AirPods 4 fall to just $99 for the first time, and this is a price I can get on board with

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Amazon's latest deal on the AirPods 4 is very welcome, and solves the biggest problem with the earbuds: Apple wants too much money for them, given how strong the competition is. So it's good to see the AirPods 4 for $99 at Amazon, reduced from $129. That feels like the price these buds should have been from day one, really.

As we said in our in-depth AirPods 4 review, there are better-featured options for around their $129 / £129 / AU$219 price, making them a harder sell initially, especially since early on you could get AirPods Pro 2 without spending much more than Apple wants for these entry-level AirPods. But this feels like a big step forwards – while this is only one deal, it sets a precedent, and I think we'll see Apple's earbuds come down to this price many times in the coming year.

There's also a discount on the AirPods 4 with ANC at Amazon, currently $148.99, reduced from $179. But unless you prefer not to have in-ear tips, I think the AirPods Pro 2 are a better buy for ANC. Today the AirPods Pro 2 are $169 at Amazon, reduced from $249.

It's worth noting that neither of those deals are the lowest prices we've seen: the AirPods 4 with ANC dropped to $138.99 in December 2024 and the AirPods Pro 2 were down to $153.99 on Black Friday 2024.

Today's best AirPods deals

If you want Apple's open-ear fit (without the in-ear tip) and you don't mind going without active noise cancellation, these are the buds for you – and I think this is the price you should pay for them, because once you go beyond $100 there are many rivals delivering much better value for money. The AirPods 4 have personalized spatial audio, Apple's H2 chip (the same as in the AirPods Pro 2), up to 30 hours of listening time, and both sweat and water resistance. They sound impressive, too.

This isn't the lowest price we've ever seen on the ANC version of the AirPods 4, but it's a solid discount, although given that the AirPods Pro 2 are also on sale (again, with a nice but not historic saving) then the key question here is which kind of fit you prefer. The AirPods Pro 2 are in-ears with snug fitting; these AirPods 4 retain the more relaxed fit of the standard AirPods but add surprisingly good noise cancellation to their featureset, plus wireless charging.

At the moment Apple's best earbuds are only an extra 20 bucks over the AirPods 4 with ANC. Speaking personally, these are the ones I'd choose: they're very comfortable, the noise cancellation is exceptional and they have Apple's hearing health features too. But not everybody likes fully in-ear buds, of course. Still, these remain Apple's most advanced earbuds, and recently had great hearing health features added too – they're excellent value.

Right now there are three AirPods deals to choose from: AirPods 4 without ANC, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 2.

If money is your key criteria, the AirPods 4 without ANC are the ones to go for: we think they're usually a little overpriced, but at $99 they're great buds for the price. All that's missing is ANC.

If ANC is important to you, that means you need to choose between the AirPods 4 with ANC and the AirPods Pro 2. That's largely going to be about the fit: the Pro are inserted into your ear while the AirPods 4 with ANC sit just outside your ear canal, just like the cheaper AirPods 4 do.

We enjoyed the AirPods 4 with ANC a lot when we tested them, and it's amazing how well their noise cancellation works – we went into detail in our AirPods 4 with ANC review. The AirPods Pro 2 have a little more clarity and expansiveness in their sound, and their in-ear fit means the noise cancellation is stronger. They also have UWB location tracking in the case, so your phone can tell you which coat pocket or bag you've left them in – and they recently added great hearing health features that everyone should use. Read our full AirPods Pro 2 review to hear more about what we like about them.

So, which of the best AirPods to buy? I'd say AirPods 4 for $99 if you're on a budget, AirPods Pro 2 if you want exceptional ANC, and AirPods 4 with ANC if you prefer the more relaxed fit.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.