These earbuds are comfortable, lightweight and compact — I can easily fit them in any shirt or pants pocket. And I want to bring them everywhere because they have excellent noise cancellation and transparency modes. When noise cancellation is activated, subway noise and office chatter seamlessly fade away. The transparency mode is also clear enough that I can have conversations with no issues. When paired with an iPhone, they have additional features like Apple’s Find My app and Hearing Aid support.
AirPods Pro 2 comes with four ear tip sizes in the box, giving you plenty of options to get the most comfortable fit for your ears possible. You should act fast, at 40% off, this AirPods Pro 2 deal is only a few dollars shy of the best price we’ve ever seen.
NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez and commerce editor Jordan Bowman, have used AirPods Max for years — they both love the excellent sound quality and strong noise canceling and transparency modes. "The AirPods Max is quite large but I like the durability of the headphones and the excellent ANC mode, which can easily block out most sounds," says Bowman. Their sleek design, seamless connectivity to iPhones, MacBooks and iPads make them a great a pair of headphones for Apple users.
AirPods 4 are a great alternative to AirPods Pro 2 especially if you want a more affordable price and you don’t like the feeling of rubber eartips. The AirPods 4 semi-open fit may feel more comfortable, though they let in more outside noise as a result. They still connect seamlessly with other Apple devices, which makes them a great earbud for avid Apple users.
These are nearly identical to AirPods 4, but have noise-cancelling and transparency modes built in. The AirPods 4 with ANC perfectly combine some of the AirPods Pro features into a much more affordable package. Plus the charging case supports wireless charging and Apple’s FindMy app. Bowman has used the AirPods 4 ANC since their release and has praised the noise cancellation capabilities of the AirPods 4 and its comfortable fit. You can learn more in my Apple AirPods 4 ANC review.
This is the lowest price we’ve seen for these earbuds. They’re fully featured, with active noise cancelling, transparency, a fast charging case and support for Apple’s Find My network. They’re available in four colors, including a bold transparent colorway.
These workout headphones are well-suited to fitness activity thanks to ear hook design. The flashiest feature is the all new heart rate monitoring — each earbud has a heart rate monitor near the ear tip that rests slightly inside your ear. They also have on-ear controls so you can change volume and skip tracks reliably, even with gloves on. If you love earhook earbuds, there’s a good chance you’ll love the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. You can learn more in my Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.
If you are looking for better sound quality and longer battery life than earbuds, consider a pair of over ear headphones like these Beats Studio Pro. They have up to 40 hours of battery life and a bass-forward sound style. They connect over Bluetooth or the included USB-C cable for wired listening.
These earbuds are on sale for $50, a great price and a great deal. While they don’t have many features, they are small, lightweight and colorful, plus they come with four sized ear tips in the box to find your ideal fit.
These headphones connect wirelessly to your devices but have a physical wire between the buds themselves — that means they don’t have a charging case, but may be harder to lose or misplace. Plus they are over 40% off right now.
These Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have strong noise cancelling, especially at this discounted price. They are slightly larger than AirPods, but have a more bass-forward sound and easy to use touch controls on each earbud.
These are one of my favorite budget earbuds, and they are matching the lowest price we’ve seen at 43% off. They have all the features you would expect from much pricier earbuds like active noise cancelling, transparency, Bluetooth multipoint and a wireless charging case. They also happen to be incredibly comfortable and lightweight. If you are looking for a slight upgrade, the Anker Liberty 4 Pro are also on sale at their lowest price ever.
Open earbuds leave your ears open to hear the world around you. They are great for exercising outdoors or daily commuters. NBC Select editorial director Lauren Swanson and I use the Shokz OpenFit 2 regularly because they have a comfortable, secure fit, stable connectivity and good sound quality (for open earbuds).
These used to be one of our favorite earhook earbuds. They are great for working out because you don’t have to worry about them falling out while running or working out. They have a bass forward sound with up to 50 hours of playback. The IP68 water and dust resistance is also an added bonus, especially if you're sweating or often workout in the rain.
A 32-hour battery life, IPX4 water and dust resistance and active noise cancelling make this a great affordable headphone. They also happen to be 50% off right now, which is the lowest price it’s been in months. It also has 4 added mics so you can take calls while on the go.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the brand’s premium wireless earbuds. They are comfortable and sound excellent, in my experience. They have stylish design touches like a slightly transparent case and subtle lights on the earbuds. They are also IP57 dust and water resistant — that’s a much higher rating than Apple AirPods (IPX4) and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 (IP54).
The Pixel buds have great noise-cancelling and transparency modes, all neatly wrapped in a compact and portable package. You can also get up to 30-hours of battery life with ANC turned on, plus it’s the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
Active noise-cancellation, multipoint connections and a five-hour battery life make this a worthwhile pair of earbuds especially if you’re shopping on a budget. It’s currently 68% off, which matches the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
This is essentially Samsung’s version of a budget friendly active noise cancelling earbud. If a good ANC mode is your main concern then you’ll be happy with this heavily discounted Samsung earbud which is currently on sale for 48% off. It also has a comfortable fit and IPX2 water and dust resistance.
Here are the best Prime Day earbuds, headphones and speaker sales to know about. Keep in mind, not every item from a brand is discounted as described below.
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I’m a reporter for NBC Select who covers fitness and technology, and I’ve covered deals and sales for years. To evaluate the quality of Apple AirPods deals, I ran models through price trackers like CamelCamelCamel to ensure they are at their lowest price in at least three months.
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