I test wireless earbuds for a living and Black Friday has finally delivered the deal I’ve been waiting for

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in White Smoke on a red background with a Black Friday Deals Tag
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

If you’ve been following my exploits with some of the best wireless earbuds on the market over the past 12 months or so you’ll know I’ve been spending a lot of time getting to know the excellent Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. They’re one of my go-to pairs even though I’m currently getting to know the rather fabulous (and much more expensive) Bowers & Wilkins Pi8.

In my opinion, the Bose are the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market right now when it comes to combining sound quality, ANC skills and value for money.

And in the build-up to Black Friday, I’ve been monitoring their price closely and quietly wondering if we could see them dip under the £200 mark for the very first time. And you know what? My prayers have finally been answered!

You see, the price has been teasing me for the past few weeks, hovering around the £209 mark. Now this was already a price I could get behind for these five-star buds, but now they have dropped to £199 at Amazon it has become the sort of deal that deserves to be shouted about from the rooftops. These earbuds started out life at £300 so that £112 saving is pretty significant by Black Friday standards.

UK: Bose QC Ultra Earbuds was £300 now £198 at Amazon (save £112)Five starsPrevious low price £209
Lowest price ever!

UK: Bose QC Ultra Earbuds was £300 now £198 at Amazon (save £112)
This fantastic saving on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds seems them drop to a new all-time low price. Arguably the best noise-cancelling earbuds out there, they also serve up a punchy, musical sound, excellent levels of comfort, 6hr battery life, aptX support and Bluetooth Multipoint (saving applies to White Smoke finish). Five stars
Previous low price £209

It’s hard to explain just how good a deal this is for a pair of earbuds that isn't short of rivals at the money. Yes, the Sony WF-1000XM5 are also discounted this Black Friday (to £189 at Amazon) but I’m not the biggest fan of the fit and from my testing experience I know that the Bose will suit many more ear shapes. Why? because their silicone tips have a much shallower profile which encourages a more even seal when you’re trying to get them in place.

So, the Bose tick the comfort box which is their first green flag. They’re also nice to use thanks to the touch-sensitive stems which allow you to control everything from sound modes, to volume, to music playback from your smartphone. Don’t underestimate how this can help make or break the user experience.

Next up is the noise-cancelling which is best-in-class too. No other pair I’ve tested recently does such a convincingly good job of sucking out background noise, whether we’re talking about the rumbles of the train during my morning commute or the loud chatter of a busy pub, the QC Ultra Earbuds make short work of isolating you from the noise around you. The ANC is customisable too, which means you can vary its intensity depending on whether you want some outside noise to seep through or you want a blanket thrown over your entire surroundings.

Finally, I think you’ll want to opt for the Bose because of their wonderfully musical sound. I’ve experienced first-hand their impressive sense of musicality which we talked about in our review. They are an entertaining listen, with an open and purposeful presentation and solid, rich, weighty bass which everyone can get behind.

This is already shaping up to be one of the best wireless earbuds deals of Black Friday and I would highly recommend anyone looking for premium sound from their next purchase to take a closer look while the price remains at £198 over at Amazon.

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Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.