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Our favorite Sony and Apple headphones are still on sale!
Holiday deals have started to disappear, and while the discounts were better during November and December, there are still some fantastic deals on our favorite Sony and Apple audio products that you can take advantage of right now. If you’re still on the lookout for some great headphones or earbuds, here are today’s hottest offers.
Get the Sony WH-1000XM5 for $298 ($101.99 off)
Get the Sony WH-1000XM4 for $198 ($150 off)
Get the Apple AirPods Max with Lightning for $399.99 ($150 off)
Most of these deals are available from Amazon. The only exception is the Apple AirPods Max deal, which is only available from Best Buy. Regardless of which headphones you pick, the discounts apply to all color versions available.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Have you checked out our list of the best headphones available? You can check it out for great alternatives, but let’s give you a spoiler: the Sony WH-1000XM5 stand proud as our top choice.
These headphones are fabulous in every department. The sound quality is among the best in the industry, and we were pretty impressed with the ANC performance. Even the microphone sounds outstanding! The design is great, offering a minimalist aesthetic that is both modern and sturdy. Not to mention, these are very comfortable headphones. We found that wearing these for long sessions was no issue.
Also, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones have an impressive battery life. We ran these through our standardized tests and got about 32 hours with ANC enabled. That’s not even the best part, though. Turn off noise canceling, and the battery life will extend to an impressive 53 hours.
As high-end cans, these also get plenty of fancy features, such as auto-pausing, Bluetooth Multipoint, touch gestures, Find My Device compatibility, and more.
Sony WH-1000XM4
While the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are amazing, and they are the latest model in the series, we often recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones as a better alternative for those who want to save more. These offer a better bang per buck, as they get really close to XM5 quality while saving you $100.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 may be about four years old, but they are still amazing cans in 2024. They still have exceptional audio quality and ANC performance. Sure, the XM5 model is better in both departments, but not by much.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind these were launched as premium headphones, so you get all the fancy features you can expect. They still have a nice design and sturdy construction. Features included Bluetooth Multipoint, auto-pausing, touch gesture controls, and more. While not as impressive, the battery life is still pretty good at 24 hours per charge.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are great headphones if you don’t mind using the now-outdated Lightning connection. Having USB-C is nice, but that is the only difference between the newer and older models, and getting the Lightning version saves you about $150!
Regardless, the Apple AirPods Max are amazing headphones, and they are actually our pick for the best headphones for iPhone users. Of course, the same applies to iPad and Mac owners. The AirPods Max offer great features, but some of the main ones are exclusive to Apple devices. These include Siri support, auto-pausing, and automatic device switching.
Apple fans will absolutely love these. They follow Apple’s design language, offering a minimalist look and a metal construction. We also loved the large earpads and fabric band, which make the headset very comfortable. Not to mention, the sound quality and ANC performance compete only with the best headphones in the industry. Battery life isn’t as amazing as the headphones listed above, but we still managed to get over 21 hours per full charge.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
If you are an Apple user and don’t like huge headphones, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are also our favorite earbuds for iPhone users. These are a bit older, launched in 2022, but they are still Apple’s highest-end earbuds, and they are amazing, even by 2024 standards.
The AirPods Pro 2 have really good audio quality, and ANC performance is also outstanding. The tips help block out external noise from entering, and also make for a better fit than Apple’s lower-end earbuds. It will take a lot of effort for these to fall out of your ears on their own.
It’s also nice that you get an IPX4 rating with these, so you will have more peace of mind if these get some exposure to liquids. These come with Apple’s H2 chip, which improved performance and feature support. You’ll get a great set of capabilities, including auto-switching, auto-pausing, gesture press controls, spatial audio, wireless charging, and more.
Battery life is pretty decent for wireless earbuds. You will get five hours and 43 minutes per charge, and the case holds an extra 24 hours of juice.
Holiday deals are starting to disappear, and we’re glad to see these are still around. We would act quickly and get these as soon as possible, though. We’re not sure how long these offers will stick around.