Black Friday headphones deals 2024: early deals, and when the big sales start
Black Friday headphones deals are starting to arrive now…
We know, this year's gone fast – Black Friday headphones deals are now starting to appear! If you're a cash-savvy shopper (well done there, by the way) you'll know that gift-giving season approaches – and you'll need a few Black Friday deals to get you ahead of the curve and ready for the chaos.
What you need to know is this: while the day itself isn't until November 29th 2024, retailers are starting to offer Black Friday-branded headphones deals from now. In the US, Best Buy's Black Friday deals start on November 8th, while Walmart follows on November 11th. In the UK, Currys and Argos have already begun their Black Friday sales (and are promising to refund any further price drops if you buy now).
You can see a quick list of the best early Black Friday headphones deals to check out at the moment here. This list will grow and multiply as things heat up in the coming weeks, but for now, the wisest shoppers will bookmark this page for safe-keeping.
We've also provided a list of the best Black Friday headphones deals we saw last year, at the bottom of the page. Think of it as a guide on what to expect for 2024 as time goes on, based on history.
Today's best headphones deals in the US
- Amazon: early deals on Beats and Bose
- Best Buy: big Beats deals now
- Target: save on JLab, Bose & Beats
- Walmart: AirPods Pro 2 down to $179
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: was $429 now $329 at Best Buy
A $100 discount is the biggest we've ever seen on these incredible headphones, matching their lowest price to date. With incredible sound quality, supreme comfort, and unrivalled active noise cancellation, you're guaranteed an incredible listening experience.
Apple AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $179 at Best Buy
This isn't the cheapest that these have been – they've hit $169 a few times. But if you don't want to wait, it's an excellent price for these buds. They sound superb, they're full of smart features including an unloseable case, and they have top-tier noise cancellation.
Beats Studio Pro: was $349.99 now $169.99 at Amazon
With fast pairing for iOS and Android devices, Beats Studio Pro are an excellent choice regardless of what ecosystem you are in. They last longer than some other over-ear headphones on the market, with up to 40 hours of playback. You can also quickly recharge them via the USB-C port for hours of listening in just minutes. Additionally, they have custom-designed drivers and support for Spatial Audio on Apple Music. You can pick from a range of colors, and Studio Pro offers a comfortable design with plenty of padding on the top band and earcups. Right now, you can score them for a strong 50% off on Amazon, which is basically as cheap as they've ever been.
Today's best headphones deals in the UK
- Amazon: up to 50% off Anker headphones
- Argos: JLab and Technics from £19.99
- John Lewis: Sennheiser flagship cans now £199
- Very: big early Sennheiser deals
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless: was £217 now £199 at John Lewis
The Momentum 4 Wireless headphones serve up a truly glorious sound that is among the best we’ve heard for the price. Their 60-hour battery life also has to be admired as rival pairs simply don’t come close. This is the lowest price we've seen them for to date, so get a pair of flagship headphones for a great price.
Anker Soundcore Q20i headphones: was £49.99 now £32.99 at Amazon
Anker makes very good-value headphones in its Soundcore range, and these are comfortable, they offer active noise cancellation, they have a long 40-hour battery life, and you can customise the sound using the app. A bargain set of features for this low price!
I've reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. I've spent five years working on Black Friday headphones coverage, so between my experience of previous deals and of the headphones themselves, I know what's a real bargain.
Black Friday headphones deals: FAQs
When will the Black Friday headphones deals start in 2024?
They're already starting! Black Friday proper isn't until November 29th, but the actual deals are building up way ahead of the calendar date.
Also, your TechRadar team's been in this game a while and we are not easily fooled: 'Black Friday' branded deals may start in late October, but we'll tell you which are actually worth your consideration and which to steer clear of, because a better offer is likely to come later – though the promises that some retailers offer of refunded any price difference can help.
Amazon actually held a 'Big Deals Day' sale in October of this year, which was basically a second Amazon Prime Day. Several retailers launched sales in thinly-veiled retaliation, so we're in a heightened 'deals season' right now and will be until the new year. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for choice headphones deals right here on this page.
Is Black Friday the best time to buy headphones?
