Black Friday is officially here, and retailers are offering notable discounts on headphones, earbuds and Apple Airpods during the event. Many of these sales run through Cyber Monday, and you can also find deals on Dyson products, skin care essentials and vacuums.
We compiled the best deals on headphones and Airpods that we think you’ll want to know about. We’ll continue updating you about new savings opportunities throughout the next few days. We also compiled a list of Black Friday bestsellers, so you can see what other Select readers are shopping for during the sale event.
Best Black Friday Airpods deals 2023
All of our recommendations below are based on our previous coverage and reporting. We also included headphones we’ve tried ourselves, including Select Wellness Award and Giftable Tech award winners. We’re also running deals through price trackers, like CamelCamelCamel, to ensure each product is either at its lowest price ever or its lowest price in at least three months.
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) with Lightning
4.7-star average rating from 598,089 reviews on Amazon
These second-generation AirPods are a popular wireless earbud option and work best with other Apple products — they pair and sync more easily with iPhones and MacBooks than other earbuds, in our experience. They also have a five-hour battery life on their own, but the charging case can boost the total battery life to over 24 hours, according to Apple. Unlike AirPods Pro or Pro Max, these do not have automated noise cancellation or interchangeable silicone ear tips.
Soundcore Life Q30
4.5-star average rating from 59,243 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
If you need a great pair of noise-canceling headphones, these are one of the best options under $100. (They recently earned an NBC Select Giftable Tech award for best budget headphone.) They have automated noise cancellation that helps minimize extraneous loud sounds from air conditioners or planes. The headphones have up to 40 hours of battery life, and a quick five-minute charge gives back four hours of use, according to the brand.
Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
4.4-star average rating from 252 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
These are the headphones NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz uses most at work — they have strong noise cancellation, which is helpful when you need to focus. The NBC Select Giftable Tech award winner (for best noise-canceling headphones) have buttons on the ear cups that control noise-cancellation modes, volume and playback. These also come with an audio cable you can use to physically plug the headphones into computers and airplane seatback players as needed.
The previous model of these headphones, the original Bose QuietComfort 45, are also steeply discounted.
AirPods (3rd generation)
4.5-star average rating from 13,131 reviews
Lowest price in 3 months
Complete with spatial audio features that tailor sound to the shape of your ear, these water- and sweat-resistant AirPods can last up to six hours on a single charge, according to the brand. These do not have noise cancellation features or transparency mode, however.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, USB-C)
4.7-star average rating from 2,511 reviews on Amazon
AirPods Pro are some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. Our editors use these earbuds daily for commutes, calls and to listen to music while exercising. In our experience, they have a crisp sound and excellent noise-canceling features. These second-generation models come with multiple ear tips and touch-sensitive volume controls for easy adjusting. This version has a USB-C port for charging instead of a Lightning port. (Note: While these are 99 cents more than their lowest price ever and are not currently their lowest price in three months, we still consider this a good deal.)
Beats Studio Pro Headphones
4.3-star average rating from 1,094 reviews on Amazon
Lowest price ever
At half off their usual price, the Beats Studio Pro is a great deal for premium noise-canceling headphones. You can use them for up to 40 hours before they need to be charged, and they offer active noise canceling and transparency mode, according to the brand. These headphones also have the same head-tracking and spatial audio features as the AirPods Pro, and come in four colors.
Sony WH1000XM4 Wireless Headphones
4.7-star average rating from 53,229 reviews
These long-lasting, noise-canceling headphones provide a comfortable and well-balanced auditory experience for listeners, according to the brand. Reviewers rave about their value for the price and seamless bluetooth connection capabilities. They come in three distinct colors and can offer as much as 5 hours of listening time with only 10 minutes of charge, according to Sony.
Related
Best Black Friday headphone sales 2023
Here are the best Black Friday earbud and headphone sales that we think you’ll want to know about.
- Bose: Up to 40% off headphones, speakers and more
- Shokz: Up to 30% off earbuds sitewide
- Beats: Up to 51% off headphones and more
When is Black Friday 2023?
Black Friday takes place every year the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday 2023 falls on Nov. 24. But experts told us Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer just 24-hour events — they’re morphed into weeks of doorbuster deals. Throughout the next few days, we’ll continue updating you about new savings opportunities, as well as tips about what to buy.
Why trust Select?
Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter for NBC Select who has covered deals and sales for over two years. Ariadne Night is the editorial assistant for Select who has covered deals and sales for three months. To round up the best Black Friday tech deals, they found discounted headphones and Airpods either at their lowest price ever or their lowest prices in three months.
Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.
