Best early Black Friday deals: headphones, gadgets, and more

Black Friday officially starts on November 26th, however, we’re already starting to see significant discounts on some of this year’s most popular pieces of tech. Starting in October, some retailers — including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart — began lowering prices on goods ranging from Apple’s AirPods to LG’s C1 OLED as a part of their early Black Friday sales. The great news is these stores are now starting to drop prices even more aggressively as we approach the big day, and many of them have price-matching policies that guarantee you’ll get the lowest price. Below we’ve compiled some of the best early Black Friday deals available so far, along with some information about upcoming Black Friday sales so you can prepare and score a great deal before it sells out.

Amazon Black Friday deals

Amazon began publishing its Black Friday deals earlier than most retailers, launching mostly single-day sales starting on October 4th. So far, we’ve seen significant deals on Apple products, TVs from Samsung and Sony, Kindles, and more. The retailer continues to launch early Black Friday deals on its Early Black Friday deals event page.

Note that if you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you can also save a little more money and enjoy two-day shipping when you sign up for a free, month-long trial of Prime. The membership will also give you access to Amazon’s Lightning deals, which are discounts that often only last for a few hours or a single day. After the trial ends, however, you’ll pay $13 a month — unless you’re a student or receive qualifying government assistance, in which case you’ll pay either $6.49 or $6, respectively — so be aware of that.

Right now, Amazon is discounting all sizes of one of the best TVs for gaming, the LG C1, and throwing in a six-month subscription to HBO Max. The 48-inch model is on sale for $1,097 instead of $1,297, while the 55-inch is selling $1,297 and the 65-inch for $1,797. Regardless of which configuration you choose, all sport several features gamers will love, including a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision HDR compatibility, and support for HDMI 2.1.

Sony’s WH-1000XM4, our top pick for the best noise-canceling headphones, are currently available for their lowest price to date. Normally $350, this deal brings these cans down to $248. Along with industry-leading noise cancellation, our reviewer Chris Welch particularly liked the improved voice quality and the addition of multipoint Bluetooth connectivity. These over-ear headphones can last up to 30 hours on a single charge, too, and provide a comfortable listening experience with plush ear pads. Read our review.

Typically $400, Amazon is currently selling the best-sounding noise-canceling headphones for non-Apple users — the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless — in white for $235. That’s one of the lowest prices Amazon has ever sold them for. As noted in our review, we found that the comfortable headphones offer detailed, bass-rich sound while providing 17 hours of playback per charge. They even come outfitted with a USB-C port and a compact, foldable design.

Amazon is also discounting various sizes of Samsung’s The Frame, a unique kind of TV that functions both as wall art and an HDR-compatible QLED. Right now, for example, you can buy the 65-inch model for $1,498 instead of $2,000, and the 55-inch for $998 instead of $1,500. The TV offers a decor-friendly design while also displaying customizable images when somebody’s in the room. When turned on, however, it transforms into a smart 4K TV with Amazon’s Alexa built-in and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The latest Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which just launched in September, is selling at Amazon at a record low. Normally $50, the retailer is offering the streaming device for just $29. The 2021 model is faster, comes with improved Wi-Fi performance, and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus. Roku’s players also now support AirPlay 2, which means you can use your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to easily cast content to the device. Read our review.

Samsung’s 43-inch M7 Smart Monitor is a smart 4K monitor that acts like a TV for your PC, one you can mount to your wall or a monitor arm using Vesa mounts. Right now, Amazon is selling it for $520, its best price to date, with a solar-powered remote control. The monitor can stream HDR10 content from popular apps without additional hardware, too, and supports Apple’s AirPlay 2. It also supports Google Assistant and Alexa, as well as USB-C.

If you’re looking to add some storage space to your PC, Amazon is currently discounting Western Digital’s 2TB and 4TB My Passport models in a variety of colors. Typically $380, you can buy the 2TB SSD for $230, or the 4TB model for $550. Western Digital claims up to sequential read / write speeds of 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s, respectively, and the deal also includes a USB Type-A adapter in the box.

