Let’s not mess around: early Amazon Prime Day deals are live now, but the big four-day extravaganza is approaching fast – July 8 to July 11 – starting next Tuesday.
If you came here, you want one of two things: cheap(er) headphones, or cut-price Bluetooth speakers in the Prime Day sales. Good call.
But how to sort the wheat from the chaff to actually get a decent deal? Me. I’m here, music-lover, and I am about to list the four truly great, ripe-for-a-saving products in both categories, alongside the prices to be looking for.
So strap in, let’s go!
The 4 headphones worth buying on Prime Day
If you see a deal on these (I’ve linked the best savings below – for the Bose, and for all of the products within this roundup) know this: they’re simply the best in most areas, with one tiny fly in the ointment being their stamina. Look, battery life is still 24 hours with ANC on, so it’s hardly bad; it’s just that newer options can trounce it.
Bose wrote the book on ANC, and here’s the thing: the company just announced the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2), and although no new over-ears were announced, with an original release date of October 2023, we’d expect the prices on the Ultra Headphones (Gen 1) to perhaps start dropping over Prime Day… and that’s not normal for Bose products!
Want noise-nixing, bubble-of-silence, please-don’t-talk-to-me-unless-it’s-food cans for your next flight? Or even Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that have just been superseded but are still oh-so good? You’ve found them – simply scroll for the best deals.
Prices you’re looking for: anything below or hovering around $329 or £299
I even get readers telling me their Sony WH-1000XM3 over-ears are still going strong, so you know this particular design was built to last. Sadly, the 3-suffixed set have gone to the big gig in the sky (read: Sony discontinued them) but the fact that we’re still recommending their update, the August-2020-issue XM4 over ears, despite two newer models in the lineup, is really all you need to know.
That said, it’s worth noting that the still-very-good Sony WH-1000XM5 (released in May 2022) will doubtless also see a few discounts following the oh-so-recent Sony WH-1000XM6‘s May 2025 release… but just to bring it back to the deal I’m after: Sony WH-1000XM4, if you please, Amazon.
Prices to look for: anything around (or dipping below) $198 or £175
Let’s go budget-conscious, shall we? As always here, I want you to know that you’re not getting the levels of detail, separation or ANC efficacy that you will with the two options above. However…
These unassuming 2024-issue 1More cans boast strong sound quality, ANC and battery life for the money. Truly top-tier audio output? No. Classiest build of the bunch? Also no – but for sub-$100 / £100 over-ears with noise cancellation, you’ll struggle to find headphones as complete as this.
Prices to look for: anything below $75 or £70
It’s no secret that I adore these headphones. Honestly, they are incredible value even at their original asking price. Why? Oh that’ll be their excellent sound quality, solid ANC, superb voice prompts (pick ‘Southwark’ and you get Matt Berry telling you whether or not you’ve deployed noise cancelling) plus a modular design, meaning you’ll even be able to replace the battery when the need arrives.
These cans made their debut on July 15, 2024, and frankly, they wowed me – and the wider TechRadar team. The company has updated its earbuds recently, but not its over-ears. Did I mention the classy build and finish? Highly recommended.
Prices to look for: anything around (or dipping just under) $239 or £199
The 4 Bluetooth speakers worth buying on Prime Day
A very easy one to recommend, this. It’s an excellent little portable speaker and, having arrived in December 2021, it recently got superseded by the new JBL Flip 7. And we all know what that means…
If you want something that gets the sound right and boasts a solid, rugged build but doesn’t have the extras (no Wi-Fi streaming; no mics for speakerphone or voice assistant duties; no charging port for your phone; no AUX-in for wired listening) it’s a great shout.
Deals to look for: anything below $79 or £85
Perhaps more of a humble wish than a discount certainty, but it’s such a beautiful little muffin-shaped portable speaker I cannot not bring it to your attention.
The B&O Beosound A1 3rd Gen arrived on May 6, 2025 and is built on two prior models – but three really is the magic number. Sonically, it’s spacious and punchy, but as beautifully controlled as its audio-specialist makers could possibly have managed.
It also looks and feels every inch a bijou premium item (you’ll love using it at the park), and has a lovely control app. And Amazon Prime Day is a massive deals event, right? Here’s hoping…
Deals to look for: anything below its $349 / £299 original asking fee
Yes, an LG option in this roundup – who’d have thought? The thing is LG’s got will.i.am now, and I don’t want you to sleep on this very capable JBL Flip rival.
It was officially announced at the start of the year, and with a regular price of $149.99 / £129.98, it’s already not bad value – in that it’s the same price as the JBL Flip 7, but with added straps to latch it on to things.
If you see it discounted on Prime Day and you want something a bit different, you won’t be disappointed here.
Deals to look for: anything at or just below $129 or £119
Let’s go big! It’s a Bose product, so this might feel like finding needles in haystacks territory, but I have faith that at least a few dollars (or pounds) might be shaved off this excellent party-ready belter of a Bluetooth speaker on Prime Day proper.
It’s got an IP67 rating, so you can dunk it in the drink and it’ll survive (for up to 30 minutes, at a depth of up to a meter), and the liberal use of silicone means it’s happy to withstand a knock or bump. And when you’re outdoors, the Bose SoundLink Max is a highly enjoyable companion. The sound is as big and impactful as the speaker it comes from, but it’s by no means a blunt instrument.
The Max is a June 2024 release and it was just joined by a newer, smaller sibling called the Bose SoundLink Plus. Might that mean a few choice price-cuts for the bigger brother? Let’s hope so…
Prices to look for: anything on or (just!) below $299 or £299
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becky.scarrott@futurenet.com (Becky Scarrott)
