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As Prime Day 2022 winds down, we’ve stopped updating this post, and we can’t guarantee that all deals are still in stock. Check our Deals page for our latest finds.
Shopping for a new pair of wireless earbuds can make you feel a little like Goldilocks—with so many styles, sizes, and prices to choose from, finding something that works just right can be difficult. Prime Day, Amazon’s annual deals extravaganza, doesn’t make the hunt any easier: After scrolling through an overwhelming amount of deals, you might find it all too easy to settle for the first recognizable earbuds you see.
Among the most distinguishable options are Apple’s AirPods, and you can currently snag the 3rd generation pods for around $140—a solid, though not exceptional, price. You can also find the AirPods Pro for $170 to $180, depending on the retailer; that matches sale prices we’ve seen in 2022 but is still around $10 more than all-time lows. Our experts think you can do better than AirPods, anyway. Here’s why—and what we think you should get instead if you’re looking for a good deal.
According to Wirecutter senior staff writer and resident headphone expert Lauren Dragan, there’s not much that a pair of AirPods can do that other, often cheaper earbuds can’t do better. The only thing that separates the original AirPods from the competition is their unsealed design, which some folks prefer over earbuds with rubberized silicone tips that fill the ear canal and sometimes cause the occlusion effect—the sudden awareness of sounds from bone conduction that happens when you plug your ears. “Otherwise, there’s no good reason to buy them,” Lauren says. “They don’t sound that great, and they lack a lot of controls because Apple kind of assumed you would use the voice functionality to do most things, which many people don’t love doing.”
Similarly, the AirPods Pro earbuds offer little in the way of beneficial unique features, and Lauren says they have issues of their own. She calls the controls (which you activate by squeezing) wonky and finicky; our testers found themselves pausing or restarting a song when they meant to skip to the next. Spatial audio and head tracking have not proven to be more than a gimmick yet. And other true wireless earbuds have long surpassed the Pro pair’s four and a half hours of battery life per charge. The sealed-design Pro set does offer noise cancellation, but it’s not great. Since some people forgo sealed earbuds to avoid the occlusion effect, the Pro earbuds are made with a vented design meant to combat the phenomenon—but that only filters out some outside noise and leads to other issues, such as eardrum suck.
That’s not to say you can’t enjoy a pair of AirPods if you aren’t able to resist acting on these new low prices. “If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, love Apple products, and all you want is something that immediately connects to your laptop, AirPods will do that—and if you don’t care about the sound and the controls, then they may be the best earbuds for you,” Lauren says. But if you want more functionality out of your earbuds, she adds, you can find cheaper options or Apple-friendly pairs like the Beats Fit Pro that can give you an overall easier and more pleasant listening experience.
Luckily, a handful of the earbuds we do recommend are discounted this Prime Day. Though they may not have that instantly recognizable white stem, some of these earbuds offer other perks that AirPods don’t (including better sound and a more affordable price). Here are the best deals we’ve found on some of our favorites.
Beats Studio Buds Deal price: $100; street price: $150
If you’re looking for an affordable Beats true wireless experience, these Studio Buds are your best bet. Their diminutive size fits most ears well, though folks with very small ear canals might find they feel less stable due to the lack of fit-stabilizing wings or hooks. Although the IPX4 water-resistance rating means they can be your new gym buddies, they might not stay put during dynamic workouts. With better-than-average active noise cancellation, you'll be able to reduce air conditioner or airplane sound.
Read our review of the best noise-cancelling headphones.
Jabra Elite 85t Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds (Titanium Black) Deal price: $109; street price: $210
If you're looking for a compact and comfortable pair of earbuds to keep on the road, look no further than the Jabra Elite 85t. Though not an official pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth earbuds, our testers appreciated the solid selection of impressive features. These earbuds are a better option for those with ears on the smaller size. This is the lowest we've seen for a non-refurbished pair, so if you think the fit will work for you, they're well worth trying.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
Beats Studio Buds Deal price: $100; street price: $150
If you’re looking for an affordable Beats true wireless experience, these Studio Buds are your best bet. Their diminutive size fits most ears well, though folks with very small ear canals might find they feel less stable due to the lack of fit-stabilizing wings or hooks. Although the IPX4 water-resistance rating means they can be your new gym buddies, they might not stay put during dynamic workouts. With better-than-average active noise cancellation, you'll be able to reduce air conditioner or airplane sound.
Read our review of the best noise-cancelling headphones.
Jabra Elite 4 Active Earbuds Deal price: $90; street price: $110
One of Jabra's new generation earbuds, we love the fit, high water/dust resistance, and controls of the Jabra Elite 4 Active Earbuds. However, the device connectivity is fussy, the microphone sounds muffled on calls, and the active noise cancellation is middling. If these buds typically sold for $80, they might have been a main pick in our guide to the best workout headphones. But on sale for $90, it's up to readers if the positives outweigh the negatives.
Read our review of the best workout headphones.
