Garmin’s Forerunner 170 is a solid running watch that brings great performance and smart features, all in a light and small package, and I particularly loved the Music version for phoneless short runs and activities. The watch was even found to be very accurate, according to my colleague Matt Evans’ testing.
Featuring a more accurate dual-band GPS technology, 13 days of battery life, more size options and on-watch music storage, the Forerunner 265 is hard to beat for just AU$498.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 was the first small Forerunner model with a touchscreen AMOLED display, replacing its predecessor’s monochrome memory-in-pixel display, to make it look and feel similar to something like an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch.
It also features dual-band or multi-frequency GPS for high-precision tracking in dense cities or heavy tree cover, which is technically superior to the Forerunner 170’s single-frequency multi-GNSS tracking.
The 170 is only available in the single 43mm size, while the 265 comes in 46mm and the smaller 265S is 42mm, providing more options for different wrist sizes.
The biggest criticism from our reviewer is the Forerunner 265’s price hike over its predecessor, and slightly worse battery life, which can be credited to the switch to an AMOLED display, but this discount takes care of the former in spades.
Like Prime Day, this event will run for 7 days from 12:01am on September 29 to 11:59pm on October 5, 2026, just in time for the Labour Day (or King’s Birthday) long weekend if you’re in New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It’s also much longer than the Prime Big Deal Days event in the US, which is only for 48 hours from October 6 to 7.
Amazon Australia is also holding the event a week earlier than it did last year, when it ran from October 7 to 13, 2025. We think this move is meant to provide a bit more breathing room before the Black Friday 2026 sales in late November, and also to adjust for the earlier Prime Day in July.
As the Prime Big Deal Days sale is meant to be a teaser for Black Friday, the event doesn’t usually have discounts as deep as what we typically see during Prime Day in July or Black Friday itself but, with the dates shifting a week earlier, there’s still a chance that we could see record-low prices on popular and premium tech.
We’ll be keeping an eye on prices of the best headphones, best tablets, best cameras and more, and we’ll cover the sale live when it starts in just over a week’s time. So expect to see discounts on brands like Apple, Samsung, Dyson, Breville and more, as well as with Amazon’s own range of products like Kindle ereaders, Echo smart speakers and Ring video doorbells.
Like Prime Day, we expect the best prices to be exclusive to Amazon Prime members, though a few offers will be widely available, too. If you’re interested but not yet a Prime member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Starting a subscription now will make you eligible to shop the upcoming deals, and you can cancel it immediately after if you aren’t keen to keep paying.
Otherwise, staying on as a Prime member after your free trial will cost AU$9.99 per month, or AU$79 for an annual membership. Other benefits you can get with a Prime membership are the Prime Video streaming service, Amazon Music and Amazon Luna gaming, plus a two-year free subscription to DoorDash — find out more in our in-depth guide to what is Amazon Prime in Australia.
It’s also never been a better time to be a Prime member as Amazon Australia has expanded its same-day delivery service in Sydney and Melbourne with more items eligible for overnight delivery. Adelaide, the Central Coast, Newcastle, Geelong, Canberra and more cities now also have same-day delivery.
Get ready for Prime Big Deal Days
While Prime Big Deal Days may not be as big as July Prime Day or Black Friday, we still expect the number of deals to go into the thousands, and browsing through the Amazon Australia site could still get overwhelming. But fret not, as TechRadar will help you find the best tech deals in real-time and have them all listed in our dedicated live Prime Big Day Deal Days hub. Check in as often as you can to ensure you won’t miss out on some of the best discounts, as we expect some will go live in a flash and sell out very quickly.
In the meantime, here are 5 of our top early deals to shop right now.
