Listen up: The cheapest AirPods and AirPods pro prices in February 2023

Cast your mind back to the middle of 2010, when Bluetooth headphones were slowly but surely entering the tech world, you’ll likely remember the negative connotations associated with them. They sounded bad, were horribly laggy and cut out at the smallest movement. But things have moved on significantly since then, and you can’t go far without seeing someone with a pair of white shiny stemmed-earbuds sticking out of their ears.

There really is no denying Apple led the way when it released its AirPods in 2016. It blew its competitors out of the water with the AirPods pro in 2019, and did so yet again with the AirPods 3 in 2021 and AirPods pro 2nd gen, which launched in 2022.

The features on the latest pro-level line of earbuds are impressive. The audio quality is better, the noise-cancelling performance has been improved, and, just as importantly, the battery life is longer.

While the AirPods are some of the most sought-after pairs of headphones, the AirPods pro 2nd gen (was £249, now £239, Amazon.co.uk), the Apple AirPods 1st gen (was £239, now £199, Argos.co.uk), the AirPods 3rd gen (was £189, now £179, Very.co.uk) and the AirPods 2nd gen (not on sale, £129, Johnlewis.com) are all rarely ever on sale, so when we spot a discount on the coveted earbuds, you can bet we’ll be shouting about the deals from the rooftops.

We’ve reviewed all of the brand’s earbuds and can vouch for their performance. They are a worthy investment, and even more so when on offer. Read on to find out how you can secure a new pair of AirPods at a cheaper price.

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The second-generation AirPods pro 2 earbuds offer extra features over the previous AirPods pro from 2021, boasting better audio quality, stronger noise-cancelling and better battery life. The biggest change in design applies to the charging case, which now has a loop on the side to enable you to attach a lanyard, and there’s a speaker on the underside to help you locate it with the Find My app.

“The new AirPods pro are a significant improvement over the already-splendid first-generation model,” noted The Independent’s technology critic David Phelan in his review. “The case now includes Apple’s U1 chip, which means you can use the Find My app on your iPhone, say, to locate it when you’ve misplaced it,” he added. “Though there’s no major design change, except to the charging case, the improvements to audio are worth having”. You can save £10 at Amazon and John Lewis & Partners.

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In response to the one-size-doesn’t-fit-all issue with its predecessors, Apple launched this pair of earbuds. Mostly retaining the same design as the OG AirPods, our writer noted they have a “heightened level of finesse” in our in-depth review of the AirPods pro. As high-end earphones go, these are “difficult to find much fault in”, they said.

As for the audio quality, they have a “lovely, warm sound to them, beautifully balanced across the register” and the “adaptive EQ automatically tunes low and mid frequencies to the shape of your ear, which kicks in the longer you listen”. The active noise cancellation is “impressive”, “shutting out the majority of ambient noise, and dampening any sound that gets through”.

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The third-generation AirPods have new features, improved audio, longer battery life and a distinctive new look. Launched in 2021, the 3rd generation model look more like the premium AirPods pro, but lack some of the features of the pricier headphones, such as noise-cancelling.

“The new AirPods 3rd generation are a very big step up from the second-generation model. The improved audio is noticeable, especially with spatial audio and the new shape,” our writer said in their review of the buds. “Though these won’t be perfect for everyone, it has a tight and effective fit. Add in the extra features and ease of use which Apple’s earbuds offer and these are very appealing”. We’ve only spotted one deal on these buds this month, and that’s at Very.

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Apple launched its first pair of wireless earbuds in 2016, straight after removing the headphone jack from its iPhones. While they were initially ridiculed all over the internet, they’ve won a place in our hearts. The 2nd gen earbuds were released in 2019 and still pack a punch.

Our writer noted that they are “some of the very lightest in-ears you can find”, adding that “the design is unchanged since day one, but improved electronics inside mean that, like on the pro model, you can say, ‘Hey, Siri’ to invoke the virtual assistant without even touching the earbuds”.

Unlike the AirPods pro, there’s no silicone ear tip nor noise-cancelling technology. “Even so, audio quality is very good, as is call quality, which works even if you only use one earbud,” praised our writer. Amazon currently has the best discount on these buds.

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For the latest discounts on wireless earbuds and other tech offers, try the links below:

Want to read more about Apple’s newest pair of earbuds? Head to our review of the AirPods 3rd gen