Best Early Black Friday Deals on Tech

For all of the popularity of Apple’s AirPods, this is a rather unusual model. Lacking the padded ear tips that plug your ear canals, it doesn’t offer much passive noise cancellation, but it does have reasonably effective noise-canceling tech. And so, you can elect to turn the noise-canceling feature off and hear what’s going on around you, which can be great when you’re on a run or walking on a busy street. In terms of sound and fit, the buds are very similar to the regular AirPods 4.

Multiple retailers were selling the AirPods 4 for this price during the fall retailer sales, but Amazon is the only one still offering a discount.

The AirPods Max sound really good and have superb and flexible noise-canceling tech. They have a high-performing transparency mode to pipe in outside sound, as well as spatial audio capability. But the biggest selling point might be the distinctive design and premium feel we’ve all come to expect from an Apple product. At their normal street price of $550, they’re hardly a bargain, but subtract more than $50 and the Maxes become much more attractive.

Best Buy had these for $70 last week

Dyson has been known for the eye-catching design of its vacuums. The company’s sleek and well-built On Trac over-the-ear headphones are both lovely to look at and a joy to touch. And they sound as good as they look, with detailed bass and a warm midrange that’s great for long listening sessions. The noise cancellation is top-notch, too. The model’s biggest drawback? It would probably be the steep list price. So, at under $250, this deal is worth a long look.

JBL Tune 510BT headphones feel like they’re built with quality in mind: They’re cheap, but they don’t seem cheap. This Bluetooth model delivers pretty good sound quality, it has a 40-hour advertised battery life, and we’ve seen it selling at remarkably low prices. The 510BT sits on the ears, which some people find more comfortable than being engulfed by the more common over-ear style. As an extra perk, you can also use them with a cable if you forget to charge them.

If you’re looking for high-value noise-canceling headphones, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is a very solid option. They’re amiable companions, with robust bass, neutral midrange, and that sense of lively openness that makes really good headphones fun to listen to. They’re pleasantly light in weight, and the fit and stability are good for most of our testers, though those with large heads and/or prominent ears may want to double-check the fit.

These headphones were on sale for $149 during the fall sales, but this is the best price right now.

How big is your head? The answer to that question could determine how happy you’ll be with the stylish Sonos Ace over-ear headphones. Testers with small- to midsized heads find these lightweight cans to be very comfortable. Those with larger heads say the headband might not extend far enough for a proper fit. Performance-wise, the Aces have a warm, satisfying sound, and superb noise cancellation. Just keep your receipt in case you don’t get the right fit.

Headphones are all about sound, and these sleek Sonys are simply the best-sounding earbuds we’ve tested. They deliver so much musical detail that you simply hear your favorite songs in a different way. They also offer powerful active noise cancellation and an effective transparency mode. Even at their normal street price, the XM5s are a solid sonic investment, but with a healthy discount, they’re approaching no-brainer territory.

These sold for just $228 during the last few big sales, so the price will likely drop again and be available at several retailers next month.

The Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) is now a generation old, but it still delivers stellar performance. It comes with a bright display, fast-charging capabilities, and all the Apple Watch basics, from automatic workout detection to sleep tracking. The larger 46mm case option is also on sale.

This watch was $50 less at Amazon during the fall sales, so keep an eye out for a price drop in the future.

The Fitbit Charge line routinely features great general-purpose trackers, and the Charge 6 is no exception. It offers a 1.1-inch full-color display and a range of tools that help you stay on top of your health, everything from stress monitoring to an ECG (electrocardiogram) function that can alert you to irregular heart rhythms.

This watch was $10 less during Prime Big Deal Days, but you’re still saving a decent chunk off the usual price.

The Versa 4 is a great fit for Fitbit fans who want a sleeker-looking smartwatch. You get a good-sized display and all the basics, from GPS-enabled workout tracking to heart rate monitoring. Plus, the battery lasted a generous seven days in CR’s testing.

This previous-generation Pixel Watch 3 has an elegant design, robust health features, and seamless compatibility with the Pixel phone and Google ecosystem. CR’s testers also found the performance of the watch’s heart-rate monitoring and step tracking to be excellent.

