The big picture: Amazon Prime Day is still two weeks away but the e-commerce giant has already unleashed some appetizers to get shoppers to open their wallets. Several Amazon-branded electronics have been marked down, prompting other retailers and brands to cut prices to stay competitive ahead of the big sale.

Highlights include this 50-inch 4K LED Smart Fire TV from Insignia. Normally priced at $349.99, the set can currently be had for $199.99 with free delivery. That's a solid 43 percent discount, and it's far from the biggest TV discount we've seen thus far.

The invite-only offer for Amazon's 43-inch Omni Series 4K Smart TV is still on the table. Interested Prime members can request an invite and if selected, you'll be able to purchase it for $99.99 (75 percent off) when Prime Day kicks off next month.

Amazon's Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote is also marked down for early birds. The streaming device regularly sells for $39.99 but can be had for just $16.99 when using code PD23WIN at checkout.

Elsewhere, you can grab a 2 TB Samsung portable SSD for 57 percent off (down to $114.99) or take 69 percent off an eero Pro mesh Wi-Fi router kit – yours for $149.99. Another invite-only deal knocks 31 percent off the Acer Swift 14-inch laptop, bringing the Ryzen 7-powered portable down to $629.99 for those who get selected.

Amazon hosted its first Prime Day in 2015 to celebrate its 20th year in business. The sale wasn't groundbreaking, but it demonstrated to executives that the idea of making up its own sales holiday had legs. Subsequent events featured more attractive deals, and last year we saw Amazon host two big sales in addition Black Friday and Cyber Monday events.

Prime Day kicks off on July 11 at 3 a.m. Eastern and run through July 12. You'll need a Prime membership to participate, but you can sign up for a free trial if you don't already have an account.

While not Amazon offerings, two other ongoing TV deals are also worth mentioning here. Samsung's massive 98-inch QLED 4K TV can still be had for around $6,500 with free shipping and a free soundbar (a $1,000 value), and Best Buy has a 55-inch Neo QLED 8K set on sale for $999.99 (normally $1,599.99).