Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale is just around the corner — and so are some excellent Apple deals, no doubt. This 48-hour "October Prime Day" serves as Amazon's kickoff to the Black Friday/holiday shopping season, which is the best time to find discounts on popular Apple devices, among many other tech products. This year, it will double as some year-end relief from RAMageddon price increases.
While the sale isn't scheduled to begin for a few more weeks, Amazon is already rolling out some early October Prime Day deals on select gadgets, including most AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks. That raises the question: If you're thinking about upgrading from an older Apple device to a newer model, should you start adding items to your cart now or hold off for a bit?
The answer depends on the exact product you're eyeing. Having covered Amazon's sales for years now, I think most of its current Apple deals will get much better on Oct. 6 and 7, when Prime Big Deal Days is officially live. However, a couple of the deals are worth grabbing immediately. In fact, you might miss out if you wait too long.
Read on to find out which five Apple deals I'd add to my cart ASAP, and which others I'm hoping to see once Prime Big Deal Days starts. I've come up with some October Prime Day discount predictions for every current Apple product based on their pricing histories and Amazon's deal patterns. I'm also keeping an eye on rivaling retailers like Walmart and Best Buy to see if they can one-up their offers.
Check back for updates as we get closer to the sale.
The only Apple deals I'd shop before October Prime Day
Apple's latest flagship smartwatch hit shelves in mid-September alongside the AirPods 5, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and iPhone 18 Pros. It has an upgraded chipset and sensors that support better heart rate monitoring, a new Readiness feature, and new Audio Intelligence tools. Amazon is currently selling it for $389.99, which is almost $10 off its usual sticker price of $399. That discount isn't huge, but it's probably not going to get any bigger once Prime Big Deal Days starts. Its predecessor, the Series 11, was also only $10 off during its first Prime Big Deal Days.
Check out our breakdown of all the differences between the Apple Watch Series 12 and Series 11.
Similarly, the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 4 isn't heavily discounted but probably won't get any cheaper than it currently is, if history repeats itself. Last year, during Prime Big Deal Days, the last-generation Apple Watch Ultra 3 was marked down to $779.99 (normally $799). Ahead of this year's sale, the Ultra 4 is already matching that. Its upgrades include a faster processor, a longer battery life, and a new heart rate monitoring system; it has the same new health and fitness features as the Series 12.
Read Mashable's review of the Apple Watch Ultra 4.
Amazon still has a couple of older M4 iPad Pros in stock and on sale at deep discounts. One is an 11-inch model with a nano-texture (matte) display and 2TB storage; the other is a 13-inch model with Apple's standard display and 512GB of storage. They're marked down to $1,899 and $1,299, respectively, which is a $200 savings either way. (For reference, they were $250 off and $100 off during Prime Big Deal Days 2025.) They're significantly cheaper than their newer M5 counterparts right now, so I can see them selling out well before this year's October Prime Day.
Read Mashable's review of the 13-inch Apple iPad Air (M4).
October Prime Day AirPods deals to watch
Apple AirPods 5: The latest flagship AirPods 5 just launched in mid-September, and they're currently stuck at full price. (The standard models retail for $129, while the ones with a wireless charging case cost $149.) They should get cheaper next month, but not by much. The last-gen AirPods 4 only saw a small $10 discount during their first Prime Big Deal Days in 2024, so I think they'll probably go for $119 and $139, respectively.
Apple AirPods Pro 3: The AirPods Pro 3 have better ANC than the regular AirPods 5, plus a longer battery life, an added heart rate sensor, and an exclusive Hearing Aid mode. They're down to $199 right now — a 20% savings — but there's a strong chance they'll dip even lower for October's festivities. Amazon could revive its record-low price of $169, which last appeared right before June's Prime Day sale.
Apple AirPods Pro Max 2: Apple's over-ear headphones are currently on sale for $479 (or $70 off their $549 MSRP), but I'd wait. We saw them fall to $399 a couple of months ago on Prime Day — an impressive 27% savings.
Read our reviews of the AirPods 5, the AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods Max 2. Plus, find out where they ranked on our guides to the best wireless earbuds and the best noise-canceling headphones.
October Prime Day Apple Watch deals to watch
Apple Watch SE 3: Normally $249, Apple's budget smartwatch has been as cheap as $189.99 before — a savings of just under $60. It's definitely not worth buying now at $239, or only $10 off.
October Prime Day MacBook deals to watch
Apple MacBook Neo: The cheapest MacBook hasn't gotten any major discounts at major retailers since its March release. (Its current sale price of $689 on Amazon, or $10 off, is its all-time low there.) There's no world where Amazon matches the Apple Store's $100 student discount for Prime Big Deal Days, IMO, but maybe we'll see it hit $649 for the first time next month. It's due for better deals now that it's more than six months old.
Apple MacBook Air: One 13-inch M5 MacBook Air variant was $150 off at the time of writing, but don't add it to your cart yet. Both sizes of last year's M4 MacBook Air were $200 off during Prime Big Deal Days 2025. If Amazon matched that offer in the coming weeks, it would erase the M5 Air's recent price hike. For reference, the 13-inch one usually starts at $1,299, while the 15-inch size typically starts at $1,499; snag them as soon as you catch them at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively.
Apple MacBook Pro: The 14-inch, M5-powered base model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage is $150 off right now, but I think Amazon might sell it for $1,799, or $200 off, come Prime Big Deal Days. That's the discount its equally configured predecessor got last fall. (It wouldn't fully negate the MacBook Pro's recent $300 price increase, but it would be a welcome deal regardless. We haven't spotted it on sale for less than $1,849 since June.)
Read our reviews of the Apple MacBook Neo, the M5 MacBook Air, and the M5 MacBook Pro. Plus, find out which MacBook is best for you.
October Prime Day iPad deals to watch
Apple iPad: Apple's flagship tablet is on sale for $399 in the lead-up to Prime Big Deal Days (usually $449). Wait to see if Amazon matches or beats its $70 discount from last year's sale, which would bring it down to just $379.
Apple iPad mini: The smallest, most portable iPad was also $70 off during Prime Big Deal Days 2025, so it's now on sale for $569 (only $30 off). It's worth adding to your cart if you see it drop to $529 or lower.
Apple iPad Air: Both sizes of the latest M4 iPad Air are $100 off right now. That's not bad, but we saw last year's M3 models go on sale for $150 off last October. If Amazon can replicate that for Prime Big Deal Days 2026, it would completely nix the 11-inch version's price hike. That size would return to $599, while the 13-inch model would only be $799 (normally $749 and $949, respectively).
Apple iPad Pro: As mentioned up top, last year's M4 iPad Pros were $100 to $250 off during last year's Prime Big Deal Days — making Amazon's current deals on their successors look pretty pathetic. The 11-inch M5 base model is now $1,139, only $60 off, and the 13-inch model is now $1,427, just $72 off. Ideally, they'll soon hit $1,099 and $1,399 or less, respectively.
Read our reviews of the iPad mini, the M4 iPad Air, and the M5 iPad Pro. Not sure which iPad to buy? Allow us to offer some guidance.
