BEST DEAL AT AMAZON: Apple AirPods Max are some premium wireless headphones with noise cancellation, a transparency mode, and spatial audio; they’ve never been this cheap before — $429 ~~$549~~ (save $120)
BEST DEAL AT WALMART: Apple AirPods Pro (our favorite wireless noise-canceling earbuds) are also sitting at their lowest price to date — $159 ~~$249~~ (save $90)
BEST DEAL AT BEST BUY: Google Pixel Buds A-Series offer equally great sound and a comparatively comfortable fit as last year’s Pixel Buds (but for a fraction of the price) — $79.99 ~~$99.99~~ (save 20%) + 3 months of YouTube Premium for free
BEST DEAL AT TARGET: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones sound fantastic and last forever (up to 40 hours per charge, to be exact) — $99.99 ~~$199.99~~ (save 50%)

From $59 Samsung Galaxy Buds+ to $429 AirPods Max, deep discounts on headphones and earbuds were some of the stars of this year’s early holiday sales.

That doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon as we round the bend to Black Friday (Nov. 26, 2021), with retailers across the board dropping prices on audio gear from big-name brands like Apple, Beats, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser.

It’s not just older models, either: Even the new AirPods 3, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, Google Pixel Buds A-Series, and Bose QuietComfort 45s have seen notable price drops for the shopping season. (The only ones we’re still holding out for are this month’s Beats Fit Pro, which haven’t gone on sale yet; fingers crossed that changes sometime over Cyber Weekend.)

You’ll notice that most major retailers are matching each other’s prices (with very few exceptions), which is great; if something sells out on Amazon, for example, you’ll usually be able to find it at Best Buy or Walmart. Note that any items fully ~~crossed out~~ were sold out or back up to full price at the time of writing, but could come back in stock at some point.

Best deals on headphones at Amazon

Credit: Apple

Our pick: Apple AirPods Max

$429 on Amazon

Why we like them

We really like these headphones — they’ve got best-in-class noise cancellation, a transparency mode, and spatial audio — but we also really like the fact that they’re sitting at their lowest price to date. Amazon had the sky blue and space gray ones on sale for just $429 (or $120 off) at the time of writing; the silver pair was $10 more.

More headphones deals at Amazon

Headphones

JBL Tune 510BT Wireless On-Ear Headphones — $24.95 ~~$49.95~~ (save 50%)
JBL Tune 660NC Wireless On-Ear Headphones — $49.95 ~~$99.95~~ (save 50%)
Jabra Elite 45h On-Ear Wireless Headphones — $59.99 ~~$99.99~~ (save 40%)
Sennheiser HD 350BT — $69.95 ~~$119.95~~ (save 42%)
Sennheiser HD 450BT — $99.95 ~~$199.95~~ (save 50%)
Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones — $99.99 ~~$199.95~~ (save 50%)
Sony WH-XB910N Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $148 ~~$249.99~~ (save 41%)
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $149.99 ~~$249.99~~ (save 40%)
Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $169.99 ~~$349.95~~ (save 51%)
Bose SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II — $179 ~~$229~~ (save $50)
Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Headphones — $179 ~~$349~~ (save 49%)
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $248 ~~$348~~ (save $100)
Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Headphones — $279 ~~$329~~ (save $50)

Earbuds

JBL Tune 125TWS True Wireless In-Ear Headphones — $49.95 ~~$99.95~~ (save 50%)
JBL Tune 225TWS True Wireless Earbuds — $49.95 ~~$99.95~~ (save 50%)
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd gen) with Standard Charging Case — $69.99 ~~$119.99~~ (save 42%)
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ — $79 $~~149.99~~ (save 47%)
Jabra Elite 75t True Wireless Earbuds — $79.99 ~~$149.99~~ (save 47%)
JBL Live PRO+ TWS — $89.95 ~~$179.95~~ (save 50%)
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd gen) with Wireless Charging Case — $89.99 ~~$139.99~~ (save 36%)
~~Beats Studio Buds~~ — ~~$99.99~~ ~~$149.95 (save 33%)~~
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live — $99.99 ~~$169.99~~ (save 41%)
Jabra Elite Active 75t True Wireless Earbuds — $99.99 ~~$179.99~~ (save 44%)
Apple AirPods (2nd gen) with Charging Case — $109 ~~$159~~ (save 31%)
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 — $119.99 ~~$149.99~~ (save 20%)
Sony WF-1000XM3 Noise-Canceling In-Ear Headphones — $128 ~~$199.99~~ (save 36%)
Bose Sport Earbuds — $149 ~~$179~~ (save $30)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro — $149.99 ~~$199.99~~ (save 25%)
Jabra Elite 85t True Wireless Earbuds — $149.99 ~~$229.99~~ (save 35%)
Apple AirPods (2nd gen) with Wireless Charging Case — $149.99 ~~$199~~ (save 25%)
Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $149.99 ~~$249.95~~ (save 40%)
Apple AirPods (3rd gen) — $154.99 ~~$179~~ (save $24.01) with coupon applied at checkout
~~Apple AirPods Pro~~ — ~~$159~~ ~~$249 (save $90)~~
Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Earbuds — $199 ~~$279~~ (save $80)
Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise-Canceling In-Ear Headphones — $248 ~~$279.99~~ (save $31.99)

Best headphones deals at Walmart

Credit: Apple

Our pick: Apple AirPods Pro

$159 at Walmart

Why we like them

The best wireless noise-canceling earbuds are enjoying their best price to date at Walmart — they dropped to $159 there at the beginning of the big box store’s Black Friday Deals for Days event this week. (Amazon matched that offer not long after it went live, FYI, but it looks like its supply has since been wiped.)

