Black Friday earbuds deals 2024: prices and products look out for as the big day approaches – including AirPods

Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds 2 next to a sign saying Black Friday Earbuds Deals

(Image credit: Apple / Bose / Future Publishing)

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Looking for the best Black Friday earbuds deals? Good call: the cash-conscious buyer (good work on that, by the way) knows that gift-giving season is fast approaching. What we all chiefly need is a few choice Black Friday deals to put us ahead of the game and ready for the festivities.

First up, a timeline: Black Friday itself isn't until November 29th 2024 – but that's only half the story, as you'll probably know. If you reside in the US, Best Buy's Black Friday sale kicks off on November 8, with new deals every week, and Walmart's sale starts just a few days later, on November 11 – and the company's Black Friday ad is live now!

Across the pond in the UK, the Argos sale now live – with price promise through to Dec 3, as are sales at Currys (who will match/refund any lower prices through December 2) Very, John Lewis and Boots.

Below, you'll find a quick list of the early earbuds deals to check out ahead of Black Friday. This list will grow and expand as we get closer to the end of November, so save this page for quick reference.

We've provided a quick cheat-sheet of the best Black Friday earbuds deals we saw last year too, at the bottom of this page. You're very welcome.

Today's best earbuds deals in the US

Amazon: incredibly cheap Anker Soundcore prices
Best Buy: up to half price on JBL earbuds
Target: big deals on Sony, JLab, Beats and more
Walmart: the best early deals on AirPods and Bose

Apple AirPods 4 (without active noise cancellation): was $129 now $119 at Amazon
I predict Apple's all-new AirPods 4 will be a hot item at this year's Black Friday sale, and you can already grab a first-time discount at Amazon. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You're also getting a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and supports USB-C for wireless charging.

You can also get the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation on sale for $169 (originally $179).

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: was $299 now $229 at Amazon
★★★★ rating! Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are back to their lowest-seen price yet – hurrah! The star of these September 2023-release Bose QuietComfort earbuds is the all-new Immersive Audio feature (for various head-tracked spatial audio profiles) and Snapdragon Sound certification, the latest standard in Bluetooth connectivity. In short, these are Bose's most advanced noise-cancelling earbuds you can buy, provided you can live without multi-point connectivity or wireless charging (you have to buy a cover for the case to get that).

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): was $249 now $179 at Amazon
★★★★½ rating! The AirPods Pro 2 are the best-selling earbuds on the planet for a reason, and although they have dipped to $168 before now, this is still a great deal, making them great value for iPhone and Apple tech owners. They sound excellent, the noise cancellation is top tier, Dolby Atmos spatial audio is amazing for movies, and they even have an unloseable case, thanks to tech that literally points you to where it's hiding (and a speaker to help, too). They's also very small and light, so are great for comfort. Our AirPods Pro 2 review digs into all the extra features they have for Apple users – Android users should look to the Bose buds on this page instead.

Today's best earbuds deals in the UK

Amazon: top early savings on class-leading earbuds
Currys: deals on Sony, AirPods, Bose and more
John Lewis: up to £50 off Bowers & Wilkins headphones
Very: excellent deals on AirPods, Google Pixel Buds, Sony and Huawei

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): was £249 now £179 at Amazon
★★★★½ rating! AirPods Pro 2 are the best-selling earbuds on the planet for a reason, and Amazon's Big Deal Day sales have the earbuds for £10 cheaper than their previously lowest ever price of £189, a fee they briefly dropped to in February 2024. What will you get? Superb sound quality, top-tier noise cancellation, excellent spatial audio, auto-switching between different Apple devices, gesture control and more. Highly recommended for this money.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: was £299 now £219 at Amazon
★★★★ rating! Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are back down to their lowest-seen 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!

Sony WF-C700N: was £99 now £79 at Amazon
★★★★★ rating! The WF-C700N ripped our notions on what is achievable at this entry level to smithereens when they burst onto the scene in April 2023. The Nothing Ear (a) have since surpassed them at this price level for us (especially since they're even cheaper), but if you prefer Sony's style, these are the buds to go for. Our Sony WF-C700N review describes their fantastically rich sound and impressive extra features, including good noise cancellation.

