Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. Features

Which AirPods should you buy on Black Friday 2021?

Add as a preferred source on Google

One of the hottest tech products is sure to be one of the best Black Friday deals once the shopping holiday hits. And that means pretty much the entire United States is going to be in search of the best Black Friday AirPods deals. The question, then, involves deciding which AirPods are the ones to get come Black Friday.

  • View AirPods Black Friday deals at Amazon
  • View AirPods Black Friday deals at Apple
  • View AirPods Black Friday deals at Best Buy
  • View AirPods Black Friday deals at Walmart

Which AirPods should you buy on Black Friday?

Choosing which AirPods to buy isn’t the easiest of things on a normal day. But Black Friday Apple deals may well make that decision just a little easier.

 

There currently are four models of AirPods for sale, either directly from Apple, or from other retailers. Three of the models are earbuds, the fourth are over-ear cans. And all hit a smattering of prices.

Recommended Videos

What you pay and what Black Friday discounts are really what should drive your decision when it comes to purchasing over the shopping holiday. Here’s how we’d look at things:

AirPods Pro
Dan Baker / Digital Trends

AirPods Pro are the way to go

There’s a reason the AirPods Pro are the most expensive of the AirPods (earbuds) lineup — they’re also the best. It’s almost unfair how good they sound given their small size, and that’s before you get into the fact that they’ve got excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) built in.

The good news here is that given that we’ve seen some decent discounts leading into Black Friday, there’s a better-than-average chance that AirPods Pro will continue to be on sale on Black Friday itself.

It can be a tough pick between these and AirPods 3, which we’ll get into below, and that choice doesn’t get any easier if sale prices close the gap even more. But the simple fact is these are the best AirPods earbuds you can buy, and they’re an even better buy if you can get them at a steal on Black Friday.

  • View AirPods Pro Black Friday deals at Amazon
  • View AirPods Pro Black Friday deals at Apple
  • View AirPods Pro Black Friday deals at Best Buy
  • View AirPods Pro Black Friday deals at Walmart

AirPods 3 if you’re looking to save

These are the newest entry into the AirPods lineup, which could mean that they’re the most likely to see a Black Friday price cut. But it also could mean that they’re as likely to stay at the retail price because they’re new.

Either way, the AirPods 3 fit squarely between the previous-generation AirPods 2. They look the part — not quite full straight AirPods, but also not quite the curvy look of the AirPods Pro — and they also have that in-between price.

You lose out on active noise cancellation, which is a same. But on the other hand you get these at a lesser price than the AirPods Pro, which is a good thing. You very much get what you pay for with AirPods 3.

  • View AirPods 3 Black Friday eals at Amazon
  • View AirPods 3 Black Friday deals at Apple
  • View AirPods 3 Black Friday deals at Best Buy
  • View AirPods 3 Black Friday Deals at Walmart

AirPods Max and the price to match

Woman wearing Apple Airpods Max.
Apple

There’s something a little odd about calling AirPods Max “AirPods” given that they’re not the same sort of device as the two above at all, save for the fact that they pump audio into your ear holes.

AirPods Max are over-the-ear headphones, which provides for a much richer experience than you can get with earbuds. That’s just the way this works. But given that they have the richest sound in the AirPods lineup, they also have the biggest price tag.

That means they’re the headphones for which everyone is going to be looking out for some sort of deal. Any sort of deal. Even if it’s just a tiny fraction of what you’d usually pay for the sleek, stylish cans.

That’s not to say that a discount is predetermined. It might be that Apple’s willing to take e little bit of a cut on the smaller buds, and not these monsters. But that’s all the more reason to be diligent and watch out for AirPods Max deals.

  • View AirPods Max Black Friday deals at Amazon
  • View AirPods Max Black Friday deals at Apple
  • View AirPods Max Black Friday deals at Best Buy
  • View AirPods Max Black Friday deals at Walmart
Phil Nickinson
Former Section Editor, Audio/Video
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
Roku is reportedly exploring a sale, and its 100 million users are the biggest prize
The company is reportedly weighing a sale amid interest from media and tech players.
Roku on TV

Roku may not stay independent for much longer. According to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter, the streaming platform company is exploring strategic alternatives that include a full sale, with at least one U.S. media company already involved in preliminary discussions.

Roku is reportedly weighing a sale amid growing industry interest

Read more
Spotify removed tens of thousands of fake podcasts tied to online drug sales
Spotify is cleaning up thousands of fake podcasts linked to scam websites
spotify

Spotify has spent the past year quietly removing tens of thousands of fake podcasts that were allegedly being used to promote illegal online pharmacies and scam websites. Now, a new congressional report is raising questions about how the scheme was able to flourish on one of the world's largest audio platforms in the first place.

According to the Wired report, bad actors created thousands of fake podcasts that were never intended to attract real listeners. Instead, they were designed to manipulate Spotify’s search rankings and boost the visibility of websites selling prescription drugs without prescriptions, including opioids, stimulants, and benzodiazepines.

Read more
I tried Acer’s new 5K MiniLED Gaming monitor, and OLED kept popping into my head
After seeing it in action at Computex, I finally understand where MiniLED shines and where OLED still wins.
MiniLED vs OLED Hands On Computex 2026

If Computex 2026 taught me one thing, it's that monitor makers are no longer interested in building one-trick ponies. They want displays that can wear multiple hats, seamlessly switching between work and play without making users choose. Acer's new Nitro XV345CKR P is perhaps the best example of that philosophy, and after spending time with it on the show floor, I walked away impressed by its ambition while also questioning whether MiniLED is really the future for gaming monitors.

I've always had a slightly complicated relationship with MiniLED. On a massive living room TV, it works wonders because you're sitting several feet away, and the local dimming zones blend beautifully. Put the same technology on a monitor that's sitting barely two feet from your face, however, and suddenly you're no longer admiring the display, you're inspecting the physics behind it.

Read more