Best Black Friday headphones deals 2025: AirPods, Bose, Sony at new lows

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I pretty much spend every day I’m at work testing out headphones and earbuds, which means I’ve become well-versed in which headphones are actually worth your money.

This year has been an especially noteworthy year for headphones, with flagship releases from Sony, Bose, and Bowers & Wilkins. Flagship headphones are often the ones that get recommended on best of lists — ours included — but considering the new norm for a starting price is $449, they’re not exactly the most affordable choice out there. Enter: Black Friday, when tech deals abound.

I’ve spotted some especially noteworthy headphones and earbuds price drops for Black Friday — all of which Mashable has recommended in some capacity. In this case, a noteworthy deal is not simply something on sale. In fact, I’ve only selected deals that are actually great Black Friday deals (and not easy to grab on sale at other times of the year).

For instance, I didn’t add the second-generation Bose QC Ultra earbuds to this list when they were on sale for $249 — they hit that price in September, and have returned to it since (before Black Friday deals kicked off). However, for Black Friday, they’ve dipped down to $216, making them a deal worth mentioning as truly one of the best.

Now that Black Friday is officially here, plenty of headphones are down to record-low prices. I’ve been scouring the savings to come up with this selection of the 15 best headphones and earbuds deals live for Black Friday.

One of the most comfortable pairs of noise-cancelling headphones

The first time I put the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones on, I knew they were the most comfortable headphones I’d ever worn (Mashable’s Samantha Mangino had a similar experience). That belief became even firmer over years of use (and testing them against new competitors). Although the new second-generation headphones feel ever so slightly more comfortable, the originals still hold up.

On sale for $299, they’re a much better value than the $449 second-gen Ultras. Their main quirks include no passive playback and the occasional difficulty pairing to more than one device. However, when I compared them directly against their newer counterpart, I found the ANC and sound to be very similar. This is a great deal, and people are taking notice — these headphones have already sold out at Amazon in a couple of colorways.

Earbuds designed for quiet and long wear time

As I mentioned in the intro, despite being a relatively new release, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (2nd gen) have gone on sale a couple of times, dropping down to $249 in select colorways. For Black Friday, the black colorway has dropped to a record-low price of $216.

I get that, sale or not, over $200 is a hefty investment for a pair of earbuds. To that, I would say if you’re someone looking for something you can wear all day, and prioritize top-of-the-line noise cancellation above all else, these earbuds will be worth it for you. The fit keeps them secure without causing soreness, and helps seal you into a place of quiet that, along with the ANC, rivals many over-ear headphones I’ve tested.

Bose’s latest flagship headphones

While the QC Ultras are one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones out there, the second-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones take the top spot. They also come with some nice quality of life upgrades, including a 30-hour battery life, passive playback support, lossless audio support with the USB-C cable, and an upgrade to their design with new colorways and a shiny metal accent. They’re maybe not upgrade-worthy if you already own the first-gen headphones, but if it’s your first foray into the QC Ultra line, grabbing these headphones for their price drop drop ever (and a pretty solid one at that) is a smart buy.

Sony headphones that still sound incredible

The thing about Sony flagship headphones is that they’re going to sound incredible. With the release of the XM6s, the WH-1000XM5 headphones are the former flagship headphones, but their sound profile remains one of the best in the game. I particularly like the “find your equalizer” feature that guides the less audiophile inclined among us through the process of finding their perfect custom EQ sound, which really helps these headphones shine. More generally speaking, when I tested the XM6s and XM5s head-to-head, I didn’t find any huge discrepancies in performance. Plus, the XM6s got a $50 price bump to their list price, meaning that even if they were to get a $50 price drop over Black Friday (a markdown we’ve only spotted once before), they’ll still be $150 more than the XM5s at this price point.

And Sony’s latest flagship headphones

While these are still $150 more than the XM5s, it is worth mentioning that the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are down to their lowest price ever at $398. It’s certainly possible that their price will drop even further next week, but I’ve also seen Sony stick to their initial discounts in past shopping holidays. If you want the best sound Sony (and most brands, tbh) has to offer, industry-leading ANC, and ear cups that fold in (a convenient feature for travelers), then the XM6s are an excellent choice. In his review, Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth wrote, “if you want best-in-class noise-cancelling headphones and pristine audio quality, the headphones deliver.”

Mid-range headphones for under $100

Noise-cancelling headphones with great sound quality from a reputable brand don’t need to cost several hundred dollars, and the Sony WH-CH720N are proof of exactly that. Mashable named them Sony’s best headphones under $100, with Mashable contributor Alex Bracetti singing their praises after two years of use. He deemed their sound quality “near flagship” level, and was impressed by the 35 hours of battery life with ANC on, which beats out the current flagship models of both Bose and Sony.

Though you can often find them on sale for $98 (a feat on its own, considering their $179.99 list price), it’s slightly less common to find them on sale for $88, making this a great deal on Black Friday. As an added bonus, the pink colorway is more unique than you might find from other budget headphones options under $100.

The best sounding open earbuds

Open earbuds are great if you prefer staying somewhat aware of the world around you, but in my experience, that can come in the form of less-than-stellar sound quality. In the case of the Bose Ultra Open earbuds, you get the best of both worlds. I suspect that’s a large part of the reason behind their $299 price tag (which admittedly feels more appropriate for noise-cancelling earbuds). That’s why I recommend them as an upgrade pick for open earbuds, and why I’m an especially big fan of this $100 off deal. In addition to their surprisingly rich sound, I especially like their small charging case, smartly placed on-ear controls, comfortable clip-on design, and many options for colorways.

