By Chris Hall

Copyright dailyrecord

I’ve been a technology journalist for 17 years, testing thousands of devices and writing thousands of articles during that time. I’ve seen just about every phone, TV, speaker and smart camera available, but when Prime Day sales roll around, there’s one thing I pay close attention to: Amazon devices . Above all other brands, Amazon offers reliable and heavy discounts, making it a great time to buy. While prices are low, I wanted to share my recommendations as a person who uses tech every day. The Prime Big Deal Days started at 00:01 today, Tuesday, October 7, and will run up until 11:59pm on Wednesday, October 8, with thousands of deals to pick from. Here are my top three Amazon device recommendations as I use them every single day. READ MORE: Crocs launches range of cosy shoes that feel like ‘comfy pillows’ READ MORE: Amazon shoppers grab Fire TV Stick for under £5 in clever Prime Day deal stack The Echo Dot is Amazon’s most popular smart speaker, and it’s easy to see why. With a discounted price of £29.99 , it’s an absolute steal, and an ideal starting point if you want to get into Alexa. I’ll confess – I bought the first Echo speaker as soon as it was released in the UK in 2016, and I haven’t looked back. Alexa has been running my smart home since, and the Echo Dot is a permanent fixture in my home. The Echo Dot is cheap enough and small enough to put in any room of the house, meaning that I can always talk to Alexa, but the sound is big enough to be a useful music player. It’s an ideal bedside device, perfect for alarms (you can tap to snooze), while voice access to basically any music (from Spotify) or radio station, makes it great for entertainment. It’s worth knowing that that’s a new version coming: the Echo Dot Max is a little larger and has two speakers instead of one, so it sounds a lot better (I was at the launch, so got to test them side-by-side) – but it’s three times the price, so I’d hold off before buying one. So the Echo Dot is definitely my recommendation – I recently discussed my top five features of the Echo Dot if you’re not convinced! Now normally I’d say this isn’t the only small smart speaker you can buy, but Google’s new speaker isn’t coming until 2026 and Apple’s HomePod Mini costs £94 ( save £2 at Currys! ), so the Echo Dot really is the one to buy. This is a jump in price, but for shoppers looking for a new TV, Amazon’s own Fire TV Omni Mini-LED punches well above its weight. Normally, when recommending TVs, I’d say to go with a big brand, like Samsung or perhaps TCL if on a tighter budget. But this Amazon model blew me away. So much so, that after reviewing this model, I mounted it on my kitchen wall and now use it every day – it’s that good. Mini-LED uses much smaller diodes to emit light, combined into dimming zones, so there’s a lot more control over how the light is used, while there’s high brightness too. This means detailed and accurate pictures, while there’s support for all the latest standards, like Dolby Vision and Filmmaker Mode. With 144Hz support for gamers and a smart operating system that’s loaded with apps, it’s a great performer in all areas, especially when there’s £360 off the price of the 65-inch model . Sure, it’s a bit of a commitment, but this is a 4K HDR Mini-LED TV that was released in 2024, so it offers some of the latest TV tech. One downside to bear in mind, however, is sponsored content which appears as adverts on the Fire TV homescreen. There are some alternatives, and I’d recommend the TCL T6C at £499 (65 inch) . The TCL T6C won’t compete in terms of picture quality because it uses a different type of display, but it’s fully loaded with tech, and it’s a great price. It also runs on Fire TV, so it offers much the same experience for less. You’ll never catch me without my Kindle. I spend my whole day immersed in tech, so it’s understandable that to unwind, I turn to tech as well. I love reading, and Kindle puts loads of books right at my fingertips, free from the distractions of a tablet or a phone. The Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle, in my opinion. It offers the best reading experience, is small enough to carry everywhere, and is large enough to give you plenty of reading space. That’s combined with long battery life of a couple of months, and plenty of smart details. I use the signature edition (which is a little more expensive, but a little better), but Paperwhite offers nice, even front lighting, including the ability to adjust the warmth of that light, which makes a real difference at night. It’s the perfect travel companion, offering battery life so I don’t have to worry about charging (it’s USB-C like my phone), waterproofing so it doesn’t matter if it gets wet at the pool, and access to all those books. What’s not to love? Kobo offers an alternative e-reader experience, but I don’t think it matches the connected experience you get from Kindle and the Kindle Store. Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days are running across 7-8 October, giving shoppers a chance to snap up a full range of discounts on all sorts of products – not just tech. This is a great time to start thinking about Christmas shopping, before we get to Black Friday next month.