It’s coming to the end of the year, and that means two things: Multiple roast turkeys, and some of the best deals around the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I am personally excited for both, although only the latter is going to get us the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on the best headphones and best earbuds. Now that’s exciting.
I’ve been tracking the prices of my best-testing headphones and earbuds all year round, so that I can help you save money on the cans that you want. Why do my words matter? I’ve spent more than 4000 hours testing all the headphones and earbuds that come across my desk, evaluating them according to strict criteria so I can find out who they might work best for. If you’re looking for a new pair of earbuds, I’m your gal.
What are the best deals right now? There’s a couple that should have your attention captured. The AirPods Pro 2 currently have $50 off at Amazon, and while that’s not their lowest price, it's a solid discount. The Beats Studio Pro have a $100 discount at Amazon, again not their lowest price, but enough to make them well worth consideration. Sony’s excellent little LinkBuds S are currently $50 off at Walmart as well, for some slightly cheaper options.
We’ll be covering everything Black Friday over the coming months, so if you’re looking to save money on everything from Shoes to Laptops, stay locked to Tom’s Guide.
10 best headphone deals right now — Quick links
- Marshall Major IV: was $149 now $79 @ Amazon
- Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2: was $199 now $102 @ Amazon
- Sony Linkbuds S: was $199 now $158 @ Walmart
- Sennheiser Accentum: was $199 now $179 @ Best Buy
- AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $199 @ Amazon
- Sony WF-1000XM5: was $299 now $221 @ Walmart
- Beats Studio Pro: was $349 now $249 @ Amazon
- Sennheiser Momentum 4: was $399 now $279 @ Amazon
- Sony WH-1000XM5: was $399 now $311 @ Walmart
- AirPods Max (lightning): was $549 now $449 @ Amazon
Best Black Friday headphone deals
Best Black Friday headphone deals — what to look for in 2024
There are always plenty of headphone and earbud deals to be found throughout the year, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are usually going to feature the very best. It’s not just about the price you pay for a pair of headphones, mind you — there are a few things that you should be thinking about before you drop your dollars.
1. Design
Before you go about buying anything, you need a clear image of what kind of headphones you want. Do you want big comfortable over-ears, or in-ear buds that seal you away from the outside world? The latter will be more portable, but they not have the sonic chops of a pair of overears. Larger headphones tend to cost more than their much smaller in-ear cousins, on the other hand, so you have to consider that as well. What do you need them for? My Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones a phenomenal when traveling, but going to the gym or taking them out on a walk is a great deal more difficult. Meanwhile, my AirPods Pro 2 are incredible when I exercise, but their shorter battery make them less suited to long journeys on trains.
2. Sound quality
You should also work out how important the way that your headphones sound is to you. I, for example, put sound quality above almost everything when it comes to my headphones. That means I might not get noise canceling that’s as effective as other options, or I’ll get fewer features, but my ears will love the sound that comes from my headphones. If sound isn’t as important to you, there may have been fewer concessions elsewhere, so you might get the best noise canceling ever. Weigh up the pros and cons of the headphones you’re looking at to work out whether you’re willing to make the compromises that they might offer.
3. Battery life
This is an important one for a lot of people. There are some excellent options with incredible battery life at the moment, like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 or the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100. Those both last for at least 60 hours on a charge. The Marshall Monitor III last even longer, with 70 hours of staying power. These massive battery options can come with compromises in ANC and features, however, so work out what you’re willing to overlook to get better battery life. Having said that, you should absolutely keep an eye on those Marshalls over Black Friday if you want battery life. They make surprisingly few concessions for their epic battery life, and with some luck, they’ll be reduced this year.
4. Accessories (what comes in the box?)
As much as I like the AirPods Max, I still find it difficult to overcome their very useless carrying case. They are the perfect example of how you should take into consideration what you need to come with your headphones to make them worthy of purchase. In my case, it’s a decent hard case, and all the cables that I need. Those are becoming harder and harder to find now, so make sure you check everything before buying your headphones of choice.
5. The price!
‘How much do you want to spend on a pair of headphones’ might seem like an obvious question to ask, but it's an important one nonetheless. Work out how much you want to spend, and then see what you can get for your money. You may have to go without some of the features that you want, but then you make sure that you’re not spending too much. It’s important to have a budget planned out over Black Friday anyway so that you don’t have to eat nothing but noodles for the rest of the year.
