You might be surprised what you can buy on Amazon these days. And with Prime Day deals in full swing, it is the perfect time for a quick reminder of what is on offer, beyond the usual tech and toys.
Amazon Australia’s Prime Day is on now and runs until 11:59pm AEST on Monday 13 July, seven full days of deals across hundreds of thousands of products, from big global brands to thousands of Australian small businesses. We visited Amazon’s Sydney office to see a sample of the range in person, and plenty of it surprised us.
The Garmin Forerunner 965 GPS sports watchNinja’s Crispi air fryer and pizza ovenThe Kindle range on display, including the new Colorsoft at 30 per cent offRing and Blink cameras, Kindle Scribe and Eero Wi-Fi routers
Everyone knows Amazon for tech, and there is no shortage of it. Garmin smartwatches are heavily discounted (the Fenix E is half price), Sennheiser Momentum 4 SE headphones are 59 per cent off, the Nikon Zf camera range is 37 per cent off, Ring cameras are up to 53 per cent off, Blink up to 72 per cent off and Eero Wi-Fi systems up to 30 per cent off. The Kindle range is discounted too, with 30 per cent off the new Colorsoft and $220 off the Kindle Scribe. There are fun surprises as well, like the Kodak Charmera keychain digital camera, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 3 smartphone printer with Super Mario case at 39 per cent off, and the H03 Sunrise Alarm Clock for gentler mornings.
But the everything store lives up to its name in categories you might not expect:
Toys: 39 per cent off the animatronic Star Wars Grogu Action Buddy, savings across LEGO sets (we spotted the Disney castle at 20 per cent off in Amazon’s office), plus PAW Patrol, Fisher-Price and Mattel.
Cosmetics and skincare: K-beauty stars like SKIN1004 (47 per cent off), COSRX Snail Mucin essence (60 per cent off) and d’Alba (41 per cent off), plus French pharmacy favourites including Avène at 68 per cent off and La Roche-Posay at 30 per cent off.
Fresh food: 25 per cent off a range of Harris Farm Markets products, handy if you do not have a store nearby, or just want to skip the trip.
Appliances: 58 per cent off the Ninja Slushi frozen drink maker, 34 per cent off the Ninja Crispi air fryer, 42 per cent off the Ninja Woodfire outdoor oven, 53 per cent off the De’Longhi Eletta Explore coffee machine, 40 per cent off the KitchenAid stand mixer and 39 per cent off the Dreame X50 Ultra robot vacuum.
Personal care: up to 39 per cent off the ghd Platinum+ straightener, 60 per cent off the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 bundle and 60 per cent off Oral-B electric toothbrushes.
Staple refills: creatine, coffee capsules, dishwasher pods and snacks in one orderKorean skincare, including Skin1004 and d’Alba, alongside big name beauty brandsThe LEGO Disney castle, spotted at 20 per cent off ($359, down from $449)The Star Wars Grogu Action Buddy animatronic, 39 per cent off
The upshot: a lot of the errands that eat into your weekend can be knocked over in one cart, often at a discount right now.
Fresh fruit and veg from Harris Farm Markets, delivered via Amazon
Also new this year, Amazon Haul joins Prime Day for the first time. It is Amazon’s budget corner with hundreds of thousands of items under $5, and Prime members get an extra 25 per cent off everything, applied automatically at checkout all week.
Pro tip: price check with Amazon Lens
Here is a clever way to use Amazon’s tech to save money. With Amazon Lens in the Amazon app, you can take a photo of a product you spot in a retail store, upload an image or scan a barcode, and the app finds exact matches and similar items, so you can compare prices on the spot before you buy.
Just tap the little camera icon in the Amazon app search bar, take a snap, and Amazon will tell you if they sell it. Handy when at the shops for a quick price comparison
Prime Day deals are exclusive to Prime members. New members can jump in with a 30 day free trial, then $9.99 a month or $79 a year. Head to amazon.com.au/primeday to browse the full list.
