In case you didn't know (that's OK, every day is a learning day) Amazon Prime Day 2022 is coming on July 12 and 13, and that means deals aplenty on everything from TVs to toasters, AirPlay speakers to air fryers.
Having been in this game for a while, TechRadar knows that headphones always get a huge slice of the action, so if you're on the market for a new set, keep reading.
As with any massive sales event, the sheer number of deals and 'best ever discounts' coming at you across various brands including Sony, Beats, Sennheiser and Apple's AirPods, from a multitude of online retailers, can feel a little overwhelming. But don't fret; we're here.
And stop the press, because one deal (on one of the very best wireless earbuds we've ever tested) is live now! The bargain you need to know about is Cambridge Audio's Melomania 1 Plus, which are now just £49.95/$59.95/€59.95, a huge 58% off – yes really!
As we said, we'll be combing through all the options to bring you the essential Prime Day cheap wireless headphone deals as and when they drop, but here are some of the top products to look out for and a few hints on them, so you can make your own judgments to find the best possible deal for you when the big day(s) arrive.
Fail to prep, prepare to fail!
Don't delay, start today! Although Prime Day is Amazon's party, dozens of competing retailers out there also want a slice of the cake – and often, they might offer a great deal before Amazon has a chance to. What you need to do is to make sure that when the Prime Day discounts start arriving, you already know what a good deal for your chosen earbuds should be, so you can take or leave Amazon's offer when you spot it. And that's where we come in.
Below, you'll see five top sets of true wireless in-ear headphones. We doubt they'll drop a huge amount, but nothing's impossible – and it's all useful information.
Not sure it's earbuds you're after? That's fine too. Another way to make life easy for yourself ahead of Prime Day is to familiarize yourself with the best in-ears, the best over-ears, or the top true wireless earbuds in your price range – and if noise cancellation is on your list of requirements, check out the best noise-cancelling headphones.
Now, you'll be ready to snap up the deals as and when they start rolling in.
The true wireless earbuds to look our for on Prime Day
These superb earbuds from Honor might be relatively new – but all retailers love a sales event and we've just got a slight hunch that these might see a small price drop.
The Honor Earbuds 3 Pro bring a distinctly Apple-like experience to Android phones, especially Honor ones: rather than just emulate the look of Apple's iconic earbuds, Honor is more interested in the features that set Apple's buds apart. Although let's not mince words, there's a strong physical resemblance too. But while many other firms make earbuds that look like AirPods but don't sound as good, Honor's actually sound better. That's because they have the world’s first coaxial dual-driver design with 11mm dynamic driver and piezoelectric ceramic tweeter.
In our Honor Earbuds 3 Pro review we said the result is "a triumph", delivering a lively, involving sound that doesn't over- or undercook the bass and that delivers impressive width and clarity. There's also first-class noise cancelling, a supremely well designed Android app and excellent comfort.
The Lypertek PurePlay Z3 deliver impressive sound at an affordable price – and if they're discounted further, that's even better. The wireless headphones feature a waterproof design and come with a stylish fabric case that provides up to 70 hours of playtime. You're also getting advanced wireless Bluetooth transmission for a seamless connection and inbuilt control buttons with an advanced microphone.
Think AirPods will never be part of Prime Day? Think again – it's rare, but even Apple's top-tier offerings aren't immune to a price slash on Prime Day.
And the AirPods Pro are the best in-ear AirPods you can buy in 2022, bringing active noise cancellation, a snug fit, and an improved design to the company's previous true wireless earbuds. They're not quite the best true wireless earbuds out there (that honor still goes to the Sony WF-1000XM4, below), and at $249 / £249 / AU$399 they aren't usually cheap, either.
That said, if you’re an iPhone user looking for some well-fitting earbuds with strong sound quality, you could do a lot worse than these AirPods, especially if they see a discount – the redesign means they’re far less likely to fall out, and the additional microphones provide strong noise-cancelling (particularly when commuting), as well as a useful Transparency mode, which really does let the outside world in.
The sound quality of the AirPods Pro has certainly improved since the previous iteration – there’s a notable emphasis on vocals and bass, meaning these earbuds are better for pop fans than those who enjoy a more natural presentation that lends itself to classical music or more orchestral sounds.
Cambridge Audio may be best known for its high-end audio equipment, but in recent years the British company has branched out into the world of true wireless earbuds. And the firm's newest offering (launched March 2021), the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, put many other earbuds into the shade with their audio performance, battery life, and ease of use.
A helpful app, easy controls, and excellent connectivity made us love them even more than the original Melomania 1, and the only real downside for us was the lack of active noise cancellation – but when you experience the sound quality here we don't think you'll mind, not least because a permanent price cut means these are even more affordable than before.
They cost $139.95 / £119.95 at launch, but the audiophile-friendly earbuds were recently reduced to $99.95 / £99.95 – a fixed discount of $40 / £20. But that's nothing, because it just got so much better! Just look at that huge discount live right now!
This is Bose’s second attempt at a set of true wireless headphones, and the QuietComfort Earbuds are leaps and bounds better than the older SoundSport Free.
Not only is the design of these newer buds a lot more stylish, but the noise cancellation is also exemplary, beating all the other earbuds we've tested in this category. We also found sound quality to be really very good – albeit a touch less bassy as compared to Sony – with superb clarity. They’re incredibly comfortable and well balanced, too, despite their slightly bulky form factor.
And here's the thing: although Bose kit doesn't often get discounted, Prime Day isn't like any other sales event, and this product arrived in September 2020, so there's a good chance…
