Prime Day isn't until next week, but two pairs of AirPods have already hit their lowest pries ever. Amazon has discounted the second-gen AirPods (released in 2019) to just $69 – a discount of $60 on their previous price, and $90 on their launch price. The premium AirPods Max are now down to $399 – $150 off their usual price – in every finish but green, for some reason.
Early Prime Day deal: lowest ever price on AirPods
Neither are exactly new – the second-gen AirPods launched in 2019, while the AirPods Max made their debut in 2020. The former have since been replaced by the AirPods 3, while rumours concerning the AirPods Max 2 have been circulating for some time now.
While the second-gen AirPods aren't the best wireless earbuds you can buy, they are still a fine proposition. They offer Apple's unparalleled ease of use and a decent feature set, although this has been improved upon by their successor, as well as the pricier AirPods Pro 2. The sound quality, too, is bettered elsewhere. But for a taste of Apple genius without the price tag, they're pretty compelling, especially at this money.
The AirPods Max are still some of the finest over-ear headphones you can buy. Such was their influence, they created a whole new category of wireless headphones, one above the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but below true premium pairs like the Mark Levinson No. 5909, T+A Solitaire T and Focal Bathys. For a first entry into the world of over-ear wireless headphones, they are staggering – Sonos could learn a lot.
Their build quality is among the best around, with the type of master craftsmanship you would expect from a high-end Apple device. Extras like Apple Spatial Audio with dynamic headtracking elevate the experience considerably – this anchors the audio to the screen it's coming from, making it feel more like you're not wearing headphones. Their sound quality and noise cancellation are among the best at the price – though the less said about the case, the better.
Two very different propositions, two best prices ever. And we're still a week out from Prime Day.
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