Our reviewer called the Forerunner 265 the best running watch for most people when it first came out in 2023, and its then-new AMOLED touchscreen display means it still holds up better compared to newer releases. If you have smaller wrists, the 42mm Forerunner 265S is also discounted for the same price.View Deal
Pure Hot+Cool Link: was $599 now $499 Spring has officially sprung here in Australia, and what better time to invest in a fan to keep yourself cool as the temperature starts to go up over the next few months. We rated this Dyson fan 4 out of 5 stars for its smarts, included purifier and better filters. Paying almost AU$600 for a fan is a big ask for many households, but this discount makes the Dyson Hot+Cold Link more palatable if you're already in the market for one.View Deal
WH-1000XM5: was $548 now $395 Sony's flagship noise-cancelling cans from 2024 received a perfect 5 stars in our review, thanks to their noise-cancellation technology, 'wonderful' sound performance, smart features and an intuitive companion app. While we've seen this cheaper before, this price is still hard to pass up.View Deal
45W 10,000mAh power bank: was $39.99 now $29.98 This 10,000mAh power bank is small at 10.92 x 6.86 x 1.78 cm, but it also has 45W fast charging to get your devices recharged quickly. This model even has a detachable braided cable so you won't need to scramble through your bag to look for the cable when you need to charge. Best of all, the 10,000mAh capacity means it's safe to bring to flights.View Deal
While they may be some of the most exciting phone launches in recent memory — and it’s great that the foldable iPhone has finally seen the light of day — the biggest takeaway, is that every single new handset is more expensive than ever.This is clearly indicative of the ongoing RAM and storage shortages — even older phones have quietly received price hikes — and will likely make the latest smartphone releases too expensive for many consumers.
Featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB of RAM, four rear cameras and a new built-in Privacy Display screen, there’s a lot to love with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and it can easily hold up for years to come, especially with up to 7 years of Android updates and security support.
I especially loved the Privacy Display screen, which marked a major hardware innovation amid a sea of similar-looking phones in 2026. Super Steady Horizontal Lock for shooting video makes the S26 Ultra great for action shots (and a neat party trick, too!), while the included S Pen stylus remains a nice bonus that most handsets don’t offer.
One great plus of buying the Galaxy S26 Ultra now is the stable release of One UI 9, which is built on Android 17 and features a redesigned quick settings menu, customisable Control Centre, My FanCam and improved multitasking controls.
Personally, you really can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra if you’re prioritising raw power and smarts in an Android phone, and this discount makes the handset a great pick during a time of component shortages.
After months of leaks and rumours, Apple has officially unveiled its new Pro iPhones for 2026, alongside the much-anticipated iPhone Duo foldable handset and a slew of other product launches.
If you’re looking to upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max or iPhone Duo, I’ve put together this guide on everything you need to know about pre-ordering any of the three handsets in Australia, including when preorders start, how much you’ll pay and all the best deals we’ve found.
Aside from the official Apple Australia store, as with any iPhone launch a wide range of retailers and telcos across the country are also offering pre-orders for all three phones, and we’ll update this page as soon as the offers go live.
Want to know more about the new iPhones and other new products that Apple unveiled? Scroll to the bottom of this page or check out our full coverage of Apple’s launch event.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pre-orders in Australia: What you need to know
Preorders go live on Saturday, September 12 at 10pm AEST
iPhone 18 Pro pricing starts at AU$2,099 for 256GB
iPhone 18 Pro Max pricing starts at AU$2,299 for 256GB
Trade-in rebates of up to AU$1,595
Financing starts from AU$87.46 per month for 24 months
(Image credit: Apple)
As with previous iPhone pre-orders, there’s once again a short wait between the official announcement and the start of the pre-order period, which goes live across all Australian retailers and telcos on Saturday, September 12 at 10pm AEST.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at AU$2,099 for the base 256GB model, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at AU$2,299. Retailers JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys, as well as telcos Vodafone, Optus and Telstra, have confirmed they will all carry the new handsets.
Aside from Apple’s official Australian store, JB Hi-Fi, Vodafone and Optus will also accept trading in your old phone for a credit towards the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. Apple is offering up to AU$1,595 in trade-in credit – that’s based on an iPhone 17 Pro Max, while a comparatively ancient iPhone X will net you a AU$70 credit.
If you’re going the trade in route, you can calculate your old phone’s credit value at Optus, Vodafone or JB Hi-Fi to get an idea before pre-orders go live.
