Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later | Tech Radar

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Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later

The $99 Air Pods aren't great value, but the Pro absolutely rock

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Some of the most popular deals of Amazon Prime Day has been the discounts on Air Pods, including Air Pods 4 for

99 at Amazon (was

129), Air Pods Pro 3 for

179 at Amazon (was

249) at Amazon, and Air Pods Max 2 for

399 at Amazon (was

549).

However, Prime Day ends today, so these deals may end this evening as well.

That's not confirmed — Air Pods aren't labeled as Prime Day deals specifically, and they're also discounted at Walmart and Best Buy, so it's possible that all three retailers will keep these offers going past today. But what that means is that I don't know exactly when they'll end, and they definitely won't stick around for long, so my advice is to buy today if you want to buy a pair of Air Pods.

Ah, but which pair? Surely the

99 pair is the most tempting? Well, I've tested them all, and I'm here to tell you to avoid the Air Pods 4 today.

99 is now a pretty standard price for them, but last Black Friday, they fell to just

69. That's the price where they start to get tempting, because frankly they're just not very good value at

99 — the Nothing Ear (a) for

53.20 at Amazon (down from

79) are the better budget earbuds. They're half the price, but they sound better and have active noise cancellation.

So, maybe the Air Pods 4 with ANC for

148 are a decent deal? Also no. These have fallen to

99 in the past, and that's a good price for them.

No, the only pair of earbuds here that are a stone-cold bargain are the Air Pods Pro 3. Now, they fell to

169 recently, but Amazon's

179 deal is still a phenomenal price for earbuds this good — I wouldn't worry too much about the 10 bucks. If you can afford the extra

80 over the

99 Air Pods 4, you'll get way more than that in extra value. If you can't stretch to that extra, that's totally fair — but again, I encourage you to get the Nothing buds and save yourself $45.

(I'm not really going to touch on the Air Pods Max 2 here — they're their own thing, in their own price world, but $399 is their cheapest price to date, and is great value.)

They're the most popular earbuds in the world for a reason. Apple's newest premium buds feature improved active noise cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. My favorite features are the Dolby Atmos spatial audio for movies, and the unloseable case, which has a speaker in it and special location tech so your phone can literally point to where it's hiding. Here's our full Air Pods Pro 3 review.

These are the new new March 2026 edition, with the H2 chip and all of the upticks in performance that brings. And though many might have predicted an Apple-style

50 saving (yawn), this

150-off steal is wild! Nobody had this on their bingo card for Prime Day. Let me be abundantly clear: the noise cancellation here is absolutely fantastic, as is the sound quality — read our full Air Pods Max 2 review for more.

If you want Apple's iconic buds in the UK for cheaper, you're in luck. This is the cheapest we've ever seen them. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship when it comes to audio and features, and the noise-cancellation quality is outstanding.

So why do I rate the Air Pods Pro 3 so much better than the Air Pods 4? They're better than the cheaper model in every way, offering massively better sound quality, active noise cancellation, and all the same features, plus a load of others that are genuinely useful, and complete game-changers in some cases.

Take the case, for example. Air Pods Pro 3's case has a 'UWB' wireless chip, which means your i Phone can detect what direction it's in when it's lost, and can literally point you towards it, so you can see which jacket you left it in. And the case has a speaker in, which you can also trigger to help find it.

Or take the Live Translation of other languages in your ears, or the heart-rate tracking, so you can keep an eye on your fitness without a wearable.

Basically, Air Pods 4 are a poor value for budget earbuds compared to the competition. Air Pods Pro 3 are an excellent value for premium earbuds compared to the competition. Which means with just an $80 difference — which might easily pay for itself if the case stops you from losing them — the Air Pods Pro 3 should be what everyone buys.

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News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards

Don’t miss super-cheap AirPods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get AirPods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later | TechRadar

Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later | Tech Radar

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Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later

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Don’t miss super-cheap AirPods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get AirPods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later | TechRadar

Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later | Tech Radar

Overview

Details

Don’t miss super-cheap Air Pods before these deals end! Here’s why I’d skip the $99 deal and get Air Pods Pro 3 instead — you’ll thank me later

Key Takeaways

Cut Costs with Runable

Which apps do you use?

Apps to replace

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