Best AirPods deals: All AirPods models are currently on sale right now – CNET

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The holiday shopping frenzy brought a whirlwind of sales on AirPods, with deals and availability coming and going by the minute. Now that the dust has begun to settle, prices have generally stabilized. At most retailers, you’ll still get a healthy discount from what you’d pay at the Apple Store, but you’ll generally be paying more than you did during the best sales of November and December 2021. Here are the best prices you can find on AirPods right now, along with the best prices to date for comparison:

AirPods pricing 2022

Model Apple Store price Best price right now Best all-time price
AirPods 2 $129 $100 $89
AirPods Pro 2021 $249 $180 $159
AirPods 3 $179 $169 $140
AirPods Max $549 $449 $429

The list above is the full line-up for Apple wireless headphones as of early 2022. But this list doesn’t include Apple’s Beats subsidiary, which also added two solid wireless earbuds in 2021 — the Beats Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro, which retail for $150 and $200, respectively. With those in the mix, Apple now has four sets of true wireless earbuds in the $150 to $200 range. 

Except for the baseline AirPods 2, all the others listed above (including the two Beats models) are compatible with Apple’s spatial audio features. However, none of them will deliver the maximum quality of Apple’s lossless audio format, which is too rich for the current Bluetooth wireless standard to handle. 

We update this story frequently to reflect current pricing. 

David Carnoy/CNET

Unlike the AirPods Pro, these 3rd generation AirPods feature an open-air design, so they don’t have active noise cancellation, but they still offer some serious improvements over the AirPods 2. The adaptive EQ attunes music to your ear shape, and the battery life has been bumped up to 30 hours total. They also have an IPX4 water resistance rating.

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The AirPods Pro are Apple’s most advanced wireless earbuds to date. They boast active noise cancellation and silicone tips to immerse yourself in the music, or a “transparency mode” in case you need to be more aware of your surroundings. With the charging case (included in this price) they have over 24 hours of battery, and were named one of our top wireless earbuds of the year.

Read David Carnoy’s full review here.

While the AirPods 2 aren’t the most advanced model on the market right now, they still boast some impressive specs and are a great choice for those on a tighter budget. They are equipped with the same H1 chip as the AirPods 3, so they feature the same fast connectivity, and support hands-free Siri access.

You can read Lisa Eadicicco’s case for the AirPods 2 here.

David Carnoy/CNET

Apple’s first full-size headphones are chock-full of high-end features like noise cancellation, spatial audio and easy integration with Apple devices. Yes, paying about the same as you would for a PS5 may sound crazy, but here’s the crazier thing: They’re actually kinda worth it, so long as you don’t feel burned by their lack of support for full lossless audio. You can pick up most color variants for $479, which is still $70 off from the apple price, but the Sky Blue color variant is an extra $30 off.

Read our AirPods Max review.

David Carnoy/CNET

No, they’re not AirPods, but the Beats Studio Buds offer active noise canceling and make a great affordable alternative to the pricier AirPods Pro. They look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods that people were talking about but that never materialized — as AirPods, anyway. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they’re missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer good sound. They fit most ears securely, including mine — I run with them without a problem — but others may find a better fit with the Beats Fit Pro and their integrated wing tips. The best price out there at the moment is at Amazon, which has the black color variant available for just $128.

Hot on the heels of the third-generation AirPods, Apple has another new set of earbuds, this time from its subsidiary audio company, Beats. Technically, the new Beats Fit Pro ($200) aren’t AirPods, but they’re built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro. Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the AirPods Pro’s features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted. And for some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro. 

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