Last-Minute Holiday Deals: Today’s Top Christmas Savings, and Ones to Avoid

It’s that time of year where online shops are full of last-minute Christmas present deals – or, in many cases, products that have been “discounted” to their normal price after big hikes. At Expert Reviews, we’re here to point you towards the real deals. These are the savings that take the discount below a product’s regular RRP, not its inflated one, so you can make Christmas just that little bit cheaper.

I was tired of seeing the phrase “It’s Black Friday!” in my inbox, in website banners, on TV, and on signs in shops and now, without much break, those sales adverts have switched to advertising Christmas deals. I might be fed up with the onslaught, but these savings are all for your benefit, not mine.

Yet, however tired of sales I may be, at Expert Reviews we’re always here to make sure our readers can get the products we recommend for the best price available. In this article, I’ll highlight some deals worth considering, while also pointing out some cost reductions that really aren’t as good as they seem.

Jump to:

• Headphones
• Vacuum cleaners
• Humidifiers
• Hair care
• Home security

The top holiday deals in the shops right now

Holiday deals: Headphones

Whether as a gift or a personal treat as you try to convince yourself, yet again, that you’re going to start the new year by getting fit, a reliable set of headphones is a good place to start. I’d prefer to get back into running by listening to some 7th Heaven remixes of Kylie Minogue instead of hearing my steam train-like breathing, and if that’s also the case for you, then a good deal on some noise-canceling headphones, such as the Sony WH-1000XM5, will be worth considering.

Amazon’s “limited-time deal” on our favorite overall Sony’s is the same price as they were on Black Friday. You can still get the WH-1000XM5 for $298 – their lowest ever price. While this “limited-time deal” has been around since the start of November, I can’t imagine they’re going to stay this price forever. Grab the deal while it’s there.

If you’re a fan of Sony’s products, then you can also buy the WF-1000XM5. These noise-canceling earbuds have also been on sale at $228 since the start of November, yet on the 10th, they did dip to their lowest ever price of $222. Now, in December, they’re even lower at $198, a solid $100 off its usual price.

Outside of Sony, there are the on-ear Marshall Major IV headphones, which are on sale for their lowest-ever price at $70. On Amazon, the Major IV’s have an average price of $82, so while you’re still saving against their $150 RRP, at least you know if you miss this deal, there will be another discount in the near future. For runners (or soon-to-be runners like me), you can save $40 on the Shokz Openrun Pro bone-conduction headphones – featuring the brand’s ninth gen tech, ten hours of battery life, and a IP55 rating for dust and water resistance (safe for a lot of sweat) – a $140 price tag is a decent deal.

[19th December] I’m expanding this section from “Headphones” to “Audio” to include a couple of deals I’ve found on soundbars, which may come in handy if you’re entertaining guests this Christmas or if you want thoroughly immerse yourself in the football.

Quick fire soundbar deals:

• Sonos Ray: The price of this compact soundbar has been bouncing between $279 and $169 since the beginning of October, with two short dips down to $149. It’s currently at $169, so if you can cope without Bluetooth on your soundbar, then grab the Ray before it returns to full price
• Samsung HW-Q990D: If total immersion is your thing when it comes to movie night, then this might be the soundbar system for you. But, hold off buying it for now. It’s currently available on Amazon for $1,798, and while a $200 saving might appear like a good deal, its price often hovers around $1,500. Let’s look at its price history. Last time I checked the price of the HW-Q990D, it was $1,998. On November 13, it hit an all-time low of $1,049 and its average Amazon price over the past three months is $1,661. If you wait a bit, you might be able to save yourself an extra $200
• Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus: Let’s finish the soundbar deal section on a positive. This Sennheiser has held a steady price of $1,200 so unlike the ever-changing prices of the two soundbars above, it’s a lot easier to spy a deal. It’s now $1,000. Our reviewer called it the “best standalone soundbar” but found its Ambeo feature a little disappointing

Holiday deals: Vacuum cleaners

Now, I wouldn’t recommend ever buying your mom or your wife a vacuum cleaner for Christmas (unless, of course, they specifically asked for one). However, as visitors and everyone living in your house benefit from a floor free from crushed Lucky Charms, dirt, dead flies, and shoe mud, a vacuum makes a good gift for your household. And, as they say, a vacuum isn’t just for Christmas.

