Apple’s AirPods wireless headphones offer an iconic look, exceptional convenience, and strong audio quality. They come with a premium price tag, however, so it’s important to shop around for a good deal… or find a bunch of tech experts who’ll do this for you. That’s where we come in.
In this article, we round up the best AirPods discounts and deals to help you save money. We’ve got the best prices on the 4th-gen AirPods, the 2nd-gen AirPods Pro with USB-C, and the premium AirPods Max over-ear headphones which Apple has updated to use USB-C rather than Lightning.
Below you will find links to the best deals available right now. You’ll find more detailed advice and price comparisons for each model further down.
There’s an Amazon sale from 25 March at which we may see some discounts, in fact there are already some Early Spring Deals to be found. See: Amazon Spring Sale U.K. and Amazon Spring Sale U.S.
U.S.
U.K.
We don’t tend to see huge AirPods discounts in the U.K., but there are some small savings to be had here and there.
If it doesn’t have to be Apple AirPods have a look at the best earbuds we’ve reviewed, which includes the best deals on those models. We also have a round-up of the best wired headphones and a comparison of over-ear headphones read our comparison of AirPods Max vs other over-ear headphones.
Recent and imminent changes to the AirPods range
Before you buy, note the following:
AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC were introduced in September 2024. The AirPods 4 start at $129/£129 with the ANC model costing $179/£179. With this in mind do not buy the AirPods 3 or AirPods 2 if they aren’t considerably cheaper than $129/£129.
The AirPods Max with Lightning were discontinued in favor of the AirPods Max with USB-C. In this case if you do see the older models on sale they are worth buying at a good discount.
The AirPods Pro are often on sale as they are likely to be updated in 2025. They are still a good purchase and recently gained the ability to work as hearing aids thanks to a software update.
You can check the automated price comparison tables below to see if any retailers have dropped their prices since we last updated this article.
How much do AirPods cost?
Some changes were announced at Apple’s September 2024 event, so make sure you’re up to date with the latest prices:
- AirPods Max (2024): $549 / £499 (price dropped from £549 to £499 in September 2023)
- AirPods Pro with USB-C (2nd gen, 2023): $249 / £229
- AirPods 4: $129 / £129
- AirPods 4 (with ANC): $179 / £179
Discontinued:
- 3rd-gen AirPods with Lightning (2021): was $169 / £169
- 3rd-gen AirPods with MagSafe (2021): was $179 / £179
- 2nd-gen AirPods (2019): was $129 / £129
You should never pay more than the prices above: we’ve seen unscrupulous retailers claim the MSRP/RRP is higher and work out ‘savings’ based on that.
Remember to take delivery and postage fees into account when evaluating deals; we include it in our list of prices but most retailers won’t add it until you’re at the checkout. And watch out for deals that seem too good to be true, but turn out to have no stock. We see this a lot.
Good AirPods deals are rare and tend not to last long. If you see one (and you’re sure the supplier is legit: look it up on TrustPilot if you’ve not bought from there before), grab it.
Best new AirPods deals
Apple sells two sets of basic (non-Pro) AirPods, both introduced at the 2024 Glowtime event: the 4th-gen model with active noise cancellation, and the 4th-gen model without. Best Buy is worth a look for some worthwhile savings in the U.S., while U.K. customers can save a little money across the range.
You can buy the 4th-gen AirPods directly from Apple, but you’ll find the best prices elsewhere in the automated tables below.
AirPods (4th gen, 2024, with ANC) deals
These replace the AirPods (3rd generation) and have a redesigned, smaller USB-C case that works with wireless charging and now has Find My functionality, with a built-in speaker for locating the device. They feature active noise cancellation, previously found only on the AirPods Pro and Max, and sport Apple’s H2 chip, which was introduced in the 2022 AirPods Pro and improves audio quality.
MSRP: $179/£179
$149.99
$168.99
$179
$179
Apple AirPods 4th gen (2024) – Wireless (USB-C) Charging case
$148.67
AirPods (4th gen, 2024, without ANC) deals
Whereas the ANC AirPods 4 replace the 3rd-gen AirPods, these replace the 2nd-gen AirPods. They feature most of the features of the higher-priced model with the main exception of Active Noise Cancelation, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive Audio.
MSRP: $129/£129
$117
Best AirPods Pro deals
The 2nd-gen version of the AirPods Pro was released in September 2022. Rather than introduce the third generation in 2023, Apple instead tweaked them to support USB-C for charging (including charging via the iPhone 15) The Lightning models have now been discontinued, but will be available from other retailers for a while; make sure you’re getting the exact model you want.
AirPods Pro (2nd gen, 2023, USB-C) deals
This is the 2023 version with USB-C charging. You can also use an iPhone 15 to charge the case.
MSRP: $249 / £229
$228.49
Best AirPods Max deals
The AirPods Max, Apple’s wireless over-ear headphones, are available to buy directly from Apple for $549 / £499 (they were £549 in the U.K. before September 2023 when Apple dropped the price to £499).
Best AirPods Max (2024, USB-C) deals
The AirPods Max haven’t exactly been updated for 2024, beyond a new set of colors and USB-C instead of Lightning. These are still effectively the same as the 2020 models. It may still be possible to buy old models in the original colors for some time so we have included the best prices for the older model in the discontinued section of this article.
Find the latest prices in our automated table embedded below.
MSRP: $549/£499
$529
Discontinued AirPods deals
One way to pick up a really good deal can be to buy discontinued AirPods which are often the first to be discounted.
