The Best Early Amazon Echo Deals (and the Worst) Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days
The Best Early Amazon Echo Deals (and the Worst) Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days
亚马逊“Prime Big Deal Days”大促前夕：最值得入手的 Echo 设备（及避坑指南）
Amazon’s Prime Day has returned for its fall edition, and the Amazon Alexa-powered devices are already on sale. But are the sales actually any good? 亚马逊 Prime Day 秋季大促回归，搭载 Alexa 的亚马逊设备已经开启促销。但这些折扣真的划算吗？
There’s already the question of whether you want Alexa in your house, and now it’s a question of whether the sales are more of a mind game than a real discount. That’s thanks to Amazon raising prices across its device categories at the end of August, leaving us with the same product lineup but a worse case to recommend it. Some devices are already on sale right now ahead of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days for $40 off, but went up in price by $20 just a few weeks ago, cutting that discount into something that feels barely worth the spend. 除了考虑是否要在家里安装 Alexa，现在的问题还在于这些促销究竟是实惠还是“心理博弈”。这是因为亚马逊在 8 月底上调了各类设备的价格，导致产品阵容没变，但性价比却大打折扣。有些设备在 Prime Big Deal Days 前夕打出了 40 美元的优惠，但几周前它们的价格刚上涨了 20 美元，这使得折扣力度缩水，几乎不值得入手。
If you’re interested in Amazon’s device sales but want the real picture of what the discount is and which devices are worth it, I’ve got you covered. I’ve been testing Amazon Alexa speakers since they launched in 2012, and I am also WIRED’s resident Kindle tester, which gives me almost too much insight into the price games Amazon plays with these devices. Here’s my full breakdown. 如果你对亚马逊的设备促销感兴趣，但想了解真实的折扣情况以及哪些设备值得购买，这篇文章能帮到你。我从 2012 年亚马逊 Alexa 音箱发布起就开始进行测试，同时也是 WIRED 的 Kindle 测评专家，这让我对亚马逊在这些设备上玩的“价格游戏”了如指掌。以下是我的详细分析。
Which Amazon Devices Are on Sale Already, and Which Aren’t
哪些亚马逊设备已经打折，哪些还没有？
Right now, Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speakers and Fire TV sticks are currently on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days next week (October 6-7). These devices saw price hikes at the end of August, so some of the deals aren’t as good as in the past. They do seem to be permanent price changes, though, so if you’re certain you want one of these models, this is the best time to buy. 目前，亚马逊的 Alexa Echo 音箱和 Fire TV 电视棒已在下周（10 月 6 日至 7 日）的 Prime Big Deal Days 前开启促销。由于这些设备在 8 月底经历了涨价，部分折扣力度不如以往。不过，这些价格调整似乎是永久性的，所以如果你确定要买，现在就是入手的最佳时机。
So far, most Kindles aren’t on sale yet, but all three Kindle Kids models (the Kindle Kids, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, and Kindle Colorsoft Kids) are already on sale. (Amazon also announced new versions of these Kindles today, along with the rest of its lineup, so it’s up to you whether you want the current on-sale model or to preorder the new one!) If you’re looking for a Paperwhite and Scribe, they aren’t on sale yet as of this writing. Neither are Eero routers. 目前大多数 Kindle 尚未打折，但三款 Kindle Kids 型号（Kindle Kids、Kindle Paperwhite Kids 和 Kindle Colorsoft Kids）已经开始促销。（亚马逊今天还发布了这些 Kindle 的新版本以及其他产品线，所以你可以选择购买当前打折的旧款，还是预购新款！）截至本文撰写时，Paperwhite 和 Scribe 尚未打折，Eero 路由器也是如此。
