Even after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the AirPods Pro 2 are a better deal than the AirPods 4

AirPods Pro 2 in hand
(Image credit: Future)

Over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we were lucky enough to see the AirPods Pro 2 reach their new lowest price. They were, at their new price, a much better deal than the AirPods 4 with ANC, with a $15 price differential in the Pro 2's favor. Throughout the sale, I told everyone "ignore the newness bias, and just buy the AirPods Pro 2".

Now that the sale is over, you might expect that the AirPods Pro 2 are back up at full price. Thankfully, you'd be mistaken; while they are no longer as cheap as they once were, they're still a much better deal than the AirPods 4. You can pick up the AirPods Pro 2 for $169 at Amazon — only $5 more than the AirPods 4.

Apple AirPods Pro 2
Apple AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $169 at Amazon

Still a better deal! The AirPods Pro 2 aren't as cheap as they were over the Cyber Weekend, but that shouldn't stop you from picking them up now. We love them as well, with our review giving them 4 1/2 stars and an editor's choice badge. They sound great, the ANC and transparency modes are great, and 6 hours of battery life is still pretty good. More importantly, they're much better than the AirPods 4 — and easily worth the extra $5.

The AirPods 4 launched to a great amount of fanfare, and, for a couple of months, the pricing made sense. You had four options of AirPods — the budget pair, the mid-range pair, the premium in-ears, and then the most desirable. The ANC AirPods 4 were the mid-range pair, and they were a solid option if you didn't want to spend loads on the AirPods Pro 2 ( the premium in-ears) and you wanted more than the AirPods 4 without ANC (the budget pair).

Black Friday and Cyber Monday tossed a very large and very conspicuous spanner into the motor, however. The AirPods Pro 2 dropped to an incredibly low price which made the premium option less than the mid-range option. Now that the sale is over, the premium is once again more than the mid-range — but you should still buy the AirPods Pro 2.

For just $5 extra, you get better ANC, better sound, a more comfortable fit, and far superior battery life. It really is, and really should be a complete no brainer.

Tammy Rogers
Audio Editor

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.