Apple’s AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are rare in the modern electronics market. Even though the number and quality of wireless earbuds is changing around them, they keep getting better. Now that they’re on sale for Black Friday at the lowest price I’ve ever seen, there’s no reason for iPhone owners to buy anything else.
Are you still looking? We have guides to the Best Wireless Headphones and the Best AirPods. The best Early Black Friday deals are here again.
The Best Deal for AirPods
The first time I tried the latest AirPods Pro at Apple’s launch event, it was easy to get swept away by the hype. Apple reps know how to make their products feel special, right up until the point to fight not to love them. Anyway, it only took me a few days to get the Pro. It all started with a seemingly magical new feature: a transparent noise-suppressing mode.
As a returning audio analyst and current audio reviewer, my ears are my livelihood. So when Apple promised the AirPods Pro a natural sounding mode that could suppress loud sounds, I was equal parts skeptical and surprised. But noise suppression really works. While Apple is quick to tell you that these earbuds aren’t certified as earbuds, I’ve used them at concerts and even the loud Russell Wilson’s return to play against his former Seahawks at Lumen Field, and the buds held up surprisingly well under damage.
Of course, that’s just one of many reasons to love AirPods Pro. They have great sound, noise cancellation good enough to outperform some of the best noise-cancelling headphones, a sleek and airy design, and (in the latest iteration) spacious controls. The lack of volume control was a major flaw in the previous generation, and Apple has made it much easier in the current pair.
The downside of the Pro is their battery life of about six hours with noise cancellation, which will decrease over time. Not bad, but not amazing. Even with everything they offer, that makes their original $250 price tag worth at least some skepticism. That’s not the case anymore—pun intended. (Speaking of this case, we now add multiple charges for 24 hours of full playtime.)
Some Great Apple Deals
As a company, Apple isn’t particularly known for dropping its products on a regular basis. However, this Black Friday, we’ve got a few great sales. For more, check out our roundup of the Best Apple Friday Deals.
The best-in-class MacBook is on sale for more than $200 off.
Apple recently updated a new tablet, the iPad Mini, and it’s about $100 off. This is the best time to pick up a very small tablet for kids or for travel.
The Watch Series 10 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is also on sale for about $70 off. The Apple Watch SE, which is our best Apple Watch for most people, is also on sale for $100 off.
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