Memorial Day 2026: The Gadget Deals That Actually Matter (And the Ones That Don't)

The travel deals I've seen this weekend are a mixed bag. Some retailers are pushing last year's models at genuine discounts (good), while others are featuring no-name brands with suspiciously high "original" prices (bad). If you're seeing a $200 gadget marked down to $49, ask yourself why. Sometimes it's clearance. Sometimes it's because the product was never worth $200.

On the bigger-ticket items, the math gets more interesting. Laptops, tablets, and TVs are the traditional Memorial Day categories, and this year Apple, Samsung, and Hisense are all running promotions. The discounts I've seen range from genuinely useful (15-20% off current-generation devices) to basically meaningless (5% off plus a "free" accessory you don't need).

Here's what I'd actually consider:

• Tablets: The mid-range Android tablet market has gotten surprisingly competitive. Samsung's A-series tablets are hitting price points that make them reasonable secondary devices for reading, video calls, or basic productivity. I've seen models in the $200-300 range that would have cost $400+ eighteen months ago.

• Laptops: The real deals are on last-generation processors. If you don't need the absolute latest chip, buying a 2025 model laptop right now can save you 25-30% versus waiting for the 2026 refresh. For most users, the performance difference is negligible.

• TVs: This is where the discounting is most aggressive, and also where you need to be most careful. That 65-inch set for $399 might have a panel refresh rate that makes sports unwatchable, or smart TV software that's basically spyware with a user interface.

The weird outlier in this year's sales is the Costco membership discount. I don't usually cover retail memberships, but the math here is straightforward: if you're going to buy more than roughly $300 worth of stuff from Costco over the next year, the membership pays for itself. Whether that's relevant to you depends entirely on your proximity to a Costco and your tolerance for buying 48 rolls of paper towels at once.

What's missing from these sales is notable. I haven't seen meaningful discounts on robotics-adjacent consumer products, the robot vacuums, smart home hubs, or home automation gear that usually gets bundled into these events. Either inventory is tight, or manufacturers are holding pricing ahead of anticipated fall product launches. It's too early to say which.

My actual recommendations, if you're asking:

1. Buy the small stuff. A $30 gadget that solves a daily annoyance is worth more than a $300 gadget that sits in a drawer.

2. Check the price history. CamelCamelCamel for Amazon, price tracking extensions for other retailers. If the "sale" price is the same as last month's regular price, that's an ambitious definition of "deal."

3. Skip anything you weren't already planning to buy. Memorial Day deals are good for purchasing things on your list, not for discovering new things you suddenly need.

4. Read the specs, not the marketing. A "50-hour battery life" claim means nothing without knowing the test conditions. A "4K display" tells you resolution but not color accuracy, brightness, or viewing angles.

The real test of any deal is whether you'd buy it at this price without the artificial urgency of a holiday weekend. If the answer is no, close the tab.

One final note on timing. These sales typically run through Monday, but the best inventory tends to disappear by Saturday afternoon. If you've identified something specific you want, don't wait for a better deal that probably isn't coming. The flip side: if you're on the fence, that's your answer. The product either solves a problem you have, or it doesn't.

I'll be back to writing about industrial automation next week. In the meantime, may your purchases be intentional and your inbox eventually recover.

Mark Kowalski · 11 hours ago · 5 min