Black Friday headphones deals 2024: the best deals live now on Bose and Sony over-ears, AirPods and more

A pair of Apple AirPods Pro 2 and a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are next to a sign saying Black Friday Headphones deals
(Image credit: Apple / Sony / Future Publishing)

Hello, cash-savvy shopper (well done on that, by the way). Your gift-giving season is fast approaching and our Black Friday deals are here to get you ahead of the curve and ready to navigate the inevitable (enjoyable) chaos.

The day itself is November 29th 2024, but you already know that retailers are starting to offer Black Friday headphones deals now – they're going early to make a sale, and why shouldn't they?

In the US, Best Buy's Black Friday deals started on November 8th, while Walmart's Black Friday deals followed soon after, on November 11th. In the UK, Currys and Argos have Black Friday sales is full swing (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 right here. This list will grow and multiply as things heat up even more as we approach the big day, but for now, the wisest shoppers stick with us – it's going to be a good one this year!

Oh, and if you wanted earbuds specifically (rather than headphones), I've got a dedicated guide to the best Black Friday earbuds deals around too. My pleasure!

Today's best headphones deals in the US

Apple  AirPods (third generation)
Apple AirPods (third generation) : was $169 now $94 at Walmart

The AirPods 3 feature the newer design with shorter stems that includes touch-capacitive force sensors for easy control. The earbuds also deliver impressive sound with spatial audio, resulting in an immersive experience and a MagSafe charging case that provides more than 30 hours of total listening time. No ANC, of course, (and AirPods 4 are newer) but if those things don't bother you, they're a good bet.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2E
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2E: was $399 now $249.93 at Amazon US

Want seriously gorgeous-looking cans that are barely a year old and now at their their lowest-ever price? Oh, and from a trusted name in hi-fi? You just found them. These September 2023 release over-ears (a small update on the excellent June 2022 Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2) feature ANC via the total of six mics and, as long as the 'cloud gray' or 'forest green' colorways suit (the other finishes are also on offer, but for $279) an incredible saving.

Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony WH-1000XM5: was $399 now $298 at Amazon US

Quite simply the best in Sony's class-leading wireless over-ear lineup. The older XM4 headphones were outstanding, the XM3 cans before it were 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 25% off, equalling their lowest-ever price! They don't fold up like the XM4 but, as a quick glance at our Sony WH-100XM5 review proves, there's not much else to pick fault with. 

Bose  QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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
Apple AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $179 at Best Buy

This isn't the cheapest that these have ever 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.

Sony  WH-1000XM4
Sony WH-1000XM4: was $348 now $248 at Amazon UK

Hold your horses! They've been less than this, (over $100 less, very briefly) so we're listing just to make you aware of this fact. It's still a tidy saving, but they may drop further… Let's face it, despite the waves of newer headphones available today, these icons remain 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.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones
Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones: was $379.95 now $243.68 at Amazon US

You might want to hang on for Black Friday here, because while this deal is a significant saving on the MSRP, we've seen Amazon and other US retailers offer the Momentum 4 for even less – as little as $219.95 very briefly. They're still an excellent buy now, we just want to make you aware of everything about the deal.

Today's best headphones deals in the UK

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless: was £300 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 – most 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, five star headphones for a great price.

Sony WH-CH720N
Sony WH-CH720N: was £99 now £69.99 at Amazon UK

We're listing these great-sounding, comfortable, spring 2023-release noise-cancelling headphones as a very good deal rather than a lowest-seen deal, because they've actually dropped to £65 briefly in the past (in early September, to be precise). In our largely glowing four-star review of the WH-CH720, 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. One for the shortlist, for sure.

Bose  QuietComfort Headphones
Bose QuietComfort Headphones: was £349 now £218.46 at Amazon UK

These give you noise cancellation that's as good as you can get for the price, and they're light and comfortable for long listening sessions. This isn't quite the cheapest they've been – they fell to £211 at one point – but this is the lowest they've been otherwise. They've been this current price consistency for a few weeks, so I have a suspicion they might drop to about £199 over Black Friday itself, but obviously no guarantees on that!

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): was £249 now £175 at Amazon UK

The AirPods Pro 2 are the best-selling earbuds on the planet for a reason, and this is a whole £4 cheaper than we've ever seen them until now. What will you get? Superb sound quality, top-tier noise cancellation, excellent spatial audio, auto-switching between different Apple devices, gesture control and more. Could the AirPods Pro 3 be on the horizon for 2025? Yes, but you get the new hearing-aid-features update in this set. Highly recommended for this money.

Bose  QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: was £299 now £218.81 at Amazon UK

Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are down to their lowest-ever price yet for Prime Day in the UK too. The star here is Bose's all-new proprietary Immersive Audio feature for several head-tracked spatial audio profiles) and Snapdragon Sound certification. In short, these are the most advanced noise-canceling Bose earbuds you can buy, now back down to their lowest-ever price – but we don't know how long it'll last!

Nothing  Ear (a)
Nothing Ear (a): was £99 now £69 at Amazon UK

★★★★★ rating! The latest Nothing Ear (a) Wireless Earbuds offer exceptional bass along with powerful active noise cancellation, so they’re immediately off to a good start. Their talented 11mm drivers are bigger than the norm and there’s 42.5 hours of battery life via the charging case, multi-point connectivity, and even ChatGPT support via the pinch stems if you're using a Nothing phone. This discount equals their lowest ever price… so, you know, that's very good indeed.

Nothing Ear
Nothing Ear: was £129 now £99 at Amazon UK

A £30 off saving (a 23% discount and the lowest they've ever been – albeit only by 58p) is a huge deal for Nothing's flagship earbuds. Here, you get to personalise your listening experience with Nothing's excellent Sound Personalisation mode, which is so good our reviewer wrote a dedicated feature on how it changed his approach to earbuds in general. This price also means you're getting flagship perks (including an excellent app, solid ANC and pinch-to-speak to Chat GPT from a Nothing Phone) for under £100. And that is, as far as we're concerned, unique.

Curated by
Senior audio staff writer Becky Scarrott, in a field
Curated by
Becky Scarrott

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

Apple AirPods Max, Bose QuietComfort Headphones, Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Anker Soundcore Space One headphones on orange background with "Big Savings" text in white

(Image credit: Future)

When will the Black Friday headphones deals start in 2024?

They're already piling up! 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.

TOPICS
Becky Scarrott
Audio Editor

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.