Note: Since publication, Walmart has now raised its price to $100. This still represents a savings of $29 but is not quite as good as the price when originally published. The original article follows.
As a longtime Apple writer (and even longer time Apple fangirl) and one-time Apple Store employee, I've wanted AirPods for a while but finally bought AirPods 2 during Prime Day. Although I'm well-versed in all things AirPods, it didn't even take me a day to see what I'd been missing all these years. From the comfortable fit in my ears, easy setup, great sound, intuitive controls, and my main reason for buying — easy device switching — I fell in love right away.
They are currently sold out on Amazon, but as of this writing, you'll still find them at Walmart for a still great deal of $89.99.
Yes, AirPods 2 are still worth it
AirPods 2 may not be the latest and greatest, but they are still pretty great in the humble opinion of this Apple journalist. At the Prime Day price of under $90, they're already sold out on Amazon but are still available at Walmart as of this writing.
So what's the big deal about AirPods? After all, I already own high-end earbuds like Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 2 Earbuds and nice quality lower-priced earbuds like the EarFun Free Pro Wireless Earbuds, both of which are still great options. I don't want to knock them. Ultimately it's down to personal taste and what features you want most. But there is no denying the magic of being in Apple's walled garden.
It started when I opened the AirPods 2 case for the first time and my iPhone immediately asked to set them up, with a single tap, of course. When that was done, I placed them in my ears and found them incredibly comfortable. None of that "plugged up" feeling I get when I wear silicone or foam-tipped earbuds. I turned on my music and was wowed — not that the sound is necessarily better than my other earbuds — but it's certainly better than just listening with my iPhone speakers, which is what I normally do. I took my dog for a walk and a neighbor stopped me to chat. I pulled out one AirPod and the podcast I was listening to stopped and picked right back up where I left off when I put it back in.
Back at my desk, I pulled up a YouTube video on my best MacBook, and the AirPods automagically switched over so I could listen to that. Later, I caught up on some trash TV on my iPad mini, and the AirPods switched over without my having to do anything at all. My biggest pain point with regular earbuds is having to go into the settings of each device and disconnect the earbuds and then reconnect to the other device every time. If you're going back and forth between multiple devices multiple times per day like I am, that's annoying, to say the least.
While I was working on my MacBook and listening to music with my AirPods, a friend texted me and asked me to meet up with her at the pool. Siri politely interrupted my music and read the text to me. I responded to her text with my voice (via Siri) and completed the whole text conversation without ever actually seeing the text or taking my hands off my keyboard. Easy peasy. Just now, as I was writing this paragraph, Siri reminded me about an upcoming meeting through my AirPods.
Controlling the audio is also super swift. Do it either within the app, using Siri, or with a simple double-tap — the functionality can be changed to your preference in settings. No fiddly buttons or series of taps to memorize.
This is probably the least important feature, but the AirPods 2 case is so tiny and aesthetically pleasing with its rounded edges and corners. I have a feeling the AirPods 2 will be coming with me just about everywhere from now on.
If you're thinking about AirPods yourself, check our AirPods Prime Day deals hub to see what's still in stock. Of course, we also have a full list of Apple Prime Day deals for more great deals within the Apple ecosystem.