Apple is also offering a new financing program in Australia via Afterpay, allowing monthly payments over 6-, 12- or 24-month terms instead of the service’s usual four payments spread out fortnightly. If you’re using Afterpay, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at AU$87.46 per month over 24 months, while the 18 Pro Max starts at AU$95.79 per month. This monthly payment option is only available through the Apple Australia website and stores — you won’t find it at third-party stores.
Apple iPhone Duo pre-orders in Australia: What you need to know
Preorders go live on Friday, October 16 at 10pm AEST
Pricing starts at AU$3,499 for 256GB
Trade-in rebates of up to AU$1,595
Financing starts from AU$145.79 per month for 24 months
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
If you’re keen on Apple’s first-ever foldable phone, the shiny new iPhone Duo, the wait will be a little bit longer for pre-orders, which start on Friday, October 16 at 10pm AEST.
Prices begin at a slightly eye-watering AU$3,499 for the base 256GB model (for reference, Samsung’s equivalent Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at AU$2,699), and go as high as AU$5,899 for the 2TB configuration.
Like the 18 Pro and Pro Max above, you can also trade in your old phone to receive up to AU$1,595 off the price. You can get an estimate on your trade-in credit at Optus, Vodafone or JB Hi-Fi to get an idea before pre-orders go live.
Financing via Afterpay is also available for the iPhone Duo, starting at AU$145.79 per month for 24 months.
What’s new with the 2026 iPhone lineup?
(Image credit: Apple)
Headlining Apple’s new handset range for 2026 is the iPhone Duo, the company’s first attempt at a foldable and its answer to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Featuring a 5.4-inch outer display with a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR inner display, the device looks somewhat like a squat iPhone mini when folded, and an iPad mini when opened.
It features the new A20 Pro chipset and a titanium frame, which Apple says is reinforced by ceramic fibres. The Duo, however, also has a few core iPhone features missing, like Face ID, a telephoto camera and the action button, but is still undeniably the star of the show. There are also some exclusive software features that look to take advantage of the larger folding display, like some new Liquid Glass animations and multitasking features. Moreover, the Duo will also get Apple Pencil support, which is a first for any iPhone.
As for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, the biggest upgrades are the main cameras, with each getting a new variable aperture to let users adjust the light depending on what they need to photograph, for example.
I’m sure this scenario is familiar to you — you buy an external hard drive for a certain capacity, thinking that it would have more than enough space to store all your current files, and many more in the future — but then you soon realise that you’ve filled it up in no time. You’re then forced to delete some files to make enough room for new ones that you need to back up or archive. And so it goes.
I can definitely relate, having filled up a couple of hard drives ranging from 2TB to 6TB containing photo libraries, videos and Steam game backups, then later finding myself auditing those files more often than I’d like to clear up storage space.
This deal can also benefit those who work with large files regularly, like content creators, video editors, data professionals, graphic artists and more, where they can focus on their work and not constantly worry about storage.
This listing is from Amazon Germany, so you may have to wait until at least early next month for delivery to Australia, but this is so far the lowest price we’ve seen for EOFY. The Seagate Expansion Desktop has USB 3.0 file transfers, Windows and Mac support (with automatic recognition for easy setup) and access to a data recovery service for that extra peace of mind.View Deal
In our best external hard drives buying guide, our reviewer called the Seagate Expansion Desktop the best-performing HDD they'd tested thanks to the read and write speeds of 242 MB/s and 237 MB/s, respectively, and for its relatively compact size compared to others in this category.
The main downsides the tester mentioned were the hard drive’s external power requirement — which is something I would certainly live with for a capacity of this size — and the expensive RRP, which this 32% discount handily takes care of.
While you can invest in some network attached storage (NAS) devices for your growing storage needs, the Seagate Expansion Desktop is an easier plug-and-play solution that won’t require much fiddling to set up — it’s as easy as plugging the drive in and moving files to it via Windows Explorer or macOS Finder. Plus, this deal is a much cheaper alternative as the NAS devices themselves without drives cost around the same or even more in some cases.
On the other hand, this external drive can be used in a NAS device (or your PC, even) through “shucking”, or removing the external casing and installing the bare drive into a hard drive bay to add more storage for redundancy or otherwise. Do note that this will void the drive’s warranty.
