The best time to buy AirPods is during a major retail sale, mainly Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, and not right before Apple replaces the model you want. Apple rarely discounts AirPods itself, so the savings come from retailers. As of late October 2026, all three current lines have been refreshed, so the fear of buying something that is about to be replaced is much smaller than usual. If the price today is ordinary, waiting for Black Friday is the sensible move. If you need them now, or the price is already near the model's recorded low, buy.
This guide explains the release rhythm, the sale calendar, what real discounts have looked like, and a simple test for any deal you see.
TL;DR
- Apple rarely marks down AirPods directly. Retailers cut prices, mostly around Prime Day and Black Friday.
- AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 were all updated in the past year, so an imminent replacement is unlikely to be your main worry.
- Wait for Black Friday if today's price is the usual one. Buy now if you need them or the price is close to the model's historical low.
- Judge a deal against the model's own price history, not against the list price or a "was" price on the page.
Table of Contents
- Where the AirPods lineup stands right now
- How often Apple releases new AirPods
- When AirPods go on sale in the US
- What real discounts have looked like
- How price and timing differ by model
- Buy now or wait: a decision test
- How to tell whether a deal is real
- Our perspective: judge the price, not the sale banner
- Track AirPods prices with BasketPrice
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
Where the AirPods lineup stands right now
Before asking when to buy, you need to know how fresh each model is. Apple's official AirPods archive records the recent launches:
- AirPods Pro 3 were introduced on September 9, 2025.
- AirPods Max 2 were introduced on March 16, 2026.
- AirPods 5 went on sale on September 18, 2026.
That means every main line is young. If you buy one this fall, you are not buying at the end of a product cycle. The only models where "is a successor coming?" still matters are older ones, such as AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4, which are now a generation behind. Those are often the ones that get the deepest discounts, because retailers clear stock.
How often Apple releases new AirPods
There is no single annual AirPods launch. The same Apple archive shows AirPods 4 arriving in September 2024, AirPods Pro 2 in September 2022 and AirPods 3 in October 2021. Each line runs on its own schedule.
Outside estimates give a rough sense of the gaps:
- Yahoo says regular AirPods are updated about every 2.5 years and AirPods Pro about every three years. It says AirPods Max timing is impossible to tell.
- Beta Profiles calculates past cycles of about 2.4 years for regular AirPods and about 2.9 years for AirPods Pro. It is clear that this is a pattern from the past and not inside information.
- TechRadar's release-history guide notes that Apple often launches AirPods later in the year, separately from the iPhone, rather than at the same event.
Put those together and the practical rule is simple. A model that is a few months old is very unlikely to be replaced soon. A model that is two to three years old is in the window where a successor could appear. Treat that as a probability, not a promise.
When AirPods go on sale in the US
Macworld's October 2026 guide says Apple rarely discounts AirPods directly, while retailers commonly cut prices around Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. That matches how the market tends to work: the big retailers compete for holiday traffic, and Apple accessories are a headline item.
Here is the realistic calendar.
| Period | What to expect | Worth waiting for? |
|---|---|---|
| Right after a launch | Full price. Older models may start to drop. | Only if you want the new model right away |
| Prime Day (summer, and sometimes a second event in the fall) | Solid retailer discounts, especially on the previous generation | Yes, if you can wait |
| Black Friday week (the Friday after Thanksgiving) | The most reliable window for current models | Yes, usually the best bet |
| Rest of December | Prices often hover near holiday levels, then drift back | Sometimes |
| Quiet months | Ordinary pricing with occasional one-day dips | Only with an alert set |
The worst moment, as Macworld puts it, is just before a major sale or just before Apple replaces your model. If Black Friday is a few weeks away and you are paying full price today, you are probably overpaying unless you need the earbuds immediately.
What real discounts have looked like
Prices move, so use these as examples of scale, not a forecast.
- Macworld reports recorded discounts of AirPods Pro 3 from a $249 list price to $169, and of AirPods Max 2 from $549 to $399.
- Yahoo's July 15, 2026 deal roundup described AirPods Pro 3 at their usual $200 and AirPods 4 at $99 during the preceding Prime Day, with AirPods Max 2 below $400. It called AirPods 4 with noise cancellation at $30 off only a mediocre deal.
- In 2024, The Verge reported that Best Buy and Walmart sold AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C for $169.99. That was $80 off and $1 above the model's lowest recorded price at the time.
Two lessons come out of this. First, a discount of $30 to $80 is typical, so a "sale" of a few dollars is not much of one. Second, the same model can be "on sale" at several different prices in a year. The label tells you nothing. The number compared with the model's own history tells you everything.
How price and timing differ by model
Each line behaves a little differently.
AirPods 4 and AirPods 5
The standard AirPods are the entry point and usually the cheapest. AirPods 5 are brand new, since they went on sale in September 2026, so expect little movement until the holiday sales. AirPods 4 are now the previous generation, which makes them the natural target for deeper cuts. The Yahoo example above, AirPods 4 at $99 on Prime Day, shows how low they can go. You can check recorded prices on the AirPods 4 price history page.
