Tech Talk

With more people working from home than they used to, owning a good pair of noise-canceling headphones has become more appealing than ever. However, they can be expensive and difficult to shop for due to the range of available models, many of which cater to different lifestyles and priorities. Some are better suited for long-haul flights, for instance, while others are ideal for multitasking and marathon listening sessions.

That’s why we’ve curated this list of the best deals on noise-canceling headphones. Here, you’ll find sales on all kinds of on-ear and over-ear headphones, all of which are designed to eliminate outside noise but come with their own strengths and weaknesses. And if you want to do even more research before making a buying decision, we’ve put together a guide to the best noise-canceling headphones, which can help you determine which is right for you.

Bose QuietComfort 45 deals

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Bose QuietComfort 45s, our pick for the most comfortable noise-canceling headphones, are a pair frequent travelers will surely appreciate. They’re lightweight and foldable, so you can easily carry them around with you, and ear fatigue is unlikely, thanks to their oval ear cups. Battery life now sits at 24 hours as well, meaning you needn’t worry about constantly having to charge them. The new transparency mode, meanwhile, comes in handy when you need to be more aware of your surroundings, like when you’re about to cross the street, while a recently-introduced firmware update allows you to customize the bass, mid-range, and other aspects of the EQ. The USB-C-equipped headphones don’t offer the same bassy response as Sony’s 1000XM4s, but if comfort is what you’re after, the QC45 offer it in spades.

While we’ve seen the QC45 drop to as low as $279, right now there are no discounts that steep available. However, you can save 15 percent on a pair when you buy two of the QuietComfort 45s, QuietComfort Earbuds, or Sport Earbuds, in any combination, from Bose. Keep in mind that the discount will apply to the cheaper of the two models, and you must buy both at the same time to take advantage of the deal. Read our review.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Apple’s AirPods Max deals

If you’re looking for the best sound quality you can get in a pair of noise-canceling headphones, we recommend the AirPods Max. The headphones pair seamlessly with other Apple devices, and they sound superb, especially combined with Apple’s spatial audio feature, which allows for a more immersive experience when listening to or watching compatible content. They also tout the best transparency mode of all the headphones on our list, and they boast incredible build quality thanks to a luxe design that opts for aluminum, steel, and fabric over plastic.

At $549, these headphones are usually very expensive, but many retailers have been discounting them as of late. Right now, for instance, the silver and gray AirPods Max are currently on sale at Amazon for $450, a discount you’ll see at checkout. You can also pick them up at Micro Center in most colorways for the same price, though they’re only available in-store in select locations. Otherwise, Amazon is also selling other colorways for $479, while B&H Photo is also offering the same discount on most styles. Read our review.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Shure Aonic 50 deals

Shure’s Aonic 50 are amongst the best noise-canceling headphones available for a lower price, offering first-class sound quality, adequate noise cancellation, and support for advanced Bluetooth codecs like apt-X HD and LDAC. They’re also comfortable to wear, boast detailed, bass-rich sound, and offer features like ambient passthrough and a customizable EQ. Normally $299.99, Shure’s Aonic 50 are on sale right now for around $239 at Amazon, Best Buy, Adorama, GameStop, and B&H Photo, among other retailers.

Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II deals

If the newer QuietComfort 45 are out of your budget, their noise-canceling predecessor remain a great, affordable alternative — at least when they can be found. Like newer Bose models, the discontinued QuietComfort 35 II are both comfortable and lightweight. They also come with a number of praiseworthy features, including good sound quality and the ability to seamlessly switch between two paired devices.

While their original sticker price was $349, the QC35 II are frequently on sale for far less. Target and GameStop, for example, are currently selling them for $299, a cool $50 off the list price but a far cry from their all-time low of around $180.

Image: Sony

Sony WH-CH710N

If you’re looking for noise-canceling headphones that are under $200, Sony’s WH-CH710N might be worth a look. The budget-friendly headphones come with an “Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation” feature, which, according to Sony, will automatically select the proper noise cancellation mode based on the sound levels in your environment. The Bluetooth headphones also feature an ambient mode for when you want to hear what’s going on around you and offer up to 35 hours of continuous playback on a single charge.

Sony’s WH-CH710N typically retail for $199.99, but at the moment you can buy them for around $149 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Sony. Adorama is also selling a bundle that includes an Energizer UE20003PQ power bank and a microfiber cleaning cloth for $178, which is an additional $12 off the bundle’s typical sale price.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Beats Studio 3 deals

While we couldn’t recommend these to anybody outside of the Apple ecosystem, the Beats Studio 3 Wireless could be a decent alternative if you want a pair of over-ear headphones from Apple but find the AirPods Max to be too expensive. The Beats Studio 3 are comfortable to wear, fold inward for easy stowing, and feature Apple’s last-gen W1 wireless chip, which still allow you to quickly connect and switch between Apple devices. Note, however, that unlike those built with Apple’s newer H1 chip, the headphones lack hands-free Siri support. They also charge via a Micro USB port instead of a Lightning port or USB-C.

They’re certainly showing their age at this point — they launched in 2017, after all — but they're on sale at the moment in select colorways at Amazon and Walmart for $209.99. Read our review.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Beats Solo Pro deals

When we first reviewed the Beats Solo Pro in 2019, we found the nicely designed Apple headphones offered effective noise cancellation, good durability, lengthy battery life, and a balanced sound profile. While their sticker price was $299.95, Best Buy currently has them on sale in red and blue for $219.99. Note, however, that these headphones have since been discontinued. As a result, Apple no longer sells them, and the retailers that do — like Best Buy — are not likely to continue stocking them in the future.