The Apple AirPods Pro 2 are some of the best personal audio gear on the market, even if they aren’t the latest model anymore. Sure, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are the newest earbuds in the lineup but the AirPods Pro 2 are still an excellent pick for most people.
They’re an even better buy when you can get your hands on a pair of Apple AirPods Pro 2 at a discount. Right now, Best Buy is shaving a massive $109 off the AirPods Pro 2, dropping the cost to $130. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen — but we doubt this deal will stick around for long. Walmart is also offering the AirPods Pro 2 for just $9 more.
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My 13-year-old daughter loves her music and her privacy, and for years she has wanted a pair of AirPods. They’re not cheap so I’ve only been getting her more budget options, like the Amazon Echo Buds, as a result. These kept seemingly disappearing, though, so I finally ponied up for the AirPods Pro 2.
I picked them up during last year’s sales, and they were definitely well-received. She’s happy, she uses them every day, and she hasn’t lost them yet. The AirPods Pro 2 are currently $130 at Best Buy, a nice price for a high-quality pair like these, and the lowest we’ve seen.
What about the AirPods Pro 3?
The AirPods Pro 3 weren’t available at the time I bought the AirPods Pro 2, but they were rumored, and I didn’t wait to see what they offered. As CNET’s resident headphone expert, David Carnoy summarized in his AirPods Pro 3 and Pro 3 comparison, the newer model is “significantly improved in the four most important areas: fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life.” They also have heart-rate monitoring, like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
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While these are undoubtedly all important things, a lot of people aren’t going to notice the differences or make the most of the new features. And the AirPods Pro 3 being so new means that you’re unlikely to nab them on a decent sale for a while, meaning you’re probably spending the $249 list price to get a set.
Why I didn’t get the AirPods 4 instead
Why did I choose AirPods Pro 2 instead of the AirPods 4 with ANC? First, as I mentioned in another article about a different pair of earbuds I bought, I think sealed, in-ear buds are better than open-design models like the AirPods 4. The seal creates another layer of noise isolation and contributes to superior sound quality, and if you want to pay attention to the world you can always engage ambient sound mode, which Apple calls transparency mode.
XS eartips mean an XL hug from a happy kid may be coming soon.
Also a factor was that, at the time, Carnoy considered the Pro 2 the best Apple noise-canceling wireless earbuds: “While we’re quite impressed with those new models — and with the AirPods 4 ANC in particular — the AirPods Pro 2 remain arguably the best Apple AirPods you can buy if you don’t mind having silicone ear tips jammed in your ears,” he said.
My daughter uses earplugs all the time to help her sleep, so she definitely qualifies as somebody who’s comfortable stuffing things in her ears. Like her fingers, when I start using words like “sigma,” “skibidi” and “relatable” to try to relate to her.
I asked Carnoy about the Pro 2s potentially not fitting in her kid-size ears and he reassured me that the range of eartips that come with the Pro 2s “now include XS, so they should fit.”
Do AirPods make a great gift?
It took me years to finally understand, but yes, for someone looking for wireless earbuds, AirPods — especially the Apple AirPods Pro 2 — make the perfect gift, regardless of whether you’re a teenage girl.
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