It’s that time of year again–Black Friday, the yearly shopping event where everyone hunts for the biggest deals. Apple’s AirPods are famously popular gifts and travel companions, and various models are often on sale throughout the year. So keep your eyes peeled for great deals on AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max as the Black Friday sales take off.
We typically see Black Friday deals starting in early November, and culminating in the post-Thanksgiving weekend. In 2023 Black Friday falls on November 24 and Cyber Monday on November 27. In the weeks leading up to Black Friday–and on Black Friday itself–we expect to see some truly fantastic deals. For example, in 2022 we saw discounts of $50-100 on various AirPods models.
Return here in 2023 as November approaches for the best deals we can find. Looking to get AirPods sooner than that? Here are the best AirPods deals right now.
Black Friday: Apple’s shopping event
Apply typically holds a four-day shopping event in which some products come with a free Apple gift card, the amount of which varies depending on what you buy. These are the AirPods deals Apple had in 2022:
- AirPods (2nd gen), AirPods (3rd gen) with Lightning Charging Case: $25/£25
- AirPods Pro (2nd gen): $50/£50
- AirPods Max: $75/£75
Black Friday: Best AirPods deals
We don’t yet know what deals we’ll find in 2023, but these are the best deals we could find during the Black Friday shopping season in 2022:
Deals in the U.S.:
- Amazon, AirPods Max: $449 ($100 off)
- Amazon, AirPods Pro (2nd-gen): $200 ($49 off)
- Walmart, AirPods Pro (1st-gen): $159 ($90 off)
- Walmart, AirPods (2nd gen): $79 ($50 off)
- Costco, AirPods (3rd gen, MagSafe case): $150 ($29 off)
Deals in the U.K.:
- John Lewis, AirPods (2nd gen): £115 (£24 off, plus 2-year guarantee)
- Costco, AirPods (3rd gen, MagSafe case): £174.99 (£14.01 off)
- John Lewis: AirPods (3rd gen, MagSafe case): £179 (£10 off, plus 2-year guarantee)
- John Lewis, AirPods Pro (1st gen): £184 (£15 off, plus 2-year guarantee)
- Costco, AirPods Pro (2nd gen): £219.99 (£29.01 off)
- John Lewis, AirPods Pro (2nd gen): £229 (£20 off, plus 2-year guarantee)
- Amazon, AirPods Pro (2nd gen): £229 (£20 off)
- Costco, AirPods Max: £489.99 (£59.01 off)
Black Friday 2022: Latest AirPods Pro deals
The 2nd-generation AirPods Pro look just like the first-gen model, but they sound better, have longer battery life, and offer a few other welcome improvements. Just released in October of this year, Apple sells them for $249 / £249 and major deals are harder to come by, but you should be able to save $20-$30 this year. We think most buyers will be happier with the new model than the older one.
Though Apple no longer sells the first-generation AirPods Pro, you can still find them at a number of retailers while supplies last. Because they’re looking to clear out inventory, you can sometimes find a great deal on them.
Latest AirPods deals
The third-generation AirPods are a significant upgrade over the 2nd-gen model. They typically retail for $179 / £189 with the wireless charging case, but you can often find them a little cheaper. Apple also sells a model with a wired Lightning case for $169.
The biggest discounts are typically found on second-generation AirPods. They’re a bit out of date and don’t have nearly the features or sound quality of the third-gen model, but if you primarily want to use them for phone calls rather than music, you can save a lot of money. Apple sells them for $129 / £139 but you can easily find them for a lot less.
Latest AirPods Max deals
Frankly, AirPods Max are overpriced. Compared to other consumer-oriented over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones, you might pay hundreds more. Apple’s price is $549 / £549, and they’re easy enough to find for $100 less, but a good price would be under $400 / £400.
Black Friday 2022: All Apple deals
Stay on top of the best Black Friday deals as they arrive with our dedicated roundups
Best Black Friday 2022 MacBook deals
Best Black Friday 2022 Mac deals
Best Black Friday 2022 Apple Watch deals
Best Black Friday 2022 iPad deals
Best Black Friday 2022 iPhone deals
Best Black Friday 2022 Apple TV deals
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor
I have written about technology for my entire professional life - over 25 years. I enjoy learning about how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.