AirPods (3rd gen, 2021, MagSafe) deals
Apple updated the ultra-popular AirPods in October 2021, after a wait of more than two and a half years. They were eventually discontinued in September 2024. Get all the info you need in our AirPods 3 review.
MSRP was: $179 / £179 (DISCONTINUED)
$153.49
$179.99
Apple AirPods 3rd gen (2021) – MagSafe Charging case
$95.88
AirPods (3rd gen, 2021, Lightning) deals
There was also a cheaper version of the AirPods 3rd generation with a case that has to be charged via Lightning, rather than wirelessly.
MSRP was: $169 / £169 (DISCONTINUED)
Apple AirPods 3rd gen (2021) – Lightning Charging case
$99.10
AirPods (2nd gen, 2019) deals
This older version of the AirPods was sold by Apple until September 2024, and may still be found at other retailers. Note that this version of the AirPods comes with an Lightning charging case that needs to be plugged in, as opposed to the wireless MagSafe charging case.
Check the automated table below for the latest deals.
MSRP was: $129 / £129 (DISCONTINUED)
$169.95
Apple AirPods 2nd gen (2019) – Lightning Charging case
$82
AirPods Pro (2nd gen, 2022, Lightning) deals
This is the older version with a Lightning port for charging the case. You may still find them on sale.
MSRP was $249 / £249 (DISCONTINUED)
$279.99
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen (2022) – MagSafe (Lightning) Charging case
$147.68
AirPods Max (2020, Lightning) deals
This is the older version of the original AirPods Max came in different colors and featured Lightning (rather then USB-C in the newer models). You may still find them on sale.
MSRP was: $549/£499
Apple AirPods Max (2020) – Pink
$379.95
Apple AirPods Max (2020) – Silver
$395
Apple AirPods Max (2020) – Space Gray
$399.95
MGYN3AM/A Noise cancelling Headphone Bluetooth with microphone – Green
$479
For an in-depth look at your options here, read Where to buy AirPods Max.
Other ways to save: AirPods Bundle deals
The best way to get a good price on AirPods may be to bundle them with a phone, although this is mainly an option in the U.K.
Phone network Three offers a variety of bundles that include the AirPods. Visit the company’s accessories page to browse the best options for you.
Vodafone and O2 aren’t currently bundling the AirPods with their iPhone plans, although O2 sells the 2021 AirPods, the early-2019 AirPods and the 2022 AirPods Pro on their own.
Whichever bundle you go for, remember to check if you’re getting the AirPods Pro, the early-2019 AirPods (sometimes called the second gen or AirPods 2) or the new 2021 AirPods (third-gen or AirPods 3). If you’re getting the AirPods Pro, find out if they include the new MagSafe charging case.
AirPods buying advice
Wondering if a pair of AirPods is right for you? We have a guide to the Best AirPods, and you could read AirPods Pro vs AirPods to find out how the models compare, but let’s quickly discuss the pros and cons.
Apple has launched various AirPods versions, several of which are still on sale:
- 2016: 1st-gen AirPods, discontinued
- 2019: 2nd-gen AirPods, discontinued
- 2019: 1st-gen AirPods Pro, discontinued
- 2021: 3rd-gen AirPods, Lightning and Magsafe variants, discontinued
- 2022 & 2023: 2nd-gen AirPods Pro, Lightning and USB-C variants
- 2020 & 2024: AirPods Max
All four non-Max models are wireless, sitting in your ears and in theory staying there through snugness of fit alone. The advantages of this are clear–they allow you to go running or work out without worrying about snagging the cables–but they may fall out once you pick up the pace. Our experience, however, is that the AirPods are among the best earbuds around in this regard.
The AirPods Pro offer a snugger fit than the others because they have a choice of flexible ear tips, and are actually able to tell you whether you’ve selected the right tip or not.
Sound quality is decent but not exceptional on the original and early-2019 models; the 2021 3rd gen AirPods were better, while the AirPods Pro are a step above thanks in part to their better fit and implementation of active noise cancellation. What AirPods consistently do better than non-Apple headphones is coordinate with other Apple products, thanks to the W1 chip (in the 2016 model) and H1 chip (2019 and 2021) which makes pairing with an iPhone a breeze.
Battery-wise, most non-Max AirPods will last around five hours, but that’s not the end of the story: they come with a little charging case with its own larger battery, so you can pop them back in for a quick charge. The case should offer another 24 hours (give or take) before it’ll require charging. The 2021 AirPods, however, offer more in this department, with claimed figures of six hours out of the case and 30 hours in total. We’ve got some advice on getting better AirPods battery life.
Apple’s 2nd gen AirPods can respond to Hey Siri commands, charge wirelessly if you opt for the Wireless Charging Case, and offer more talk time than the originals. Those features are kept in the 2021 3rd-generation models, with Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ added to the mix. The 4th generation AirPods arrived in 2024 and add ANC to the mix.
The AirPods Max are over-ear headphones and essentially a completely different product to the rest of the AirPods range. They are a lot more expensive and a totally different proposition to the other AirPods. Audio quality is almost universally considered to be exceptional, but it’s debatable whether it’s exceptional enough to justify that premium price tag. And many reviewers have pointed out that the case is oddly designed, given that the one part of the headphones that it doesn’t protect–the mesh headband–is the one that’s most vulnerable to damage.The AirPods Max are an appealing prospect, but may not be practical for most budgets.
For more detailed advice and thoughts on the best alternatives to Apple’s three cheaper AirPods models, read our guides to the Best wireless earbuds and the best wired headphones.