Amazon sold this watch for $179.99 during Prime Big Deal Days, but Walmart has the lowest price right now if you’d rather not wait.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch7 is a sleek and high-performing pick, particularly if you own a Galaxy phone. It delivers the latest from Samsung in health, fitness, and safety features—including sleep apnea detection, swimming stroke analysis, and daily AI-enabled Sleep and Energy scores.

We saw this watch sell for $50 less during Prime Big Deal Days, so the price may fall again closer to Black Friday.

The Hisense 75 U8QG is a higher-end 2025 4K ULED set, positioned just below the flagship Hisense U9QG model. It performed very well in our picture quality tests and offers great high dynamic range performance. (It supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats.) It has lots of features, including a Mini LED backlight with local dimming, a 165Hz native refresh rate, and support for Dolby Atmos audio. The 4.1.2-channel speaker system delivers great sound. The set uses the Google TV smart system, with built-in Google Assistant.

We didn’t test this 98-inch step-up QLED model, but we did evaluate the TCL 65QM7K set, which had great overall picture quality and effective HDR. A midtier set in TCL’s 2025 Mini LED TV lineup, it offers a good number of features, including a native 144Hz refresh rate and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

Just note that the model has been selling for about $2,800 lately, not $4,000. This set was also on sale for $200 less during the fall sales.

The Hisense 100U65QF is a jumbo 100-inch model introduced earlier this year. It utilizes quantum dots for an expanded range of colors and includes a Mini LED backlight with local dimming, which enhances contrast and black levels. Other features include a native 144Hz refresh rate and support for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, as well as Dolby Atmos sound. We haven’t tested the 100-inch version of the set, but we did test its 75-inch sibling, and it provides very good overall picture quality, although it is not as impressive in delivering HDR. We expect the 100-inch set to perform similarly.

The TCL 75QM6K just dropped $100 compared to its recent sale price. This TV is part of TCL’s entry-level QM series of 2025 TVs that use Mini LED backlights, and it offers very good overall picture quality but only so-so HDR performance. It has a fairly wide viewing angle for an LCD/LED-based set. Like other QM-series models for 2025, it uses the Google TV smart platform with Google Assistant built in. Though it has a Mini LED backlight with local dimming, it has fewer dimmable zones than the step-up QM-series models.

We didn’t test this 65-inch OLED TV. It appears to be a model exclusive to Best Buy. But Samsung OLEDs have performed extremely well in our tests. This set has been selling for about $300 more lately.

The Samsung QN65QN90F, a 65-inch upper-midtier model in Samsung’s 2025 QD-OLED lineup, is among the best sets you can buy, with impressive overall picture quality, top-notch high dynamic range, and very good sound. (Samsung TVs support HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos sound, but not Dolby Vision HDR.) This set supports a maximum 4K 165Hz refresh rate, as well as Auto Low Latency Mode and variable refresh rate.

This set was $200 less during Prime Big Deal Days at multiple retailers.

This 65-inch TCL set, a midtier model in the company’s higher-end Precision Dimming Series of step-up models with Mini LED backlights for 2025, offers great overall picture quality and a satisfying HDR experience. It also has very good sound. It utilizes the Google TV smart system, featuring Google Assistant built-in. It’s $100 more than we saw during Prime Day, so the price will likely fall again during the next big sale, possibly even for Labor Day. It may be worth keeping an eye on it to save more in a few weeks.

This 55-inch smart TV, a new model for 2025, is an entry-level QLED set that nonetheless provides a satisfying picture, though it lacks the brightness to deliver a compelling HDR experience. (The TV supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR, plus Dolby Atmos audio.) It also lacks some features, such as local dimming, found in step-up models. Sound quality isn’t great, so you might consider adding a soundbar. It uses the Amazon Fire TV smart system with Alexa built in.

We didn’t test this set, a fairly basic 55-inch 4K smart TV from Best Buy’s house brand. However, we did test a similar model, the Insignia NS-55F501NA22, and it performed well for overall picture quality and not as well for high dynamic range or sound. (It supports DTS Virtual-X sound, which tries to create a 3D sound experience using just the TV’s speakers.) This set utilizes the Amazon Fire TV smart platform, featuring built-in Alexa.

