This is the best price we’ve seen for Apple’s newest wireless earbuds. Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele gave the AirPods 4 a score of 88 in his review last September, and they remain well worth a look for iPhone owners who hate the feeling of traditional in-ear headphones that dig into the ear canals. They sound clearer and more balanced than most open-back earbuds, and they still offer the usual suite of Apple-friendly conveniences: faster pairing and device switching with other Apple gadgets, hands-free Siri, Find My tracking, spatial audio support and so on. That said, they lack wireless charging and built-in volume controls, the five-hour battery life isn’t great and the open design means they let in lots of outside noise by default. You still need to be all-in on Apple to get the most out of them. But if you can live with that, they’re a decent value with this discount. Also at Target and Best Buy.
The noise-canceling version of the AirPods 4 is also on sale for $149. That’s $10 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked but $20 below the pair’s regular street price. This version includes all the same features as the base model, plus active noise cancellation (ANC), a wireless charging case and a few other perks. That ANC is inherently limited compared to earphones that seal off the ear canal, so it won’t grant you total silence, but it’s surprisingly useful for an open-back pair. Battery life takes a bigger hit with ANC active, though, checking in around four hours.