AirPods and AirPods Pro hover near all-time low prices as new models are rumored to hit soon
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If Apple follows its usual schedule, we could see new iPhones, Apple Watch models and AirPods announced as soon as next week. Not surprisingly, that means that the current Apple headphone models — both AirPods and AirPods Pro — are both hovering at their all-time low prices: The baseline AirPods are $100 ($59 less than the Apple Store), and the AirPods Pro are $180 ($69 less than the Apple Store).
Note that all of these headphones are compatible with Apple’s new spatial audio features, but none of them will deliver the maximum quality of Apple’s upcoming lossless audio format, which is too rich for the current Bluetooth wireless standard to handle. We update this story frequently to reflect current pricing.
AirPods pricing 2021
| Model | Apple Store price | Best price right now | Best all-time price |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods Pro | $249 | $180 | $169 |
| AirPods | $159 | $100 | $99 |
| AirPods with wireless charging case | $199 | $150 | $130 |
| AirPods Max | $549 | $490 | $449 |
Sarah Tew/CNET
Apple’s AirPods Pro were briefly as low as $169 at Walmart and $170 at Amazon for Black Friday. More recently, the wireless headphones have been ping-ponging between $190 and $200. Right now, they’re available for $180 at Amazon, which is the best price we’ve seen in 2021. The bottom line: The closer you can find these to $190 (or less), the better.
Read our AirPods Pro review.
Walmart came in strong to the early Black Friday sale game by marking down the AirPods to $99 — the lowest price ever. And now they’re back down within a dollar of that price. Of course, we could see their successor model on store shelves within days.
Read our AirPods review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The AirPods with the wireless charging case was briefly down to $130, which was very close to what you’d typically pay for the standard AirPods with a wired charging case. Now that their price is back up to $150, you’re looking at a $30 to $50 bump from the AirPods with the wired case. It’s debatable whether it’s worth spending the extra dough, but that price still represents a $49 discount from the Apple Store price.
David Carnoy/CNET
The latest and greatest Apple headphones were announced in December. These are full-size models, chock-full of high-end features like noise cancellation, spatial audio and easy integration with Apple devices. Yes, paying more for headphones than 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. After months of being backordered, summer 2021 has seen the Max discounted as low as $449. Currently, some colors are $490 at Amazon — that’s $59 off the Apple Store price.
Read our AirPods Max review.
