Best Black Friday Headphone Deals Start Emerging

If you’ve been holding off on that headphone upgrade, the early Black Friday window is offering up the kind of deals that you typically only see for a couple of days throughout the year.

I test headphones and earbuds for a living, so I’ve been keeping an eye on performance, comfort, and price activity throughout the year. The standouts below are the deals I would personally nab today thanks to lab-style testing, daily use, and historical price tracking.

Editor-Tested Headphone Deals You Can Shop Right Now

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are down to about $298 at major retailers, a serious dip from their $449 list. Compared with the newer generation, in side-by-side tests, the older Ultra model provides almost exactly the same level of active noise cancellation and sound that is similarly confident, warm-leaning. You miss out on some niceties, like the improved multi-device handoff polish, but at this price it’s a swing in value too big to ignore. If you work in a noisy environment or are frequently on the go, few cans squelch low-end rumble like they do.

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 continue to be a top buy any time they drop near the mid-$200s. With the latest Sony generation running an even higher MSRP, the XM5’s mix of featherweight comfort, great sound, and class-leading adjustability (I mean seriously — if you want to dial up your personal signature from there other than using Sony’s app-guided EQ software, I don’t know what to tell you) is probably the safer play. Battery life in my tests comes out just about on rating at 30 hours with ANC engaged, and multipoint continues to work flawlessly during daily swapping between laptop and phone.

Best Headphones Under $100 Worth Buying This Season

The Sony WH-CH720N tends to drop near $90 during big sales, and is the sub-$100 star to beat.

They’re light, have reliable multipoint pairing, and offer surprisingly good sound with decent active noise cancellation for the money. I found battery life came in at around 35 hours of mixed use with ANC on, which is in line with what Sony touts and surpasses a lot of more expensive models. The sound does seem to be tuned for easy listening — there is a slight bump in bass and treble is smooth — and with some quick EQ tweaks, it all tightens right up.

Open Earbuds With Premium Audio For Aware Listening

Open-style earbuds usually sacrifice bass and detail in order to leave your ears clear. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds defy that trend. When they fall $100 from their list price of $299, they are the best open design I would recommend for running and office use, or really anything if you need to be aware of your surroundings. They fit comfortably in the ear, the compact case actually fits a jeans coin pocket, and the on-ear controls sit where you don’t accidentally nudge them. Most of all, their low-end presence and midrange clarity are light-years beyond any other open earbuds I’ve heard.

Midrange ANC Earbuds That Punch Above Their Weight

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, the non-Ultra version, are a sleeper hit at $129. They don’t have the spatial features provided by the Ultra line, but they have robust ANC and stable multipoint, as well as one of the best battery lives in this price band — I quickly covered a full workday with ANC on and yet had some charge to spare. Sonically, they skew balanced with a tasteful bass bump; moreover, call quality stays clear on the street even with decent processing of what’s coming in through the mics.

What Prices Are Really Good During Black Friday

For the best sellers, year over year the “price to beat” thresholds tend to look not dissimilar.

The sweet spot for flagship over-ears is a green light at or below $300; quality budget over-ears start to shine under triple digits; and with midrange ANC earbuds, $99–$129 is the promised land. According to Adobe Analytics, electronics typically hit their deepest discounts — often around 30 percent off list price — around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with retailers secretly matching similar lows in the days leading up to them (which is what we’re seeing now).

How I Test And Why These Headphone Deals Matter

My testing was a mix of controlled noise-chamber checks for ANC effectiveness, long-haul comfort testing, and real-world reliability — particularly the multipoint handoff and app stability. I also monitor historical pricing through the year. Circana has seen average selling prices for premium headphones creeping up, which is what makes these early Black Friday cuts all the more noteworthy: they temporarily rebalance the value equation in favor of last-gen flagships and strong midrange models.

All of our picks above are better than any competition at their sale prices. Bose is king of listening in on low-frequency noise such as planes and commutes. The 1000X line from Sony is king when it comes to cushiony comfort and personalized sound that changes with your tastes. When they dip into the high $80s or low $90s, the CH720N firmly establishes itself as a no-brainer entry point into ANC. And finally, for open designs, Bose’s Ultra Open finally delivers “real headphone” sound without your ears sealed inside cups.

Quick Buying Tips To Know Before You Checkout

Check the exact model name to sidestep older editions with less-strong ANC. Confirm return dates are after the holidays. Look for firmware updates on day one in the companion app — noise control and multipoint also tend to get better over time with updates. And if you find these prices again on the big day, don’t hold out for bigger discounts: as in recent years, the best headphone deals can sell out fast or bounce back to regular pricing by Monday.

If you want elite ANC over-ears, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra for $298 or Sony WH-1000XM5 in the mid-$200s. Bottom line: if you crave elite flying ANC over-ears, grab these babies. Looking for a budget banger under $100? Sony WH-CH720N is it. Like open ears but don’t want to lose any sound? Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are an exception to the rule of a zero-opportunity upgrade. At $129, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are midrange ANC earbuds that knock well above their price. Here are the best early Black Friday headphone deals to spend your money on.