Best deals in the August sales revealed by Which? – Which? News

Are you after a new laptop, TV or fridge freezer? Or maybe you want cheaper broadband? We’ve found great discounts on tech, home electricals and kitchen appliances for August.

This deals round-up features only products we’ve rigorously tested in our labs – we never recommend ‘deals’ on duds.

Our tests are objective and reflect how things are used in real life, so you can trust the accuracy of our reviews: read them before you buy.

* References to ‘average price’ are based on Which? market knowledge and information supplied by our partners. Average prices are checked for the six calendar months prior to publication. Not all retailers are included in our checks.

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Best mobile phone deal

Google Pixel 7 Pro

• Large 6.7-inch QHD+ display
• Versatile camera lenses
• Nearly six years of security support remaining

We like Takes superb videos and pictures

We don’t like Short battery life

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is Google’s most premium phone from its 2023 series, and it is seeing some superb discounts now the Pixel 8 series for 2024 is out.  

It’s big and powerful. The Google Tensor G2 processor has 12GB of Ram, and the screen has a sky-high resolution (3,120 x 1,440). With three rear camera lenses, the cameras have versatile abilities.

Currys is currently selling this phone at half its launch price. See prices below, check contract deals on the 7 Pro, or read our Google Pixel 7 Pro review.

See more of the best mobile and SIM-only deals.

Best laptop deal

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 13.3-inch

Average price in the past six months: £958*

• Intel Core i5 processor
• 8GB Ram
• 13.3-inch screen

We like: The battery life

We don’t like: Disappointing speakers 

This 2-in-1 laptop has a 13.3-inch touchscreen that can be flipped all the way around so the laptop can be used like a large tablet or propped up on a desk.

Its Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD mean it won’t struggle if you have multiple web browser tabs and other programs open.

It weighs just 1.14kg, which is very light for a 13-inch 2-in-1. 

Read our expert Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 13.3-inch review to see if it meets your needs. 

See more of the best laptop deals.

Best tablet deal  

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ 

Average price in the past six months: £849*

• 12.4-inch screen
• USB-C charging
• Runs the Android operating system

We like: The superb camera

We don’t like: It’s not the most portable

The Samsung S9+ screen has a resolution of 1,848 x 2,960, making its 2K far sharper than HD.

Its high-end Snapdragon processor is extremely fast. It also has 12GB of Ram and a 256GB hard drive.

With its 12.6-inch screen, it’s one of the bigger tablets, so it may not be comfortable to hold for long periods. It’s probably better on a desk or paired with a keyboard to create a laptop. 

Find out if it’s the right model for you – read our expert Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ review. 

See more of the best iPad and tablet deals.

Best broadband deal

NOW Full Fibre 75 (12 months)

• Average speed 57 Mb/s 
• £28/month (12 months)
• £19 upfront cost

This is a particularly attractive fibre broadband deal given the 69Mbps average speed but keep in mind that Now Broadband occasionally implements ad-hoc price increases – for example, last July products increased by £3.50 (social tariffs were excluded from the price rise).

Read our NOW Broadband review to see how it fares in our survey. 

See more of the best broadband deals.

Best TV deal

LG OLED42C34LA

Average price in the past six months: £826*

• 42-inch 4K TV
• OLED display
• Supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision formats

We like: The strong sound

We don’t like: The cluttered smart menu

It sounds excellent, and it’s one of the better small TVs.

Its smart features are a mixed bag, but it does have Amazon Alexa and ThinQ voice control. 

Read our LG OLED42C34LA review to see if it’s worth getting your hands on.

See more of the best TV deals.

Best vacuum cleaner deal

Samsung Jet 95 Pro VS20C9547TB

Average price in the past six months: £478*

• Bagless and cordless handstick vacuum cleaner
• 0.9 litre dust capacity
• Weighs 2.8kg

We like: It’s versatile

We don’t like: It could be quieter during use

This cordless vac comes with a fully removable and washable dustbin, an LCD display that lets you adjust the five suction levels, check battery status, and receive maintenance alerts, a freestanding charging base, and a telescopic wand that can be extended between 455cm and 655cm.

Like most cordless vacs, it comes with a removable handheld helper for smaller jobs and tight corners around your home.

In the box, you’ll find a pet tool, crevice tool, combination tool and flex tool for harder-to-reach areas; there’s also a spinning sweeper with disposable wet pads for mopping hard floors and antibacterial reusable wet pads.

Read the full Samsung Jet 95 Pro VS20C9547TB review to find out how it fared in our lab tests.

See more of the best vacuum cleaner deals.

