$89 AirPods aren’t worth it – get them instead

On By Littum

I love a deal. Really, deep down, in my soul, I love saving money. So I bought a pair of AirPods during Black Friday 2020 because they were $99. I thought my life would change – spoiler alert: It didn’t. They were uncomfortable, terrible at noise reduction and kept falling out. Today they are $89 at Walmart – but I beg you, don’t buy them. Instead, spend the extra $65 dollars on the AirPods Pro 2: They look identical, but they present a world of difference.

For a hair under $154, the AirPods Pro 2 are at the lowest price I’ve ever seen on both Amazon and Walmart. While the $89 price may look much more attractive for a pair of AirPods, there is a huge difference between these two sets.

Apple

Cheap AirPods are tempting, but at the end of the day, the AirPods Pro 2 are worth the money. They are more powerful, fit better and also work as hearing aids.

$154 at Amazon

Although they look similar, there are big differences between the standard AirPods and the AirPods Pro 2. Both are wireless headphones that fit in your ears and come with a wireless charging case, but that’s about where the similarities end.

AirPods Pro 2 is much more powerful – and more expensive. They have significantly more technology than the standard pair, with the ability to act as hearing aids, provide active noise reduction and conversational awareness. They also fit better and frankly just healthy far better.

In September 2024, FDA approved AirPods Pro 2 are meant to be used as hearing aids, a huge development for these powerful little buds. You can download a hearing test from the app store to adjust your AirPods to your hearing needs. So even though the AirPods Pro 2 are $65 more expensive today, they can save you having to buy a whole new set of hearing aids.

After using both pairs of AirPods for work calls, listening to music and watching TV, I can definitively say that the cheaper AirPods are just not worth the price. If you want a cheap pair of wireless headphones, choose the Baseus Active Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds, which cost less than $20 today. Our tech editor Rick Broida said this pair of headphones offered a surprisingly balanced sound and great battery life for their price.

Apple

Cheap AirPods are tempting, but at the end of the day, the AirPods Pro 2 are worth the money. They are more powerful, fit better and also work as hearing aids.

$154 at Amazon

There are always Black Friday Apple deals around this time of year, including branded MacBooks and discounted iPhones. Here are some of the best Apple deals we’ve found so far.

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