Overview
- Retailers pushed large discounts on Monday, with Amazon listing AirPods Pro 3 for $199 and the AirPods Max 2 dipping to $499 while U.K. seller Argos cut the original AirPods Max to £424.
- The markdowns follow Apple’s mid‑March announcement and April release of the AirPods Max 2, which uses the H2 chip to add improved active noise cancellation, enhanced Transparency modes, Live Translation, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness.
- Retailers including Best Buy, B&H and online sellers have matched and undercut each other on multiple AirPods SKUs, producing holiday‑level or record lows on some models as they compete for summer sales traffic.
- Shoppers can find meaningful savings across the lineup, but deals have been temporary or limited by stock levels so buyers should expect price swings as merchants adjust inventory ahead of Prime Day and other summer promotions.
- This pattern reflects a common retail cycle where a product refresh drives discounts on previous generations as stores clear older stock and Apple positions the Max 2 as a higher‑feature, premium offering.