Those looking for a low-priced HD set may consider the 32-inch Vizio VFD32M-08, which offers very good high-definition picture quality. The set features a 1080p (full HD) screen resolution and includes Vizio’s smart TV system, which requires a Vizio account for use. In recent weeks, the set has been selling for just under $130 at most retailers.

Among the improvements in the updated Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is a faster processor, which the company says makes it nearly 30 percent more powerful than its predecessor. The model also features WiFi 6 wireless technology and support for Dolby Atmos audio, as well as the HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ formats. The company says the generative AI can make searching for content easier by allowing users to ask more nuanced questions in a conversational way.

This latest stick-style streaming player from Amazon—the Fire TV Stick 4K Max—is among the company’s fastest, thanks to a more powerful processor; apps launch quicker than on earlier models. The player works on the WiFi 6 wireless standard and includes support for both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.

Google is phasing out its older—cheaper—Chromecast streaming devices and replacing them with this new model. The Google TV Streamer (4K) features a sleeker design, a faster processor, and support for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. The player—$100 everywhere a week ago—can also serve as a hub for Google Home or Matter, enabling control of smart home products. It supports Thread, so it can extend your WiFi network, too.

The updated Ultra—the most powerful 4K streaming player Roku makes—has a new, faster quad-core processor, quicker app launches, support for both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats and WiFi 6 wireless. Other features include a lost-remote finder and a wireless mode that lets you pair with Bluetooth headphones. The new Ultra comes with Roku’s best remote control, which gets recharged via a USB-C connection.

The JBL Xtreme 3 is one hefty hunk of speaker. In fact, you might be surprised by how large it is when you see it in person. The 5-pound, foot-long beast sports a strap instead of a handle, which can make it a handful to haul around. But it’s water-resistant, delivers strong bass, and can play loud enough to fill a large-ish room. At just about $200, it’s—quite literally—a lot of speaker for the money. Note that the Walmart offer only applies to the blue model.

The JBL Flip 7 is a classic do-it-all speaker. It’s small enough to stuff into a bag, but delivers enough sound to provide background music at a barbecue. It’s IP68 water-resistant and dust-proof, and the company claims you can drop it onto a concrete floor from a height of one meter and it’ll keep working. Also, according to JBL, it delivers 16 hours of music on a single charge. The $120 price tag represents a decent value, especially if you think there’s a good chance you’ll be abusing your new speaker more than a little.

Looking for a really good, inexpensive small speaker? The Flip 6 is at a fantastic discount at Walmart right now. This speaker is very similar to the venerable Flip 5, and that’s a good thing. It’s water and dust-resistant, has a 12-hour battery life, and is just the right size to slip into a bag or even the water bottle pocket on a backpack.

We didn’t test the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar (B0C4BZ28PG), but it’s a fairly basic, low-cost model at a very nice price. As a 2.0-channel system, it features a single bar with stereo speakers and no separate subwoofer. It supports DTS Virtual: X, which attempts to create a more immersive experience using just the two speakers in the main enclosure. The model offers Bluetooth audio for streaming music from a smartphone.

We didn’t test the JBL Bar 300, but other soundbars from this brand have done fairly well in our tests. The model is offered at a nice discount this week at several retailers. It’s a 5.0-channel model, meaning it’s an all-in-one soundbar that lacks a separate wireless subwoofer. It has a total of six speakers, with four facing forward and two angled at each end of the enclosure. There’s also a rear-firing port for bass response. This model supports Dolby Atmos audio and features built-in Bluetooth, WiFi, Apple AirPlay 2, and Chromecast for wireless streaming of music from smartphones and tablets.

Both Walmart and Amazon sold this model for $50 less during the early fall sales.

The Asus Vivobook 16 isn’t flashy, but it covers the basics really well, especially at this price. It earns top marks for portability and ergonomics, making it a great pick for students or remote workers who value comfort and a lightweight build. Performance and display are average, but with a roomy 16-inch screen and solid all-around versatility, it’s a strong value at $699.

Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop is a sleek, ultra-portable powerhouse built for AI. It features a vibrant 13.8-inch touchscreen and the brand-new Snapdragon X Plus chip, which brings excellent battery life. This is a great price for a laptop with the cutting-edge chip.

