Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now

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 in October 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 starting to heavily discount 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. 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.

At the moment, the best deal on Apple’s most affordable pair of earbuds is available at Amazon and Target, where you can pick them up for around $119. You can also buy the model with the wireless charging case for $134.99 at B&H Photo, a $65 discount, or at Adorama for $14 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 finally started seeing some worthwhile deals starting around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At the moment, for instance, Apple’s third-gen AirPods are available at Amazon and Walmart for $149.99, which is just $10 shy of their all-time low of $139.99.

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.

In October, 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. These typically retail for $249, but right now they’re available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart for around $197. That’s not as low as the price we saw this model drop to during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but it’s still $52 off what you’d pay if you were to purchase the earbuds directly from Apple.

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.

Although the AirPods Max were discounted to $429 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, prices have since increased. Nonetheless, the headphones are currently on sale on Amazon for $479 and in select colors at B&H Photo for the same price. You can also pick them up at Micro Center for $469.99, though they’re only available in-store in select locations.