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Walmart continues to put the heat on Amazon with Prime Day deals – shoppers win

No one is bringing knives to this gunfight. Walmart is locked and loaded for Prime Day. Amazon may have started Prime Day five years ago, but other retailers have joined in to make the colossal mid-July sales event a bargain bonanza — especially Walmart. Prime Day is officially a 48-hour event that starts July 15, but Walmart began to announce Pre-Prime Day deals on Google Nest products June 29. Walmart even gave the event a new name and time frame: Google Week, which started July 8 and lasts through July 16.

Prime Day is now the second-most-anticipated sales event of the year, topped only by November’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday combo. Prime Day shoppers take advantage of huge savings on all manner of goods, but especially for electronics and smart home device deals. Shoppers can already benefit from the Prime Day face-off between Walmart and Amazon with early sales. Walmart and Google have joined forces with terrific discounts on Nest smart home devices, but Walmart has scads of additional deals bargains already available.

Best Walmart deals for Prime Day

Walmart’s focus on early discounts on Google Nest smart home products is a strategic play because Amazon’s best deals are often on its own Amazon Echo and Alexa-compatible products. Walmart has a well-deserved reputation for having the most extensive selection and best prices on TVs, some of which have been heavily discounted during the past weeks. There will be awesome deals on Apple products, kitchen appliances, Dell laptops, and more. And while there will be more knockout bargains on July 15 and 16, a considerable chunk of Walmart’s deals are already available. Whether you call it Prime Day or Google Week doesn’t matter, thanks to Amazon and now Walmart, the first half of July is a shoppers’ windfall.

Here are the best early Prime Day deals on Walmart:

  • Google Home Mini

    — $24 off
  • Google Home

    — $60 off
  • Apple Watch Series 3

    — $80 off
  • Google Nest Secure Alarm System Starter Pack

    — $100 off
  • Google Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera

    — $30 off
  • Google Nest hello Smart Wi-Fi Video Doorbell

    — $40 off
  • Instant Pot Lux 60 6-quart 6-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker

    — $40 off
  • Apple iPad 128GB Wi-Fi Space Gray (latest model)

    — $100 off
  • Apple 10.5-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256GB Gold

    — $180 off
  • Samsung 65-inch Class 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Smart LED HDR TV

    — $202 off
  • Vizio 55 Class 4K Ultra HD (2160p) HDR SmartLED TV

    — $158 off
  • LG 65-inch Class 4K (2160p)Ultra HD Smart LED HDR TV

    — $150 off
  • Lenovo 81JW0001US Chromebook S330, 14-inch HD Display, 4GB RAM

    — $130 off

Should you shop Walmart deals before Prime Day?

Considering that so many deals are already live, there’s no reason to hold back from shopping Walmart bargains now. One exception might be TVs, where Walmart’s vast inventory gives it unmatched bargaining power. During Black Friday 2018, some of the best TV deals at Walmart were available ahead of time and sold out quickly. If you have already shopped to find the TV model you want we recommend grabbing it if the deal is too good to pass up.

Chances are we won’t see much improvement on prices for Apple products such as Apple Watches and Google Nest smart home devices between now and Prime Day. There is also a possibility Walmart has already shown most of its cards in this high-stakes game, and Amazon will likely be a better bet for many other things.

What is the difference between Walmart Prime Day and Amazon Prime Day

The main difference between Walmart’s Prime Day (Google Week) sale and Amazon’s Prime Day is Amazon requires you to have a membership to shop the majority of its deals. Walmart doesn’t require membership and has just recently started free one-day shipping for select products, a shipping perk that’s available to all.

Walmart also carries products that Amazon doesn’t, two notable examples of which are the Google Nest smart speakers that Amazon refuses to sell and Walmart’s extremely deep selection of TVs. Amazon will have deals on many more products than Walmart, but if you’re looking for the best price on a specific product or model that both retailers carry, check quickly so you won’t miss out, but when you see a great deal for something on your list, don’t hesitate for long.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
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