We can't promise you there's no better time to buy, but generally speaking, Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to buy new headphones – it is without a doubt the biggest sale of the year. And you don't need to take our word for it; Adobe Analytics data shows the biggest discounts on electronics happened during the peak of last year's Black Friday sales.
So, if you've been considering an upgrade to your current cans or want to snag yourself a brand-new commuter set (or something for the gym?) ahead of the big day, you'll likely find some of the lowest prices ever on headphones throughout November. Discounts could be especially aggressive this year, given how the market has struggled to find a new icon following Sony's excellent – but let's be honest, getting older – WH-1000XM4 over-ears, alongside the release of some excellent (if a little more niche) planar magnetic sets and of course, Apple's addition of USB-C ports to its AirPods Max… we've tested them all here at TechRadar, so we'll only offer you the best deals we see.
What Black Friday headphones deals should you look out for in 2024?
As mentioned above, we think AirPods Max will be huge this Black Friday. Don't mind a Lightning port? The Cupertino giant updated it's inaugural Apple-branded over-ears to use USB-C in September, which means you may well see big discounts on the older stock. Last year, AirPods Max dipped as low as $395 / £399 in the UK, both at Amazon, so we might look for prices to even dip a touch lower.
Elsewhere, we recently saw a lovely sale on Sony's WH-1000XM5, which dropped back to their lowest-seen price of $298 in the US. In the UK? Well, their lowest-ever price in this region is £239, which happened in January 2023. Our advice? At those prices, they're a stone cold steal.
Any other notable mentions? The superb Bose QuietComfort Ultra recently dropped to their lowest ever prices during Amazon's 48-hour Big Deal Days event in early October. The prices to look for there are $329 in the US and £329 in the UK. If you see these figures or lower, it's a cracking deal.
Finally, Sonos' June 2024-issue headphones, the Sonos Ace. We've heard murmurings that Sonos may drop the price of those too to stimulate better sales, so that's another one to look out for.
As always, we'll be working around the clock and when we see the prices drop, you'll be the first to know.
Why trust TechRadar this Black Friday
As your friendly audio editor and writer of this piece, I've covered Black Friday for five years, first as Staff Writer at What Hi-Fi?, then as Senior Staff Writer and finally Audio Editor on TechRadar. I was on the inaugural Black Friday deals team in 2019 on TechRadar's sister publication above. And I see how far we've come.
Today in 2024, I regularly hunt down some of the best prices on headphones and earbuds, not just during sales events but throughout the year. We also have dedicated deals teams in the US and the UK and (it's impossible to write this with humility) we know what we're doing: we emphatically know a bargain when we see it.
I'm also leaning on the expertise of the wider TechRadar team and we've got decades of experience between us – TechRadar itself is over 16 years old. We've spent more time than I'd care to calculate testing and reviewing all of the latest noise-cancelling headphones, planar magnetic over-ears, sports focused earbuds and more. We've reviewed more than 2,400 audio reviews in total, in fact. We know the options that are worth spending money on. Those are the Black Friday headphones deals I'll focus on here. My goal? To get you something that matches both your priorities and your budget.
Last year's best Black Friday headphones deals
Sony WH-1000XM5: was $399 now $328 at Amazon
Quite simply the newest and best in Sony's class-leading wireless over-ear lineup. The older XM4 was outstanding, the XM3 before it was excellent, and it'll come as little surprise to know that Sony's XM5 proposition is also incredibly hard to beat – especially with a whopping 18% off, equalling their lowest ever seen price! They don't fold up like the XM4, but they are some of the best noise-cancelling headphones money can buy from a trusted retailer – at their lowest-seen price.
Sony WH-CH720N: was $149.99 now $98 at Amazon
These are great-sounding, comfortable, long-lasting, noise-cancelling headphones for the price – and this 35%-off saving is the cheapest they've ever been! In our review, we loved the detail and balance of the audio, and though it feels a little restrained compared to higher-end headphones, that's no problem considering the price. You won't find better quality under $100, in our experience.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: was $429 now $379 at Amazon
These headphones sound just incredible, delivering Bose's best-ever detail, balance and expansiveness – and they have the strongly noise cancellation we've ever heard too. They also deliver other features, such as spatial audio, app customization, multi-point connectivity and more. They're expensive, but they're worth it – and they were only released in October, so any discount this soon is nice.
