Best Buy just dropped some serious Black Friday heat with deals that actually matter. WIRED curated 17 standout tech products they've personally tested and reviewed this year, from the brand-new M5 MacBook Pro already seeing its first discount to Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones. These aren't random markdowns - they're genuine deals on gear that passed WIRED's rigorous testing.
Black Friday used to mean camping outside stores for questionable TV deals. Now it's about finding genuine discounts on tech that doesn't suck - and WIRED just made that easier by handpicking 17 deals at Best Buy on products their reviewers actually tested.
The headliner? Apple's month-old M5 MacBook Pro is already on sale for $1,349, down from $1,599. That's unusual for a brand-new Apple product, making this the rare chance to grab the latest Apple Silicon without paying full freight. WIRED's testing showed the M5 chip delivers "significant step forward everywhere you looked," with the GPU seeing the biggest performance leap for gaming and creative apps.
But the Apple deal is just the opening act. Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones dropped to $398 - these are WIRED's pick for "best wireless headphones you can buy right now," with class-leading noise canceling and custom drivers that deliver Sony's signature sound profile.
Google also surprised everyone by discounting its brand-new Pixel 10 to $599, down from $799. As WIRED notes, "It's unusual to see a deep discount on this year's Google flagship." The Pixel 10 packs genuinely useful AI features like Call Screen and Now Playing, plus Qi2 support for magnetic wireless charging.
The deals get interesting when you dig deeper. WIRED found an Asus Zenbook A14 that dropped 45% to just $550 - a laptop that weighs only 2.16 pounds without compromising on battery life or performance. There's also the TCL QM6K QLED TV at $500 for the 65-inch model, which WIRED calls "a versatile display that does just about everything well" for people shopping under $1,000.
Gaming enthusiasts get the Samsung Odyssey G6 OLED monitor at $650 (down $250), featuring a 27-inch OLED panel with 360Hz refresh rate. WIRED's testing praised its "gorgeous HDR in games" and versatility for both competitive shooters and single-player titles.
What makes this different from typical Black Friday hype? Every product earned WIRED's recommendation through actual testing, not marketing bullet points. The JBL Flip 7 earned 9/10 with WIRED saying it "strikes the perfect compromise between mobility and sound quality." The Dyson V15 Detect impressed their vacuum expert with how much debris it captured from both carpet and hard floors.
Even budget picks get the full treatment. The Asus Chromebook CX14 at $249 doesn't hide its compromises - WIRED notes the display "isn't bright enough" and "colors look off" - but calls it "as good as it gets" for budget Chromebooks.
Tech deals often focus on discounted prices without context about actual quality. WIRED's approach flips that by starting with products that earned editorial approval, then highlighting when they hit genuinely good prices. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds at $227 represent "the best discount we've ever seen" on earbuds their A/V team calls superior for travel.
Some deals target specific niches. The Corsair Scimitar Elite gaming mouse drops to $75 with 12 programmable side buttons for MMO players. The TP-Link Deco BE67 mesh system hits $500 for a 3-pack, earning runner-up status in WIRED's mesh router guide.
WIRED's Black Friday curation cuts through the retail noise by focusing on products their reviewers actually tested and approved. These aren't random markdowns on mediocre gear - they're genuine savings on tech that earned editorial respect. Whether you're eyeing the discounted M5 MacBook Pro or hunting for budget wins like the $249 Chromebook, each deal represents real value backed by hands-on testing. In a sea of Black Friday hype, that editorial filter makes all the difference.