Phones aren’t cheap these days, but if you wait for the right time, you can snag a decent discount. Or, in the case of Motorola, eye off a sizable launch deal, which the phone brand has done for its upcoming Razr Fold and Razr 70 Ultra foldables.
At launch, the Motorola Razr Fold is $400 off, bringing it down to $2,399 at a bunch of Australian retailers. Likewise, the Razr 70 Ultra is $1,799 at launch, a $200 discount on the flip-style phone.
Foldable phones are among some of the pricier handsets currently available, but the Razr Fold is one of the relatively lower-priced options. I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the Razr Fold, particularly its intuitive multitasking controls, long-lasting battery, and high-quality cameras. I’m also about to test the Razr 70 Ultra, which I’m eager to see in person after Australia missed out on the Razr 60 Ultra.
Via JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, both phones are discounted from now until 5 August, several weeks after Motorola’s latest devices launch on 15 July. Telstra also has a $400 discount on the Razr Fold, in addition to a $600 trade-in bonus. But Telstra’s offer ends sooner, lasting until 15 July.
A closer look at the Razr Fold & 70 Ultra deals
For JB, the retailer’s Razr Fold and Razr 70 Ultra deal also pairs with a trade-in offer. For the Razr Fold, you can get a $600 JB Hi-Fi gift card when trading an old phone towards the new handset, while a $400 gift card comes with the Razr 70 Ultra for the same thing.
JB Hi-Fi also offers a $1,800 discount on the Razr Fold if you switch your phone plan to the retailer’s $99 monthly plan (which uses the Telstra network) for 24 months. Alternatively, it’s a $1,500 discount on the Razr 70 Ultra by signing up to JB’s mobile plan.
At Harvey Norman, the outright discounts are the same. The difference here is the telco offer. Harvey offers the Razr 70 Ultra for $0 upfront when pre-ordered with an Optus $69 plan, provided you stay with the plan for 36 months. Similarly, the Razr Fold costs nothing upfront when joining Optus’ $79 plan for 36 months.
It felt like it was just a few months ago that Oppo launched the highly capable Reno 15 Pro and the more affordable Reno 15 F. That’s because it was just less than half a year ago, and Oppo already has the Reno 16 phones waiting in the wings for an Australian launch later this month.
Like the preceding phones, the new Oppo launch consists of the Reno 16 Pro and Reno 16 F models. Likely a result of the ongoing global memory shortage, both phones are noticeably pricier than the previous models.
In Australia, the Reno 16 Pro costs $1,599, a $200 increase from the Reno 15 Pro, while the Reno 16 F is $999, a sizable $320 leap over its Reno 15 counterpart. A 14.3 per cent price increase for the Pro model is fairly consistent with the cost increases passed on by other brands. However, the Reno 16 F’s 47 per cent price increase compared to the Reno 15 F is substantial.
Reno 16 Pro vs Reno 16 F similarities and differences
Despite the big price bump, the Oppo Reno 16 F is fairly similar to its predecessor on paper. It uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Again, the phone has a 6.57-inch AMOLED screen, plus a 6,500mAh battery with 45W wired charging speeds.
But there’s one thing the Reno 16 F gains to bring it closer to the Pro model: a telephoto camera. Both phones get a 3.5x optical zoom lens alongside an ultra-wide camera and a main lens. Oppo’s Pro model gets larger sensors and a higher megapixel count on the main camera (200MP vs 50MP), but the telephoto addition on the Reno 16 F is something not all $999 phones possess.
Both phones look similar, but the Oppo Reno 16 Pro sports the more powerful specs. Image: Oppo.
As for the Oppo Reno 16 Pro, it wields a MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super chipset, with 12GB of the faster LPDDR5X memory. It’s the smaller of the two phones, with a 6.32-inch AMOLED screen. Despite the smaller form factor, the Reno 16 Pro still gets a 6,000mAh battery, courtesy of silicon-carbon technology, with up to 80W wired charging speeds.
