Amazon South Africa's Prime Day debut is actually worth your time

We’ve gotta hand it to Amazon — Prime Day has come to South Africa, and it’s actually decent. We’ve only tinkered around for a couple of minutes, and our browser is already suffering under the weight of all the ‘maybe’ tabs. And that’s just what caught our eye. If you’ve used Amazon’s local site since its launch in 2024, the Bezos machine will already have something to work with, selecting deals worthy of your retinas.

The sale officially kicked off at midnight, but worry not, for the sale runs well past payday, closing its doors on Monday, 29 June. We’ve gone ahead and corralled some of the better tech deals that you’ll likely find (and a couple of non-tech items still worth your doubloons). Our criteria are simple: be a good deal. That’s it.

If nothing we’ve brought to the table titillates the senses, you’ll want to take a good long look for yourself. We fared best by loading up amazon.co.za and navigating to the “Deals picked just for you” tab on the home page. “Deals inspired by your recent history” appears to be another winner that’ll curate deals just for you.

Amazon in its Prime

LG QNED Evo QNED86 (65in) | R10,000

It’s not often you’ll find a 65in TV this good going for R10,000 — much less one bearing the LG logo. LG’s kicked off Prime Day with one of the best deals around, knocking a whopping R12,000 off the official price. It’s not quite OLED level, but it’ll deliver an excellent 4K panel that puts colour first. It’s a proper gamer, too, offering a 120Hz refresh rate that’ll get the most out of your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch 2. Speaking of…

Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World | R10,000

More than a year later, Nintendo hasn’t offered much reason to make the upgrade to the Switch 2. Sure, from a hardware perspective, it’s well worth its weight. But in terms of games… it’s a bit bleak. But that won’t be the case forever. We’ve yet to see a proper Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, or 3D Mario title. Ignoring all that, Amazon’s Prime Day deal is a good one at R10,000 — all owing to that essentially free Mario Kart World bundle.

And, while you’re at it… It’s well worth investing in a proper Switch 2 Pro controller, currently going for R1,700. That’s 26% off the usual price of R2,300, which feels just right for the excellent, if usually overpriced, controller.

Sony WH-1000XM5 | R4,700

It may be nearly four years old at this point, but Sony’s WH-1000XM5 over-ears are still some of the best in the game. Not only are they exceptionally comfortable, but they also deliver audio a cut above the rest. We haven’t even mentioned the XM5’s superb ANC (active noise cancellation) or its stellar battery life, which ensures you’ll only have to charge these cans up once a week. Less, if you’re content with hearing a bit of the world around you.

Looking for something a bit more low-key? Sony’s got a pair of in-ears that may be more your speed. The WF-1000XM5 knocks 46% off the usual price, bringing it down to R3,500 during Prime Day.