The Best AirPods Deals Right Now
Apple AirPods: Are they the best wireless earbuds you can buy?
While many AirPod owners would answer that with a resounding YES, for the time being we'll leave the debate to the audiophiles and tech geeks out there. We're not here to convince you that AirPods are the absolute highest quality earbuds on the market, or even that you need anything above a set of basic cheap headphones. But if you're keen on picking up a pair of AirPods, it's wise to first figure out which is the best AirPods option for you — and then buy them at the lowest price possible.
With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about AirPods deals, including the lowest price we've ever seen as of Nov. 4: $99 for AirPods with a wired charging case and $194 for AirPods Pro.
Best AirPods Deals: Updated November 2020
If you're looking buy a pair of standard Apple AirPods (a.k.a AirPods 2 — the latest version), you have two choices: AirPods with a wired charging case, and AirPods with a wireless charging case. The version with the convenience of wireless charging costs more, as you'd guess, but exactly how much extra you'll pay depends on what AirPods deals are available when you buy.
The list price for AirPods with the wired charging case is $159, compared to $199 for AirPods with a wireless charging case. When AirPods go on sale, both of these products tend to be discounted, but they don't always see the same markdowns. For most of 2020, AirPods have frequently been on sale for $20 to $30 off, and sometimes the discounts are bigger. We've seen AirPods with the wired charging case on sale for $129, at the same time AirPods with the wireless charging case have often been discounted to $169. In this case, they were both $30 off. At other times, however, one AirPods model might have been $40 off while the other was discounted by only $20.
If you're wondering about the best time to buy AirPods for the lowest price, deals we've seen lately on the wired case model have actually been better than on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The lowest price on AirPods with the wired charging case for most of the 2019 winter holidays was $139, or $20 off the normal list price. Nowadays, if you manage to jump on a good sale, you can get them for $30 off.
On the other hand, deals around Black Friday on AirPods with the wireless charging case featured prices of $159 and sometimes even lower. That's cheaper than the deals we've seen in 2020 so far, though Black Friday 2020 is coming up soon. According to the Walmart Black Friday ad, the AirPods with a wired charging case will be on sale for $99 starting November 4.
As for AirPods Pro (normally $249), the cheapest price we've seen is $194 — or $55 off. That sale first surfaced on July 26 at Staples, and sold out online in less than a day online. But we've seen that AirPods Pro deal pop up again in mid-September, when Amazon, Walmart, and Staples all had a $199 price available. The same $199 deal appeared a month later, during the week of Amazon Prime Day, and then as of November 8, the price for AirPods Pro dropped to $194.
With that in mind, here are the latest and best AirPods deals we know about from Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers.
Apple AirPods With Wired Charging Case
• $99 at Amazon (list price $159)
• $129 at Walmart (list price $144)
• $129.99 at Target (list price $159.99)
• $129.99 at Best Buy (list price $159.99)
Apple AirPods With Wireless Charging Case
• $159.99 at Amazon (list price $199)
• $159.99 at Walmart
• $159.99 at Target (list price $199.99)
• $159.99 at Best Buy (list price $199.99)
Best AirPods Pro Deals
For a while, shoppers in the market for AirPods Pro wireless earbuds were struggling with a basic problem beyond deals and prices: What stores have AirPods Pros in stock?
AirPods Pro, which sell for $249 at full price, have periodically been sold out in the months since they hit stores in the fall of 2019. Because AirPods Pro has been such a hot seller, Apple and major retailers often haven't felt compelled to offer much in the way of discounts.
Even so, there have been some AirPods Pro deals here and there, like the $235 price we've seen occasionally in 2020 from Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers. In June, AirPods Pro were selling for just under $220 at Amazon, and Staples, Walmart, and Amazon had a $199 deal on AirPods Pro in mid-September, and again as of October 12. As of November 9, a $194 AirPods Pro deal popped up.
Apple AirPods Pro: Lowest Prices
• $194 at Amazon (list price $249)
• $194 at Walmart (list price $249)
• $219.99 at Target (list price $249.99)
• $229.99 at Best Buy (list price $249.99)
Are AirPods Pro Worth It?
Buying AirPods Pro over regular AirPods 2 can cost you an extra $100. When you consider that the regular AirPods are not exactly cheap and happen to be very high-quality earbuds themselves, spending the extra money on AirPods Pro might seem like a bit of a waste.
For a certain kind of consumer, however, Apple AirPods Pros are definitely worth the money. By all accounts, AirPods Pro has superior sound quality and noise-cancellation features, as you'd hope with pricier Apple tech.
AirPods Pro also comes with customizable fit — a choice of small, medium, and large ear tips — so you can optimize comfort and sound. Basic AirPods, by contrast, have ear tips with a "universal" one-size-fits-all fit, and not all ears are happy with them. What's more, AirPods Pros stand out because they are sweat- and water-resistant, which is important to people who like to run or work out while listening to podcasts or music.
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