As for why the short gap between Reno releases, Oppo typically has a six-month cycle between launches. However, Australia sometimes only gets one set of Reno phones in a year. For example, we didn’t get the Reno 14 series. Instead, we got the Reno 13 and Reno 15 phones.
Oppo Reno 16 series release date in Australia
Online listings for both Reno 16 phones are live on Oppo’s website ahead of the Australian launch on 23 July. Once on sale, local retailers will sell the phones, including JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, and The Good Guys.
Both phones come in a ‘Pop White’ finish designed to look like it floats off the back panel. If that’s a bit much for your tastes, the Reno 16 Pro also comes in ‘Starlight Black’, while the Reno 16 F has a ‘Twilight Violet’ colour option.
As far as OLED TVs go, the Samsung S95H is very bright. I mentioned as such in my review of the S95H, which brings you all the benefits of OLED technology, even in a bright room.
It’s a remarkable TV, especially if you can wall mount it. Samsung’s ‘FloatLayer’ design adds a nice metallic border surrounding the display, but it’s not as striking when putting the TV on its stand. Regardless of your setup preference, though, the S95H continues Samsung’s recent strong track record of making high-quality OLEDs with excellent anti-reflective coatings.
Definitely take a look at the TV in action, even if you just want to see what modern OLED TVs are capable of.
It’s inescapable, impossible to miss: Amazon’s massive annual Prime Day sale is on right now. To help you save even more money while shopping the many Prime Day deals, we have $1,000 worth of Amazon gift cards to give away!
But you need to be quick: this giveaway is only open until Friday, so you have time to use the gift card during the Prime Day sale.
Returning for another big site-wide sale, Amazon Prime Day is on now, 7-13 July. Access to all the incredible deals is included with a Prime membership, priced at $9.99 per month.
This year’s sale includes hundreds of dollars of savings across all kinds of tech. From discounted AirPods, affordable security cameras, and big price drops on home appliances, Amazon has a lot of top-notch deals to peruse.
With so many great deals, this sale is something you don’t want to miss.
How to win an Amazon gift card for Prime Day
Thanks to the folks at Amazon, GadgetGuy is giving away 10 Amazon gift cards each valued at $100, bringing the total prize pool to $1,000. As if the big Prime Day savings weren’t enough, 10 lucky winners will be able to put $100 towards their next Amazon purchase. Note: this giveaway is open to Australian residents aged 18+.
For your chance to win one of these gift cards, read on for all the details.
Simply fill in the giveaway entry form below; the more entry methods you complete, the greater your chances of winning.
Remember, this giveaway ends very soon. Entries close on Friday, 10 July at 3:00 PM AEST, after which the winners will be sent their gift cards via email, ready to spend on the Prime Day sale.
Good luck to everyone who enters, and be sure to share the giveaway with any friends and family keen to make the most of their Amazon shopping.
Amazon’s first battery-powered doorbell to offer super-sharp 4K picture quality, the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) helps you keep a close eye on your doorstep.
Video doorbells have taken off in popularity over the last few years, with the likes of Google, Arlo, Eufy, Lorex, Tapo and Swann all chasing a slice of the action. There’s plenty of competition, yet Amazon-owned video doorbell pioneer Ring is still the heavyweight.
Ring’s video doorbell range is divided into slimline wired-only models that need to be connected to doorbell wiring with AC power, as well as more bulky models that offer a choice of running on AC power or a battery.
Battery video doorbells are easier to install, but the trade-off is that they need to be recharged every few months (although some now support solar panels).
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) further closes the gap with its wired brethren, the first to adopt the same slimline design and step up to 4K picture quality.
The faceplate pops off, so you can remove the battery and recharge it via USB-C (finally abandoning micro-USB). Australians have to settle for Deep Silver, while US customers can also choose from Polished Night Navy, Polished Mocha and Polished Sandstone. Amazon sells faceplates separately in Australia, but choose with care to ensure you don’t get one for the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (this Amazon link is correct).
