Christmas may be over, but the deals certainly haven’t disappeared. The January sales are almost here, and retailers are about to drop a fresh sack of discounts, including savings on Apple’s AirPods. If your earbuds are screaming for an upgrade, now could be the best time to invest.
While Apple itself doesn’t ever discount its gear, you aren’t stuck paying full price for its products. Third-party retailers like John Lewis, Argos and Amazon regularly slash prices on the most coveted Apple products. As a senior tech critic, I always have the earbuds on my radar, and I know when a deal is genuinely worth your time, having tracked the price of the buds year-round, including during major sale events.
And it’s not just tech deals I’m looking out for, though. The team and I have found price cuts on the Oura ring, Kindles, Ninja air fryers and much more ahead of the January sales. I’ll be rounding up the best AirPods Boxing Day deals and January sales as they drop, so bookmark this page for all the latest savings.
Read more: The best deals in the Amazon January sale
Best Apple AirPods deals ahead of the January sales
Apple AirPods Pro 2: Was £199, now £169, Amazon.co.uk
You can currently save on the older AirPods Pro 2. With impressive sound and noticeably better noise cancellation than the first-generation Pro earbuds, the Pro 2 version boasts touch controls and up to six hours of battery life while using the noise-cancellation feature. In his review of the Apple AirPods Pro 2, tech critic David Phelan said: “Noise-cancelling was good enough to reduce continuous sounds such as engine noise on a train,” adding that “adaptive transparency worked well” too, for those moments when you want to hear what's going on around you, without turning off your tunes.
Apple AirPods 4: Was £119, now £99, Amazon.co.uk
If you don’t care about active noise cancellation and want some good-sounding AirPods without all the bells and whistles, the entry-level AirPods 4 are still down to their Black Friday price. “Because they have the same H2 chip as the noise-cancelling model, they have access to many of the same features such as personalised spatial audio, voice isolation and the nodding/shaking mechanism to respond to Siri”, said tech critic David Phelan in his AirPods 4 review. “A direct successor to the AirPods second-generation, they do more, they sound better, and they look neater than the second-gen model.”
Apple AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation: Was £169, now £149, Amazon.co.uk
And for those of you who do want active noise cancellation, these are also at their Black Friday price right now. A viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods 4 have an open-fit design that some might find lighter and more comfortable than the AirPods Pro. “While the ANC isn’t as strong as the in-ear seal you get on the Pro 2”, tech critic David Phelan still found that it “cut out everyday noise surprisingly well”.
Apple AirPods Pro 3: Was £219, now £199, Amazon.co.uk
In tech critic David Phelan’s AirPods Pro 3 review, he was impressed with their active noise cancelling, which is a notable improvement on previous models. The battery life has also jumped up to eight hours with ANC, compared with the six hours you’d get with the AirPods Pro 2. Right now, there’s £20 off the buds at Amazon, as well as other retailers, including John Lewis and AO.
Apple AirPods Max, refurbished: Was £499, now £369, Backmarket.co.uk
While there aren’t any deals to be found on Apple’s over-ear AirPods Max, you can currently find a £150 saving on a refurbished pair from Back Market. In my round-up of the best wireless headphones, I raved about Apple’s spatial audio. “The sound of your favourite tunes coming from all directions around your head is absolutely mind-blowing, and it will make you fall in love with your favourite songs all over again,” I wrote.
