Best Amazon deals of the day: Garmin epix, Amazon Echo Hub, Apple iPad, Sony SRS

With October Prime Day on the horizon, Amazon has unleashed a few deals to get us excited. These aren't considered early Prime Day deals quite yet, but they are almost as good as what we'll likely see on the big day(s). Brands like Garmin, Apple, Sony, and Amazon itself are seeing big price drops on Monday, Sept. 16 and we've rounded up a few standouts for you to shop.

Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. If none of these catch your eye, be sure to check back throughout the week. We'll be selecting new deals each day.

Our top pick

The Garmin epix (Gen 2) smartwatch is built for fitness fanatics. It goes beyond just tracking your heart rate and caloric burn; it tracks pulse oxygen levels, stress, body battery, respiration, recovery time, real-time stamina, running pace, heart rate variability, and much more. You can even follow along with animated workouts or take advantage of personalized Garmin training plans for your next race right from your wrist. And like any good smartwatch, you can also stay connected through smart notifications, download music, breeze through checkout lines with contactless payments (through participating providers), and get a snapshot of your day. Unlike the poor battery life of the Apple Watch, this thing will last up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours in GPS mode. As of Sept. 16, it's down to $499.99 at Amazon — that's 44% in savings and a record-low price it's only hit once before.

New to the Echo family, the Amazon Echo Hub is essentially the brain to your smart home. It's a full-featured control panel that offers instant access to all of your other smart devices — lights, cameras, switches, doorbells, thermostat, etc. Rather than keeping control locked inside someone's phone, anyone can play music, stream videos, ask Alexa questions, dim the lights, adjust the temperature, or see who's at the door in one central place. It's typically $179.99, but for the second time since its release, it's down to just $144.99 — that's 20% in savings.

While we haven't tested the Sony SRS-XE200 yet for ourselves, we're big fans of Sony's other speakers and headphones. This lightweight Bluetooth speaker includes two x-balanced speakers, a line shape diffuser, and dual passive radiators, meaning it packs quite the punch in a portable package. It will last you up to 16 hours on a single charge, can quick-charge to give you another 70 minutes of playtime in 10 minutes, and offers personalized sound control in the app. The gray option is on sale for just $68 as of Sept. 16 at Amazon — that's 48% in savings and its lowest price on record by 99 cents.

As a proud owner of the ninth generation Apple iPad, my biggest complaint is that I bought it while it was on sale for $224. It's now back down to its record-low price of $199 for anyone who wants to avoid feeling such regret. While it's not the newest iPad around (it debuted in 2021), it's still our favorite tablet for most people. It features the A13 Bionic chip, a 10.2-inch Retina display, and up to 10 hours of battery life that's more than enough to power through basic tasks. I'm regularly surprised by how solid the battery life is. And for less than $200, you really can't go wrong.

• The 10 best Echo devices — which one are you buying this holiday season?
• All the best smartwatches for every wrist and interest
• The best tablets: iPads are great, but have you tried literally anything else?
• The 6 best Bluetooth speakers for basically any situation
• Here's why a smart lock should be the first smart home device you own

In the words of our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis), "The third-generation Amazon Echo Show 8 remains the best Alexa smart display for most homes thanks to software-based audio enhancements and other subtle upgrades." Released in 2023, the newest Echo Show 8 improves on its predecessor's features, adding a centered 13MP front camera for clearer calls, a dynamic interface that adjusts based on your distance to the device, and spatial audio for more enjoyable listening. Snag it for $104.99 and save 30% as of Sept. 16.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily dealsfor even more savings.