If you know where to look, there are often some great discounts available on Apple’s popular — yet oftentimes expensive — AirPods. Since Apple launched the third-gen AirPods last year and unveiled its new lineup, we’ve seen the starting price of the second-gen, entry-level model drop from $159 to $129. What’s more, we’ve seen many retailers heavily discounting the second-gen AirPods as well as the more expensive AirPods Pro and Max, which offer noise cancellation and better sound quality than the standard model.
In recent months, we’ve even seen some significant discounts on the third-gen model that, despite lacking the “Pro” moniker, resembles the AirPods Pro more than the long-stemmed original model. Here, we’ll run through the best deals available on each model, including the entry-level AirPods, the AirPods Pro, the third-gen AirPods, and the AirPods Max.
The best entry-level AirPods (second-gen) deals
Last year, Apple lowered the list price of the second-gen AirPods — now the entry-level model — from $159 to $129. It only sells the model with a wired charging case now, however, which charges via a standard Lightning cable. Despite their age, we found that the easy-to-use, second-gen AirPods still offer great wireless performance and reliable battery life, making them a great pick if you can live without a wireless charging case.
In the past, we’ve seen Apple’s most affordable pair of earbuds plunge to as low as $89. Right now, however, you can only purchase them for around $99.99 at Amazon, Target, and Walmart. You can also buy the model with the wireless charging case for $129.99 ($70 off) at B&H Photo, though, keep in mind you can get the third-gen model for only $40 more.
Apple’s newest pair of true wireless earbuds support the company’s MagSafe technology. The shorter stems make for a more subtle design, too, while improved sound and features like sweat and water resistance, support for spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and improved battery life render them a nice improvement over the last-gen model.
Deals were once hard to come by on the third-gen model, but we did see them drop to $139.99 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Unfortunately, you can currently only buy them for around $169 at Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. However, given the AirPods Pro are on sale right now for $179.99, we highly suggest purchasing those instead.
We think Apple’s premium true wireless earbuds, the AirPods Pro, are the best wireless earbuds an iPhone owner can buy, regardless of the price. They have better sound quality than the models above, offer active noise cancellation, and come with a MagSafe-ready charging case. The earbuds also come with swappable silicone tips and support Apple’s spatial audio feature, which adds an immersive surround sound effect to select content.
Last year, Apple launched a new configuration of the AirPods Pro with a wireless charging case that supports Apple’s MagSafe technology, just like the third-gen AirPods. The noise-canceling earbuds typically retail for $249, but they’re currently available at Amazon, Walmart, and Target for $179.99, which is about $20 more than their best-ever price.
The AirPods Max aren’t the iconic in-ears that have become synonymous with the AirPods name. They’re large and luxurious, comprised of aluminum, steel, and mesh fabric that remains comfortable during extended listening sessions. They also sport excellent noise cancellation, Apple’s spatial audio feature, and wide, balanced sound, even if they lag behind some of their peers when it comes to bass response. They’re not the best noise-canceling headphones for most people — blame the $550 sticker price — but it’s hard to find a pair of Bluetooth headphones that sound better and feature more intuitive controls.
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Apple AirPods Max
Apple’s AirPods Max feature exemplary build quality, sound phenomenal, and keep up with the best at noise cancellation.
Although Woot recently discounted the AirPods Max to $409, prices have since increased across the board. Nonetheless, the noise-canceling headphones are currently on sale at Amazon in black, silver, and blue for $449.99 (discount applies at checkout). If you live close to a Micro Center, you can also pick them up in all colorways for $474.99.