Beats Fit Pro Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds Deal price: $160; street price: $200
If you struggle to keep true wireless earbuds in your ears—or if you’re an Apple fan who wants access to Apple’s H1 chip features—the Fit Pro pair is for you. Just like AirPods Pro earbuds, the Fit Pro set offers easy pairing and connection swapping to iCloud-connected Apple devices, as well as numerous features like head tracking, noise cancellation, transparency mode, touch-free Hey Siri control, and microphones with wind and background-noise reduction. Keep in mind that after testing them, we think that folks sensitive to pressure in their ears may not like the fit.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
1More PistonBuds Pro Wireless Earbuds Deal price: $40; street price: $60
The affordable, true wireless 1More PistonBuds Pro earbuds reduce external noises well, fit most ears comfortably, sound clear over phone calls, and reproduce music enjoyably. On the other hand, they lack elite stability and fit elements like ear wings, and their battery life isn’t extensive. They can connect to only one device at a time, too. Those drawbacks aside, they’re good earbuds, and they’re exceptionally discounted at $40.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
EarFun Free 2 Wireless Earbuds Deal price: $34 (clip on-page coupon and use code PDEFRE2WC); street price: $50
Wireless earbuds are convenient, but it’s hard to find a good pair under $50. Although this EarFun set’s sound quality isn’t quite as balanced as that of our top pick (which has a neckband), these earbuds offer a lot of features you don’t usually find in budget models, such as a full suite of tap-based controls, clear-sounding microphones for phone calls, and a high water-resistance rating. Make sure to clip the on-page coupon and use code PDEFRE2WC to get the discounted price.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 Deal price: $270; street price: $350
Our top pick for the best noise-cancelling headphones, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 set, which offers superior, adjustable noise cancellation in a comfortable and lightweight package, is currently down to $270 in new condition. Though we’ve seen slightly better deals on less sought-after colors, this is still a great opportunity to save on an excellent pair of headphones.
Read our review of the best noise-cancelling headphones.
Sony LinkBuds S Wireless Earbuds (Amazon) Deal price: $158; street price: $200
Sony LinkBuds S Wireless Earbuds (Target) Deal price: $158; street price: $200
Sony LinkBuds S Wireless Earbuds (Best Buy) Deal price: $158; street price: $200
Offering a lightweight design and a comfortable fit, Sony’s LinkBuds S earbuds are another good option that we like and plan to include in our upcoming update to our wireless Bluetooth earbuds guide. They offer only middling noise cancellation, isolation, and sound, which makes the original $200 street price seem steep. However, the current deal represents a nice drop if you just want earbuds that reduce noise and support Google and Amazon Alexa.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
Bose Sport Open Earbuds Deal price: $149; street price: $200
Update: Now available only from Bose directly. Bose Sport earbuds are the best we’ve found that balance safety and high-quality sound. They rest on top of your outer ears, leaving your ear canals unblocked so you can better hear your surroundings. Instead of playing music directly in your ears, the design makes it sound as if music is coming from nearby speakers. The tap-based controls are intuitive to use while you’re running, and if you need to take a call, the microphones’ call quality is fantastic. With the price down to the lowest we’ve seen, this is a great deal for any runner.
Read our review of the best headphones for running.
KEF Mu3 Wireless Earbuds (silver gray) Deal price: $130; street price: $230
If your priority is excellent sound when it comes to wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the KEF Mu3 is one of the best-sounding pairs of true wireless earbuds we’ve ever tested. Though these earbuds are not an official pick, they offer great sound quality with clear highs, deep (but not overpowering) bass notes, and a surprisingly large soundstage for tiny earbuds. The active noise cancellation is middling, and you’ll find no track-reverse option among the controls, but if those aren’t dealbreakers for you, the KEF Mu3 headphones are sure to please. Note that the charcoal gray option is sold out, and this pair is available only in silver gray.
Read our review of the best Bluetooth wireless headphones.
Skullcandy Sesh Evo Wireless Earbuds Deal price: $30; street price: $45
Back down to $30 for multiple colorways, this is a solid deal on our former budget pick for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds. We still speak well of the Skullcandy Sesh Evo set in the Competition section of our guide. These earbuds provide a fun, bass-forward sound, a comfortable fit, water resistance (with an IP55 rating), and easy-to-use controls. We don’t like them quite as much as we do our current budget pick, the EarFun Free 2 earbuds (which have a longer battery life, a higher water-resistance rating, and a clearer microphone for calls), but the Sesh Evo is still a solid pair of earbuds at an even more affordable price.
Read our review of the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
If you’ve been on the hunt for a great pair of reliable headphones, our audio experts are tracking the best Prime Day headphone deals.
Amazon Prime Day is finally here and the deals are a-droppin’. Check out the biggest discounts we’re seeing on the very best, Wirecutter-approved products.
Apple discounts are few and far between, but Prime Day is one of the rare times you can find solid deals on Apple products. Here are our favorite deals we’ve found so far.
The Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds offer a level of performance, reliability, and comfort that elevates them above the pack.
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