This 14-inch model weighs next to nothing—2.9 pounds to be precise—and delivers nearly 19 hours’ worth of battery life per charge. Our testers note that it’s not the fastest Chromebook you’ll see, but if you’re just doing typical Chromebook-y tasks, that shouldn’t be much of an issue.

This compact, budget-friendly charger can be handy to toss in your kid’s backpack, especially if they need something that connects via USB-C. It’s roughly the size of a credit card and has two USB-A ports as well as a USB-C port, so it can charge three devices simultaneously. Iniu claims it can charge a pair of AirPods Pro over 10 times on a single charge and an iPhone 13 nearly twice.

This third-party iPad stylus writes silky smooth, whether you’re scribbling notes in class or creating advanced digital art. CR’s own pro illustrator Sharon Seidl says it feels like a “real pen writing on real paper” and rivals the pricier Apple Pencil models in performance. This model works with all iPad models after 2018.

The price on this stylus has actually dropped $3 since Prime Big Deal Days.

If you’re looking for a versatile printer for your home office, the HP Smart Tank 7602 ticks a lot of boxes: It’s an all-in-one model, which means it can handle copying and scanning, too. It delivers high-quality text and graphics, though at a slightly slower rate than some other options. And, because you refill the “tanks” with bottled ink instead of pricey cartridges, ongoing ink costs remain super low.

The Meross MSG100 is the best smart garage door opener controller from our at-home evaluation. It’s relatively easy to set up and install, and works flawlessly with all of the major smart-home systems (Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings).

The Arlo Essential 2K (VMC3050-100NAS) is one of Arlo’s most budget-friendly security cameras. It performs well in our tests and features a built-in spotlight, a siren, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Additional features, such as activity zones, person detection, and cloud video storage, require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim EP25 is one of the most versatile smart plugs on the market, offering energy monitoring and compatibility with all four major smart home systems: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. It’s also very easy to use and set up based on our expert evaluations, and it offers decent data security. This four-pack is down to the lowest price we’ve seen for it.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is one of the company’s newer smart thermostats, and it has dropped back down to its Prime Day sale price from July. It performs well in our tests for manual operation and offers an array of smart features, but it’s not as proficient at learning your routine and making adjustments automatically. It features a new radar-based occupancy sensor and works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and app control. It doesn’t come with one of Ecobee’s wireless temperature sensors (called SmartSensors), but you can buy those separately in a two-pack for $100 at Best Buy and Ecobee.

One of the best (and least expensive!) doorbell cameras you can buy, the TP-Link Tapo D130 offers a bunch of features—even without a subscription. These include 24/7 recording with local video storage on a microSD card (up to 512 gigabytes, sold separately), AI object recognition (for people, vehicles, packages, and pets), activity zones, and color night vision. This model needs low-voltage doorbell wiring for power. Cloud video storage is available via subscription.

The TP-Link Tapo D210 is one of the most affordable doorbell cameras in our ratings, and it outperforms many of the more expensive models. The doorbell is battery-powered, meaning you don’t have to mess with doorbell wires, and it comes with a plug-in doorbell chime in the box. Features include activity zones, color night vision, local video storage on up to a 512GB microSD card (not included), person detection, pre-recorded responses to ask visitors to leave a message, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Best of all, none of these features requires a subscription.

If you’re a Samsung Galaxy lover and due for a phone upgrade, you can save $120 on the latest S25 smartphone. (The S25+ and S25 Ultra are also on sale, if you want a larger or more deluxe model.) Either way, expect a vibrant display and an excellent camera system.

This pint-sized, foldable phone is now a generation old, but still a solid performer for fans of foldable phones. It easily stows in your pocket but flips open to reveal a high-quality 6.7-inch display. (This offer is for the yellow model; other options are on sale for $899.) The Flip6’s cover screen, which remains visible even when the device is closed, shows notifications, dynamic widgets, and your personalized wallpaper.

You don’t need to spend a fortune on the latest tech for a huge WiFi upgrade, and the TP-Link Archer AX72 Pro is proof. A solid performer in our testing, this WiFi 6 router delivers speeds that are more than fast enough for most families, easily handling multiple video streams, online gaming, and a house full of connected devices. For anyone still using the basic router provided by an internet service provider, this is a sensible, low-cost upgrade.