Excellent mid-range noise-cancelling earbuds

Rounding out my picks is maybe the most underrated Bose product — the QuietComfort earbuds. Though their design isn’t the most elegant, that’s pretty much where their underwhelming features end. For starters, these earbuds have incredible battery life — in my weeks of testing them, I rarely had to charge them, and easily squeezed in a five-hour day of use, with ANC on and battery life to spare.

Sound and noise-cancellation-wise, they don’t wow quite as much as the QC Ultra earbuds, but they’re also significantly cheaper, even at full price. For their $129 sale price, they’re less than half the price of the premium earbuds, and I promise, their performance doesn’t reflect that. If I had to put a number to it, I’d say there’s more of a $50 to $75 performance discrepancy between the two earbuds, which is why we’ve named these the best mid-budget earbuds currently on the market. Though we’ve seen them drop to $129 before, it is their lowest price ever, still making this a great grab on Black Friday.

A budget-friendly favorite at an unbeatable price

I don’t know if it’s possible a more affordable headphones deal will pop up this Black Friday. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones, already a solid value at full price, are an even better value at their usual sale price of about $40, and a downright steal at this new Black Friday price (and new record low) of $27. This beats Amazon’s deal by over $12 and last year’s Black Friday pricing by $2. When I tested these headphones, I was surprised by their battery life, along with how solid their sound and ANC performed, as well as the extensive customizability on their app. Mashable’s Haley Henschel owns these headphones, and appreciates their comfort. They’re our favorite budget headphones and one of our top picks for students for a reason.

The best earbuds for working out

When I first tried out the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, I wasn’t sure I’d like them all that much, as I had trouble finding how to properly put them on with the ear hook (my colleague Sam Mangino had a similar experience). However, there’s a reason they say first impressions aren’t everything — after we both found the right ear tip size and got through this small learning curve, we fell in love with these earbuds. So did Mashable contributor Alex Bracetti, who gave them a Mashable Choice Award in his review.

This consensus made these an easy pick for the best earbuds for working out: though their ANC isn’t the best, it’s present, the ear hook keeps the buds in place without being uncomfortable, the sound is rich, the on-ear controls reliable and perfect for using mid-workout, and the built-in heart rate monitor is a convenient feature, especially if you don’t already own a fitness tracker. Though they’ve hit this sale price before, they don’t go on sale often, so I recommend grabbing them while you can.

A (better) AirPods Max alternative

Mashable loved the Beats Studio Pro when they first dropped in 2023, and after testing them again in 2025 against the rest of the Beats lineup, we found that they held up. Mashable contributor Alex Bracetti compared them to another Apple over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, saying the Beats Studio Pro have a lot of overlap in features with AirPods, making the Beats a much better bang for your buck. The Studio Pro have better battery life (24 hours compared to the AirPods’ 20), and according to Bracetti, better sound quality and similar ANC. The AirPods Max are currently on sale for $399.99, meaning you could buy two pairs of these Beats and still have money left over.

This deal in particular applies to the Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian model, which at the time of writing are $20 cheaper than the regular Studio Pros’ sale price (which just feature different colorway options).

ANC headphones with 60 hours of battery life

Many popular flagship headphones have roughly 30 hours of battery life, which makes the whopping 60 hours of battery life found on the Sennheiser Momentum 4 all the more impressive. (And yes, that’s with ANC on). This feature certainly made them a standout to us, and earned them the spot of Mashable’s favorite headphones with long battery life, but that wasn’t the only place they wowed.

When I tested these headphones out, trying to wear down that mammoth battery life felt like marginally less of a chore because of their excellent sound quality. The ANC stood out less than competitors, and the touch controls were on the sensitive side, but the companion app added enough customizability that it was never a real problem. I also appreciate that even with both pairs on sale, these headphones are cheaper than the Dyson OnTrac headphones, their only real competition for battery life. (And in my opinion, the Sennheisers have a much more elegant design). At $199.95, these headphones are just a couple of dollars away from their lowest price ever, and in a price range I’ve typically only seen around the holiday season.

AirPods at a new record-low price

Indicators that Black Friday is absolutely in full swing? The price drop on the Apple AirPods 4. It was already great to see them drop down to $79 — their former lowest price ever — earlier this month, but Amazon outdid itself before Black Friday even started. These earbuds have dropped to an impressive $69, bringing them down to yet another record low. I’d be surprised if their price drops much further, so if you’re an Apple user who doesn’t need earbuds with ANC, it’ll be hard to beat this deal.

Solid budget earbuds

The Raycon Everyday Earbuds may have made a name for themselves through many a YouTube sponsorship, but after testing them out for myself, I can personally verify that these are really solid budget earbuds. These are the perfect option for anyone who wants the basics done well, without the hassle of any setup. They come sans companion app (and a button for Bluetooth), but they pair easily as soon as they’re powered on, and can be controlled entirely by the tactile on-ear controls.

Both their sound quality and ANC are solid; they come with eight hours of charge with ANC on (the same as the AirPods Pro 3), and six gel tips for finding the perfect fit. If you’re looking for budget headphones with a few more extras, the EarFun Air Pro 4 are also on sale — although they’re a great value, they do drop down to this price point year-round, making them a less impressive Black Friday deal.

The best earbuds for sound

Maybe the biggest flaw of the Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds is that they rarely go on sale. With this Black Friday deal, these earbuds aren’t just getting a rare price cut, but they’re down to their absolute lowest price ever. In his review of the earbuds, Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth pointed to their audio quality as their standout feature, writing, “While Bose retains an edge on overall comfort, I’m not aware of any wireless earbuds in the world that offer better, fuller, more accurate sound.”

In addition to the excellent sound quality, these earbuds come equipped with top-notch adaptive ANC, three-way multipoint pairing that works without a hitch, LDAC support, and a premium design with metal accents on the earbuds and case.