The Black Friday sales are go! We are into the Black Friday weekend and will be keeping an eye on all the best deals so far and sharing the very best that are still alive and kicking now that the big day has been and gone, from AirPods to iPads, Bluetooth speakers to wireless headphones, 4K TVs and tablets.
There have been no shortage of great Black Friday TV deals to take advantage of, including over £500 off the gaming-friendly LG OLED55C1 (opens in new tab) and £300 off Sony's Award-winning KD-65XH9005 (opens in new tab).
Alternatively, if you're looking for Black Friday headphones deals, we've already seen a considerable price drop for Sony's fantastic WH-1000XM4 (opens in new tab) noise-cancelling over-ears and a first-ever price drop for its WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds (opens in new tab). And there's a new low price on the Apple AirPods Pro at Amazon (opens in new tab).
We've also highlighted some attractive Black Friday hi-fi and audio deals and home cinema savings which you'll also find in the list below. And it's a list that will grow during the course of the day as the deals start to mount up and don't forget retailers such as Currys (opens in new tab), John Lewis (opens in new tab), Richer Sounds (opens in new tab) and Sevenoaks Sound and Vision (opens in new tab) all have their own Black Friday deals to add to the pile.
Basically, there won't be any shortage of attractive offers coming your way this weekend and we're going to make it easy for you to get straight to the best products with the biggest savings. Using our extensive back catalogue of reviews and our experience and expertise across a wide range of product categories we'll be able to give you our honest opinion and guide you past any potential pitfalls, making sure you get the Black Friday deals you deserve. Time for the deals...
Black Friday deals: Quick Links
- 4K TV: 43-inch Samsung now just £379 at John Lewis (opens in new tab)
- AirPods Pro:
£249£185 at Amazon (save £64) (opens in new tab) - Amazon: over 40% off gin, whiskey wine and more (opens in new tab)
- Argos: lowest-ever prices on LG and Sony OLED TVs (opens in new tab)
- AV online: big savings on speakers, home cinema, and hi-fi systems (opens in new tab)
- AO: Hisense 4K TVs from £297, Samsung QLED TVs from £379 (opens in new tab)
- B&W speakers:
£449£359 at Richer Sounds (opens in new tab) - Bluetooth speaker: five-star speaker now just £31 (opens in new tab)
- Blu-ray player: 4K HDR pictures for £140 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
- Boots: 50% of toothbrushes, fragrances and beauty bundles (opens in new tab)
- Currys: low prices on TVs, headphones, laptops and more (opens in new tab)
- eBay: get 20% off selected electronics sellers (opens in new tab)
- Electricshop: up to £500 off Samsung Neo QLED TVs (opens in new tab)
- John Lewis: save on TVs, headphones, tablets, smartphones, speakers (opens in new tab)
- LG OLED TV:
£899£649 at BT Shop (save £250!) (opens in new tab) - Love Honey: save up to 60% (opens in new tab)
- Microsoft: save over £400 on Surface tablets (opens in new tab)
- Nintendo Switch: games console down to £259 (opens in new tab)
- Peter Tyson: 'Price Lock Promise' if prices on select products drop further (opens in new tab)
- Portable projector: save £200 on Nebula outdoor projector (opens in new tab)
- PS5 deals: see the latest deals
- Richer Sounds: save up to £500 on hi-fi systems, £500 on TVs and projectors (opens in new tab)
- Sevenoaks: £300 off Denon AV receivers, £200 off KEF speakers and more (opens in new tab)
- Sony XM3 wireless earbuds:
£230£114 at Amazon (save £116) (opens in new tab) - Sony XM4 headphones:
£330£249 at Amazon (save £81) (opens in new tab) - Soundbar: JVC soundbar now just £35 at Currys (opens in new tab)
- Sky: superfast broadband offers from £25/mth, up to 50% off iPhone plans (opens in new tab)
- Smyths: early Black Friday deals on Lego, Marvel and Nerf
- Turntable: save £150 on Sony record player at Sevenoaks (opens in new tab)
- Very: low prices on AirPods, tablets, smartwatches and TVs (opens in new tab)
- Whisky Exchange: save on spirits, champagne and whisky (opens in new tab)
- Wireless earbuds: five-star Earfun Air buds now just £50 (opens in new tab)
The best Black Friday deals live now
Best Black Friday deals: TVs
Best Black Friday deals: Headphones
Best Black Friday deals: Soundbars
Best Black Friday deals: Projectors
Best Black Friday deals: Bluetooth speakers
Best Black Friday deals: Hi-Fi speakers
Best Black Friday deals: Turntables
Best Black Friday deals: Systems, separates, portables
Best Black Friday deals: Home cinema
When is Black Friday 2021?
The Black Friday 2021 date is Friday 26th November.
Cyber Monday 2021 will be Monday 29th November.
Black Friday always takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which means this year it will fall on Friday 26th November. Most retailers will want to make the most of what will typically be the busiest 24 hours of the event, meaning we can expect deals going live at midnight and running until the end of the day.
Of course, you can rest assured that Black Friday will stretch out longer than just 24 hours – those days are long gone. Instead, expect at least a week of build-up, maybe longer, from many retailers. And of course, the Black Friday sales continue through to Cyber Monday, which is always the Monday after Black Friday.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday began on the other side of the Atlantic but in recent years has very much become a worldwide and UK shopping phenomenon. It's regarded (and backed up by stats) as the busiest shopping day of the year – both online and in-store – and officially kicks off the holiday season.