Other notable deals:

Best Buy Black Friday deals

Best Buy started rolling out big savings in a number of categories on October 18th with Black Friday price protection, meaning Best Buy will refund the difference in price of any item with this guarantee if it drops before November 26th. While anyone can cash in on the current savings, the Black Friday price guarantee only applies to Best Buy Totaltech and My Best Buy members. Best Buy is also offering free shipping on any purchase greater than $35, and same-day delivery is available in certain ZIP codes if you submit your order by 3PM local time. Restrictions apply to certain larger items, however, most of which will require you to schedule a delivery time after making your purchase. If you want to knock out some of your holiday shopping early this year, we’ve collected some of our favorite deals so far.

Best Buy is offering the same discounts on LG’s C1 OLED as Amazon, but is also adding other perks in addition to the six-month subscription to HBO Max. These include 30 days of FuboTV Pro, as well as the option to save $90 on Facebook Portal TV, a camera accessory that brings wide-angle video chats directly to your TV.

As expected, Best Buy is also offering the same discounts as Amazon on a range of products. For example, the retail giant is currently selling various sizes of The Frame at the same discounted prices as Amazon. However, Best Buy is also including 30 days of FuboTV Pro as well as the option to save $90 on Facebook Portal TV. Best Buy is even offering free delivery, much like Amazon.

Moreover, Best Buy is selling Sony’s WH-1000XM4, our top pick for the best noise-canceling headphones, for $248 instead of $350. Read our review.

Right now, you can pick up the best wireless earbuds that iPhone owners can buy at an all-time low. Typically $249, Best Buy is currently selling the MagSafe-ready AirPods Pro for $190. Like the third-gen AirPods, the 2021 AirPods Pro come with a new charging case that works with Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charging system. If you’re interested in cheaper models, however, Best Buy is also discounting the second-gen AirPods, selling them for $119 instead of $160. Read our AirPods Pro review.

If you’re looking for a smart speaker, Best Buy is selling the Google Nest Audio for nearly half off. Typically $100, the retailer currently has it for $60 instead. My colleague Dan Seifert praised the Nest Audio for being a notable improvement over the original Google Home in every way. It touts improved audio quality, it’s faster at registering Google Assistant queries, and you can easily pair two of them together for stereo sound. Read our review.

Best Buy is also selling Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 for its best price to date in select colors and sizes. The 40mm black version with GPS, for example, is currently going for $199 instead of $250. The Galaxy Watch 4 is Samsung’s first device to run the new Wear OS 3 platform that Google and Samsung have been working on together. In our review, we noted how much we enjoyed using the watch when paired with a Samsung phone, praising its performance, improved third-party app support, and expansive health tracking.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i remains one of our favorite alternatives to the Microsoft Surface line of ultrabooks and, right now, Best Buy is offering the slick 2-in-1 for $1,350. While this model received a similar discount a couple of months ago, it still remains a solid value. The foldable laptop boasts some impressive specs, too, with an 11th Gen Core i7 CPU, 512GB of storage, and Iris Xe integrated graphics. This hardware, paired with a 4K touchscreen display and a garaged stylus, makes the 9i a great choice for creators.

This 70-inch LG TV may only feature midrange specs, but Best Buy has brought it down to its lowest price ever. The LG NanoCell 75 series TV is down to just $750 for a limited time, a healthy $450 off the list price. The 4K panel is powered by LG’s WebOS smart platform, which offers a solid array of streaming services and includes HDR10 for vivid picture quality. The 75 Series also comes equipped with three HDMI ports and ARC compatibility, as well as Apple’s AirPlay 2, which allows you to cast content from your Apple device to your TV. It may not be as impressive as an OLED TV, but $750 for a 70-inch panel is still a solid value.

A few other hot deals at Best Buy:

Dell Black Friday Deals

The home computer experts at Dell have started rolling out sales ahead of the shopping holiday, and while it naturally includes laptops, there are also plenty of deals to be had on desktops, headphones, and other accessories. Dell will likely have more to offer on Black Friday but has been releasing a steady drip of deals as part of a sneak peek we’ll be highlighting here.

