eye on two things: first, there’s the already confirmed discount on Sonos home cinema products from 17th November – and as a family member is upgrading their living room, it’s likely to be a Sonos Beam (Gen 2) purchase and perhaps a Sonos Sub Mini to complement it too.

Then from a ‘why not?’ perspective I’m going to be a big kid and grab myself some LEGO to while away some hours over the Christmas break (some like to knit, others like to read, I’m happy connecting blocks of plastic). I missed LEGO’s major The Mighty Bowser discount over Amazon Prime Day, so if that happens again it’s certainly on my watch list. Or, because my bank balance is already low this month, my backup – which is still in line with my gaming interest – is the more affordable Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck set instead.

Beth Girdler-Maslen, Home Editor:

I moved into a new house a few months ago and as if unpacking, decorating and building furniture wasn’t enough stress, I decided to host Christmas this year! In the Black Friday sales, I’ll be on the hunt for kitchen appliances to make cooking and serving Christmas lunch much easier and more stylish. I’m a big fan of Le Creuset and the brand’s Colourful Friday sale is live with up to 50% off its iconic cast iron stoneware. I’ve got my eye on the festive serving trays, a casserole dish and the coffee mugs, all in fun bright colours. I’m also going to be looking for some new smart lighting from Nanoleaf or Philips Hue to bring the festive spirit into my home this year.

Matt Kollat, Active Editor:

I feel grateful for going into my fifth Black Friday on T3 without actually wanting anything. Often, I have a list of things I want to buy, but in 2023, I'm keeping an open mind and will decide on what to get based on the available discounts. That said, I'm partial to LEGO, and I'll probably browse LEGO deals to find something exciting. I'm also in the market for a field monitor to use with my Sony Alpha 7 III, so if one comes up in the sale, I might splash some cash on it. Finally, I hope we'll see a good Samyang AF 35-150mm F2-2.8 FE offer in late November – I'd love one of those!

Rik Henderson, News Editor:

Black Friday couldn't have come at a better time for me, with my current Smeg dishwasher entering its seventh year and therefore acting like it has an allergy to dirty plates. I'm in the market for a replacement, so I will be scouring the sales at AO.com, Currys, John Lewis and Amazon to find the best bargains, especially if there are discounts on installation and recycling too. Other than that, I will also be hunting down the best whiskey and gin deals – not least to get me through the shock that all my larger appliances seem to be giving up the ghost at roughly the same time.

Emily Pursel, Social Media Editor:

I’m really hoping to see the SteamDeck at a decent price this Black Friday. Considering it’s a “fun item” instead of a necessity, I just can’t justify getting one at full price, but if it were to drop enough, I’m so there! I don’t have a PC at home (nor the room for one), so my gaming is limited to my Intel-based MacBook Pro (tragic) and Switch. It would be great to finally play some Sims 4 and Planet Zoo without all the weird workarounds I currently have to do to play them.

Josh Russell, Magazine Editor:

If, like me, you’ve got a telly that tops out at 50 inches, Sonos’s second-gen Beam is a bit of a bargain. It’s compact enough that it doesn’t dominate your entertainment centre, offers passable Dolby Atmos height for its small size and price and offers all the multi-room flexibility that comes with Sonos’s ecosystem. So, when I saw its price had dropped by 20% to £399, it became a shoo-in for my big Black Friday purchase.

Sam Cross, News Writer:

While I’ll be spending most of the Black Friday weekend hunting for deals, I’ll be spending my spare time buying some of them too… and my shopping list is incredibly long. I’ve been saving up to buy one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market, and this seems like a good time to buy it. Elsewhere, I’ll be keeping an eye out for early Christmas gifts for friends and family, and, of course, I’ll be ready to pull the trigger on any ridiculously good Black Friday watch deals, too!

Andy Sansom, Tech Staff Writer:

This deal season I'm looking for a deal on something I bought last year. I took up learning the guitar last year and I got a great Black Friday deal on a year's subscription to a guitar lesson app called Yousician. I've gotten a lot better (it would have been hard to get worse) but as I'm not yet a Rock God, another year would go a long way. Another treat for my thumbs that I'm after is the Dualsense Edge wireless controller for my PS5. It's expensive but I spend way too much time with a PS5 controller in my hands and I'd love to upgrade if I can find one available at the right price. Any brilliant gaming deals on some of the year's biggest titles will also be on my radar.

Bryony Firth-Bernard, Active Staff Writer:

This year I’ll be looking to upgrade my air fryer, as I have one of the first ones that came out, with a ticking spinney dial (tragic). My brother has the Ninja Foodi AF300UK Dual Zone Air Fryer and is always raving about all the incredible things he can cook in it (even chocolate brownies), so I’m definitely going to be joining the Ninja gang. I particularly love the cooking sync function – where you can make two foods that require different cooking times finish at the same time – as I’m not the most coordinated person in the kitchen. There’s already some decent deals going on at the moment, but I think we can expect to see some further discounts on Black Friday.

Lizzie Wilmot, Home Staff Writer:

This year, I'm hoping to grab a Nutribullet 900 Series in the Black Friday sale. It's the upgraded version of the original 600 Series and has about 50% more power, so I think it'll be great for blitzing veg and making soups now we're heading into winter. I'm a huge fan of a morning smoothie or protein shake, so I'll be able to get lots of use out of it! It comes with 2 different sized travel cups and a flip-top lid for drinking on the go, making it perfect for taking into the office. I also love the champagne colour (a lot more exciting than the original grey) and think it'll go nicely in my kitchen.