Best AirPods Prime Day Deals 2026: The best early discounts

AirPods Pro 3

Apple

Apple released AirPods Pro 3 in September 2025. They brought a slightly new design with foam-infused tips for a better fit. They also brought several new features, including an in-ear heart rate sensor, better battery life, enhanced noise cancellation, and improved sound.

U.S. Prime Day price: Last week Amazon was selling AirPods Pro 3 for $169, a savings of $80 and the same as their all-time low from Black Friday 2025. They have gone back up to $179.99, but we expect that price to fall again.

U.K. Prime Day price: Amazon has already discounted the AirPods Pro 3 to the best price we’ve seen so far. Get them for £175, a savings of £44.

AirPods 4

Apple/Amazon

Apple’s fourth-generation AirPods have been on shelves since September 2024. They were a dramatic upgrade over the previous model, bringing a new design, H2 chip, and a USB-C charging case. Additionally, Apple cut the price from $169 to $129 for the standard model and introduced a higher-end version with noise cancellation.

U.S. Prime Day price: Amazon is offering the AirPods 4 (without ANC) for $99, a savings of $30. While this is a good price, it’s not any better than Amazon’s normal sale price, so we don’t recommend rushing to buy a pair until they drop below $90 or nearer their Black Friday price of $69.

U.K. Prime Day price: Amazon has an “Early Prime Day Deal” and are selling AirPods 4 for £79.80, a savings of £39.20 and their lowest price ever.

AirPods 4 with ANC

Apple / Jan Gruber

Sitting between the low-end AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 are the AirPods 4 with ANC for $179. As the name suggests, the only difference between these earbuds and the standard AirPods 4 is the addition of noise cancellation. They also miss out on some features enabled by noise cancellation, including Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode, and Conversation Awareness, as well as Live Translation.

U.S. Prime Day price: AirPods 4 with ANC are currently reduced to $149, a savings of $30 off their $179 MSRP. That’s not much different than Amazon’s regular sale price, so there’s no reason to rush to buy a pair unless they drop down to $125 or, even better, if they drop to $99 as they did for Black Friday.

U.K. Prime Day price: Amazon is currently selling AirPods 4 with ANC for £125.40, a saving of £43.60 in an “Early Prime Day Deal” and the lowest ever price.

AirPods Max 2

Apple

Apple finally updated its AirPods Max headphones in April with a new H2 chip and better noise cancellation. Unlike Apple’s earbuds, they come in a variety of colors, including blue, orange and purple.

U.S. Prime Day price: Last week Amazon has cut the price of AirPods Max 2 to $499, a savings of $50 and the lowest price they’ve reached since their April debut. But just in time for Prime Day Amazon has now cut them to just $399! It’s an amazing saving, so if you want a pair, you’ll be getting them for a very good price.

U.K. Prime Day price: Amazon is currently selling AirPods Max 2 for the usual price of £499. We haven’t seen a saving yet.

Which AirPods should you buy?

• AirPods Pro 3: Best for most people, especially if you want top-tier noise cancellation and built-in health tracking.
• AirPods 4: The most affordable option.
• AirPods 4 with ANC: Ideal if you want noise cancellation without silicone ear tips.
• AirPods Max 2: Best if you prefer over-ear headphones.

Apple’s AirPods lineup caters to different priorities, from premium audio and health features to budget-friendly everyday listening.

AirPods Pro 3: The Best All-Rounder

Released in September 2025, the AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s flagship earbuds. They combine excellent noise cancellation, improved comfort thanks to foam-infused ear tips, and new health-tracking capabilities.

AirPods 4: The Budget-Friendly Choice

The AirPods 4 offer a more affordable entry point and are a good choice for anyone who prefers an open-ear design over silicone-tipped earbuds.

AirPods 4 with ANC: A good compromise

For listeners who want some noise reduction without the fit of in-ear tips, the AirPods 4 with ANC strike a strong balance between comfort, convenience, and noise cancellation.

AirPods Max 2: Premium Over-Ear Audio

Launched in April 2026, the AirPods Max 2 retain the premium design of the original model while adding Apple’s H2 chip for improved performance and audio processing.

Still not sure which AirPods to buy? Take a look at our Best AirPods buying guide. Also, if it doesn’t have to be AirPods, take a look at how other over-ears compare to the AirPods Max, and our favorite AirPods alternatives.

Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals to avoid

In previous sales, the AirPods Pro 2 offered a cheaper alternative to Apple’s latest premium earbuds. This year, however, we expect any significant discounts on the AirPods Pro 2 to be limited to refurbished models. If you find the AirPods Pro 3 at a good price, they’re the better buy. If they’re still beyond your budget, consider the AirPods 4 with ANC instead. You could also look at Beats headphones and earbuds, which use much of Apple’s technology but are often available for less.

Be wary of promotions that advertise “free” AirPods. These offers often require long-term financial commitments or involve complicated rebate processes. For example, a recent Apple Card promotion offered AirPods Pro 3 for signing up, but only through a reimbursement scheme outlined in the fine print.

You should also be cautious of AirPods being sold at unusually low prices. Counterfeit models are common and are often advertised at discounts far below Apple’s normal pricing. If a deal seems too good to be true, it’s worth checking whether the product is genuine. See our guide on How to tell if AirPods are fake.

Amazon Prime Day: Beats headphones deals

Beats

If AirPods aren’t in your budget, Apple also sells a line of Beats headphones and earbuds that offer many of the same features for a lower price, including the popular over-ear Solo 4 and PowerBeats Pro 2. The savings here are all good, though Beats headphones often see deep savings at Amazon, so these deals aren’t exclusive to Prime Day, even if Amazon says they are. We’ll also track headphone deals in our round-up of the best earbuds for iPhone and best over-ear headphones if you’d like to see deals on other brands.

U.S. Beats Prime Day deals

• Beats Solo 4: $130 ($70 off, MSRP $200)
• Beats Solo Buds: $70 ($10 off, MSRP $80)
• Beats Studio Buds +: $100 ($70 off, MSRP $170)
• Beats Studio Pro: $170 ($180 off, MSRP $350)
• Beats Powerbeats Pro 2: $200 ($50 off, MSRP $250)
• Beats Powerbeats Fit: $170 ($30 off, MSRP $200)
• Beats Pill: $85 ($65 off, MSRP $150)
• Beats Flex: $49 ($21 off, MSRP $70)

U.K. Beats Prime Day deals

• Beats Solo 4: £150 (£50 off, RRP £200)
• Beats Studio Buds +: £109 (£70 off, RRP £179)
• Beats Studio Pro: £179 (£170 off, RRP £349)
• Beats Powerbeats Fit: £149 (£51 off, RRP £200)
• Beats Pill: £107 (£42 off, RRP £149)
• Beats Flex: £57 (£13 off, RRP £70)

Should you buy AirPods during Prime Day?

Petter Ahrnstedt

Prime Day is widely considered one of the best times of the year to buy Apple products, alongside Black Friday. However, there are a few things to consider before making a purchase:

• Prime Membership Requirement: Many of the best deals are exclusive to Amazon Prime members. If you’re not already subscribed, you can take advantage of Amazon’s 30-day free trial or sign up for a month and cancel afterward if you don’t plan to keep the membership. Prime membership costs $139 / £95 / AUD$59 annually, or $14.99 / £8.99 / AU$6.99 on a monthly basis. As well as getting free two-day shipping, Prime customers also get access to Prime Video and Music.
• Alternative Sales: If you miss Prime Day, you’ll have another chance to save during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days in October, followed by Black Friday sales in November.
• Student Discounts: Students may find better value through Apple’s “Back to School” promotion, which typically runs from June to September in the U.S. and July to October in the U.K. The offer often includes free AirPods with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad.
• Compare Prices: Amazon isn’t always the cheapest option. Retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy frequently run competing “anti-Prime Day” promotions, so it’s worth comparing prices before buying.

Prime Day is available in multiple countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.

Why you can trust Macworld’s recommendations

The AirPods picked here are all chosen by our editors, who have decades of experience with Apple devices. We’ve reviewed everything we recommend, and we won’t tell you to buy something that’s not actually worth your money.

The deals we recommend are all at or near all-time lows, and we’ve selected what we think is the best configuration for each product type. We know Apple is expensive, so we’ve chosen products at prices we would be willing to pay, so you can trust that our recommendations will steer you in the right direction—and save you big bucks.