Just about anything you buy on the Dell website comes with free shipping, though, delivery times can vary based on the product. If you’re pressed for time, however, Dell does offer a number of expedited shipping options in addition to a delivery estimate based on your ZIP code. If you’re not happy with your purchase, Dell has kept its standard return policy in place, which allows you 30 days upon receipt, with a potential 15 percent restocking fee.

First off, the Dell XPS 15 ultrabook is currently enjoying a solid discount. Dell has reduced the price of this particular configuration to $2,200, taking $396 off the usual price tag. This is the best deal we’ve seen on this laptop so far, with some retailers charging as much as $2,600 for the same configuration. This model boasts some impressive specs with an 11th Gen Core i9 CPU and an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, not to mention 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Our reviewer, Monica Chin, liked the 16:10 display and snappy keyboard, even though the XPS 15 tended to get a little hot under load.

The latest model of the Dell XPS 13 takes what made last year’s model so great, and makes it better. During its Black Friday sale, Dell has marked down this configuration to $1,369, taking about $260 off the regular MSRP. While not quite the same configuration, aforementioned reviewer Monica Chin described the Dell XPS 13 as the company’s “best-in-class 13-inch ultraportable laptop.” This particular configuration comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-1195G7, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. While the integrated Iris Xe GPU doesn’t have enough juice for gaming, this lightweight laptop is remarkably versatile and remains a powerful choice in the 13-inch laptop class. Read our review.

Target Black Friday deals

Target began releasing some of its first Black Friday deals on October 10th, and has been running similar deals every week since. The retail store also officially launched its weekly “Holiday Best” deals on October 31st, which run every Sunday online and in-store. Target RedCard holders can save an additional 5 percent while enjoying free shipping, and the store will be price matching items purchased between October 10th and December 24th with some exclusions. With all that said, below are some notable deals we already know will take place in the next few weeks that you should keep an eye out for.

Target is currently offering Black Friday deals on TVs from LG, Samsung, TCL, and more. The store is also offering the same discount on various sizes of the LG C1 and Samsung’s The Frame as Amazon, and including a six-month subscription to HBO Max as well. However, as we mentioned before, Target RedCard members are also eligible for a five percent discount, which means they could buy the 48-inch LG C1 for $1,045 instead of the discounted $1,100 Amazon currently offers.

Alternatively, Target RedCard members can pick up the 50-inch version of The Frame, which has an MSRP of $1,300, for $853 instead of the discounted $898.

Like Amazon and Best Buy, Target is also discounting Sony’s $350 WH-1000XM4, our top pick for the best noise-canceling headphones. However, RedCard members can also get a five percent discount, which means you’d be paying $238 instead of the $250 sale price.

Regularly $300, Target is currently selling the Bose QuietComfort 35 Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones II for $180 through November 6th, which beats Amazon’s all-time low of $199. Released in 2017, these wireless, noise-canceling headphones can seamlessly switch between two paired devices and, unlike their predecessor, support both Alexa and Google Assistant.

Also on the TV front, Target is taking $350 off the 65-inch version of Element’s affordable, frameless Roku TV through November 6th. Normally $650, the TV is currently on sale for $300, more than half off the original price. The 4K Ultra HD TV is compatible with HDR10, offers a 60Hz native refresh rate, and has four HDMI ports. It also supports Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, while additionally working with Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay.

Apple’s discontinued Beats Solo 3 are on sale for $100 right now through November 6th, a cool $100 off the original price tag. Although they’re beginning to show their age, we initially praised the comfortable headphones in our 2016 review and noted how well they isolate exterior noise. They also offer great wireless performance and come in two colorways: black and rose gold.

Other notable Target deals:

• Target is offering up to 60 percent off select video games for Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles through November 6th.
• Like Best Buy, Target is also selling the Google Nest Audio for $60 instead of $100 until November 7th.
• The retailer is also selling a silver version of HP’s 15.6-inch laptop with Windows Home in S. Mode for $340 instead of $540 through November 6th. This particular model features 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD, and an Intel 11th Gen Core i3 processor.