In any case, a deal like this in a period of storage component shortages is hard to pass up for anyone in need of extra storage space for backups, archiving or any work that involves large file sizes.
If you splurged on a new phone during the sales, you may be interested in signing up for a new SIM-only plan if you bought one outright, especially if you’re not 100% happy with your current provider.
Even if you didn’t buy a new phone, it can still pay to shop around for a new SIM-only plan, as you may find one that fits your needs better than your current one. You could be paying for a ton of data with your current provider that goes unused, for example. Or maybe you’d benefit from having international calls included in your monthly price.
Given how competitive the telco market is currently, providers are jostling for your attention — whether it’s generous mobile data allowances, discounts on the monthly plan fees or inclusions like international calls and texts — and it would be a good idea to take full advantage.
The best part is, unless your current plan is tied up with a mobile phone, it’s so easy to switch providers. If the promotional plan discount of the SIM-only plan you signed up has just wrapped up, you can easily swap to a different provider that’s offering its own discounted plan with next to zero hassle.
I’ve put together a list below of the best SIM-only plans I’ve spotted this EOFY across a range of use cases and budgets, with all the inclusions and discounts:
While we’ve usually spruiked the TPG plan that’s a step down from this one (50GB data for AU$17.50 per month) as the best value SIM-only deal, getting 100GB of mobile data for AU$22.50 is an outright steal, even if it’s just for the first 6 months. Unlike many of the SIM-only plans at this price range, you get access to the full Vodafone 5G network, bringing with it added benefits of extended coverage and faster download speeds. One perk also worth mentioning is the inclusion of unlimited international calls and texts to 31 destinations. Do note is that this is a 28-day plan, which means you’ll have 13 payments each year.
Total minimum cost: AU$22.50 Total cost for first year: AU$405 Ongoing yearly cost: AU$540View Deal
There are cheaper plans than this, but this entry-level offering from Swoop Mobile not only provides 30GB of mobile data, but it also uses Vodafone’s 5G and 4G networks, which is rare at this price point. You also get unlimited national calls and texts at this price.
Total minimum cost: AU$12.40 Total cost for first year: AU$223.80 Ongoing yearly cost: AU$298.80View Deal
Exetel has only a single mobile plan offering, but the brand nails the brief perfectly with a great value option on the Telstra 5G network (with speeds capped at 150Mbps). You get a generous 130GB of data each month, unlimited international calls to 15 countries including the UK and US, and the ability to bank up to 1000GB of data. And all this for just AU$40 per recharge (30 days). Do note that this plan is only available with an eSIM, so you'll first need to check if your phone is compatible.
Total minimum cost: AU$40 Total yearly cost: AU$480View Deal
Of the big 3 Aussie telcos, Vodafone has regularly provided the best value, and the mere fact that the brand made it to this list means that it can compete with MVNOs in certain price points. Vodafone is offering 50% off plan fees for the first 6 months, making the 400GB Large Plan, at less than AU$40 per month, the best high-data SIM-only plan this EOFY. To sweeten the pot further, you also get unlimited minutes to 'Zone 1' nations and 300 minutes to 'Zone 2' nations. To see which countries are available, you can learn more about international calls with Vodafone.
Total minimum cost: AU$36.50 Total cost for first year: AU$657 Ongoing yearly cost: AU$876View Deal
Lyca Mobile's Large plan has long been TechRadar’s favourite long-term expiry plan, especially now the included data has increased from 600GB to 900GB (although the price did also increase from AU$175 to AU$220 for the first 12 months). Granted, the ongoing cost after the first year is quite pricey, but you at least have the option to shop around for a different promo on a long-expiry plan afterwards. The mobile data will be provisioned in 75GB instalments each month, which can be helpful in case you accidentally use too much data in a single month. You'll also receive international minutes to 35 destinations with this plan.
Total minimum cost: AU$220 First year cost: AU$220 Ongoing yearly cost: AU$480View Deal
More of the best SIM-only plans
Keen to shop around more? Check out the most popular SIM-only plans in the widget below:
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