Written by 
If you’re holding off until Black Friday to buy a new pair of Apple AirPods, you are making the right decision. Black Friday is undoubtedly one of the best times of year to pick up any Apple products, including some of the best wireless earbuds, at a significant discount. Although the Apple Store hosts its own Black Friday sales, you’ll usually find the best deals at third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart. We’ve covered the Black Friday deals we hope to see from Apple, but here are our specific predictions about price drops on the best AirPods models.
How Much Should You Spend on AirPods for Black Friday?
Apple AirPod prices are fairly easy to predict, as long as they actually go on sale. Historical trends from the past year suggests that AirPods generally drop in price by a similar amount during each major sale event. During one of the bigger marquee sales events like Black Friday, there’s a higher chance that a retailer might defy expectations and drop the prices to a new “lowest price ever,” but for AirPods, that would just be an extra 1-5% lower than our conservative estimate. That said, here are our predictions for all of the current-gen AirPods for Black Friday 2024.
Apple AirPods Black Friday Price Predictions
Does not reflect current pricing
AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro
1
The AirPods Pro currently retails for $249. The best price we’ve seen was $169.99 during Amazon’s Prime Day event. A typical sale price would be $199.99. Our prediction is that the Black Friday price will be between $169 to $180.
The AirPods Pro are the best-sounding “truly wireless” earbuds for iPhone users, thanks to its passively isolating in-ear design, low-distortion driver and amp, and the newer Apple H2 chip. In addition to being only one of two AirPods earbuds with active noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro has useful features like “Adaptive Transparency Mode” to hear your surroundings without removing the earbuds and “Conversation Mode” that automatically enhances the voices of people you’re talking to. The newer 2nd generation AirPods Pro replaces the Lightning port with a more universal USB Type-C port, so you don’t have to mix and match cables, and also includes a MagSafe charging case by default.
AirPods ANC (4th Gen)
Airpods ANC (4th Gen)
0
The AirPods 4 ANC (or active noise cancelling) currently retails for $179. The best price we’ve seen was $159.99 in September from Woot!, which is owned by Amazon. A typical sale price would be about $169.99. Our prediction is that the Black Friday price will be between $159 to $169.99.
The AirPods 4 was launched in September of 2024. We don’t expect any significant discounts for an Apple product that has been available for only a few months. The AirPods 4 follows the inherent open-ear earbud design of its predecessors. Unlike the AirPods Pro, which sits inside the ear canal, the AirPods 4 sits right outside your ear. It’s easier to put on and take off, and it’s definitely more comfortable to wear. Upgrades over the AirPods 3 include the newer Apple H2 chip (vs. H1), Bluetooth 5.3 support (vs. Bluetooth 5.0), new IP54 resistance rating, which now protects against dust intrustion (vs. IPX4), and adoption of the USB Type-C standard (vs. Lightning).
This particular model also features active noise cancellation. It’s not as good as the AirPods Pro simply because it doesn’t have any significant passive noise isolation (which you can only get with an in-ear design), but it’s still quite effective and does a good job of enhancing the sound quality.
AirPods (4th Gen)
Airpods (4th Gen)
0
The AirPods 4 currently retails for $129. The best price we’ve seen was $109.99 back in September as part of the same Woot! sale that also saw the AirPods 4 ANC discounted. A typical sale price would be about $119.99. Our prediction is that the Black Friday price will be between $109 to $119.99.
The AirPods 4 is, as you would expect, the AirPods 4 ANC without the noise-cancelling feature.
AirPods Max
AirPods Max
0
The AirPods Max currently retails for $549. The best price we’ve seen was $399.99 for the Lightning connector model during Amazon’s October Prime Day sale. A typical sale price would be about $449.99. Our prediction is that the Black Friday price will be $399.99 to $450.
Unlike its AirPods brethren, the AirPods Max is a more traditional style over-ear headphone. If you’re not a fan of earbuds that go in your ear, then over-ear headphones are definitely going to be a better fit for you. Much of the high cost of the AirPods Max stems from the materials and build quality. The AirPods Max features an all-metal build with silicone type material wrapped around the headband and knit mesh and memory foam earcups that are both comfortable on your ears and effectively seal in sound. The hinge and adjustment mechanisms are smooth and very easy to use. Apple went all in on the craftsmanship and it definitely shows.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.