Beats Studio Buds Plus: was £157.99 now £124 at Amazon
As with most Beats audio tech, the Beats Studio Buds Plus look good and offer a bass-heavy experience. You get rich and immersive sound supported by active noise cancellation which blocks out unwelcome sounds around you. There’s also one-touch pairing and the earbuds come with four pairs of silicone tips to help you get the right fit. These are the capable and affordable earbuds to throw in your gym bag or take on a long run – they have dipped as low as £95 before today though…

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. This is my fifth Black Friday covering earbuds, so between my experience of previous years and of the buds themselves, I know the real deals.

Black Friday earbuds deals: FAQs

When will the Black Friday earbuds deals start in 2024?

It starts now! And it'll run on, after the big day itself, into early December (Cyber Monday is another sales event worth noting, and that falls on the Monday after Black Friday). Again, Black Friday itself is November 29th, but prices start crashing way ahead of the calendar date as retailers go early to attract your custom first – that's why we're informing you about it now, and keeping on top of the deals.

The thing is, your TechRadar team's been in this game longer than we'd care to admit – which means we're not easily fooled: 'Black Friday' branded deals are not created equal, so we'll tell you which are actually worthy of your attention, and which to ignore for the time-being.

Interestingly, Amazon held a 'Big Deals Day' sale in October of this year, which was both unusually late and basically Amazon Prime Day Part Deux. Several retailers launched mini sales events in retaliation, but the point is that we're into 'deals season' right now and will be until the new year. We're be keeping our ears to the ground for the best earbuds deals, which we'll put right here, on this page. The deals will be ramping up from the beginning of November – but again, competing retailers will likely go early to beat each other to the punch.

Is Black Friday the best time to buy earbuds?

A resounding yes. While we can't promise you unequivocally there's no better time to buy your particular next set of buds, Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to buy anything you've got your heart set on – it is the biggest sale of the year. And you needn't simply take our word for it either; Adobe Analytics data clearly shows the biggest electronics discounts happened during the peak of last year's Black Friday sales.

So, if you've had your eye on an upgrade to the best wireless earbuds, want to bag yourself a set that supports next-gen audio, or just need an extra pair for the gym, you'll almost certainly find some of the lowest prices ever on earbuds throughout November. Discounts could be especially good this year given that some older models (such as the Sony WF-1000XM4) have gone off-sale, meaning that other buds – such as Sony's own WF-1000XM5 – are falling in price to fill that gap. That's alongside the release of some excellent high-end competitors from Technics, Bose and Bowers & Wilkins, and some amazing budget buds from Sony and Nothing.

What Black Friday earbuds deals should you look out for in 2024?

AirPods will surely be huge this Black Friday, as they have been regularly. The introduction of two AirPods 4 models in September means that any remaining stock of the two older iterations they supersede will likely be heavily discounted to fully clear. Those would be the AirPods 3 which support Apple's own Spatial Audio, and AirPods 2019, which don't. Discounts here could be huge and unprecedented, but we'll be telling you all about them if and when they land – and whether they're really the best use of your cash compared to other options.

The Cupertino giant also updated it's inaugural AirPods Max over-ears to use USB-C in September, which means you may well see big discounts on the older stock that uses the Lightning port. 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.

As sure as eggs is eggs, AirPods Pro 2 will be a most-wanted item over Black Friday. Prices have gone as low as $169 or £179 prior to now, and that was before Apple brought hearing aid features to these second-gen (and still current) Pro-suffixed AirPods. Expect discounts for sure, and if you see these prices again, jump in.

Elsewhere, we recently saw discounts on Sony's WF-1000XM5, which have sold for as little as $228 in the US (albeit very briefly, during Prime Day), which is an incredible deal. In the UK? Well, their lowest-ever price in this region is £189, which happened in September of this year. Our advice? For that money, they're more than worth it.

Other notable releases this year include the excellent Nothing Ear (a), which were recently discounted to as low as $79 or £77, and the Sony WF-C520, which are both very new and incredibly reasonable already – might we still see a minor saving there?

Finally, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have been seen for as little as $229 or £212 in the UK. If you see these figures on one of our deals posts (or even a touch lower), it's a superb deal. If you want the best noise cancellation around, you won't regret it.

As always, we'll be working some serious overtime on this and when we see the deals, you'll be the first to know.