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen)’s faceplate (left) is detachable so you can remove the battery (right) for charging. Image: Adam Turner.
It’s best to install the doorbell about 1.2 metres off the ground so you get a good view of people’s faces. Ring also includes a plastic wedge, in case you need to install the doorbell at an angle. This is useful if it’s in a corner or alcove and you want the camera looking to the side rather than straight ahead.
If you’re upgrading from a previous battery-powered model like the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro, you can’t do a straight swap onto your old wedge because the new doorbell is slightly thinner and taller. (Note: this model isn’t compatible with Ring’s old adhesive no-drill mount. There is a new no-drill mount for this doorbell; I’m waiting on more details from Amazon).
The new doorbell also relies on a different mounting system. No complaints here, as the old battery-model design relies on narrow and deep screw holes, making it very tricky to attach to your house.
Instead, you screw a simple bracket onto your house, with the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) clicking onto the bracket. If you need the camera at an angle, you screw the wedge to the wall and then screw on the bracket.
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) alongside the wedge and bracket. Image: Adam Turner.
This design makes it much easier to install the doorbell, and detach it when you want to get at the battery. Even so, there are traps for young players.
Pro tip one: don’t attempt to install the doorbell at night, so you’re not scrambling to find dropped screws in the dark.
Pro tip two: screw the wedge to the wall before you screw the bracket to the wedge. Otherwise, the bracket blocks you from screwing the bottom half of the wedge to the wall.
Pro tip three: triple-check that you’re attaching the bracket right-way-up to the wedge. Otherwise, the camera will end up tilted in the wrong direction.
The groove in the back of the doorbell clicks onto the notch on the top of the wall bracket. Image: Adam Turner.
If you’re not wiring the doorbell to an existing indoor chime, you’ll want to invest in Ring’s wireless indoor Chime or Chime Pro (you’ll get a discount if you buy it bundled with the doorbell). The Pro also extends your Wi-Fi signal to boost the network for all your Ring video doorbells and cameras.
Ring says the new 9400 mAh Li-ion battery supports faster charging but, if you don’t want to worry about charging the battery every few months, there’s a $79 solar charger and $89 solar panel. Based on Ring’s estimates, the panel needs three to four hours of direct sunlight each day to keep the doorbell running.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) specs & price
Dimensions
5.36 x 14.7 x 3.64cm with wall mount
Weight
320 g
Field of view
140° horizontal, 140° vertical
Video
Ring Retinal 4K (3,840 x 2,160-pixel) with 10x Digital Zoom
Night vision
Colour with Low-Light Sight
Audio
Two-way talk with Audio+
Motion detection
3D Motion Detection with Customisable Motion Zones
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz
Battery
9400 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery
AC Power
Standard doorbell system with 8-24 VAC, 40VA max, 50/60Hz doorbell transformer
Setting up the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) is very straightforward using Ring’s iOS or Android app. It’s a dual-band Wi-Fi device, connecting to 2.4 or 5 GHz networks, which makes life easier.
During setup, you can configure alerts, adjust motion detection sensitivity, create detection zones and set smart alerts for people, vehicles, packages and general motion. All of this reduces false alarms and conserves battery life.
I like to set Ring doorbells so that pressing the button sets off both the indoor chime and a smartphone alert, while motion detection only triggers a smartphone alert. That way, everyone in the house knows if someone rings the bell, plus I know if a courier has done a drop-and-run.
The faceplate-less Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) alongside the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro. Image: Adam Turner.
Like the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro, the 2nd Gen offers the benefit of 3D Motion Detection, underpinning the Bird’s Eye features previously limited to Ring’s wired cameras.
