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What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Joe Svetlik

I've found a clever trick to see the lowest 'hidden' prices this Prime Day

A black pair of Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 lying on a wooden surface.

Deal hunters, listen up. I've found a little-known way to save even more money this Amazon Prime Day. Where Amazon sells a device in multiple colour options, there's often a rather large price difference between finishes. And Amazon has a tendency to hide the lowest price by not presenting it as the default option on the product page, or within the search results.

That's why when a product comes in multiple finishes, you should check the price of each individual one. I was amazed at how much you could save...

This way for extra savings

The prices can vary wildly – there's up to £80 / $111 difference, in some cases. The B&W Px7 S2 (rated five stars in our review) are currently £299 on Amazon if you opt for the black finish, but £379 in the other colours (Anthracite Black, Cloud Grey and Forest Green). Sure, the other finishes might be more stylish, but I wouldn't say they are worth £80 more.

It's a similar story in the US, where the AirPods Max have fallen to an all-time low price of $398. Unless, that is, you buy the silver model, in which case you will be charged a whopping $111 more ($509). 

(In the UK, there is just a £20 difference between colours, but the £479 price is still £70 off the RRP.)

In the course of my deal hunting, I have found that headphones seem to be the best place to look for this. The five-star Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 recently fell to $139 in silver, but was $174 in graphite (a $35 difference). In the UK, meanwhile, the white finish is £155; the black? A whopping £207 (a difference of £52). The Shure Aonic 50 are currently $232 in white, but $299 in brown or black (a $67 difference). And the Panasonic RZ-S500W are $127 in light grey, but $179 in black (a difference of $52).

Sometimes the differences are less pronounced. The Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM5 are currently £298 in black or midnight blue, but £299 in silver, while the five-star Sony WH-CH520 are £39 in beige or white, but £38 in black or blue. Still, small savings do add up.

This phenomenon isn't unique to headphones – Bluetooth speakers can benefit too. The blue UE Wonderboom 3 is currently £99 – £10 more than most other finishes – while the pink model is the cheapest, at £81. The pink finish of JBL Flip 6 is also the cheapest, at £96 – that's £33 cheaper than the £129 green option, for which you will have to wait one to two months for it to be dispatched.

Home cinema products have fewer colour options, but that doesn't mean they are exempt. The Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 is often cheaper in white than black, though at present, the white model is £1 more expensive (at £449, it's still £50 cheaper than the RRP though, so I'll forgive it).

Choose wisely

There are some things to look out for. The same product is often sold by different retailers through the same Amazon page (that's the case with the different colours of Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 mentioned earlier). Your statutory rights should be protected as long as you are buying through Amazon, but it's something to be aware of.

I have found that very similar products can appear on the same page too, such as the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 and Wonderboom 4. That's because some finishes are only available for certain products. This can be confusing, especially when the products look identical and you are frantically trying to bag a bargain before stock sells out; so make sure to double check you have added the correct device to your basket before you check out. And also do check whether it's second-hand – Amazon isn't great at flagging this.

There you have it. Don't be too picky on which finish your new device sports, and you could save a small fortune. Happy bargain hunting!

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2024: the best early deals on TVs, speakers, headphones and more

The best early Prime Day wireless earbuds deals and cheapest UK prices

Check out the best early Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

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