Old and cheap or new and more expensive: which AirPods are the best choice?

The third generation of the AirPods and the second generation of the AirPods Pro are now out. Is it wise to go for an older version of the earbuds because of the price, or should you go for the latest? One More Thing editor Jeroen Kraak gives you advice.

I myself am really very pleased with the AirPods Pro 2 that I bought last fall. What a sound quality and a wonderful noise reduction! Still, I can understand that not everyone wants to spend that much money on AirPods. Is it a good idea to go for an older version?

Old or new AirPods?

There are now three generations of the regular AirPods and two Pro versions. Of course, newer is always better in this case, but that doesn’t apply to the price. Sometimes it is more interesting to go for an older model, because it is cheaper. Yet the answer to that is different for everyone, because when is older really too old, despite the price?

This is perhaps even more difficult with the AirPods than with other devices. Unlike the iPhone, iPad or MacBook, for example, not many models are released every year. In fact, sometimes it can take several years for a newer version to appear.

The regular version

Well, you have to let go of the first generation of AirPods anyway and they are also not available. They are now almost seven years old and really too dated.

With the AirPods 2, that question is a bit more difficult to answer. At the launch in 2019, they still had a price of 179 euros, but in some stores it has now dropped to 129.95 euros. They’re an ideal option if you don’t need the active noise cancellation of the Pro and the spatial audio of the AirPods 3. They are also less water resistant than the latest version.

The AirPods 3 were launched in October 2021. You can choose from a Lightning charging case (209 euros) or a MagSafe version (219 euros). At some stores you score the latest version for 194 euros. Still, that price is still quite high compared to the Pro versions. Although it is more expensive, you do get one of the most sought-after functions (noise reduction).

As mentioned, unlike the second generation, it supports spatial audio. So if you like to watch movies and series and want to feel that you are in the middle of it, then this can be a choice. MagSafe is also useful if you already have an Apple Watch charger. In addition, it also has a slightly better fit than its predecessor. But then again the question is: does this justify the price difference?

The AirPods Pro

The first generation of AirPods Pro will be released in 2021 and is not that old yet. However, it is only available at a select number of stores. Apple itself no longer sells them. For the prices that are now going around (around 239 euros), you should leave it alone.

There are a number of very nice offers for the AirPods Pro 2. Unlike the first-generation AirPods Pro, it has the H2 chip, which is a major update in terms of sound quality. In addition, the noise reduction is really much better than the previous version. They are the best earplugs on the market.

At Apple, the price of the AirPods Pro 2 is 299 euros. That’s a big bag of money. But unlike the other versions, stores are already stunting with the price, despite being out for less than a year.

At Amazon you can already score them for 244 euros, which is a good 50 euros below the suggested retail price. This is therefore 50 euros more than the AirPods 3, but you get better sound and superior noise reduction due to the H2 chip. so if you have the option to spend 50 euros more, this is a real no-brainer.

Do you have less to spend, don’t think noise reduction is necessary and do you just want earphones that work smoothly with your iPhone? Then the AirPods 2 are still a very nice choice.