Black Friday gets the headlines, but Cyber Monday is usually the bigger day for online shopping. So if you’re planning to buy a new TV, laptop, headphones or console this year, which day should you wait for? The honest answer is that it depends on what you’re buying. Here’s how the two days compare in 2026, which tech categories tend to be cheapest on each one, and how to make sure you actually get the best price.
When are Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2026?
Black Friday is on Friday, November 27, 2026, and Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30, 2026. Together with Thanksgiving (November 26) and the weekend in between, they make up what retailers call Cyber Week, the five busiest days of the holiday shopping season.
In practice, the sales start much earlier. Many retailers launch “early Black Friday” deals in late October or the first weeks of November, and plenty of Cyber Monday offers stay live for several days afterward. So the real question isn’t just which day is better, but when within that window a particular product hits its lowest price.
What’s the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday started as an in-store event, with doorbuster deals designed to get people through the doors the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday was created later by online retailers to catch people shopping from their computers once they were back at work. Today, both days are mostly online events, and the big retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Target run sales across the whole weekend.
The difference that still matters is in which categories get the deepest discounts. Black Friday tends to focus on big-ticket household items and TVs, while Cyber Monday leans toward computers and general electronics.
Which day has better tech deals?
According to Adobe’s 2026 holiday forecast, which is based on online sales data from major US retailers, the best day to buy depends on the category:
Electronics: peak discounts of around 30%, with the best prices expected on Cyber Monday.
Computers: peak discounts of around 23%, also expected on Cyber Monday.
TVs: peak discounts of around 23%, with the best prices expected on Black Friday.
Toys: around 29% off at their peak, best on Black Friday.
Appliances: around 18% off at their peak, best on Black Friday.
Cyber Monday is also expected to remain the biggest online shopping day of the year, with Adobe forecasting $15.1 billion in US online spending on November 30, compared with $12.9 billion on Black Friday. Last year, Cyber Monday set a record of $14.25 billion. More shoppers doesn’t automatically mean better deals, but it does mean retailers save some of their strongest electronics offers for that day.
What to buy on Black Friday
TVs are the classic Black Friday buy. Retailers use them as headline deals, and both budget models and big-brand sets see some of their biggest price drops of the year. If you’re shopping for a premium set, our ranking of the best OLED TVs is a good starting point for deciding which model is worth waiting for.
Black Friday is also a good time for home appliances, smart home bundles and game console bundles, which often include a free game or extra controller rather than a straight price cut. Amazon’s own devices, such as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Echo speakers, are typically discounted from the start of the sale period and stay at a similar price through Cyber Monday, so there’s no need to wait if you see a good price on one.
What to buy on Cyber Monday
Laptops, desktops, tablets and computer accessories tend to be cheapest on Cyber Monday, as are general electronics such as headphones, earbuds, smartwatches and cameras. It’s also a strong day for software and subscriptions, including antivirus, VPNs, cloud storage and creative apps, since those deals are online by nature.
Storage is another category to watch. Memory cards and portable SSDs have become noticeably more expensive this year, so a Cyber Monday deal on something like the Samsung T7 portable SSD can save more than usual.
Should you buy before, during or after Cyber Week?
Waiting for one specific day isn’t always the best strategy. A few patterns are worth knowing:
Early deals are often just as good. Many products hit their lowest price in the early sale weeks and simply stay there. If a price matches the lowest you’ve seen in the price history, buying early is fine.
Popular deals sell out. Limited-quantity offers, especially on TVs, consoles and Apple products, can disappear within hours. If you’re after something specific, don’t wait until the last minute.
Deals continue after Cyber Monday. Many retailers extend their sales through the following week, and December brings more discounts before Christmas, although they’re usually smaller.
Price protection can help. Some retailers will refund the difference if the price drops after you buy. Check the store’s policy, because many exclude Black Friday weekend.
How to get the best price on either day
Whichever day you shop, the same rules apply. Check the price history with a tracker like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel, compare the exact model number rather than the product name, and be wary of “Black Friday edition” products that are built to a lower price. Our guide to spotting a real Black Friday tech deal walks through all of these checks in detail, including how to read crossed-out prices and which products are usually worth skipping.
It also helps to make a short list before the sales start, with the products you want and the price you’d be happy to pay. That way you can buy quickly when a real deal appears, instead of getting distracted by hundreds of offers you don’t need.
So, should you shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
If you’re buying a TV, an appliance or a console bundle, aim for Black Friday. If you’re buying a laptop, headphones, a camera or other electronics, Cyber Monday is usually the better bet. For everything else, the smartest approach is to decide what you want early, track its price from mid-November, and buy as soon as it reaches its lowest point, whichever day that turns out to be.