Bird’s Eye View provides a simulated top-down view of your front yard, overlaid on satellite imagery, so you can see how people are moving across your property. It also supports top-down Bird’s Eye Zones, limiting alerts to events that occur in a defined area.
Setting standard zones and Bird’s Eye Zones in the Ring app. Image: Adam Turner.
Bird’s Eye View is limited to a range of 9.5 metres, which is shorter than my driveway, so I initially disabled it. Instead, I relied on standard zones to draw the line at the end of the driveway. This way, I’m not disturbed by people walking down the street but catch them as soon as they come onto my property.
After some testing, I re-enabled Bird’s Eye View to try it out. This involves changing the settings in the Ring app, and even then the change wouldn’t take until I rebooted the camera. After this, it worked, although the 9.5 metre range means it takes longer to detect someone walking down my driveway.
Picture-in-Picture Bird’s Eye view revealing the path I took down the driveway, which doesn’t seem like useful information. Image: Adam Turner.
I still think Bird’s Eye view is a novelty, plus I don’t trust it. I found motion detection on the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro was never as reliable as its predecessors – occasionally failing to notice someone walking right past it. Bird’s Eye View was part of the problem; disabling it improved things, but the doorbell still had bad days.
For now, Bird’s Eye View can consider itself on probation and has performed well for a week. I updated my review of the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro several times to document its unreliability, and I’ll do the same here if I encounter similar problems with the Pro (2nd Gen).
When it comes to picture quality, the new Pro (2nd Gen) features decent 140-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles to ensure it has a good view of your doorstep. It’s a slight reduction from the original Pro’s 150-degree angles, which means it can see slightly less to the sides and of the ground directly below the doorbell.
Looking at the comparison below, you can see the 4K doorbell on the left is much sharper, while the 1080p doorbell on the right has slightly wider viewing angles but also greater fisheye.
View from the 4K Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) (left) and 1080p original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (right). Image: Adam Turner.
The doorbell also features improved two-way audio with echo reduction, so you can talk to your visitors via your smartphone or Alexa devices.
Of course, the Pro (2nd Gen)’s headline improvement is stepping up to 4K resolution so you get a much clearer view of what’s happening outside your front door and improved 10x zoom (I’m standing 6.5 metres from the doorbell in the shots below). Frustratingly, Australians still miss out on the facial recognition features available in the US, which would allow for smarter alerts. Amazon says “we don’t have any updates to share” when it comes to Australian availability.
Resolution and zoom capabilities on the 4K Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) (left) are a big improvement on the 1080p original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (right). Image: Adam Turner.
One of Ring’s great features has always been the pre-roll. It shows several seconds leading up to an event, which can make the difference between seeing someone’s face or just catching the back of their shoulder as they pass by. Wired models support “Advanced Pre-Roll”, while battery models support “Standard Pre-Roll”, which is shorter and lower quality.
Ring has been very fickle when it comes to including Standard Pre-Roll on the last few battery models. It was included with the original Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro, but now it’s been removed with the Pro (2nd Gen). Ring claims it is to preserve battery life, but I’m not happy about it. The lack of pre-roll makes the doorbell less reliable, and I think users deserve the option to enable it with warnings that it will shorten the battery life (which is the way it treats some other advanced features).
To be fair, I think the Pro (2nd Gen) responds to events more quickly than its predecessor, so you’re less likely to miss important details, but removing pre-roll is still a major disappointment for no seemingly good reason.
Subscription
Like most smart home gear that uploads video to the cloud, you need a subscription to access many of the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen)’s advanced features.
A Ring Protect subscription includes smart alerts when the camera detects people, vehicles or parcels, along with features like video preview alerts and text descriptions. There’s also the option to let a doorbell press come through to your smartphone as a call – which I think is less practical than viewing the scene and then deciding if you need or want to speak to the person on the other end.
The doorbell comes with a 30-day free trial, after which it’s $4.95 p/m ($49.95 p/a) just to cover the doorbell with ‘Ring Solo’, or else $14.95 p/m ($149.95 p/a) to cover multiple Ring devices with ‘Ring Multi’.
