We’re now less than a week out from Amazon’s October Prime Day and, as expected, Amazon has already started to drop discounts on Echo speakers, Fire tablets, and other items ahead of the two-day shopping event. The current promo also extends to the Kindle Scribe and the latest Kindle Kids, which are on sale at Amazon and Target starting at $264.99 ($75 off) and $79.99 ($40 off), respectively.

If you’re deciding between the two e-readers, the differences are pretty stark. The Kindle Kids is basically a kid-friendly version of Amazon’s entry-level Kindle, which remains our top pick when it comes to ebook readers. It offers identical performance to the standard edition, only it comes with a case, an extended two-year warranty, and a year of Amazon Kids Plus. That last feature isn’t likely to be all that appealing to adults given it’s squarely aimed at children under 12, but it’s hard to complain about unlimited access to thousands of books, including the entire Harry Potter series.

Read our Kindle review.

The Kindle Scribe, meanwhile, is a supersize ebook reader with a few note-taking tricks. The 10.2-inch slate boasts a crisp 300dpi display and marathon battery life, and while it still lags behind the competition in some respects, Amazon has really ratcheted up the updates in recent months. As a result, it’s more efficient, organized, and intuitive than before, making today’s pre-Prime Day deal worth the shoutout.

Read our Kindle Scribe review.

It’s tough to stand out in the wireless earbud market. However, while some brands rely on a collection of ecosystem tricks and others on ultra-rugged build quality, JBL has taken a more novel approach with the recently released Tour Pro 2 earbuds — which are currently on sale at Amazon for the first time in select colors for $199 ($50 off).

Unlike most pairs of earbuds, the Tour Pro 2 come with a unique charging case that features a 1.45-inch LCD screen, allowing you to adjust the volume, control tracks, and see your remaining battery life at a glance. The added functionality the case provides isn’t absolutely necessary given you can carry out all the same actions with your phone, sure, but it’s an added plus when paired with the many, many table-stakes features the Tour Pro 2 offer. This includes multipoint support and great noise cancellation, along with a helpful transparency mode, an earbud locator, and some of the best battery life you can get in a pair of wireless earbuds right now.

Read our JBL Tour Pro 2 review.

A few more budget-friendly picks

• The Shark Ion, one of our favorite budget-friendly robot vacuums, is down to $129.99 ($100 off) on Amazon right now. The simple bump-and-roll bot is kind of as basic as it gets, but it offers good suction power, a big bin, and great repairability — something that’s rare even among the more premium robovac models.
• Amazon’s fourth-gen Echo is already on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $54.99 ($45 off) ahead of Amazon’s forthcoming Prime Day event. It’s not as much of a steal as the newer Echo Pop for $17.99; however, the Alexa-based smart speaker still features an integrated smart home hub, the ability to serve as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi extender, and better sound than Amazon’s smaller options. Read our review.
• Amazon is discounting the Chom Chom pet hair remover to just $19.99 ($12 off), which is one of its best prices to date. It’s not tech, per se, but it’s a fantastic little tool for ridding your furniture and upholstery of pet hair — and one that saves you from having to buy mass quantities of lint rollers. Read more about The Verge’s favorite pet tech.
• Tribit’s StormBox Micro 2 has hit an all-time low of $50.99 ($29 off) on Amazon when you click the on-page coupon. It’s a terrific pick if you’re looking for a small Bluetooth speaker that dishes out good sound for its size, especially since it also touts IP67 waterproofing and a built-in strap for attaching the speaker to your backpack, bike, and other objects.
• Amazon’s apt-titled Smart Plug is matching its all-time low at Amazon and Best Buy, where you can pick it up for a mere $12.99 ($12 off). What’s more, Amazon’s no-frills device doesn’t require a hub in order to function, allowing you to quickly add Alexa smarts to any outlet and control a range of devices with just your voice.