If you’ve spent time on the Cyclingnews homepage in the past month, you’ll probably notice that we’ve been monitoring the sales closely.
In our eternal bid to share the best Black Friday bike deals with our readers, we unearthed a deal on the ever-popular Apple AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds a couple of days back.
That’s not uncommon on Black Friday, there’s almost always a discount of sorts, but this was more than just any deal. In both the USA and the UK, Amazon cut them down to the lowest price they’ve ever been, with 22% off in the UK and a staggering 38% off for USA shoppers.
How do we know? Well, coupled with our constant price monitoring, the popular price tracking tool with a wild name, Camelcamelcamel, is how.
The graph below shows the AirPods Pro 2’s price since May this year, showing that it’s spent most of its time hovering between $175 and $200. It has bumped back to its retail price of $249 on a few occasions, and it dropped down to below $175 for a brief moment in July, presumably around Amazon Prime Day.
But in recent days, the graph shows it plummeting to its new low price of $153.99.
Today, as Black Friday fades and Cyber Monday approaches, the deal remains available. Oddly though, yesterday Amazon increased the price… by a whole cent… to the new round price of $154.00.
I think we can all agree this is still an excellent deal. What’s a cent between friends?
But that’s not all. As usual, there are deals across the entire Apple headphones range, right from the entry-level EarPods to the mega-money AirPods Max.
We’ve trawled the sales to find the very best prices available at the time of publishing for each of the popular audio aids and we’ll keep it updated through the rest of this weekend and into Cyber Monday.
This really is the only Black Friday Apple AirPods roundup you need.
All Apple headphones: Best prices checked
Apple EarPods headphones from $15.96 / £13.97
The EarPods are Apple’s wired headphones, and they can be bought with a choice of connector, including a standard 3.5mm audio jack, Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector, and the newer USB-C style.
The current best prices are found at Amazon, outlined below.
Which Apple headphones should I buy?
All of the above pricing information is great if you’re already aware which ones you need, you’re well versed in the differences, or if you’ve been eyeing up the AirPods deals for months waiting for the Black Friday sales.
But if you’re new to the AirPods range, or you’re shopping for a friend, the advice below should help to choose.
AirPods Pro 2 vs AirPods (4th Generation with ANC)
The AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC both offer Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), but the Pro 2 provides a more advanced and immersive experience. The AirPods Pro 2 feature an in-ear design with silicone tips, offering superior noise isolation, marginally better sound quality, and additional features like Adaptive Transparency and Personalized Spatial Audio. The ANC is more effective in the Pro 2, thanks to its deeper integration with the H2 chip and a better overall fit.
On the other hand, the AirPods 4 with ANC have an open-fit design, which limits the effectiveness of ANC compared to the Pro 2’s in-ear seal. The AirPods 4 with ANC are more affordable (around $179 at retail) compared to the Pro 2 ($249 at retail) but lack some of the premium features. Given the prices right now are much closer to each other, it’s our opinion that the AirPods Pro 2 are the better buy.
AirPods (4th Generation without ANC) vs AirPods (3rd Generation)
The AirPods 4th Gen and AirPods 3rd Gen are similar in design, featuring the classic open-fit style, but the 4th Gen has a more compact design and a smaller case. In terms of sound, the 4th Gen benefits from the H2 chip, offering improved audio quality, better bass, and longer battery life—up to 6 hours of listening time with 30 hours total using the case. The AirPods 3rd Gen still deliver excellent sound with spatial audio and adaptive EQ, but their case provides 24 hours of total use.
While both models support spatial audio, the AirPods 4th Gen have better performance thanks to the H2 chip, offering more efficient power and improved connectivity too. They also have a slightly more intuitive tap interface compared to the press controls of the 3rd Gen, which allow for volume adjustments. At retail, the $179 AirPods 4th Gen are a step up from the $169 3rd Gen, offering a few key upgrades in battery, sound, and performance.
AirPods (3rd Generation) vs AirPods (2nd Generation)
The AirPods 3rd Gen offer several upgrades over the AirPods 2nd Gen. They have a more ergonomic design with a shorter stem, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and adaptive EQ for richer sound. They also feature volume control directly on the stem, IPX4 water resistance, and improved battery life, offering up to 6 hours of listening time and 30 hours with the case.
In contrast, the AirPods 2nd Gen have a more basic design with a longer stem, lack water resistance, and don’t support spatial audio or adaptive EQ. They offer up to 5 hours of listening time and 24 hours with the case, and while they still deliver solid sound, they lack the advanced features of the 3rd Gen.
AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM5
The AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM5 are both premium noise-cancelling headphones, but they cater to different needs. The AirPods Max feature a premium build with aluminium ear cups and a stainless steel headband, offering excellent sound quality and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, making them a great option for Apple users who want seamless integration and top-tier audio. They provide up to 20 hours of battery life with ANC, but are more expensive at the retail price.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 offer a lighter, more comfortable design, with superb noise cancellation and up to 30 hours of battery life. They have a balanced sound profile with customizable EQ settings and support for LDAC for high-resolution audio. The WH-1000XM5 are more affordable and offer features like multipoint connectivity and adaptive sound control. They’re a great choice for those looking for high-quality, customizable audio and longer battery life, especially for non-Apple users.
If headphones aren’t for you then the Cyclingnews tech team has hunted down all the best deals we’ve found so far including Black Friday cycling clothing deals and choices of Black Friday bike helmet deals – featuring products from tried and tested brands like Rapha, Castelli, Specialized and loads more…
Make sure you also check out all of Black Friday’s hottest bargains by heading over to our roundup of the best Black Friday bike deals. Here you can find a list of all the deals we think you need to know about.