Frustratingly, you’ll need to step up to the new $29.95 p/m ($299.95 p/a) for Ring Pro to take advantage of video descriptions, video search, single event alert (combining related events) and unusual event alert, the latter of which learns your habits and then only bothers you when it sees something out of the ordinary.
Be warned, the doorbell lacks onboard storage and doesn’t capture any recordings without a subscription, so there are no replays. At this point, it’s only really useful for receiving alerts and checking the door in real-time.
Also keep in mind that this is a very Amazon-centric device. It plays nicely with Echo speakers and screens, but doesn’t support Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.
Quality
Put to the test, the 4K view from the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) is certainly much sharper than its predecessor, with the 10x digital zoom available during live view and when watching replays.
This makes it much easier to tell what’s happening in the distance, or to get a better view of important details like a person’s face or a car’s license plate. The improved picture quality also helps with night vision.
With Bird’s Eye view disabled, the doorbell didn’t fail to record events such as people, cars and other motion like animals. Enabling Bird’s Eye view didn’t see the camera’s reliability decrease, but I’ll report back if any of this changes over time.
Who is the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) for?
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen)’s step-up to 4K offers a big improvement in picture quality, although Bird’s Eye view still feels like a novelty. The slight drop from 150-degree to 140-degree viewing angles is disappointing, but not a deal-breaker. Losing pre-roll is more frustrating.
The doorbell is a great fit for Amazon-centric homes where it’s not practical to wire up a video doorbell. Even if you favour another smart home ecosystem, it’s still worth weighing up Ring’s doorbells against alternatives.
That said, the need for the even more expensive Ring Pro subscription to unlock all of the Pro (2nd Gen)’s features is a real slap in the face in these difficult economic times. Those extra features don’t seem worth the money, but you can always trial it for a month and decide for yourself.
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Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen)
With 4K picture quality but a slightly narrower field of view, the wired/wireless Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (2nd Gen) lets you keep a close eye on your doorstep.
Features
9
Value for money
8
Performance
9
Ease of use
9
Design
9.5
Positives
4K resolution with 10x digital zoom
Wired or Wireless battery-powered connection
More elegant design
Improved mounting system
Tight Amazon ecosystem integration
Negatives
Expensive
Slight reduction in viewing angles
No pre-roll
Ring Pro subscription required to unlock all features
Doesn’t integrate with Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant
Samsung has locked in 22 July in July for its next Galaxy Unpacked event, where it will likely debut a new range of foldable devices.
Set to air at 11 PM AEST via Samsung’s online channels, the company’s event will include the “newest additions to the Galaxy portfolio”.
“Combining intelligent capabilities with innovative form factors, the next generation of Galaxy devices are set to deliver more personal and adaptive experiences and set a new standard for the AI era,” was the text accompanying Samsung’s newsroom post.
According to several industry reports, Samsung will still launch new conventional versions of its Galaxy Z Fold and Flip phones. Its redesigned foldable reportedly won’t replace any of the brand’s existing phones. Instead, it will be an alternative form factor for those who prefer a shorter phone.
Alongside the July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked announcement, a blog post attributed to Samsung CEO TM Roh detailed the company’s philosophy towards generative AI technology. Samsung has been one of the early adopters of AI, launching the Galaxy AI ecosystem alongside the Galaxy S24 phones in early 2024.
According to Roh, faster and more capable AI, including agentic AI that can take action on behalf of people, is only as good as the technology’s understanding of its users.
“The best intelligence in the world should reach people through their everyday devices,” Roh said. “But what makes it personal is understanding the user and keeping that understanding safe.”
Samsung’s CEO also hinted at integration being the determining factor of which company will come out on top of the AI stakes.
“The question that opens the next era is not who has the smartest AI, but who understands people best, and turns that understanding into experiences they can trust.”
