If you enjoy the physical chase of the deal, then shopping at the brick-and-mortar store on Black Friday is for you. If you're like me, the idea of throngs of people piling up to grab the exact product I want sends me into a catatonic state of shock.
Some Black Friday deals have already started and are offered online now and before "Friday." The spree of deals culminates with Cyber Monday (and some even after that).
Me? I'll be sipping coffee, enjoying music, and surfing for deals. For the most part, I'm "window" shopping.
But what deals?
TVs, Of Course
I make no apologies for the fact that I love TVs. It can't be just any big TV for the lowest price. It's got to be the latest model, with actual specs that are even better than last year's model. A high dynamic range with a wide color gamut and brightness, the ability to see the detail in the battle scenes in the Game of Thrones, and a refresh rate of 120Hz is a must (I watch hockey, and there's nothing worse than a jittery puck you can't follow). Plus, the upscaling of content to 4K has got to be excellent.
My first recommendation for buying a TV on Black Friday is (and I know it's going to be crazy out there) to ask to see an image feed from cable TV. Most TVs will be displaying native 4K content, which should look great on almost any 4K screen. Depending on your media provider and many other factors, a lot of the content you'll be viewing won't be in 4K. You want to see how the TV processes the image.
Second recommendation: Decide what is important to you. If all you want is a large TV in the family room for daytime viewing versus content you want to become immersed in, then go for the 85-inch at a lower price (but still not the lowest; you do get what you pay for). But don't expect that TV also to serve you well when you want to turn off the lights and watch a movie or your favorite series. If you've got another room where you enjoy movies, go for the best TV you can afford.
Third recommendation: After you've filled up on turkey on Thursday, take some time to look at the reviews of the TVs that will be on sale before you buy a big TV at a steal.
All the major brands have outstanding lineups. When you see several 75-inch TVs with wildly different prices, make sure you look at the features and specs even within the same manufacturer. The specs matter.
The major TV brands have gotten serious about providing a great listening experience, so if you need external speakers, pay attention to each brand offering.
Currently, I own all three TV brands I have chosen as my top picks.
Cindy's Top Picks
The following are Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals researched and published by our sister publications, T3, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, and What Hi-Fi? . I know and trust them to help narrow my choices. Make sure you check back with these publications through Cyber Monday (and beyond) because they will be updating with new deals as they become available.
The prices noted are at the time of publication and might have changed. We cannot guarantee availability or pricing.
Cindy's Top Five TV Deals for Black Friday 2023
42-inch LG C3 OLED was $1400 now $897 at Amazon (save $503)
The C2 above has been replaced by this C3. It's another great TV, but the improvements are slight so we recommend you buy the C2 while it's still available and cheaper. Still, if you need the latest and greatest, this deal makes the C3 more tempting than ever.
Read Hi-Fi?’s Review LG OLED42C3 review
65-inch LG C3 OLED was $2500 now $1597 at Walmart (save $903)
This LG TV offers up some impressive image quality, absolutely superb gaming performance, and a user-friendly interface, too. At $903 below MSRP, it's hard to say no to this four-star set.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Review LG OLED65C3 review
Samsung S90C OLED TV 77-inch: was $3,579.99, now $2,497.99 at Amazon
If you really want to supersize your viewing experience, this Samsung 77-inch OLED TV is something else. And you get more than $1,000 off for Black Friday.
Sony A95K QD-OLED 55-inch 4K TV: was $2,799.99 now $1,699.99 at Best Buy
This is an absurd deal and offers incredible value for money for PS5 (or Xbox Series X) players or, well, anyone looking for a top-tier 4K TV this winter. This won countless awards and critical acclaim last year and remains one of the best TVs ever made for gaming. If our calculations are correct, this price beats its lowest ever by a whopping $600! [I purchased the 65-inch A95K last year, and my husband and I are still in awe.]
Sony Bravia X90K 55-inch TV: was $1,299.99, now $798 at Amazon
Using a Full Array backlight, this 4K HDR LED TV can offer superb brightness. It also comes with the Google TV smart system built-in, so has all the streaming apps you could possibly want.
Cindy’s Top 6 Audio Deals for Black Friday 2023
If you want to step up the quality of the audio from your TV, then a soundbar and a receiver will do the trick. And if you want to keep the sound to yourself, check out these earbuds and earphones.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II: was $299 now $199 at Amazon
If you want the best noise-blocking power, you can get for the price, these deliver it. They also sound superb and have a ton of useful smart features. But the headline is the noise cancellation, and you can't get better for under $200. Actually, you basically can't get better, period. Oh, and this is the cheapest they've ever been—we'd be surprised if they go any lower.
Sennheiser Ambeo Max was $2500 now $1699 at Crutchfield (save $801)
Standing over four feet wide, Sennheiser's Ambeo is not for the faint of heart or short of space. But it sounds sensational and boasts Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Relatively expensive by soundbar standards, but worth investigating if you can get a discount. Five Stars
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Sennheiser Ambeo Max review
LG SP8YA was $800 now $476 at Walmart (save $324)
This Dolby Atmos soundbar with a wireless sub has much of the connectivity and features of LG's higher-end models. There's eARC, plus another HDMI 2.1 input with 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10 pass-through, as well as an optical input and a USB port. Streaming is well catered for too—alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, there’s Chromecast and Apple Airplay 2.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s LG SP8YA review
Samsung HW-Q950A was $1800 now $1255 at Amazon (save $545)
There are big savings to be had with Samsung's flagship 2021 soundbar, which has more drivers than any other model on the market. The 11.1.4-channel soundbar delivers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound, which makes for epic sound.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Samsung HW-Q950A review
Denon AVR-X2700H was $1099 now $788 at Amazon (save $311)
This five-star AVR comes packed with fantastic spatial audio control, an amazing sense of rhythm, and supports 8K as well as HDMI 2.1. With this massive Black Friday discount, this AVR is a phenomenal deal.
Read Hi-Fi?’s Denon AVR-X2700H review
Sony WH-1000XM5 was $400 now $328 at Amazon (save $72)
The best pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones you can buy at this price. The Sony XM5 headphones might feel a little less premium than before, but the jump in sound quality from the previous generation is a big one. A What Hi-Fi? Award winner.
Read Hi-Fi?’s Sony WH-1000XM5 review
