Buy now or wait?

Should you wait for Black Friday? For TVs, headphones, Amazon devices and robot vacuums, yes: those categories carry the deepest November discounts, and Black Friday 2026 is only nine weeks away, on Friday 27 November. For memory-heavy products such as SSDs, and for anything needed before December, buying now at a fair price is the better call, because the 2026 memory shortage has pushed prices up rather than down.

The shortage is not theoretical. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all raised UK console prices in 2026, and the PlayStation 5 now costs £569.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). This guide sorts product types into buy-now and wait, with the reasoning for each.

When is Black Friday 2026 in the UK?

Black Friday 2026 is on Friday 27 November in the UK, and Cyber Monday follows on 30 November 2026. Most UK retailers now run a week-long or longer sale around the day itself. Amazon UK had not announced its 2026 Black Friday window as of 23 September 2026; its sale ran from 20 November to 1 December in 2025 and from 21 November to 2 December in 2024.

• 6 to 7 October 2026: Prime Big Deal Days, from 00:01 BST on 6 October to 23:59 BST on 7 October, for Prime members only. Prices to watch are in Prime Big Deal Days 2026 tech deals.
• Early November:"early Black Friday" deals typically start across UK retailers.
• 27 November 2026: Black Friday.
• 30 November 2026:Cyber Monday, the usual last day of Amazon UK's Black Friday sale.

Why are tech prices going up in 2026?

Tech prices went up in 2026 because memory (DRAM) and storage (NAND flash) chips became scarce and expensive, as data centre operators bought a large share of global production. Every device with RAM or an SSD inside is exposed, and games consoles show it most clearly because their prices are fixed by the maker.

Sony raised the PlayStation 5 by £90 to £569.99 on 2 April 2026. Microsoft raised the Xbox Series S 512 GB to £429.99 on 1 August 2026 and said console memory and storage costs had risen more than 2.5 times. Nintendo held the Switch 2 at its £395.99 launch price for more than a year before raising it to £419.99 on 1 September 2026. The Xbox Series S costs £429.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing.

The consequence for Black Friday: a 2026 "discount" on a console can still leave it above its 2025 price. A £90 PS5 cut, the size Sony offered in November 2025, would bring the PlayStation 5 to £479.00, which is back near its pre-April RRP rather than a historic low.

Compare Electronic's buy now vs wait table

The decision depends on the product type more than the product. Compare Electronic's buy now vs wait table sorts ten common categories by what the 2024 and 2025 sale seasons and the 2026 memory shortage point to.

Calls reflect conditions on 23 September 2026 and are not price forecasts. One rule overrides the table: a product needed now is worth buying now at a fair price, because waiting nine weeks has a cost too.

Which products should you buy now rather than wait?

Buy now if the product is needed before Black Friday, if its price is driven by memory and storage costs, or if it is a first-season launch that retailers rarely discount. Three groups stand out.

Consoles, when the need is real

The PlayStation 5 costs £569.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing, 99p under Sony's £569.99 RRP. Sony cut the PS5 by £90 from 21 November 2025, but Sony has not announced a 2026 promotion, and a console needed for Grand Theft Auto VI on 19 November 2026 arrives eight days before Black Friday. For a buyer set on launch day, the console is worth buying at RRP; for everyone else, the PS5 Black Friday deals guide sets the £479.00 price to beat. The Nintendo Switch 2 has its own breakdown in Switch 2 Black Friday deals.

SSDs, RAM and memory cards

SSDs, RAM kits and microSD cards are the products most directly exposed to the chip shortage. Microsoft said in 2026 that console memory and storage prices had risen more than 2.5 times and that it expected a further doubling by autumn 2027. When component costs are still rising, a Black Friday discount can simply return a product to its summer price. A fair price today is a reasonable buy.

New launches and phones

Flagship phones launched in September and games released in November rarely see deep cuts in their first Black Friday. Grand Theft Auto VI has a £69.99 Standard Edition RRP, and launch-month games tend to hold close to that. Buying these when needed costs little compared with waiting.

Which products usually drop most on Black Friday?

TVs, Amazon's own devices, headphones and robot vacuums usually drop most on Black Friday, with 2025-model TVs in their second sale season showing the biggest cash savings.

• TVs. The 65-inch LG C5 OLED fell to £1,399 with a voucher code at Richer Sounds during Black Friday 2025, against a £2,700 launch price. Its successor, the LG C6 65-inch, costs £2,099.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing. Model-by-model targets are in Black Friday TV deals UK 2026.
• Amazon devices. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max costs £69.99 on Amazon UK today, and Amazon discounts its own hardware at both October and November events.
• Headphones and earbuds. The AirPods Pro 3cost £200.00 today and £175 in July 2026, which shows how far a "normal" price moves before any sale starts.
• Robot vacuums. Annual line-up refreshes push existing models down, and a 30% cut is a realistic threshold for a genuine deal.

The full list of Amazon prices to beat is in the Amazon Black Friday deals watchlist.

How do you track a price before you buy?

Track a price by recording today's figure, setting an alert in a free price tracker, and comparing any Black Friday offer with the lowest price of the previous 90 days. Keepa and CamelCamelCamel both chart Amazon listings over months and email when a price falls below a chosen figure.

1. Write down today's price for the exact model number and configuration.
2. Check the 90-day low on a price tracker and set an alert just below it.
3. Ignore the crossed-out RRP; compare against the 90-day low instead.
4. Recheck the price on 6 and 7 October, during Prime Big Deal Days.
5. Recheck from early November, when early Black Friday deals start.
6. Confirm the seller is Amazon or the brand, with a UK plug and warranty.

Buying early carries little risk in the UK. The Consumer Contracts Regulations give 14 days to cancel an online order after delivery, and Amazon UK has in previous years extended returns on November and December purchases to 31 January. Some retailers also offer price promises, so check the terms before assuming a later drop is lost.

Verdict

Wait for Black Friday on 27 November 2026 for TVs, headphones and robot vacuums, and check Prime Big Deal Days on 6 and 7 October for Amazon devices. Buy consoles now only if they are needed before December: the PlayStation 5 at £569.00, the Xbox Series S at £429.00 and the Switch 2 at a £419.99 RRP all reflect 2026 price rises, and no 2026 promotion has been announced. Memory and storage products are the one category where the shortage argues for buying at a fair price today.