Buying a pair of headphones can be a pricey investment, especially if you want a pair with advanced ANC technology, long battery life, and a premium design. And with so many top-performing options to choose from, choosing the best headphones for you can be a challenge.
Also: The best early Black Friday deals
If you are planning on getting a fresh new pair of headphones for yourself or a loved one this holiday season, don’t break the bank. While the latest and greatest headphones fall within the $250 to $400 range, fortunately, you can find some of them on sale right now, ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. From brands like Beats and Apple to Sennheiser and Sony, we found all the best headphone deals from a multitude of retailers.
Here are some of the best early Black Friday headphone deals.
Best early Black Friday 2023 headphone deals
- Beats Solo3 wireless headphones for $100 (save $100)
- Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds for $190 (save $20)
- 1MORE SonoFlow wireless headphones for $80 (save $20)
- Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds for $248 (save $52)
- Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) wireless earbuds for $190 (save $60)
- Apple AirPods Max wireless headphones for $480 (save $69)
- Current price: $100
- Original price: $150
The Sony WH-CH720N wireless over-ear headphones are a great alternative to headphones in the $400-$500 price range. The WH-CH720N have great sound quality and noise-canceling, and their lightweight build offers all-day comfort. If you want to gift a loved one a great pair of headphones without spending too much money, these are for you.
Review: These $99 Sony headphones are almost as good as the XM5 for less than half the price
- Current price: $200
- Original price: $249
Apple’s AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are the perfect earbuds for Apple users. With seamless connection to all your Apple devices, spatial audio, active noise-canceling, and an IP54 rating, the AirPods Pro 2 have it all. If you don’t have Apple devices, you won’t get the most out of these earbuds. However, for Apple users, this is a deal you can’t miss.
Review: Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
- Current price: $200
- Original price: $300
Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II offer top-tier noise-canceling, intuitive touch controls, and all-day comfort. The Bose Music companion app includes a detailed hub for personalizing your earbuds and tweaking the already great sound these earbuds deliver. However, these earbuds don’t have great microphones, making call quality poor for its price tag. Still, these earbuds are on sale for a steep discount, so be sure to hop on it.
Review: Step aside, AirPods. There’s a new ANC champion in town
More early Black Friday 2023 headphone deals
This year, Black Friday is on Friday, November 24. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and usually, retailers have holiday sales with steep discounts on big-ticket items.
Black Friday is the perfect time to do your holiday shopping for the whole family, and you can find the best tech deals ahead of Black Friday on our website.
ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy — devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.
We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we’re recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.
Finding the best headphones for you is a personal decision. Before buying a pair, you should assess your audio needs and what you think you’ll use your headphones for.
With that said, our best pick for headphones is either the Bose QuietComfort Ultra over-ear headphones or the Apple AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds.