Why is it called Black Friday? The date was traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season when retailers hoped to move out of the "red" (loss) and into the "black" (profit), hence Black Friday.
How long will Black Friday last?
Well, Black Friday is 24 hours. And Cyber Monday is 24 hours. But like other big sales events, you always have preliminary and aftermath offers.
For one, deals will run during the weekend sandwiched in the middle of the two days. And in the days and weeks building up to them, there will be plenty of 'early Black Friday' savings serenading the sites.
Are the Black Friday deals any good?
After the initial few years of excitement around Black Friday in the UK, we naturally moved to the apathy stage, as people began to question whether the offers were genuinely good deals. And it remains up for debate.
For example, it's not unusual to see discounted products rise in price in the summer months ahead of a "price cut" come Black Friday; naturally this means you're essentially just getting the original discounted price from earlier in the year. That said, there are always genuine deals to be had – it's just finding them amongst the onslaught of offers.
Luckily that's where our service will come in; we'll handpick the best TV, audio and AV deals across retailers to find the ones that are really worth your hard-earned cash.
We'd suggest having a rough idea of what you want in mind – whether that be noise-cancelling wireless headphones under £200, a discounted 55-inch 4K OLED TV or a cheap record player – but restricting yourself only to specific models will reduce your chance of being lucky in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Pick the features you fancy, then see what ticks your boxes and has the best Black Friday discount.
What Black Friday deals can you expect?
LG OLED TVs, JBL Bluetooth speakers, Sony wireless earbuds and Bose headphones, Alexa and Echo devices, Apple AirPods... You get the drill. Some of the most popular products of the year are almost guaranteed be on offer at pretty much every electronics retailer during the Black Friday sales.
Previous big-sellers over Black Friday also include the Sonos One and Beam, Sony WH-1000XM3, Amazon Echo and Fire products, Bose wireless earbuds and noise-cancelling headphones, UE speakers, Naim Mu-so products, Denon AV receivers, OLED TVs and plenty more. And if you're a vinyl lover, you can choose from some special edition releases as part of the Record Store Day Black Friday sale.
What about Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday 2021 will be Monday 29th November.
The term 'Cyber Monday', meanwhile, was coined by Scott Silverman and the National Retail Federation's Ellen Davis in a bid to encourage people to take their shopping online during the Black Friday event. That was back in 2005, when people needed such encouragement! It's always the Monday after Black Friday.
Black Friday 2021 preview
The Black Friday date follows a predictable pattern, falling on the Friday before Thanksgiving, but the nature of the Black Friday sales aren't quite so set in stone, and 2021 could potentially throw up a few surprises along the way.
The last 12 months have seen unprecedented growth in people shopping online, with worldwide e-commerce sales tipped to hit almost £3.6m in 2021, up 46% from 2019. Will this mean an even bigger jackpot for online retailers this Black Friday? Maybe. Or maybe not.
Firstly, with more people shopping online throughout the year there's no longer the same desire, from consumers or retailers, to focus all the shopping in a short period of trading around Thanksgiving and in the run-up to Christmas. Instead, we've seen more sales throughout the year, from Amazon Prime Day to more traditional retailer sales and discounts targeting new online shoppers stuck at home and, in some cases, with money to spend that hasn't this year been spent on holidays or entertainment.
There's also the matter of supply chain issues and the global chip shortage, where a combination of COVID-19, trade wars and natural disasters have taken their toll on availability. This has meant fewer existing products in shops and, as confirmed by industry sources, fewer new products launched. Neither of which bodes well for Black Friday deals.
Nevertheless, we still expect big-name retailers such as Amazon to do their level best to ensure Black Friday 2021 lives up to expectations. After all, according to Adobe Analytics data, Black Friday last year saw consumers spending £6.5 billion, an increase of 21.6% over the previous year, so there's plenty to play for.
Where to get the best Black Friday deals?
The dominant names on the high street, such as Argos, Currys and John Lewis, will no doubt want to go big on PS5 and Xbox Series X console bundles ahead of Christmas (assuming there's enough stock), while the Sony WF-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM4 (and XM3) are likely to be some of the biggest headphone sellers.
We won't forget the hi-fi and home cinema kit, so will be on the look out for deals on B&W and KEF speakers, not to mention 4K and portable projectors, AVRs, turntables and more.
We're confident the specialist AV retailers such as Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks will deliver some hi-fi and home cinema bargains – last year's What Hi-Fi? Award-winners are a good place to start when it comes to finding a price reduction.
The likes of Amazon, Argos, eBay, Currys and AO.com will be competing in the bun fight to offer the lowest prices on audio and video too – which is only good news for the consumer.
- Amazon – deals on anything and everything (opens in new tab)
- Argos – look out for cheap TVs and consoles (opens in new tab)
- Currys – reliable electronics retailer (opens in new tab)
- John Lewis – 5-year guarantee and good service (opens in new tab)
- Richer Sounds – hi-fi and AV specialist (opens in new tab)
- Sevenoaks Sound & Vision – hi-fi and AV specialist (opens in new tab)
