If you’re an iPhone user and are planning to buy true wireless earbuds, nothing beats the Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro in terms of quality and ease of use. But which pair should you get? Below you’ll find brief yet comprehensive descriptions of each AirPod to help you better decide. What’s more, they’re all on sale at Amazon and Verizon right now. Get the Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro today for as low as $129.
AirPods with Charging Case
— $129, was $159
Apple’s first generation of AirPods helped kick-start the true wireless earbuds craze. Everyone wanted them, and if you’re an avid iOS user, using them for the very first time will be like witnessing actual magic. They already come with a fair bit of juice once you take them out of their charging case and if your Apple device’s Bluetooth is on, a pop-up will appear for instant pairing. That’s it. Unfortunately, the same ease of operation isn’t available for Android phones, although you can still use the AirPods with them. Inside each AirPods are sensors that knows when you’ve removed one of them from your ears. Doing so will automatically pause the music that’s playing, and putting it back in would resume it. To summon Siri, you can double-tap one of the AirPods so she can set a reminder, schedule an alarm, place a call, or adjust the volume of your music up or down. You can’t, however, summon her by just using your voice. For that, you’ll have to get the AirPods 2. Battery life is decent, as far as true wireless earbuds go. A single charge would deliver up to five hours of listening time and two hours of talk time. Get the AirPods with a wired charging case today for just $130 instead of $159.
AirPods with Wireless Charging Case
– $169, was $199
Nothing much has changed with the second generation of the Apple AirPods. They retain their iconic golf-tee shape, battery life remains exactly as before (five hours of music playback), although the new H1 chipset does deliver longer talk time and support for voice-activated Siri. Now you no longer have to tap on the AirPod’s exterior just to summon her. They also inherit their predecessors’ intuitive touch controls. Sound quality remains unchanged, though. The AirPods 2 still sound exactly like the EarPods, the wired earbuds you get free with an iPhone. Unfortunately, the slight bump up in the price tag only comes in the form of a wireless charging case, so you’re still not getting noise-canceling and sweat-resistance. If you already have the original AirPods and is considering upgrading to the AirPods 2, please don’t, especially if you don’t even have a Qi wireless charging pad. It’s better so save up a bit more money and get the AirPods Pro instead, which are absolutely the best true wireless earbuds to get for iOS users. But if you really want them, they’re on sale at Amazon right now for $169 (down from $199).
— $220, was $250
The souped-up AirPods Pro represent the culmination of years’ worth of work on true wireless tech. They offer a major upgrade in just about every key department: Sound quality is nearly audiophile-grade, their fit has become even more ergonomic and customizable, and you’re finally getting active noise-canceling and sweat resistance. Thanks to Apple’s new H1 chip, the AirPods Pro’s sound signature is clearer, richer, and more well-balanced with a distinct emphasis on vocals and bass. They now offer a more secure fit courtesy of three pairs of differently sized silicone eartips. Unlike the original, the AirPods Pro would never fall off your ears even with excessive movement. Their active noise canceling feature is probably the best that we’ve ever encountered on a pair of true wireless earbuds, and that’s very hard to pull off since these don’t cover your ears completely. Finally, with an IPX4 water-resistance rating, you can confidently use these while you work out and never worry that about them getting damaged. Unfortunately, battery life is still frustratingly short. At just five hours of total music playtime, it’s a little baffling since other brands have found a way to double it for this form factor. At least charging time remains amazingly fast. A mere 15 minutes in the charging case equals three hours listening. Get the AirPods Pro at Verizon today for just $220 instead of the usual $250.
Looking for more? Check out our Deals Hub for more AirPods deals.
Editors' Recommendations
- Best MacBook deals: Get an Air for $605 and save on M3 MacBook Pro
- Best Apple deals: Save on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook
- Best Memorial Day headphone deals: AirPods, Bose, Sony, and more
- Best AirPods Pro deals: Get Apple’s flagship earbuds for $125
- Best AirPods Max deals: New and refurbished for $410