Walmart Black Friday deals

The big blue supercenter recently revealed its vertical for its Black Friday deals, which began November 3rd online and November 5th in stores. While some of these deals will remain live until November 17th, some of them expire as soon as November 7th. Wherever possible, we’ve noted the window of specific deals so you’ll know exactly when to jump on them.

Like most online retailers, Walmart offers free two-day shipping on orders over $35, as well as next-day delivery in certain ZIP codes at no extra charge. As an additional perk, Walmart has also extended its standard return policy during the holiday season, with many items purchased between November 1st and December 25 receiving extended return dates.

While many of these deals aren’t live yet, we’ve collected a handful that piqued our interest below.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, the improved version of the original Galaxy Buds, are available at Walmart for $59 until November 7th. This deal brings them well below their typical $100 price tag, making them an excellent value. In our review, we noted their drastic improvement in battery life as well as their comfortable fit. While Samsung has since improved on this design with the Galaxy Buds 2, adding noise cancellation among other features, the higher price point makes them a slightly tougher sell.

The GoPro Hero 8 Black often retails for $300 on its own, but Walmart will be offering the popular 4K action cam for just $249 from November 10th through November 14th. The bundle also includes a dual battery charger and a total of three batteries, so you’ll never run out of juice. This rugged digital camera is perfectly suited for capturing fast-moving action wherever and whenever it happens. The HyperSmooth technology provides an amazing level of image stabilization, while the LiveBurst feature automatically records anything that happens two seconds before and two seconds after your shot. Read our full review.

One of our favorite budget tablets from last year just got a little cheaper. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is going to be on sale at Walmart for $140 from November 10th through November 14th. This brings it well below the lowest price we’ve seen for this particular model, which features 32GB of internal storage and a 10.4-inch display. In our review, we noted how impressed we were with the vibrant display and sturdy build quality of this unassuming tablet. It’s not going to rival, say, the latest iPad Air or Mini, but it remains a solid entertainment device, especially if you plan to consume Amazon content.

B&H Photo deals

B&H launched its annual holiday sale, which includes early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, earlier this week, slashing prices on everything from cameras to Apple products. B&H also has an extended return policy for the holidays. Any purchases you make from the site from now through January 2, 2022, can be returned or exchanged through February 1, 2022. The retailer will continue to add new items to its page ”Holiday Head Start” page leading up to Black Friday, but you can also check out some of the most notable deals below.

First and foremost, if you need a powerful iPad with plenty of storage and a gorgeous display, B&H is selling the Wi-Fi version of the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 256GB of storage for its lowest price to date. Normally $1,199, the retailer is selling it for $1,099 for a limited time. In Dieter Bohn’s review, he deemed this model to be the nicest iPad available, even with its strange camera placement. The 2021 iPad Pro is also a speed demon thanks to Apple’s M1 chip, and comes with welcome features such as a Mini LED display, Thunderbolt connectivity, Wi-Fi 6 support, and Face ID, which allows you to unlock the device with just a glance.

The latest GoPro, the GoPro Hero10 Black, is currently selling at its lowest price ever. Normally $500, B&H is selling the popular action cam for $450 instead. The Hero10 Black boasts all the amazing features found on its predecessor — which we once called the “biggest, baddest action camera out there” — and more, like a new processor that allows it to shoot in higher frame rates and upload videos to the cloud while charging. It’s also compatible with Hero9 accessories, meaning those looking to upgrade won’t necessarily need to purchase new add-ons. Read our review.

• B&H Photo is starting to release several deals on cameras from Sony, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fujifilm, Panasonic, and more. This includes the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera, which is selling for $1,599 instead of $1,800. Read our Canon EOS R review.
• The retailer is also discounting camera accessories, like Sony’s $1,098 SE 90mm macro lens, which is selling for $998.