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I highlighted a couple of Dyson deals that could save you a couple of hundred dollars. Those savings are still live, so you’ve still got time to bag a vacuum for a lot less than their usual RRP. Here’s a recap:

• Our favorite overall cordless vacuum cleaner, the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, is still on sale for $500. That’s a $250 saving compared to its RRP
• We called it the “Best-value Dyson” at its review price of $450 and on December 17 when I published this roundup, you could get it for $299 from Dyson and Amazon. With that discount, the V8 flew off the shelves. But, luckily, I’ve found another deal for a similar outlay. You can get our favorite Dyson alternative, the Shark Vertex Pro IZ662H, for a dollar more at $300; it offers a similar performance to the Dyson V15 Detect, but as vacuums go, it’s a fairly heavy affair. Keep that in mind before you buy
• On Cyber Monday, I warned against buying the Dyson V15 Detect as its deal price was higher than the price we had listed before the sales season on our best vacuum cleaner page. Now, however, the price has dropped to $588, which is cheaper than the $623 it was available for at the end of October

Enough of the Dysons. In the world of robot vacuum cleaners, the iRobot Roomba j7 – which I also warned against on Cyber Monday – has also become a worthwhile deal. Our robovac roundup has it listed as $419; on Amazon, you can now buy it for $300. The Roomba j7 hit its lowest price of $262 back in April, so it’s worth keeping in mind that the price could drop in the new year.

December 21 update: I’ve got another robovac offer for you. The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni, a tall self-empting vac and mop affair, has been discounted to $515. When I last updated our robot vacuum cleaner roundup, this impressive mopper had a list price of $700, which was lower than its Amazon RRP of $1,550. Our reviewer summarized the X1 Omni as “expensive when not on offer”, but now that it’s over $350 off its average price, this Ecovac is far better value for money.

Holiday deals: Humidifiers

Going through our best humidifier roundup doesn’t yield many deals. The majority of humidifiers on the page are ideal if you’re on a budget. However, of the more expensive products we’ve listed, there is one deal worth considering. On Amazon, you can save $50 on our favorite 2-in-1 air purifier and humidifier, the Sharp UA-HD40U-L. It’s expensive, even at its deal price of $354, however the UA-HD40U-L packs in a lot of useful features which you can read in full in its mini-review on our humidifier page.

A very rare deal has cropped up. It wasn’t discounted on December 17 (when I first published this roundup), however our favorite high-end humidifier, the Dyson Pure Humidify and Cool, has had $150 knocked off its sticker price at Best Buy. It’s still very expensive at $750, but for a 2-in-1 air purifier and humidifier of such high quality any money off is a bonus.

Holiday deals: Hair care

If you’re after a new set of hair straighteners and styling isn’t your strong point, then the GHD Original’s are a good place to start. However, Amazon’s current discounted price of $179 is higher than its average price of $171. It’s not the lowest price they’ve reached in 2024’s sale season, with that award going to the $136 bargain at the start of December.

This $178 price is the Original’s most common price tag, so it might be worth waiting until the price drops again. While not currently on sale, if you’re new to styling, then going for a budget straightener is probably your best bet. The Remington Shine Therapy are $60 – which, considering they’re built with floating plates and nine heat settings – is a great price.

Another deal I’ve spied since I first published this roundup on December 17 is on the Remington Barba. If you’re less concerned about the hairs on your head and more worried about the hairs on your face, then you can save a small $10 on our best budget beard trimmer, the Remington Barba. At $44, it may be cheap, but it performs well and is long-lasting – our reviewer is still using one he brought a decade ago.

Following on with another beard trimmer, the fully-waterproof Philips Norelco Series 9000 is available for its lowest ever price. Now $80 (its last lowest price was $84 a couple of years ago), you’re saving $20 on a solidly built trimmer. However, the 9000 may not be for you if you sport a long beard. Consider the Panasonic MultiShape Electric Trimmer instead if that’s the case, which at its current sale price of $60, is $20 less than the aforementioned Philips.

Holiday deals: Home security

December 20 update: I’ve run through our favorite home security tech to find you the best deals.

With a house full of gifts, food, and new technology, you don’t want your house to become a target for thieves. Keep an eye on your property, parcels on your doorstep, and suspicious loitering with a home security camera or a video doorbell. If your spending limit is, quite understandably, tight, then consider the Blink Mini 2 – our favorite budget indoor or outdoor camera. For its usual $40 price tag, it packs in a lot of features for the money. Now, for $24, it’s even better value for money.

If you’re already part of the Google smart home ecosystem, then consider the Google Nest Cam for $130. It was $120 two weeks ago, so if you hold out until after Christmas, you might find it gets a new discount. You can control the Nest Cam via the Google Home App and link it into existing Nest products, such as the Nest Indoor Cam (now $80, so you can save yourself a modest $20), or the Nest doorbell (also on sale: save $30 and get it for $150).

If you’re not part of the Google gang and want an outdoor camera, then the Eufy SoloCam S220 is worth considering. It’s got a broad range of features, good image quality, and most importantly, you can use it without a subscription. Aside from some advanced features, of course. It’s on sale at the moment for $70, which is $60 lower than usual.

As the holiday season carries on, I’ll update this page with more deals I find that are worth your attention. Or not, whichever the case may be.