In case you hadn't noticed, Amazon Prime Day 2025 is in full swing. There are plenty of Apple Prime Day deals about, and that includes Prime Day AirPods deals. Too many of them.
Every AirPods model is currently at its lowest price ever, and the cheapest AirPods 4 are just $129 $89. Great, I think. I might finally get some to replace the ugly, uncomfortable, non-noise-cancelling generic earbuds that fall out of my ears and get lost under the sofa every time I try to wear them to do exercise.
But wait, because there are other models. Choice paralysis sets in, and I'm suddenly leaning towards the AirPods Pro 2. And I suspect that's exactly what Apple wants.
It started off well. I found this record deal of just $89 on the cheapest of the current AirPods models. That's all I need, and they have some handy smart features like FindMy and the ability to read your text messages to you. This beats the previous best price by $10. Nice, but...
So here's the catch. That budget version of the AirPods 4 doesn't have active noise cancellation. For just $30 more, there's a version that does. They're also reduced to a record-low price for Prime Day, $20 cheaper than they've ever been before.
I don't know if I even need ANC, but for only $30 more, it kind of seems silly not to, right? This one is a Prime exclusive deal, so you need to be an Amazon Prime member, but you can always sign up for a free Amazon Prime trial and then cancel it later.
But hold on... there's also a whole $100 off Apple's premium AirPods Pro 2. I was thinking these were obsolete now the AirPods 4 have ANC, but looking back at our review, I recall that the Pros have a more secure, in-ear fit with swappable silicone tips, plus BETTER noise cancellation, better adaptive audio, and better spatial audio... An extra $30 doesn't seem like much more to pay for all that.
And so I've gone from planning to spend $89 to $149 in one of those chains of logic that could easily empty my bank balance even if it is Prime Day. I might as well just get the massively expensive over-ear AirPods Max, which are reduced from $549 to $429 (yes, that's a record-low price too).
I suspect this is exactly why Apple decided to introduce a version of the AirPods 4 with ANC. It's a crafty decoy option like the iPhone Plus, leading us towards the more expensive product. The thing is, the extra features of the AirPods Pro 2 really are worth paying $30 for more if you ask me, and they currently have the biggest saving in both money and percentage terms.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
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