But I expect most of those models will be discounted once the event begins. Both Kindle and Eero products also saw price hikes at the end of August, so I recommend buying them only on sale (even if the sales aren’t as good as they used to be, since they’re similar discounts but on higher prices). 但我预计活动开始后，大部分型号都会降价。Kindle 和 Eero 产品在 8 月底也经历了涨价，所以我建议只在打折时购买（即使折扣力度不如从前，因为它们是在更高的基准价上进行的类似折扣）。
The Best Early Amazon Device Deals
最值得入手的早期亚马逊设备折扣
Not all deals are great, especially given the recent price increases. If you’re set on getting a new Amazon Alexa-powered speaker, though, here are the discounts (and devices themselves!) that are still worth it. 考虑到最近的价格上涨，并非所有折扣都值得入手。不过，如果你铁了心要买一台新的 Alexa 音箱，以下这些折扣（及设备本身）依然值得考虑。
Echo Spot (2024): $110 $55 (50% off) 亚马逊早期设备促销中最划算的当属 2024 年复刻的第二代 Echo Spot。它在现价基础上打了五折，相比其 80 美元的原始定价，依然是一个非常扎实的折扣。我非常喜欢这款有趣的小型智能音箱。它作为床头闹钟非常出色，能显示下一次闹钟时间，当你询问 Alexa 时，还能显示天气或日程详情。最棒的是，你既能享受屏幕带来的便利，又不必担心摄像头带来的隐私问题。
Echo Studio (2nd Gen): $220 $180 (18% off) 唯一没有涨价的亚马逊 Alexa 音箱是第二代 Echo Studio。它依然保持在 220 美元，这不仅是它的原始定价，也是第一代型号的原始定价。这很令人欣慰。虽然它在 Prime Big Deal Days 的折扣不算巨大，但花 180 美元就能获得强劲、充满整个房间的音效，且在大空间内也不会显得浑浊，非常值得。
Ember Artline TV: $1,100 $800 (27% off for 65-inch) / $900 $500 (44% off for 55-inch) 亚马逊 Ember Artline 电视是另一款在 8 月底没有涨价的稀有设备，维持了发布时的 1,099 美元定价（现在在此基础上优惠 300 美元）。这是一款定价合理的艺术电视，比昂贵的竞争对手更亲民，并配备了内置 Alexa+ 等实用功能。我通常不是 Fire TV 设备的粉丝，但这款电视一直很吸引我，而且现在已经参与了 Prime Big Deal Days 促销。
Echo Show 11: $250 $150 (40% off) 在亚马逊的新款智能显示屏中，Echo Show 11 是我的最爱。它比 Echo Show 8 稍大，但不会大到让你无法舒适地放在厨房台面上。它的音质也比新款 Echo Show 8 更好。虽然 8 月底价格上涨了 30 美元，但 100 美元的优惠依然很划算，即便这是在涨价后的价格基础上计算的。
Echo Dot (5th Gen): $80 $40 (50% off) 如果你想以尽可能低的价格买到 Echo，选这款准没错，现在也是入手的最佳时机。第五代 Echo Dot 在其尺寸下提供了不错的音质，但最好在打折时购买，因为我不认为它值 8 月份涨价后的 80 美元。但 40 美元是可以接受的，这是你目前能买到最新型号的最低价格。（尽管我认为它依然不值这个价。）
The Best Early Kindle Deals
最值得入手的早期 Kindle 折扣
If you’re shopping for a Kindle, this is the best time to buy since most were hit with price increases. You won’t get as good a deal anymore, but it’s much better to buy it at a discount on the new price than the full, higher price for the same product. There’s also new Kindles that were just announced, so it’s up to you if you want to grab an older on-sale model (which all work great!) or wait for the new one. 如果你打算买 Kindle，现在是最佳时机，因为大多数型号都涨价了。虽然你可能拿不到像以前那么好的折扣，但在涨价后的基础上打折购买，总比按全价购买同样的产品要划算得多。此外，亚马逊刚刚发布了新款 Kindle，所以你可以选择购买打折的旧款（它们依然非常好用！），或者等待新款上市。
As of this writing, only Kindle Kids models are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, but only one is a good deal after taking the price changes into account. 截至本文撰写时，只有 Kindle Kids 系列在 Prime Big Deal Days 前开启了促销，但考虑到价格变动，其中只有一款算得上是真正的优惠。