In a sea of brands that were willing to unleash Black Friday discounts in early October, Apple is a stickler. If the tech giant offers any holiday deals, they usually happen on actual Black Friday — and they’re almost always gift card promos instead of straight-up discounts.
This is all to say that if you’re hunting for a pair of AirPods on sale this season, don’t do your shopping at the Apple Store: The deals are much better (and more plentiful) elsewhere. This applies to old and new models alike, from the second-generation AirPods Pro to the due-for-an-update AirPods Max. Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart even offer refurbished models at a discount if you’re really trying to save.
Below, you’ll find our top picks as of Nov. 11.
We saw the second-generation AirPods fall to a record-low of $79 during Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale in October, and we’d be willing to bet on that pricing’s reprisal sometime later this season. But if you don’t feel like waiting (or if you’d prefer earbuds with MagSafe wireless charging), this year’s third-generation AirPods are enjoying an all-time-low of their own at Walmart right now. Though not a massive upgrade over their predecessors, their nice redesign, “typically excellent sound quality,” and spatial audio support make them “tough to dismiss,” as Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry wrote in his review.
You can order a pair for just $124, or 31% off their suggested retail price of $179. (Note: This deal seems to only be available in select locations — it was showing up for me in normal and incognito Chrome windows, but a Colorado-based colleague saw a price of $169.)
More AirPods deals
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Apple AirPods with Charging Case (2nd Generation), Geek Squad Certified Refurbished(opens in a new tab) — $89.99
$129(save $39.01) + free 4-month Apple Music, 4-month Apple News+, and 3-month Apple TV+ subscriptions -
Apple AirPods with Charging Case (2nd Generation)(opens in a new tab) — $119.99
$129(save $9.01) + free 4-month Apple Music, 4-month Apple News+, and 3-month Apple TV+ subscriptions -
Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case (2nd Generation), Geek Squad Certified Refurbished(opens in a new tab) — $123.99
$159(save $35.01) + free 4-month Apple Music, 4-month Apple News+, and 3-month Apple TV+ subscriptions -
Apple AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case (3rd Generation), Geek Squad Certified Refurbished(opens in a new tab) — $126.99
$179(save $52.01) + free 4-month Apple Music, 4-month Apple News+, and 3-month Apple TV+ subscriptions
Don’t bother upgrading to the newest AirPods Pro if you already own the first-generation version. But if your life is lacking a solid pair of wireless, long-lasting earbuds, these come highly recommended from Mashable senior editor Stan Schroeder: “They sound wonderful and have almost uncanny active noise cancelation. […] For a first-time buyer who can afford the $250 price tag, they’re a no-brainer,” he wrote in his review.
Disregard that $250 price tag for the time being: Amazon(opens in a new tab), Walmart(opens in a new tab), and Target(opens in a new tab) all have them on sale for $234 ahead of Black Friday. That’s 6% off their $249 MSRP (hey, we’ll take it) and their best deal to date.
More AirPods Pro deals
Apple’s first non-Beats-branded, over-ear headphones made quite the splash when they debuted in late 2020, but never mind the memes. “When it comes down to it, the AirPods Max check off almost all the boxes for what makes an excellent pair of headphones: great sound quality, ideal battery life, easy controls, and a stylish design (sans SmartCase),” wrote former Mashable tech reporter Brenda Stolyar. Note that they tend to skew uncomfortable for those of us with small heads and eyeglasses, so keep your receipt just in case.
There’s a good chance their all-time-low of $429 will return sometime in the near future, but in the meantime, you can grab a pair on sale at Amazon(opens in a new tab) or Walmart(opens in a new tab) for $449.99 — that shaves 18% off their usual retail price of $529.
