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It’s not often you can say an entire product family is on sale — but right now, you can save on every model of AirPods. The 2nd Gen, AirPods 3, Pros, and AirPods Max are all seeing discounts, though some are stronger than others.
Now we’re breaking down who each is best for, and where you can find the best price.
AirPods 2nd Gen ($99, originally $129.99; amazon.com)While the 2nd Gen are the oldest pair of AirPods available, they still have all the landmark features and use the iconic design that started the true wireless earbud revolution. And they’re just $99 on Amazon.
These AirPods will pair swiftly with your iPhone thanks to the Apple-made W2 chip and then sync across your iCloud account. You can quickly switch between all your Apple devices. You can also say “Hey Siri,” to make calls, ask questions, control music playback, and even respond to texts.
2nd Gen AirPods stick with an iconic design that features a long stem and a soft plastic build that rests in your ears. Those looking for a tighter seal in the ear will need to look at AirPods Pro, which use silicone ear tips. Due to this design, you’ll get a somewhat transparent experience.
Like other AirPods and true wireless earbuds, 2nd Gen AirPods live and charge in the carrying case. In terms of battery life, you’ll get five hours of listening time and about 24 hours of listening time with included recharges in the case.
With an on-sale price of just $99, AirPods are finally shy of $100. These 2nd Gen AirPods offer most of the core features folks have come to expect from true wireless earbuds.
AirPods 3 ($149.99, originally $174.99; amazon.com)Amazon
Apple’s most recent earbuds are a cross between the 2nd Gen AirPods and the AirPods Pro. The third generation of AirPods have an AirPods Pro-like design with smaller stems and more straightforward physical controls, but ditch eartips with a one-size-fits-all size.
AirPods third-gen sport longer battery life at six hours of playback, support for Spatial Audio which places sound immersively around you, and are both sweat and water-resistant. They’re typically priced at $175 but are currently on sale for just $150.
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AirPods 3 are about the same size as the Pros and nestle into your ear. Our testing found that they easily fit the ear and generally stay in well for walking or exercise activities. They can also handle sweat or even light rain if you’re out on the run. Apple made the earbuds themselves and the charging case water-resistant.
Apple’s third-generation AirPods are both water and sweat resistant.
Apple
Sound quality is kicked up a notch with a custom driver and an “Adaptive EQ” feature. The latter uses internal microphones to mix the music in a real-time … making it music to your ears. Thanks to onboard sensors, you can take advantage of Spatial Music songs in Apple Music or movies with Dolby. Essentially, it places sound around much like a surround system.
The best news with AirPods 3 is that they’re always in transparency mode and don’t fully seal off your ear. This way, you can efficiently work from home or feel safer hearing environmental sounds when walking around outside. They’ll also last for six hours and get four recharges via the carrying case.
AirPods 3 are best if you don’t want to seal off your ear, crave long battery life, or like the sleeker design. Better yet, they’re down to just $149.99 on Amazon.
AirPods Pro ($174, originally $249.99; amazon.com)You might be considering AirPods Pro, and for just $25 more than the AirPods 3, you should take advantage of this deal. AirPods Pro have a sleeker, more petite design with silicone ear-tips for a more comfortable (for some) fit that fully seals off the ear.
They also sport best-in-class (from our tests and reviews) noise-canceling and a transparency mode. The former blocks all of the sound around you, and the latter naturally lets in other voices and environmental sounds.
Both are impressive, and even when you mix in audio like music or podcasts, it’s a seamless experience. Like AirPods 3, Adaptive EQ mixes the sound with accurate reproduction and surprisingly good bass for earbuds. You can also control playback with your voice through “Hey Siri” or pressing in on the stems.
AirPods Pro are pretty much perfect earbuds, and for $174, they’re an outstanding deal right now.
AirPods Max ($479, originally $549; amazon.com)Apple’s over-ear headphones aren’t cheap. Still, they are made from luxurious materials that don’t weigh down your head, feature some of the best sound quality we’ve tested, and offer noise cancelation and transparency. In that regard, they’re on par with Sony’s WH-1000XM4 and the Bose QuietComfort.
They’re also the only colorful AirPods: green, pink, sky blue, space gray, and silver. They’re down to just $479 on Amazon in every color. A custom-designed driver and two Apple H1 chips for crystal clear audio are housed inside each ear cup. They sound outstanding and make any genre shine.
AirPods Max don’t have the world’s most extraordinary battery life, though — they only last for 22 hours, which falls behind the 30+ hours on Sony’s WH1000XM4. Still though, if you want a luxurious pair of headphones, AirPods Max fit that bill, are colorful, and are on sale.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.