It's that time of year again! The two events that start everyone's countdown to Christmas, of course – the What Hi-Fi? Awards and Black Friday.
With the Awards helpfully dropping just before the big sales event, you've got the perfect hi-fi and home cinema buying guide for you or a loved one this Christmas.
But which Award winners are actually likely to go on sale? What prices can we expect? And which Award winners might *gasp* not actually go down in price?
We'll list some of the likely contenders below for you to start planning your Black Friday shop, and don't forget to come back here on the big day as we'll be hunting for the very best prices on the below. And as always, our Award winners have been tried, tested and compared with the competition, so you can shop confidently!
LG C6
Ah, the LG C-Series. LG's mid-range OLED offering has always been quite consistent in terms of quality and Black Friday deals, so we're reasonably confident that we'll see a decent discount on this year's model, the LG C6.
I once did a deep dive on the price history of the LG C5, the predecessor to the C6, and of the four sizes I tracked, all reached new lows on Black Friday last year.
Hopes are high then! We've tested three sizes of the LG C6 – 42-inch, 48-inch and 65-inch, and all three have won a What Hi-Fi? Award. Here's the lowest prices we've seen so far:
LG C6 42-inch lowest price: £849
LG C6 48-inch lowest price: £944
LG C6 65-inch lowest price: £1619
For comparison, here are the prices their predecessor, the LG C5, hit on Black Friday week last year:
LG C5 42-inch Black Friday price: £727
LG C5 48-inch Black Friday price: £849
LG C5 65-inch Black Friday price: £1231
Hisense AX5125H
The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H was the Dolby Atmos upgrade deal of Black Friday 2025, and promptly sold out at many retailers.
With the Hisense soundbar package once again winning a What Hi-Fi? Award thanks to its incredible value and amazing scale, we expect the AX5125H to be a hot ticket item once again this Black Friday. Here's hoping it matches last year's low and there's enough stock for everyone who wants one. Affordable Dolby Atmos for all!
Hisense AX5125H lowest price: £189
Headphones deals galore
One category that's always reliable come Black Friday? Headphones. There'll almost certainly be several good headphone deals, though some models and brands are more likely than others.
Sony traditionally embraces Black Friday discounts, so we may see the first discounts on the Sony WH-CH730N and Sony WH-1000XM4C, which only came out in September.
Several of the company's earbuds, such as the Sony WF-C510 and Sony WF-C710N, are already discounted but may well drop even further, and we'd also hope to see the Sony WF-1000XM6 drop to their Prime Day price of £199.
If you prefer wired cans, the Rode NTH-100 tend to yo-yo in price but did reach a low of £84 last Black Friday. The already budget Sennheiser CX 80U are already discounted to £28, but this price could go even lower come Black Friday.
Whatever type of headphones you're after or budget you're working with, there's a good chance of an Award-winner being on sale!
Sony WH-CH730N lowest price: £99
Sony WH-1000XM4C lowest price: £219
Sony WF-C510 lowest price: £28
Sony WF-C710N lowest price: £62
Sony WF-1000XM6 lowest price: £199
Rode NTH-100 lowest price: £84
Sennheiser CX 80U lowest price: £28
Amazon Devices
Yes, it's no secret that Amazon devices hit rock-bottom prices at sale events, and they make sure not to miss out on Black Friday.
The only Amazon device to win an Award this year is the Amazon Fire TV Stick Max 4K (2nd Generation). Despite being a few years old now, it's still a great value video streamer with solid picture and audio quality and fuss-free operation. Even more enticing given that the new Apple TV 4K is getting a price increase...
Amazon Fire TV Stick Max 4K (2nd Generation) lowest price: £40
And a few deals we'd like to see...
As much as we're delighted to see several of our Award winners get discounted, there are still a few that stubbornly cling to their launch price.
The Dali Kupid, for instance, completely charmed us when we reviewed them last year, and they're now on their second What Hi-Fi? Award. And while the eye-catching standmounts were already affordable, they've barely moved from their £299 launch price all year. Which is a shame if this is out of your price range, as they're lively, entertaining and rhythmically agile speakers in a compact package.
The Sennheiser HDB 630, similarly, are particular favourites in the What Hi-Fi? office, with their clever USB-C dongle setting new standards for wireless audio at this level. Again, they've barely budged from their £400 launch price, despite several other premium cans that released around the same time seeing generous discounts. Could Black Friday 2026 be when that price finally starts to slip?
At £1999, the KEF XIO is undoubtedly premium and knows it. As its What Hi-Fi? Award attests, the XIO is absolutely worth the money if you have pockets deep enough, with a detailed, precise and exciting overall sound that works just as well with music as it does with movies. We just wish it could get one teensy little discount one day...
MORE:
Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy
And the best TVs for all budgets
