It’s Black Friday and that means digesting all of your Thanksgiving food and hitting the online sales for some amazing bargains. We’re seeing massive savings on headphones from major brands including Sony, Apple, JBL and Jabra. If you’ve had your eye on a pair of AirPods or Beats, now is the perfect time. And for today only, you can snatch up Bose’s hugely popular QuietComfort 35 II noise-canceling headphones for $279.
We’ve collected some of the best deals below, many of which are already available for you to snap up. You’ll find the most current offers at the top of this post — we’ll keep this list fresh with new deals and updated pricing throughout the Black Friday shopping season.
Oh, and while you’re shopping, visit our Holiday Survival Guide for tips on how to get through the Thanksgiving weekend without too much strain. These ideas will help you keep your stress level manageable.
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With charging via USB-C or wireless Qi, full waterproofing and strong sound quality for the price, we already found a lot to love about the EarFun Free true wireless headphones at their original $50 price. But now, with promo code CNETCSK3 at Amazon, you can score these headphones for just $35.
See our EarFun Free review.
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The Powerbeats Pro are back, once again selling at the previous all-time low price of $200. A bit of a mixed bag, the Powerbeats Pro have good sound quality, battery life and stay securely plugged into your ears. But you’ll need to cart them around in an awkwardly large case that isn’t especially pocket friendly. If you don’t mind the large case, though, you’re not going to find these earbuds for a better price.
Read our Beats Powerbeats Pro review.
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They’re back: Best Buy again has the JLab Audio JBuds Air earbuds on sale for $30. They normally retail for $50. JLabs makes a lot of true-wireless earphones and these are its most affordable — and frankly, the only ones I’d buy. It’s a decent set of true wireless earbuds that’s a relative bargain at this price.
David Carnoy/CNET
If you’re looking for a cheap, comfortable over-ear wireless headphone, Earfun’s Wave is an excellent budget choice that sounds decent, has good battery life and nicely padded ear cups. It’s normally $50, but if you apply the code EARFUN17 at checkout at Amazon, the price drops to $30. I like the sound of the Tribit XFree Tune slightly better (it’s on sale today for $26), but this model is more comfortable to wear. It comes with a case but the headphones don’t fold flat (they fold up), the case ends up being pretty bulky. That’s their only drawback.
Bose
On Thanksgiving Day, the Rose Gold edition of the QuietComfort 35 II was on sale for $249 or $100 off. That deal is over, but the black and silver versions (as well as rose gold) will be on sale throughout Black Friday weekend for $279. With the arrival this year of Bose’s new Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones ($400), you can expect to see continued sales on the QuietComfort 35 II, which remains a very good headphone that’s arguably slightly more comfortable than the 700.
Read our QuietComfort 35 II review.
CNET
Best Buy and Amazon have the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds (CNET gave them an Editors’ Choice Award last year) on sale for $100 (not in all colors, but you’re in luck if you’ve got your eye on Gold Beige or Titanium Black). The new, more compact Elite 75t earbuds retail for $180. The slightly more rugged Elite Active 65t model is on sale for $140.
Read our Jabra Elite 65t review.
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Released in early November, the noise-canceling AirPods Pro are regularly priced at $250 but are currently available for $235. This small discount is great for those needing to upgrade their previous AirPods or those who want to dive into a truly wireless audio experience. Note that these keep going in and out of “backordered” status, so right now there appears to be a delay in shipping.
Read our AirPods Pro review.
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Anker’s new Liberty 2 Pro normally retails for $150 but is on sale for $20 at Amazon (you need to apply the $20 0ff coupon). It’s one of the best values in true wireless earbuds, with very good sound and features (it has both USB-C and wireless charging). It also works very well as a headset for making calls. A few weeks ago we had a special CNET coupon code that brought their price down to $110, but that’s expired.
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If you can’t afford premium noise-canceling models from Bose and Sony, the JBL Live 650BTNC Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones list for $200 and are very good. And this week, you can get them for 50% off.
Read our JBL Live 650BTNC review.
Jabra
The latest version of Jabra’s popular “value” on-ear headphones, the Move, is on sale for $40 off at various retailers. The Style headphones are available in three new colors (navy, gold beige and black) and have a bump in battery life. At $60, it’s a nice deal for someone looking for affordable-quality on-ear wireless headphones.