Why trust TechRadar this Black Friday

Let me introduce myself! I'm your friendly audio editor and writer of this missive. I've personally covered Black Friday for five years, first as Staff Writer at What Hi-Fi?, then as Senior Staff Writer and now Audio editor on TechRadar. I was on the first Black Friday deals team in 2019 for our friends at What Hi-Fi? – and I've seen how much things have changed in just a few years.

I regularly hunt down the best prices on headphones and earbuds all year, not just during big sales events. Also, we now have dedicated deals teams in the US and the UK and (it's impossible to write this without sounding just a little full of ourselves, for which I apologise) we know what we're doing: we emphatically know a deal worth shouting about when we see it.

I also lean on the expertise of the wider TechRadar team – we've got decades of experience between us, and the site has been running for over 16 years. We've spent years testing and reviewing all of the latest noise-cancelling earbuds, budget buys and more. We know the brands that are worth spending money on, and we've reviewed over 2,400 audio products in our time. The ones we really rate are the Black Friday earbuds deals I'll focus on here. My aim? To get you a deal on a set of earbuds that checks all your boxes but doesn't blow your budget.

Last year's best Black Friday s deals in the US

JLab Go Air Pop: was $24.88 now $9.88 at Walmart
Before we get carried away, the JLab Go Air Pop are not the last word in sonic brilliance. But I cannot emphasize enough that also, they aren't half-bad – in fact they're alarmingly good for this ridiculous asking fee. For less than two big-chain coffees, you'll get rock-solid Bluetooth connectivity, killer battery life, comfortable and light earpieces, plus pleasing musicality on the go. It would be churlish to expect more – and this deal (which applies to various color options) is so much cheaper than we've ever seen them to date, on any site.

Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds: was $98 now $29 at Walmart
Fancy getting some of the best budget earbuds money can buy for a third of the list price? This deal at Walmart knocks a massive $70 off the excellent Sony WF-C500, a pair of buds we awarded a four-and-a-half star score when we reviewed them at release. Are they world-beating buds? No, but they sound great for the price, feature excellent app integration and controls, and are exceptionally comfortable. They don't have the best battery life, but it's tough to complain when they're going for just $30 – though should note that you've commonly been able to find them for around $50 rather than full price.

JBL Live Pro 2 was $149.95 now $74.95 at Amazon
In a loving ode to these earbuds, TR's audio aficionado Becky Scarrott wrote: "For eradicating extraneous chit-chat and low-level constant office irritations, I've not heard better for $150 to date. And you can quote me on that." Only, that price fell to just $75 as long as the blue pair works – and for clarity, we'd only ever seen them dip to $99.95 before this. This is a truly rock-bottom deal on 'buds that arrived in June 2022. Our advice? If you're looking for noise cancelling earbuds, you'll struggle to better them for customisable and effective ANC with all the whistles and bells.

Last year's best Black Friday earbuds deals in the UK

Sony WF-C700N earbuds: was £99 now £74.99 at Amazon
Simply the best cheaper noise-cancelling earbuds you can buy – that's what I said in my five-star review of these April 2023-release earbuds. And I stick by it too. They're lovely and small, they're comfortable, and although you don't get on-ear volume control or Sony's higher-res LDAC support, they've never seen a discount like this before – which is a whopping 24% off the asking price. They briefly dropped to £75.99 for Prime Day earlier in the year, so this deal means an extra pound stays in your pocket. Tidy.

JLab Go Air Pop: was £24.99 now £17.99 at Amazon
Before we get carried away, the JLab Go Air Pop are not the last word in sonic brilliance. But they also aren't half bad – in fact they're alarmingly good for their lowly asking fee. If this is truly where your budget maxes out, you'll get reliable Bluetooth connectivity, killer battery life, comfortable and light earpieces and solid music on the go. It would be churlish to expect more – and this deal (which applies to various colorways) is a whole £2 cheaper than we've ever seen them.

Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds: was £90 now £43.69 at Amazon
This is the cheapest that these earbuds have ever been to our knowledge, though only by a couple of pounds. Still, half price is superb for a pair of buds we awarded a four-and-a-half star score to when we reviewed them at release. Are they world-beating buds? No, but they sound great for the price, feature excellent app integration and controls, and are exceptionally comfortable. They don't have the best battery life, but it's tough to complain at this price. We should be clear, it's been standard to find these for around £50 for a while, rather than the full £90, but this is still a great price.

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.

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