Normally, we’d send you to a retailer like Walmart or Amazon to get a great deal on Apple accessories. But wireless carriers sell these too, and right now Verizon’s deals on the second-generation Apple AirPods — and especially the AirPods Pro — are some of the best we’ve seen yet, and only available for a limited time.
With the AirPods, you can select either the version with the standard Charging Case for just $136, or the Wireless Charging Case for only $34 more. The AirPods Pro is the real deal here, though. Normally $250, Verizon is selling these for just $225, the lowest price we’ve seen anywhere.
There truthfully isn’t a huge difference between the first and second-generation AirPods if you’re opting to forego the wireless-charging enabled case. They look the same and generally operate the same, too. One important enhancement is about an hour increase in talk time and quicker response to Siri queries.
The speediness is thanks to the new H1 chip inside. According to Apple, the chip helps reduce gaming lag, and calls connect faster, although our reviewer didn’t notice much of a difference on the latter. The chip also works better to reduce background noise, making your calls sound super clear — although nowhere near as good as the AirPods Pro. All in all, it’s a modest update, but still keeps Apple near the top on the lower end of consumer earbuds.
While the standard second-generation AirPods are super nice, we’d honestly recommend you just spend the extra money and opt for the version
with the wireless charging case
instead. It’s just so much more convenient overall. Visually, there’s not much difference between the old charging case and the new, save for a green LED on the front, which lets you know when it has made a wireless charging connection.
Even with the new wireless charging capabilities of the case, you’ll still get the market-leading 24 hours of charge time out of the case without having to recharge it. That’s way better than anything on the market right now, by far.
What can we say about the AirPods Pro that we haven’t already — They’re just that damn good. The buds are a bit larger, their stalk a bit shorter, but the differences mean big things in how they sound. The sound of these rival the big names in wireless earbuds — think Sony WH-1000XM3’s — with great bass and full sound. It’s a legitimate contender.
But where these buds shine is in their noise-cancellation functionality. Here, Apple blows Sony’s buds out of the water, especially in how they work during calls. You can choose to let sound in — which sounds very natural by the way — or shut everything out while listening to music or videos. But this technology also keeps background noise out of your calls. We were able to stand right by noisy streets in Portland, Oregon, and the caller didn’t hear a thing. That wasn’t the same case for the WH-1000XM3’s, however.
As with any deal, act quickly. Given how great these deals are, we don’t expect them to last very long. Verizon’s marking them as limited-time only, and until supplies last. It also appears you don’t need a Verizon account either, so anyone can take advantage of these deals.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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