Some rare spectacles require perfect timing to witness, such as Kīlauea’s eruption in Hawaii or the Knicks winning their first NBA championship in 53 years. Oh, and sales on Apple products.
The world’s biggest tech company is notoriously stingy with discounts, especially on new products, and the AirPods Pro 3 remain full price on its site. But Best Buy is currently offering the AirPods Pro 3 on sale for $179.99, down from $249. The discount is a bit of a anomaly – the type you’d typically see on an ageing Apple product that’s about to be replaced, but the AirPods Pro 3 are less than a year old.
Apple
AirPods Pro 3
$179.99
And they’re still phenomenal. “Few earbuds sound better at this price and size,” said the Guardian’s consumer tech editor Samuel Gibbs in his four-star review, which particularly praised their noise cancellation. “In side-by-side comparisons, the AirPods Pro 3 handle street noise, including cars, horns and engines, almost as well as the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM6, which is thoroughly impressive given [the latter] are large over-ear headphones, not little earbuds.”
In the Filter US’ review of the best wireless earbuds, we also called them the best wireless headphones for iPhone owners after comparing 42 different models. That’s because many of their best features are unlocked only by using them with Apple devices, like spatial audio with head tracking, heart rate monitoring and hands-free access to Siri.
If you suffer from any hearing loss – or suspect you might – the AirPods Pro 3 can also work as shockingly good hearing aids for the price. Filter contributor Christopher Allbritton normally wears $1,600 Jabra hearing aids, and found in testing that the AirPods Pro 3 deliver 80% of the performance for 15% of the cost. Apple’s built-in hearing loss test even closely mimicked the results he got from a professional audiologist.
Some of our other favorite wireless headphones are also on sale, like the Sony WF-1000XM5 we awarded “best overall” for $248, down from $328. They see sales more often, but remain a competitive pick at this price. Our reviewer Simon Cohen called them “perfect for just about every situation” thanks to “top marks across sound quality, noise cancellation, battery life and call quality”.
Sony
WF-1000XM5 Wireless Earbuds
$248
If you spend a lot of time talking on the phone, you may also want to check out the Shokz OpenFit 2, which Filter contributor Simon Cohen called “supremely comfortable” due to their open-ear design that eliminates the “cotton in your ears” feeling. They aren’t on sale, but the superior OpenFit 2+ are now $149.99 down from $199.99, and they add wireless charging. For anyone who needs to listen to something on their phone (so, everyone), now is probably the time to get something great at the most value.
Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