Sennheiser Momentum 4: was $379 now $259.95 at Amazon
Sennheiser's fourth generation wireless over-ear cans are excellent – just see our five-star review of the product to see why. Now, for a whopping $120 off, you can get excellent active noise-cancellation, a suite of impressive features plus admirable sound and call quality. They’re also light and comfortable – and the 60-hour battery is just another way in which they're unbeatable at the level. At this 32% off price, they're exceptionally tempting – although they've very briefly dropped to $245 in September on Amazon so, you never know…
Apple AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $169 at Walmart
This $80-off price cut at Walmart sees Apple's newest Pro-suffixed AirPods drop to $20 cheaper than we've ever seen them. Take note: the case is the slightly older Lightning connector variant, rather than the updated USB-C version. But if that doesn't bother you (and they're identical in almost every other way), this is the deal to get for Apple users.
AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C: was $249.99 now $189.99 at Best Buy
JBL Tune 760NC: was $129 now $64.95 at Amazon
The bigger sibling of the 660NC above, these offer more comfortable over-ear fit, which also helps to improve their active noise cancellation powers, and sound quality. This half-price deal matches the cheapest these headphones have ever been, and they're definitely incredible value at under $65.
Last year's best Black Friday headphones deals in the UK
Sony WH-1000XM4: was £350 now £197.99 at Amazon
This is their lowest price yet – which dropped on November 16! Let's face it, out of all the new headphones available today, these are an excellent set of wireless cans – and although the newer XM5s sound just that tiny bit better, it's a closely run race. These hugely popular over-ear headphones are sonically gifted, boast excellent ANC and, unlike their younger siblings, fold up for easier transportation in their included travel case…
Sony WH-CH520: was £60 now £34 at Amazon
This massive 42% saving on their February 2023 launch price is a the biggest discount yet on what we called "some of the best cheap headphones you can buy" – see our glowing Sony WH-CH520 review for clarification. They've briefly dipped to just under £40 before today, in August, but this knocks that price clean out of the park, doesn't it?
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: was £449 now £399 at Amazon
These headphones offer simply fantastic sound, cramming in more detail, dynamic range and energy than we've ever heard from Bose, along with the company's best-ever noise cancellation. They're high-priced, but they feel and sound premium, and come with great extra features, including spatial audio. They only came out in October, so while this isn't a huge discount, any price cut is good!
Sony WH-1000XM5: was £380 now £279 at Amazon
Quite simply the newest and best in Sony's class-leading wireless over-ear lineup. The older XM4 was outstanding, the XM3 before it was excellent, and it'll come as little surprise to know that Sony's XM5 proposition is also incredibly hard to beat – especially with a whopping £100 off, aka a return to their lowest ever seen price! (Clarity? Of course. Get them if you want some of the best noise-cancelling headphones money can buy from a trusted retailer.
Focal Bathys: was £699 now £599 at Peter Tyson
These might just be the most beautiful headphones we've ever seen – note the glowing backlit flame on each ear cup – and not only do they offer active noise cancellation (in both ‘silent’ and ‘soft’ modes) which you can adjust to your taste via the in-app EQ settings, they also include a 24-bit USB-C DAC mode, so no standalone option required to get better sound from your laptop or iPhone 15, say. Battery life is 30 hours and you're getting Focal's patented driver tech plus Bluetooth 5.1 with both aptX and aptX Adaptive support. They very briefly dropped to £549 once before, but that was a serious flash in the pan. Our advice? It's a serious saving on seriously good headphones.
Edifier Stax Spirit S3: was £329.99 now £263.99 at Amazon
These comfortable, portable and effortlessly chic wireless planar magnetic headphones with aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and regular aptX are in the Black Friday Amazon sale, from November 17 - 27. Edifier's latest proprietary planar magnetic technology, using 89mm x 70mm planar magnetic driver units, offers a frequency response of 20Hz~40KHz and some of the most accurate, crisp, meaningful sound reproduction of any of the best wireless headphones at the price. They've briefly dipped to £1.31 cheaper… we know, it's still an amazing deal on Award-winning headphones.
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Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.
- Matt BoltonManaging Editor, Entertainment