My favorite AirPods Pro alternatives are having a Black Friday earbuds sale
Get Google Pixel Buds Pro instead and save big for Black Friday
If you own an iPhone, you probably own a pair of AirPods, or you have your eye on them. Apple’s earbuds don’t just sound great, they’re also packed with cool features. There’s a great Black Friday deal on Airpods Pro for $189.99 / £199 (down from $249.99 / £229), but there’s an even cheaper alternative to consider. The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale for only $119.99 / £121 (down from $199.99 / £199), and they have some of the same great features you’ll find on Apple’s Pro earbuds.
It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone or an Android phone, Google’s Pixel Buds Pro work well as Bluetooth headphones with every device. They even have a new Conversation Detection feature, just like Apple’s AirPods Pro. When you start talking, your Pixel Buds pause your music and engage a transparency mode so you can hear the person in front of you. In addition to great noise cancellation, these Pixel Buds Pro give AirPods Pro a run for their money, for much less money.
Of course, if you want spatial audio, and the new 3D head tracking feature, you need to match your earbuds to your phone brand. Spatial Audio on AirPods only works with iPhones, and on Pixel Buds Pro it only works with Pixel phones. Still, that’s a minor feature to lose, if you’re looking to save big bucks on premium earbuds for Black Friday.
If you’re not convinced, the good news is that Apple’s latest AirPods Pro 2 with the new USB-C connector on the wireless charging case, are now back at the lowest price ever on Amazon for Black Friday, so you can still get the best deal on either set of these great earbuds.
Black Friday deals on Pixel Buds Pro and AirPods Pro 2
Google Pixel Buds Pro: was $199.99 now $119.99 at Amazon US
Save $80: Google's Pixel Buds Pro make for a great, inexpensive AirPods Pro alternative. They have noise cancellation plus the same conversation detection feature, for a much lower price. You'll need a Pixel phone to use Spatial Audio, but any phone can pair with Pixel Buds Pro for music and calls. This is the best price we've seen on Google's premiere earbuds.
Google Pixel Buds Pro: was £121 now £199.99 at Amazon UK
Save $80: Google's Pixel Buds Pro are also at a great price in the UK, with a good chunk sliced from their price tag.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): was $249.99 now $189.99 at Amazon US
Save $60: Apple's AirPods Pro 2 are a great set of earbuds, matching the lowest price we've seen on this latest version with a USB-C, wireless charging case. If you have a newer iPhone, these are the only buds that give you spatial audio, and they are ready for the Apple Vision Pro, coming soon.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C): was £229 now £199 at Amazon UK
They only launched a couple of months ago and this is the first discount we've seen on the latest generation Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C support. As well as that more universal connection option, Apple's newest premium earbuds come with sought-after improvements to audio quality and noise cancellation.
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More US Black Friday deals
- Amazon: 50% off TVs, air fryers, AirPods & clothing
- Apple: AirPods Pro, Apple Watch 8 & iPads from $99
- Adidas: 40% off running shoes, sweatshirts & leggings
- Beauty: 51% off makeup, skincare & hair tools
- Best Buy: up to $800 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
- Bed Bath & Beyond: 65% off sitewide + free shipping
- Cheap TVs: big-screen 4K TVs from $269.99
- Christmas: 40% off decor, pajamas & trees
- Dell: save on best-selling Inspiron and XPS laptops
- DreamCloud: 40% off all mattresses
- Lowe's: up to $800 off major appliances
- Macy's: 60% off clothing, jewelry, boots & gift ideas
- Nectar: mattress deals starting at $359
- Nordstrom: 30% off Nike, Levi's, Skims, Adidas & more
- Samsung: up to $2,000 of TVs, phones and appliances
- Target: 40% off furniture, TVs, clothing & appliances
- Toys: Disney, Barbie, Lego & board games from $14.99
- Walmart: Apple Watch 9, cheap TVs, air fryers & toys
- Wayfair: 70% off furniture, rugs, & Christmas decor
More UK Black Friday deals
- Amazon: up to 62% off TVs, smart home and clothing
- AO: up to 40% off appliances, TVs and tech
- Argos: up to 50% off toys, tools and tech
- Boots: up to 40% off 1,000s of beauty products
- Currys: up to 40% off TVs, appliances and laptops
- Ebuyer: up to 45% off laptops and PC components
- Emma: up to 65% off mattresses, frames and pillows
- John Lewis: up to 40% off appliances, TVs, laptops
- Jessops: up to £550 off Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm
- Ninja: up to 25% off air fryers and cookware
- O2: up to £600 off iPhone, Samsung and Google
- Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and appliances
- Shark: up to £100 off vacuums
- Simba: up to 55% off mattresses
- Superdrug: 60% off beauty, fragrances and makeup
- Toolstation: up to 30% off smart home, tools and DIY
- Very: save on tech, decor, appliances and furniture
- Vodafone: six months half-price SIMs from £11.50
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Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, starting more than 20 years ago at eTown.com. Phil has written for Engadget, The Verge, PC Mag, Digital Trends, Slashgear, TechRadar, AndroidCentral, and was Editor-in-Chief of the sadly-defunct infoSync. Phil holds an entirely useful M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. He sang in numerous college a cappella groups.
Phil did a stint at Samsung Mobile, leading reviews for the PR team and writing crisis communications until he left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. Phil is certified in Google AI Essentials. He has a High School English teaching license (and years of teaching experience) and is a Red Cross certified Lifeguard. His passion is the democratizing power of mobile technology. Before AI came along he was totally sure the next big thing would be something we wear on our faces.