Target Releases Black Friday Ad With $279 65-Inch Element Roku TV, Smartphone Gift Card Deals

The barebones Element TV price comes amid trade uncertainties for the South Carolina-based TV maker. Element got a temporary suspension of 4.5 percent duties on LCD panel assemblies it sources from China under the 9013.80.90 tariff line through an Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed in September 2018, but the 9013.80.90 goods were tariffed at 15 percent when the List 4A duties took effect Sept. 1. In a Friday exclusion request for List 4A Section 301 tariffs posted at the Office of U.S. Trade Representative’s public docket (see 1911040030), Element said it's exploring options for alternate sources of supply but no non-China sources for LCD TV panel assemblies were available.

Other Black Friday TV doorbusters at Target are a Westinghouse 50-inch 4K HDR Roku TV for $149, down from $309, in-store only; a TCL 65-inch Roku TV for $399 ($350 off); LG 55-inch 55UM6910PUC, $150 off to $329; and a Samsung UN65RU7100FXZA 65-inch 4K HDR TV for $599 (saving $300). All TVs are on sale on Black Friday, Target said, including a 40-inch TCL Roku TV, $90 off to $169, and a Polaroid 32-inch model at $69, down from $110.

Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones are also page 1 headliners in the Target Black Friday ad, for $129. That's $170 off the retail price of the 3-year-old headphones that were selling for $164 Wednesday at Target and Best Buy, $157 at Walmart and $149 at P.C. Richard. Beats Studio over-ear wireless headphones will be on sale at $70 off for $279, Target said.

Traditional headphones appear primed for holiday discounting as wireless earbuds are this season's most-favored headgear for music listening, said CTA. Target’s Black Friday ad also shows the Sony noise-canceling WHCH700N over-hear headphones at $89 for $110 savings. Bose SoundSport wireless earphones will drop $30 to $99 during Black Friday weekend.

CTA forecasts a 45 percent rise in true wireless headphone sales to 8 million units during the November-December stretch (see 1910240071), with most respondents in a survey preferring the cable-free wireless form factor to traditional headphones. Target’s Black Friday ad shows three true wireless headphones on sale: JBuds’ AirSport, half off to $35; Skullcandy’s Indy, $35 off to $49 and the JBL Free X, half off to $75.

Target is dealing on select Apple products on Black Friday weekend, giving away a $200 store gift card with the purchase and activation of iPhone 11 and X series phones on AT&T or Verizon beginning Friday at 7 a.m. A 10.2-inch iPad will be $80 off to $249, the third-gen Apple Watch will be discounted $30 to $169; and the AirPods with wireless charging case were already on sale Wednesday at $169 ($30 off) and $149 ($10 off) for the standard charging case.

Samsung mobile deals include a $400 Target gift card with the purchase of a Galaxy S10, S10 Plus or Note10 Plus with qualified activation from Thanksgiving through the following Sunday, said the ad. The Samsung Galaxy smartwatch is a Black Friday doorbuster at $80 off to $249.

Google smartphones will be a Target deal from Thanksgiving when doors open at 5 p.m. through Sunday, netting customers who buy the Pixel 4 or 4 XL smartphones a $300 gift card with activation; they can get a $550 Target gift card buying the Pixel 3 or 3 XL, it said.

Wearables doorbusters from Fitbit include the Inspire HR tracker, $30 off to $69; the Versa 2 smartwatch, marked down $50 to $149; and the Ace tracker, $20 off to $49, said the Target ad. Fitbit announced last week it was being bought by Google for $2.1 billion, with the deal expected to close next year (see 1911010051).

The smart speaker category is expected to get a reality check this holiday season, with CTA forecasting a 42 percent drop for the category to 11.3 million units. On Black Friday, Target will push the first-generation Google Home mini for $19 vs. its $49 list price; the Google Home will drop from $99 to $49; and the Google Nest Hub will fall to $79 from $129. The third-gen Amazon Echo will be a Black Friday doorbuster at $59 ($40 off); the Dot version will be $5 off to $22, Target said.

Elsewhere, Google is using its cross-platform muscle to try to prop up Google Home sales, bundling the smart speaker with the Nest Hub Max for $239, saving customers $89, said Brad’s Deals Tuesday.

Sprint's leveraging its monthly phone plans to amortize the cost of an Apple Watch, taking the sting out of the $499 sticker price. The wireless carrier is rolling in the cost of a Series 5 Apple Watch for as little as $10.42 a month on a 24-month contract, keeping the upfront cost at zero, and knocking half off the overall price. Eligible accounts must have an existing handset plan.

Samsung pitched customers by email Monday with the subject line: “Early holiday deals are almost here.” Customers were encouraged to “let us know what you're looking for this season” so they will be among the first to know when holiday deals drop. Consumers check categories they’re interested in from TVs and home theater, smartphones, mobile accessories, computing and home appliances, then provide an email address. Within minutes of replying, we had an email from Samsung pitching free Galaxy Buds and a Galaxy Fit tracker with the purchase of a 512 GB Galaxy S10 smartphone. We could get $100 in Samsung credit, along with four months free of a YouTube Premium subscription by buying a Galaxy Tab S6 tablet. We were offered $600 on a Note10 or S10 with an eligible trade-in of an iPhone, Galaxy or Pixel smartphone. The iPhone XS Max and Galaxy S10 plus showed highest trade-in value, $600, for a limited time, at the Samsung website.

Consumers willing to get last year’s model on top-tier brands will save this holiday season. Tuesday, Walmart.com showed a 2018 Apple 9.7-inch 128 GB iPad Get for $299, undercutting other retailers by $100, reported Brad’s. The Series 3 Apple Watch was nicked by $10 Tuesday at Best Buy to $189, we found.