More headphones deals at Walmart

Headphones

JBL Live 500BT On-Ear Wireless Headphones — $58.99 ~~$149.95~~ (save 61%)
Beats Solo Pro — $99 ~~$149~~ (save $50)
JBL Live 650BT On-Ear Wireless Headphones — $99.95 ~~$199.95~~ (save 50%)
Bose SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II — $179 ~~$229~~ (save $50)
Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Headphones — $279 ~~$329~~ (save $50)

Earbuds

~~Skullcandy Jib True XT 2 True Wireless Earbuds~~ — ~~$19~~ ~~$34.97 (save 46%)~~
~~Beats Flex~~ — ~~$49.95~~ ~~$69.95 (save 29%)~~
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ — $79 ~~$149.99~~ (save 47%)
~~Beats Studio Buds~~ — ~~$129.95~~ ~~$149.95 (save $20)~~
Apple AirPods (3rd gen) — $154.99 ~~$179~~ (save $24.01)
Bose Sport Earbuds — $149 ~~$179~~ (save $30)
Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Earbuds — $149.95 ~~$179.99~~ (save 17%)
Jabra Elite 85t True Wireless Earbuds — $149.99 ~~$229.99~~ (save 35%)
Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $149.95 ~~$249.95~~ (save $100)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro — $149.99 ~~$199.99~~ (save $50)

Best headphones deals at Best Buy

the google pixel buds a-series in their charging case

Credit: Google

Our pick: Google Pixel Buds A-Series

$79.99 at Best Buy + 3 months of YouTube Premium for free

Why we like them

“There’s no reason to get last year’s [$180] Pixel Buds anymore,” says Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry — the new Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds offer the same “very good audio and comfortable form factor,” but retail for just $100. They’re now even cheaper than usual thanks to Best Buy’s 20% Black Friday discount, which it tops off with a free three-month trial of YouTube Premium just for kicks.

More headphones deals at Best Buy

Headphones

JBL Live 460NC Wireless On-Ear NC Headphones — $64.99 ~~$129.99~~ (save 50%)
Sony WH-CH710N Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $78 ~~$179.99~~ (save 57%)
JBL Live 660NC Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones — $99.99 ~~$199.99~~ (save 50%)
Sony WF-1000XM3 Noise-Canceling In-Ear Headphones — $128 ~~$199.99~~ (save 36%)
Sony WH-XB910N Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $148 ~~$249.99~~ (save 41%)
Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $169.99 ~~$349.95~~ (save 51%) + 6 months of Apple Music, 6 months of Apple News+, and 3 months of Apple TV+ for free
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $248 ~~$349.99~~ (save $101.99)
Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Headphones — $279 ~~$329~~ (save $50)

Earbuds

JLab GO Air POP True Wireless Earbuds — $12.99 ~~$19.99~~ (save 35%)
Skullcandy Indy Evo True Wireless Earbuds — $34.99 ~~$69.99~~ (save 50%)
JLab JBuds Air True Wireless Earbuds — $39.99 ~~$49.99~~ (save 20%)
JBL Tune 125TWS True Wireless In-Ear Headphones — $49.99 ~~$99.99~~ (save 50%)
JBL Endurance Peak II True Wireless Sport Earbuds — $49.99 ~~$99.99~~ (save 50%)
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd gen) with Standard Charging Case — $69.99 ~~$119.99~~ (save 42%)
Jabra Elite 75t True Wireless Earbuds — $79.99 ~~$149.99~~ (save 47%)
Amazon Echo Buds (2nd gen) with Wireless Charging Case — $89.99 ~~$139.99~~ (save 36%)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live — $99.99 ~~$169.99~~ (save 41%)
Jabra Elite Active 75t True Wireless Earbuds — $99.99 ~~$179.99~~ (save 44%)
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 — $119.99 ~~$149.99~~ (save 20%)
Bose Sport Earbuds — $149 ~~$179~~ (save $30)
Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Earbuds — $149.99 ~~$179.99~~ (save $30)
Apple AirPods (2nd gen) with Wireless Charging Case — $149.99 ~~$199~~ (save 25%) + 6 months of Apple Music, 6 months of Apple News+, and 3 months of Apple TV+ for free
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro — $149.99 ~~$199.99~~ (save 25%)
Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $149.99 ~~$249.95~~ (save 40%) + 6 months of Apple Music, 6 months of Apple News+, and 3 months of Apple TV+ for free
Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Earbuds — $199 ~~$279~~ (save $80)
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 2 Earbuds — $199.98 ~~$299.98~~ (save $100)
Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise-Canceling In-Ear Headphones — $248 ~~$279.99~~ (save $31.99)

Best headphones deals at Target

a pair of matte black beats solo3 wireless headphones

Credit: Beats by Dre

Our pick: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

$99.99 at Target

Why we like them

A terrific pick for iPhone users, the Mashable’s Choice Award-winning Beats Solo3 look just as great as they sound. Target slashed their price by 50% earlier this month as part of its Holiday Best sales, a Black Friday preview event, and that deal was still holding strong the last time we checked. (Try Amazon if they sell out there.)