Save $50 on the wireless earbuds with the hands-down best noise cancellation

Save $50 on the wireless earbuds with the hands-down best noise cancellation

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II have yet to be beat in the ANC department. | Image: Chris Welch / The Verge

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, the noise-canceling champs of the wireless earbud world, are once again on sale for $249 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Alternatively, you can pick up a refurbished pair from Bose for an additional $50 off, complete with a one-year warranty.

If you really value peace and quiet while listening to music or podcasts, Bose’s latest pair of wireless earbuds are for you. The QC Earbuds II do an impressive job of blocking out the outside world, whether you’re walking on the street or nodding off on a plane. Because of this, they make for a terrific pair of travel earbuds — even if they do lack of wireless charging.

Read our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review.

Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED TVs are on sale in various sizes directly from their maker. Right now, you can get the 50-inch model for $399.99 ($130 off), the 55-inch model for $429.99 ($170 off), the 65-inch model for $599.99 ($200 off), and the 75-incher for $899.99 ($200 off).

Regardless of which model you choose, the latest version of Amazon’s in-house TVs offer a nice value with good specs, including support for 4K HDR and HDMI 2.1, low latency for gaming, and a Samsung Frame-like mode that will display artwork when in standby mode. Plus, as an Amazon product, it’s got Alexa voice assistant functionality built in.

Microsoft is currently selling its flagship Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $139.99 ($40 off). This is the all-black version that’s bundled with all the added accessories, including the zip-up travel case with passthrough charging, extra sticks, an alternate D-pad, and the optional rear paddles.

The Elite Series 2 may be a little long in the tooth compared to Sony’s more recent DualSense Edge controller — not to mention the newer, cheaper options from third-parties that use drift-free Hall effect sticks — but it remains a great gamepad with a mostly unrivaled premium feel in the hands. It’s still the only official Xbox controller with a built-in rechargeable battery (which some may prefer over dealing with AAs), and in addition to working wirelessly with Xbox Series X / S consoles, it’s also compatible with Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.

Read our Xbox controller buying guide.

A few more deals before you get back to your weekend:

• Best Buy is running some nice one-day deals on LG TVs. It includes the 42-inch LG C2 OLED for its all-time low price of $799.99 ($200 off) and the 55-inch version for $1,099.99 ($200 off). I personally use the 42-inch C2 for double-duty as my computer monitor (because I’m a mad lad) and console gaming, and while it takes getting adjusted to using one for productivity the C2 offers a great value for a lovely OLED panel with 4K 120Hz and HDMI 2.1 on all four inputs.
• Also, don’t sleep on those LG Class 80 QNED TV discounts at Best Buy. The 50-inch version is selling today for $749.99 ($150 off) and the extra-large 75-inch model is $1,499.99 ($300 off). They may not be OLED, but these LED TVs offer 120Hz refresh like the C2 and two of their four ports support HDMI 2.1 for gaming at 4K and up to 120 fps.
• The first-gen Apple Watch SE in larger 44mm size with cellular is on sale at Walmart for just $149 ($210 off). This is an excellent price and value if you don’t feel you need an always-on display for your Apple Watch, and in addition to being $180 cheaper than the equivalent second-gen SE this deal comes with a blue and green Sport Loop band. The SE of 2020 has the same processor as the Apple Watch Series 6, which is still plenty fast today, and should continue seeing updates for some years to come. Read our review.
• Eneba is offering one of its weekend gift card deals (running through July 24th at 7AM ET) with a bit of a twist. You can get a three-month Xbox Live Gold membership for $9 after fees with code XLGUS. Why would you want that when Xbox Live will soon change to a new Xbox Game Pass Core tier in mid-September? Well, the kicker here is that if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that $9 value will extend your sub by 50 days. And only time will tell if Xbox Live prepaid cards will remain something you can continue getting to do those conversions in the future.
• If you need some lengthy USB-C to USB-A cables on the cheap, you can get a two-pack of 6.6-foot ones from Jsaux at Amazon for $8.54 (about $2.50 off) when you click the on-page coupon.