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1More’s Stylish True Wireless are one of the best sounding true wireless earbuds for less than $100. They’re on sale for $30 off at Amazon. They’re available in multiple color options at that discounted price.
Read our full review of 1More Stylish True Wireless.
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Amazon has Klipsch’s T5 True Wireless earbuds on sale for $50 off. I was impressed with their sound — it’s nicely detailed with natural-sounding mids and punchy, well-defined bass. The only caveat is you really have to jam the tips into your ears to get a tight seal and block out noise, and the design may not be for everyone.
While the Zippo-inspired case is somewhat heavy for its relatively compact size, it’s sleek and sturdy with USB-C charging. Battery life is also a highlight: The earbuds themselves can run for up to 8 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels and the case with its built-in battery provides three additional charges on the go.
The T5 Wireless earbuds use Bluetooth 5.0 and support both AAC and AptX. As for water resistance, they’re splashproof (IPX4-certified).
Read our Klipsch T5 True Wireless review.
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Best Buy has had the Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones sporadically on sale the last two weeks. They’re back at $200 (the lowest price we’ve seen for these), after briefly hitting $210. This model has been out a while, but they’re still great noise-canceling headphones. They list for $350, but usually can be had for around $280.
Read our Beats Studio3 Wireless review.
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You can save $105 on the Sennheiser HD 4.50R model right now at Best Buy. The only difference between it and the HD 4.50 BTNC version that I reviewed is that the accent color is red instead of silver. (The BTNC model is also on sale at Best Buy, but for $130.) At this price, they’re a solid budget alternative to premium models from Bose and Sony.
Read our Sennheiser HD 4.50 review.
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These sporty earbuds aren’t “true wireless” — there’s a cable connecting the left and right earbuds that wraps around the back of your neck. But they are fully waterproof, and they’re half off right now.
Read our Jaybird Tarah review.
Juan Garzon / CNET
Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones have regularly been on sale for as low as $250. But they’re hovering around $278 this week at a variety of retailers including Best Buy and Amazon. Buy them knowing you’re getting the best overall noise-canceling headphones available today.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM3 review.
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The Sony WH-XB900N Extra Bass headphones have a similar design to the WH-1000XM3 and share many of that model’s features but for $100 less. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart briefly had the WH-XB900N on sale for $130. That deal is gone, but Amazon still has some units on sale for $148. They’re comfortable to wear and have USB-C charging, good battery life and effective noise cancellation. They also work decently as a headset for making calls, and the sound quality is good as long as you don’t mind a preponderance of bass.
Read our Sony WH-XB900N Extra Bass review.
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The BackBeat Fit 6100 over-the-ear wireless headphones are a very solid choice for both the gym and everyday use. The adjustable sport-fit headband has an IPX5-rated water-resistant and sweatproof design, 40mm angled drivers and noise-isolating earcups with an Awareness mode. Battery life is rated at 24 hours. I thought they were a little expensive at $180, but Best Buy has them for $110, which makes them more attractive.
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Best Buy has the all-black version of the Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3150 true wireless earbuds on sale for $50 off. The open design lets ambient noise in (a safety feature for runners) while the BackBeat Fit 3200 has a noise-isolating design that helps improve the sound quality, particularly the bass. That said, both models have the same drivers so they produce the same sound — you just hear it differently thanks to the design of the ear tips. Both are an improvement over the earlier Backbeat 3100 model, which had some connectivity issues.
As with the Powerbeats Pro, the one downside is that the BackBeat Fit 3150 earbuds have a large charging case that isn’t so pocket-friendly.
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Walmart has the on-ear Beats Solo3 headphones (the Pop color collection) on sale for $130, but that deal seems to be almost dead (only the purple color was available at that price when I checked and it will most likely run out soon). However, Amazon has the black version on sale for $130.
Read our Beats Solo3 Wireless review.
Cyber Monday headphone deals coming soon
These are advertised specials that have been announced, but aren’t starting yet.
Jabra
From Dec. 1 to Dec. 29, Jabra’s highly rated Elite 85h wireless noise-canceling headphones will be on sale at Best Buy and Amazon for $200, or $100 off their list price of $300. They’re currently on sale for $250.
Read our Jabra Elite 85h review.
Watch this:
The best true wireless earbuds available now
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Originally published earlier this month. Updated with new products.