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Amazon Prime Day is here, and deals are available for popular products like Apple's AirPods — from the trendy, over-ear AirPods Max to the lightweight yet powerful AirPods Pro.
The entire lineup is worth considering, but AirPods Pro are tough to beat thanks to their noise cancellation feature, silicone tips, and water resistance. Right now, they're on sale for only $170 — a $79 discount from the usual $249 sale price.
For more great deals, check out our Prime Day live blog.
Apple's AirPods can often be found for less than their suggested retail cost throughout the year. With that in mind, we don't recommend paying more than a certain price for each model.
The AirPods Pro can often be found on sale for around $175, so you shouldn't pay more than that on Prime Day. They dropped to an all-time low of $160 during Black Friday in 2021.
The second-gen AirPods with a wired charging case usually sell for $120. In November 2021, they reached an all-time low of $89.
Apple's over-ear AirPods Max retail for $550, but historically, the price tends to hover around $480. As part of an early Prime Day deal, the headphones dropped to an all-time low of $430.
The AirPods Pro are our pick for the best AirPods overall. They're more expensive than standard AirPods, but offer noise cancellation and an adjustable fit. They're a great pick for iPhone owners looking for a pair of premium wireless earbuds that can drown out distractions while listening to music.
The third-gen AirPods don't have noise cancellation or adjustable ear tips, but they do carry over the Pro model's spatial audio feature, water resistance, and MagSafe case. If you don't care about noise cancelation, you should consider saving some money and going with this model.
Apple's cheapest wireless earbuds are the second-gen AirPods. They lack noise cancellation, adjustable ear tips, water resistance, and spatial audio. They also come with a standard charging case that doesn't support MagSafe. They're the best choice for Apple users that want to spend less and really only want AirPods for casual listening.
The AirPods Max are made for those who prefer over-ear headphones to earbuds. They're a good fit for buyers seeking top-notch audio and noise cancellation, but they're hard to recommend at their full price of $549.
Sony's WH-1000XM5 also provide a good listening experience with great noise cancellation for less money. That said, the AirPods Max have an edge with their premium design and seamless integration with Apple devices. Though we think buyers should avoid them at full retail price, the AirPods Max are much easier to recommend when they're on sale for under $480, like they are on Prime Day at $449.
