Post-Prime Day Tech Deals Persist as RAM Crisis Drives Price Volatility

Key points

• The 48-hour Prime Big Deal Days sale concluded at 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 7, but many tech discounts remain live until midnight ET on Oct. 8.
• Apple’s M5 MacBook Air is discounted by $200 to $1,099, while the M5 Max MacBook Pro drops $600 to $3,499, reversing a June price increase.
• The Google Pixel 11 Pro falls below $1,000 for the first time, priced at $849, marking a significant drop for the Android flagship.
• A 65-inch Hisense E7 Cinema Series TV is available for $579.99, a $320 discount, and the Garmin Epix Pro smartwatch is nearly 50% off at $529.99.
• Mashable notes these deals help offset recent price increases caused by a RAM crisis, while Rolling Stone highlights that many other discounts are inflated or limited to fashion and household items.

Background

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days is the retailer’s second major annual sale, following the July Prime Day event. Previous coverage noted that early discounts launched in late September, with Best Buy and Amazon competing on headphones and TVs. The current sale serves as an early holiday shopping opportunity, distinct from Black Friday, and is exclusive to Prime members.

How outlets are covering it

Mashable emphasizes that tech deals are the most valuable aspect of the sale, specifically highlighting how discounts on MacBooks and TVs counter recent price hikes linked to a RAM shortage. Rolling Stone takes a more critical view, stating that most Amazon discounts are 'lame' or inflated, with the best value found in fashion (e.g., Levi’s jeans) and streaming services rather than electronics. Vogue focuses exclusively on beauty and wellness products, such as LED hair-growth caps and peptide serums, ignoring tech entirely. This divergence shows that while tech enthusiasts see rare savings, other outlets view the sale as a broader lifestyle event with limited value in core electronics.

Why it matters

The persistence of deep tech discounts after the official sale end signals that retailers are aggressively clearing inventory to compete with Black Friday. The specific mention of a 'RAM crisis' indicates that supply chain constraints are driving price volatility, making these temporary markdowns a critical opportunity for consumers to avoid future price increases on memory-intensive devices like laptops and smartphones.

What to watch

Consumers have until midnight ET on Oct. 8 to secure remaining tech deals. Following this, the next major price drops are expected during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November. Retailers may introduce new 'Today’s Big Deals' throughout the final hours of the sale, as seen with recent drops on AR glasses and Nintendo Switch 2 titles.