Black Friday just dropped the year's biggest tech discounts, with all-time low prices on everything from Apple AirPods at $69 (down from $129) to Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones at $398. Despite tariff-driven price hikes elsewhere, shoppers can snag vetted deals up to 58% off on laptops, smart home gear, and gaming accessories that our experts have tested for weeks.
Black Friday 2025 is delivering the goods for tech enthusiasts, with verified discounts hitting record lows across premium brands despite the year's tariff headwinds. The Verge experts spent weeks vetting supposed deals to separate genuine bargains from fake markdowns - and the results are impressive.
Apple leads the charge with its base AirPods 4 crashing to just $69, down from the usual $129. That's a stunning 47% discount on earbuds that only launched this year with improved audio over the third-gen model and spatial audio with head tracking. The deal appears across major retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Audio enthusiasts have even bigger fish to fry. Sony's flagship WH-1000XM6 headphones - our pick for best noise-canceling cans - dropped to $398 from their $449 launch price. These represent Sony's latest engineering with improved comfort, better noise cancellation, and the ability to charge while in use. Unlike their predecessors, they fold down for travel.
Bose isn't sitting idle either. The QuietComfort Ultra, replacement for the beloved Noise Cancelling 700 series, fell $130 to $298. Industry insiders tell us this matches the steepest discount we've seen on Bose's travel-friendly flagship, which delivers spatial audio and what many consider the gold standard for active noise cancellation.
But the deals extend far beyond audio. Gaming gear is seeing spectacular cuts, with Sony's PlayStation Portal handheld streaming device down to $179 from $199. The Portal lets you stream PS5 games over your home network or cloud gaming for certain titles with a PS Premium subscription. Its 8-inch 1080p display and DualSense haptic feedback make it surprisingly compelling.
For retro gaming fans, the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth controller dropped to just $26 - a 35% cut from its $39 retail price. While it mimics the Nintendo 64's unusual design in a more traditional layout, the lack of a second joystick limits compatibility with modern titles.
Smart home enthusiasts can capitalize on rarely discounted premium gear. The Nuki Smart Lock, our top pick for retrofit door security, is down to $127 with an on-page Amazon coupon. This Swiss-engineered lock supports every major smart home platform through Matter-over-Thread without requiring full lock replacement.
Apple's ecosystem sees broader discounts beyond AirPods. The new M4 MacBook Air with doubled RAM is down to $749 from $999 - a solid $250 savings on what many consider the best laptop for most people. The AirPods Pro 3, which launched just months ago with improved fit and heart rate sensors, dropped to $219.
Home cleaning gets an upgrade with the Dreame X40 Ultra at a massive 58% off, down to $500 from its $1,199 list price. This robot vacuum solves the carpet-versus-hard-floor problem by automatically removing and reattaching mop pads, while its 12,000Pa suction tackles heavy-duty messes.
The deals reflect broader market dynamics. Despite US-sanctioned tariffs pushing prices higher on many electronics, retailers are absorbing costs to move inventory before year-end. Amazon Prime members get additional benefits like expedited shipping on many deals.
Looking ahead, inventory is moving fast on the deepest discounts. The Fanttik X8 Apex tire inflator, down $40 to $69.99, can fill a car tire in under a minute - perfect for winter preparedness. Meanwhile, the Oura Ring 4 health tracker dropped $100 to $249, offering improved accuracy and AI-powered insights.
Supply chain analysts suggest the best deals may not last through Cyber Monday, as retailers balance aggressive promotions with margin pressure from earlier tariff impacts.
This Black Friday represents a rare convergence of genuine premium discounts and supply chain pressures creating deep inventory cuts. With verified savings up to 58% on expert-tested gear from Apple, Sony, Bose and others, shoppers have a narrow window to snag all-time low prices before inventory constraints and Cyber Monday reset the market. The deals signal retailers' commitment to moving premium inventory despite broader economic headwinds.
