Best deals in the September 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 September.

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 8 Pro

• Fast Google Tensor processor
• Advanced cameras
• Seven years of support from launch

We like: Streamlined and fast user experience with upgraded cameras

We don’t like: Battery could be better

Google advances its premium line with a noticeably improved 8 Pro, which includes a range of upgraded camera lenses and fancy features such as a sensor that lets you scan an object to measure its temperature. Google claims you can use this to check if your pan is hot enough to start cooking, for example. 

Notably, it also offers seven years of security updates from launch – meaning you can keep the phone for a good while before it needs replacing.

Check prices below, check contract deals on the 8 Pro, or read our Google Pixel 8 Pro review.

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

Best laptop deal

HP Chromebook 15a-nb0004na

Average price in the past six months: £350 

• Intel Core i3 processor
• 8GB Ram
• 128GB SSD

We like: Speedy startup

We don’t like: On the heavy side

If you’re after a budget-friendly back-up laptop for your home, this HP Chromebook is worth a look.

It has an eight-core Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB Ram and 128GB of total storage. Ports include a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, a Micro-SD card slot, one full-sized USB and two USB-Cs (one for charging), but no HDMI port.

At 1.72kg, it’s not the lightest, but its specs are impressive for the price. 

Our HP Chromebook 15a-nb0004na review will explain all you need to know.

Even at its RRP of £450 it’s good value, but it’s now been reduced – see below.

See more of the best laptop deals.

Best tablet deal  

Apple iPad 2022 64GB wi-fi

Average price in the past six months: £450

• 10.9-inch screen
• A14 processor and 4GB of Ram
• 2,360 x 1,640-pixel display

We like: Great screen

We don’t like: Bass can get lost

This 2022 version of the iPad has a 10.9-inch, 1,640 x 2,360-pixel display screen – which is better than HD. The version we tested has a 64GB hard drive, but there’s a 256GB model available too. You can’t expand the memory in any way, so make sure you buy one that has enough for your needs. 

The iPad has 4GB of Ram and the A14 Bionic Chip – the same chip that powers the iPhone 12 range. But how did it measure up against the opposition in our lab tests?

Read our expert Apple iPad 2022 64GB wi-fi review for the full picture. 

See more of the best iPad and tablet deals.

Best broadband deal

NOW Full Fibre 75 (24 months)

• Average speed 75 Mb/s 
• £22/month (24 months)
• £5 upfront cost

This is a particularly attractive fibre broadband deal given the 75Mbps average speed but keep in mind that Now Broadband occasionally implements ad-hoc price increases (social tariffs excluded).

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

See more of the best broadband deals, or check deals in your area, including an exclusive £100 voucher for Which? members, by entering your postcode below.

Best TV deal

LG OLED42C44LA 

Average price in the past six months: £1,185

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

We like: Easy to use

We don’t like: Lacks some accessibility settings

This high-end TV has plenty of gaming features and other nice-to-haves. There’s a microphone in the remote, so you can use Alexa, Google Assistant or LG’s own ThinQ voice assistant to control many aspects of the TV. 

It has a 100/120Hz screen, plus you get a built-in twin-tuner PVR, so you can record from two channels at once and watch TV on another channel while recording. You need to connect a USB hard drive to take advantage of this feature, though.

Read our LG OLED42C44LA review to see how it performed.

See more of the best TV deals.

Best vacuum cleaner deal

Shark Stratos IZ400UKT

Average price in the past six months: £352

• Bagless and cordless handstick vacuum cleaner
• 0.9-litre dust capacity
• Weighs 4.1kg

We like: Easy to use

We don’t like: Fairly noisy

This Shark vacuum cleaner is aimed at pet owners. It’s equipped with Anti Hair Wrap Plus, designed to remove long hair, short hair and pet hair from the brush-roll as you clean. It also comes with Clean Sense IQ, which automatically senses the invisible dirt and adjusts cleaning power, according to Shark.

An illuminated indicator in the floor head shows the suction level, lighting up as the suction increases and automatically decreasing when the debris is cleared. As with most of the brand’s cordless models, it comes with an LED light in the floor head to help illuminate small particles of dust and pet hair.

Read the full Shark Stratos IZ400UKT review to find out how it fared in our lab tests. 

See more of the best vacuum cleaner deals.

Best fridge freezer deal

Bosch KGN492LDFG

Average price in the past six months: £904

• Freestanding
• Frost-free freezer
• Silver-coloured

We like: Quiet

We don’t like: Don’t be swayed into buying it on account of the holiday mode: our tests of this feature on other models found it’s often not worth the hassle

This silver-coloured freestanding fridge freezer has five shelves in the fridge compartment, three of which can be adjusted if you want to accommodate a few larger items. There are also three egg racks and four compartments in the fridge door. The freezer has three drawers and one ice-cube tray. 

Settings include an economy setting and rapid cooling and freezing for when you’ve just introduced a large batch of food that needs to be chilled or frozen quickly.

Read our full Bosch KGN492LDFG review to see if this model is for you.

It’s currently on sale at JC Campbell Electrics for £859, but also take a look at the prices available at other retailers below.

See more of the best fridge freezer deals.

Best air fryer deal

Tefal Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer & Grill EY905D

Average price in the past six months: £150

We like It’s quiet

We don’t like It’s very large and bulky

Unlike many other air fryers that are made from plastic, the outside of this Tefal model is covered in stainless steel.

It also has two different-sized drawers, which could be handy if you’re cooking a whole chicken but also want sides such as chips or vegetables in the other drawer.

The digital display allows you to switch between six auto programs: fries, chicken, vegetables, fish, dessert and dehydrate. If you’re not a fan of those, you can adjust the temperature manually.

Read our full Tefal Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer & Grill EY905D review.

This model is currently being reduced by Tefal to £150, a claimed £50 reduction. If you sign-up to Tefal’s newsletter, you can save a further 15%. Compare prices at other retailers below.

See more of the best air fryer deals.

Best mattress deal

Sleepsoul Cloud 800 Pocket Memory

We like: It feels cool to sleep on

We don’t like: No sleep trial offered

This mattress is delivered rolled and vacuum-packed, directly to your door. You can’t try it out in shops, but it does come with a 10-year manufacturer guarantee.

The 29.5cm-thick double mattress includes a 26cm pocket spring core covered by three thin layers of standard polyurethane foam (2cm, 1.6cm and 1.4cm) with different densities.

It’s pretty bouncy, so it may not be suitable for those with fidgety sleep partners.

Read our full Sleepsoul Cloud 800 Pocket Memory Mattress review to see if it’s for you.

See more of the best mattress deals.

Best washing machine deal

Zanussi ZWF142E3PW

Average price in the past six months: £464

• Freestanding
• 10kg cottons capacity
• White

We like: Energy efficient and fairly quick for its size 

We don’t like: Control panel can be a bit confusing

This 10kg-capacity washing machine has enough space for a large household’s washing, and it has 14 programs ranging from your standard cotton and eco washes to special high-speed washes as short as 14 minutes. It doesn’t have smart connectivity but does have some neat features like a delayed start, a child lock and a time-remaining display. 

Read our full Zanussi ZWF142E3PW review to find out if it’s the right model for you.

See more of the best washing machine deals.

September 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.