Even though Apple technically announced new AirPods models a little over a month ago, it’s completely understandable that you’re not particularly interested in buying these “upgraded” noise-canceling earbuds. That’s because the AirPods Pro 2 released in 2023 and the AirPods Pro 2 released in 2022 are identical in every way except for one admittedly important but not completely game-changing detail.
Yes, the “new” 2nd generation AirPods Pro come with a USB Type C compatible charging case. This is certainly a nice touch of modernity, and Apple should have adopted it a while ago before it was effectively forced to by the European Commission. . But the “old” AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning are just as powerful, loud, crisp, and comfortable as this revised version, so it’s a good buy now at a good price. Very wise.
After all, you probably still have a ton of Lightning cables lying around your house and probably own a “classic” iPhone or iPad or two. So it could be the 2nd generation AirPods Pro, which are currently on sale at Walmart. At $189 per pair, it’s not that annoying.
We don’t expect all of you to agree with this, but to us $189 feels like a very fair price to pay for the best-selling noise canceling earphones on the planet, and Apple (and Walmart)’s original request of $249. That’s even more evident now that the “new” AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case are back to their regular price of $250 after several surprisingly early and surprisingly deep discounts But of course, there are many other options to consider before deciding to pull the trigger.
Many of the world’s best wireless earbuds are under $189 (or circleThis includes some undeniably great products made by Apple and sold under the popular Beats brand. Again, I’m well aware that some people can’t even imagine buying or owning anything that doesn’t have their favorite logo on it. And of course, the second-generation AirPods Pro happen to offer top-notch active noise cancellation and premium sound. It comes with Apple’s reliability guarantee, solid battery life, and perfect connectivity (with iPhone).