AirPods Pro 3 and older Pro models
Pro 3 arrived in September 2025, so they are about a year into their cycle. That is mid-life: not new enough to be stuck at list price, not old enough to be at risk of replacement. The recorded drop from $249 to $169 is the benchmark many shoppers watch. Here is the AirPods Pro 3 price history. If you are open to a generation behind, the Pro 2 renewed listing and the first-generation renewed listing show what refurbished units cost over time.
AirPods Max 2 and AirPods Max
The Max line is the hardest to time, since even outside observers say its release schedule is unpredictable. AirPods Max 2 launched in March 2026, so a replacement is unlikely soon. Discounts have been large in dollar terms, $549 down to $399 in the recorded example, so patience pays more here than on any other model. See the AirPods Max 2 price history. The earlier Max is sold renewed, and its history is on the renewed AirPods Max page.
Buy now or wait: a decision test
Run through these questions in order.
- Do you need them this week? A lost pair, a broken case or a trip is a good reason to buy. The cost of waiting is real, and a modest premium is the price of convenience.
- Is the price near the model's recorded low? If it is within about $10 of the lowest price on record, waiting rarely saves meaningful money. Macworld's practical view is the same: no need to hold out for the next sale when the price is already close to the historical low.
- Is a major sale within a few weeks? If Black Friday is close and the price is ordinary, wait.
- Is the model two or more years old? Then a successor could come, and a drop in price on the old one is likely when it does. Waiting favors you.
- Is it a brand-new model? Expect little discount before the holiday window. Decide whether you want it enough to pay close to list.
As of October 2026, Macworld's conclusion is that waiting for Black Friday makes sense when the current price is ordinary. The recent AirPods 5, Pro 3 and Max 2 updates also reduce the concern about an imminent replacement. We agree with that reading.
How to tell whether a deal is real
The difficulty with AirPods deals is not finding a discount. It is knowing whether the discount is meaningful. A few habits help.
- Ignore the strikethrough price. A "was" price can be the list price, which the item rarely sells at. Compare against what it actually sold for.
- Look at the last 90 days, then the full history. A price that is low for this month may be ordinary for the year.
- Compare across models, not just within one. A $30 cut on AirPods 4 with noise cancellation was called mediocre in the Yahoo roundup. The same $30 on a model that rarely moves might be good.
- Check the condition. Renewed, open-box and new units have different price floors. Do not compare a refurbished price to a new one.
- Check the seller. Make sure the item ships from and is sold by the retailer you trust, not an unknown third party.
The Verge's 2024 example is a useful reference point. A price $1 above the lowest recorded level was a very good deal. A price $30 under list might not be. Without history you cannot tell the difference.
Our perspective: judge the price, not the sale banner
We track prices for a living, and AirPods are one of the products where the gap between what a page says and what a product costs is widest. Sale banners are written by merchants. They tell you what the merchant wants you to believe about the price.
That is why BasketPrice publishes price records from its own recorded readings, not merchant claims. When you open a product page you are seeing what we observed, not a reference price that was never charged. For a product with frequent cuts like AirPods, that difference decides whether you pay $169 or $199 for the same earbuds.
Our advice follows from this. Pick the model first, based on how you listen and which phone you own. Then look at its history and set an alert at a price that you would be happy to pay. If it reaches that number before Black Friday, buy. If not, the holiday sales are your next shot. Our alerts also cover a case people forget: a price drop after you buy, while the return window is still open. If a unit you purchased drops, you may be able to return it and buy again at the lower price, subject to the retailer's policy.
— Cleaning
Track AirPods prices with BasketPrice
If you do not want to check retailer pages every day, let the tracking do it. Our AirPods prices page lists current prices across the lineup, and each model has its own history. You can set a custom price drop or back-in-stock alert, and the alerts arrive as browser notifications with no sign-up required. For other gadgets, see our guide on the best time to buy electronics, or browse the BasketPrice home page to track anything else on your list.
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy AirPods now or wait for Black Friday?
If the current price is the usual one and you do not need them urgently, wait. Retailers commonly cut AirPods prices around Black Friday, and Apple itself rarely discounts. If the price is already close to the model's recorded low, or you need them now, buying is fine.
How often does Apple release new AirPods?
There is no fixed yearly schedule. Regular AirPods have been updated roughly every 2.5 years and AirPods Pro roughly every three, based on past releases, while AirPods Max timing is hard to predict. The AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 have all arrived in the past year or so.
Is it worth buying AirPods Pro 2 in 2026?
It can be, if the price is right. They are now a generation behind AirPods Pro 3, so they tend to be the ones retailers discount. The USB-C version hit $169.99 in a 2024 sale, but check the current price against its history before you decide.
Does Apple ever discount AirPods itself?
Rarely. According to Macworld, the discounts come from retailers, especially around Prime Day and Black Friday. Apple's own store is better for the newest models and for buyers who value the simplest purchase over the lowest price.
Sources
- AirPods Archive, Apple Newsroom
- Best time to buy AirPods in 2026, Macworld
- This Is The Best Time To Buy New Apple Devices, Yahoo
- Apple Watch, AirPods and Vision Pro Buyer's Guide, Beta Profiles
- Don't expect new AirPods at the next Apple event, TechRadar
- Is now a good time to buy Apple AirPods?, Yahoo
- The latest AirPods Pro are on sale for $1 shy of their lowest price, The Verge