iPhone owners who want to treat themselves to a must-have accessory should look no further than Apple’s AirPods, which have dropped to their lowest ever price in the Black Friday sales. AirPods are wireless earbuds that connect effortlessly to your iPhone and can seamlessly switch between other Apple-branded gadgets as you pick them up. The built-in beam-forming microphones mean AirPods work brilliantly for hands-free phone calls, and you can summon Siri with a simple voice command. A few weeks ago, Apple was selling these ‘buds for £159. Since then, it has launched a redesigned third-generation pair – and Amazon, John Lewis and Currys have slashed the price of these second-generation AirPods down to an incredible £99.
AirPods use Apple’s custom-designed H1 to instantly connect to your iPhone. Flipping open the case for the first will summon a pop-up that pairs the ‘buds with your iPhone – no need to dig through the Bluetooth settings menu on your handset. Any other Apple-branded gadgets signed in with the same iCloud account will be paired during this process too, so your AirPods will seamlessly switch to your iPad, Mac or Apple TV as you put down and pick up your devices.
If you’ve been considering buying these convenient wireless ‘buds for a little while, this is definitely the time to jump in. If you’re a Prime member, it makes sense to opt for Amazon as you’ll get next-day delivery for free. However, shoppers with an Argos on their high street might be able to pick up these popular ‘buds on the same day – so it’s worth checking stock nearby. And finally, John Lewis doubles the warranty period compared to Amazon, Argos and even Apple itself! With any luck, these earbuds will last a lot longer than two years, but John Lewis means you’ll have an extra 12 months without worry.
And don’t forget, for those who have noisy commutes, the costlier AirPods Pro, which improve on the standard AirPods with active noise-cancellation to drone out all outside sounds, have dropped in price too. Usually priced at £239, Amazon has plunged the price down to £185. John Lewis will charge a little more (although still far below the original RRP) but will ensure your new buds are protected against faults for an extra year. In other words, it’s exactly the same positives for each of these retailers from above still apply, so choose carefully.