You can grab a pair of AirPods starting at just $79.99

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]

Apple's AirPods should be on every iPhone owner's list of earbuds to try before exploring third-party options. The wireless earbuds offer a wealth of exclusive features for Apple users, and they make for a great Mother's Day gift or replacement for an aging pair of earbuds.

Fortunately, the second-gen AirPods are down to $79.99 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy right now, which is just $10 more than they were during Black Friday. The third-gen AirPods, meanwhile, are also matching their all-time low of $139.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, while the second-gen AirPods Pro with USB-C can be had for $179.99 ($70 off) at Amazon and Target (also an all-time low).

If you're after a simple pair of AirPods and could care less for the bells and whistles found on the newer models, the second-gen AirPods are worth a look. They lack the IPX4 water resistance found on the third-gen model — along with support for head-tracking spatial audio, wireless charging, and Apple's improved Find My features — but they still offer reliable performance and great ease of use. The third-gen earbuds feature better battery life and sound quality as well, but not so much that we'd deter you from saving $60 on the older pair if your budget is really tight.

These AirPods are Apple's second generation of true wireless earbuds and the cheapest model in the AirPods lineup. Though they're from 2019, they remain a reliable pair of buds with solid sound quality.

Apple's third-gen AirPods have a new design and sound significantly better than their predecessors. They also add new features like head tracking for spatial audio.

Neither of Apple's entry-level AirPods can match the second-gen AirPods Pro, of course, which are the newest available in the line. For a reasonable jump in price, you'll get water resistance, better sound quality with head-tracking spatial audio, and superb noise cancellation. Onboard volume controls are another new addition, and it's easy to find the best fit for your ears, thanks to the four replacement ear tips included in the box. Apple's latest AirPods Pro also come with a USB-C charging case and dust resistance, making them slightly more capable than the 2022 model.

The second-gen AirPods Pro improve upon Apple's original pair with much better noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and onboard volume controls. The latest refresh also ships with a USB-C charging case, as opposed to Lightning.

Verge Deals on X /

Join more than 50,000 followers and keep up with the best daily tech deals with @vergedeals

Follow us!

A few more deals to get your week started

• Here's a nice holdover from our roundup of the best Star Wars Day deals: you can get an R2-D2 Tamagotchi for a record-low of $8.50 (about $12 off) at Amazon. The fan-favorite droid lives inside a blue chassis that you can clip onto your keychain or bag. Typically, your digitized pet starts from an egg and you'd feed it food to grow, but seeing as R2-D2 is a robot, you'll just need to charge its batteries and keep it clean by playing two of the seven available mini-games. There are also nearly two dozen skills it can learn as it levels up.
• Now until the end of May, Apple's Leather Wallet with MagSafe is down to $27.99 (about $32 off) at Woot. To be clear, this is not the newer version with Find My support, so you can't use your iPhone to locate it in the unfortunate event that it slides off. That said, the leather wallet still magnetically attaches to the back of any MagSafe-compatible iPhone and can safely hold up to three cards. You can buy it in saddle brown and California poppy, the latter being more of a bright orange.
• You can currently get a three-port, 67W Belkin BoostCharge wall charger for $39.99 ($5 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is the lowest price it's ever been. We like that it has three USB-C ports — many similar products top out at two and supplement them with an extra USB-A port to make up for it. The charger also has markings that make it specifically clear how much power throughput each port can handle when you have one device plugged in (67W) versus three (20W for two of the ports and 25W for the third).

Verge Deals

/ Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox weekly.