Best fridge freezer deal

Bosch KGN39VXBT

Average price in the past six months: £945*

• Freestanding
• Frost-free freezer
• Black-steel

We like: It’s quiet 

We don’t like: Black appliances don’t suit the look of everyone’s kitchen

This Bosch comes with a hanging bottle shelf, salad box, and a Vita-Fresh chiller compartment designed to keep fresh meat or fish especially cool.

It offers super cool and super freeze settings to speed up chilling and freezing (handy if you’ve just brought a large batch of shopping back from the supermarket) and a Sabbath mode.

Audible alarms will alert you if the doors are inadvertently left open or if the fridge freezer detects a malfunction.

Read our full Bosch KGN39VXBT review to see if it’s your perfect fridge freezer.

See more of the best fridge freezer deals.

Best air fryer deal

Cosori CAF-L501

Average price in the past six months: £80

We like: The eight cooking programs, reheat and keep warm functions

We don’t like: It doesn’t have a viewing window

This basket-type model from Cosori weighs around 4.5kg and has a 1.2kg capacity, which is generous for a single air fryer.

Besides its eight cooking modes, it also has an adjustable thermostat, a timer and an audio signal that indicates the end of a cycle. The digital touch display allows you to control the programs and includes a time and temperature display, program status indicator and warning display.

It measures 31 x 27 x 38cm (HxWxD) and comes with a two-year warranty.

Read our full Cosori CAF-L501 review to see how well it air fries food.

See more of the best air fryer deals.

Best mattress deal

Breasley Select Plus Memory 1000 Pocket

Average price in the past six months: £249

We like: The removable machine-washable cover

We don’t like: It’s a bit bouncy and hard to rotate, no sleep trial

Exclusive to online retailer MattressNextDay, the Breasley Select Plus Memory 1000 Pocket is already cheaper than the average pocket sprung mattress. It’s on offer for £249, which isn’t the cheapest we’ve seen it over the past six months, but it’s still good value. 

This 21cm-thick double mattress includes a 14cm pocket spring core over a shredded polyurethane base layer, covered by various layers of foam and memory foam. It’s described as medium firm, but in our independent tests, it was rated 7.2 on a scale from 1 (very firm) to 10 (very soft).

Despite the foam layers, it doesn’t feel overly warm to lie on when you get into bed, so it should suit most people.

Read our full Breasley Select PLUS Memory 1000 Pocket review to see how durable and supportive our tests found it.

See more of the best mattress deals.

Best washing machine deal

Zanussi ZWF942E3PW 

Average price in the past six months: £390

• Freestanding
• 9kg cottons capacity
• White

We like: Good washing performance

We don’t like: It has slightly higher running costs than others

This is a good-sized machine with a 9kg capacity for cottons and 4kg capacity for synthetics. It has 14 programs, including eco 40-60, a 14-minute refresh and a 30-minute rapid wash, as well as cotton and synthetic washes.

Its maximum spin speed is 1,400rpm and there’s a time-remaining display, delay start and a child lock.

There is also an easy iron feature to help prevent creases.

Read the full Zanussi ZWF942E3PW review to see how it fared in our rigorous lab test.

See more of the best washing machine deals.

August sale shopping tips

Check the Which? website 

As well as telling you which products are best and which are lacking, we’ve also put together a list of the best and worst shops. 

We’ve quizzed thousands of Which? members on their experiences of shopping in some of the country’s best-known stores and websites, as well as with lesser-known brands. 

After crunching the numbers, we can reveal which retailers score highly for product quality, range and value for money. To see the retailers that impressed in our latest shopping survey, head to our extensive guide on the best and worst shops.

Watch out for sneaky tricks

Some retailers use underhand tactics to pressure you into making a purchase. 

These include anchor pricing (when products are on sale more often than they aren’t), pressure selling (‘30 people are viewing this right now!’) and dubious claims about the ‘before’ price of a product. 

If you’re unsure how good a deal is, check our reviews for a selection of prices at different retailers or use a tool such as PriceRunner to compare prices across retailers. 

Research customer reviews

It’s always a good idea to read reviews before you buy a product, but not all are trustworthy. 

Some sellers incentivise people to post fake positive reviews to drown out genuine negative ones. If you’re in any doubt, check our expert guide on how to spot a fake review. 

Returning goods

Whether you bought a product in-store or online, you still have rights under the Consumer Contract Regulations. 

The regulations give you a 14-day window to return a non-faulty product, which begins on the day you receive your goods. Many retailers will give you longer than this, but it’s always best to check before you buy. 

We’ve put together advice in our online returns guide on the additional rights you have when shopping online.