Adrian Marlow Contributor
Adrian is a deals and updates writer on the Commerce team at CNET. With a love of books, entertainment, travel, tabletop games and, yes, even fandom, they can often be found at concerts, RenFest, Dragon Con or at home binge-watching everything from new hits to classics. After graduating from Kennesaw State with a B.A. in English and Professional Writing, Adrian had a short gig in casting, followed by a long stint teaching English lit, theater and film. Adrian enjoys sharing insights and favorite finds with their readers.
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The massive Black Friday shopping event is here, bringing with it plenty of discounts on top tech. Apple is known for innovation, and the company makes some of the best earbuds and headphones you can get, its pioneering AirPods landing among the first earbuds to ditch wires altogether and connect via Bluetooth. But that superior quality is often accompanied by a hefty price tag, which is why you should try to snag a pair while it’s on sale. If you’ve been looking to get a pair at a discounted price, be sure to check out the Black Friday sales happening now.
We’ve combed through early deals from tons of retailers and gathered all of the best deals on Apple AirPods below. More than a dozen of CNET’s shopping experts are spending hundreds of hours each week making sure we have the very best prices ready for you to take advantage of. We expect to see more offers on these popular devices as we get closer to the big day, so keep checking back — we’ll be updating this page as new deals drop.
Black Friday AirPods deals
The AirPods Pro 2 are the best overall AirPods on the market and earned an Editors’ Choice Award this year. These earbuds have the Apple H2 chip and offer top-notch sound quality, noise canceling and transparency mode, along with solid voice calling performance. Note this is the new, updated version with USB-C charging.
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Don’t need the USB-C connector? The otherwise nearly identical pre-2023 AirPods Pro have hit their lowest price to date at Walmart — just $169.
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The AirPods 3 from 2021 have an open design, meaning they don’t have active noise canceling. But they offer a better sound and stronger bass than the previous model and are water-resistant, which may be worth the splurge. Plus, Apple users can take advantage of spatial audio.
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These AirPod alternatives are still Apple earbuds and include Apple’s H1 chip, along with many similar features like active noise canceling and spatial audio. The wingtips fit securely and make the Beats Fit Pro a solid option for working out.
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What are the best AirPods to buy?
CNET’s David Carnoy and John Falcone have tested and ranked the top AirPods models out there and have a full breakdown with reviews. Right now, the best overall AirPods you can get are the AirPods Pro 2. However, there are a number of other options that may work better for you, depending on what features you need and your budget.
Is Black Friday a good time to buy AirPods?
AirPods fluctuate in price throughout the year, but major shopping events do tend to offer the biggest price cuts, which means Black Friday is a really good time to grab a pair for less. We anticipate a number of bargains across the whole lineup of AirPods this year.
Where is the best place to buy AirPods on Black Friday?
While it is rare to find discounts on AirPods or other Apple devices from Apple directly, plenty of third-party retailers offer price drops on AirPods throughout the year. You can check the AirPod deals in Best Buy’s Black Friday sale and Walmart’s Black Friday sale. And don’t sleep on Amazon’s Black Friday deals — the company often price-matches what other retailers are offering, especially during Black Friday.
Apple is also offering Black Friday discounts, but mostly in the form of Apple gift cards. Select AirPods will get you a $75 Apple gift card. You will probably find some discounts on AirPods in stores, but supplies may be limited, so we recommend buying online so that you can easily compare specs and prices and be able to check on what’s in stock while you shop.
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