The best Apple deals available for Amazon’s October Prime Day event

Apple’s latest entry-level iPad — our No. 1 pick for most people — is down to $299 ($50 off). | Photo by Dan Seifert / The VergeIf you don’t want to wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to...

Oct 9, 2024 - 21:01

0 22

The best Apple deals available for Amazon’s October Prime Day event

If you don’t want to wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to save big on some of Apple’s most popular products, Amazon’s October Prime Day event presents an earlier opportunity. Right now, Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro are down to their all-time low, while the latest iPad and second-gen Apple Watch SE are still receiving steep discounts on day two of the sale.

That’s just a glimpse of the best Apple deals we’re currently seeing, though. Below, we’ve compiled the best across a range of categories — including tablets, headphones, styluses, and more — so you can sift through Apple’s various wears more easily. We’ve also put together a larger guide to the best Prime Day deals overall, just in case you also want to take a look at what’s on sale outside of the Apple ecosystem.

The best wireless earbuds and headphone deals

The second-gen AirPods Pro improve upon Apple’s original pair with much better noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and onboard volume controls. The latest refresh also ships with a USB-C charging case, as opposed to Lightning. Read our hands-on impressions.

Compared to their predecessors, the Beats Studio Pro feature improved noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort. They were the first Apple headphones to support lossless audio over USB-C, too, and probably are your best option if you frequently switch between iOS and Android devices. Read our review.

Both the original and updated AirPods Max are down to their best price to date at Amazon. You can buy the original Max with a Lightning port for $394.99 ($154 off) or the newer model for $499.99 ($50 off). The latest version features support for USB-C charging and a few new colors, though, otherwise, they’re identical. Both tout excellent noise cancellation and sound, along with a natural-sounding transparency mode and a luxe, comfortable design. Read our original AirPods Max review.The AirPods 4 without ANC are on sale for $119 ($10 off) at Amazon, which remains the lowest price we’ve seen. The wireless earbuds offer noticeably better sound and more bass than prior models, along with clearer voice call quality. Apple does sell a pair with Active Noise Cancellation, but as that version is currently more expensive than the second-gen AirPods Pro, so we’d recommend just picking up the Pro instead. Read our review.

With lossless USB-C audio, 50-hour battery life, Find My, spatial audio, and more comfy ear cups, the Beats Solo 4 gained significant quality-of-life improvements over their eight-year-old predecessors. They still deliver that bass-rich Beats sound, too. Read our review.

The best MacBook deals

The 15-inch MacBook Air is also equipped with Apple’s M3 chip. It features a larger display and better speaker array than the 13-inch MacBook Air M3. Read our review.

You can currently buy the 13-inch MacBook Air with an M3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $894 ($205 off) at Amazon and $849 at Best Buy. The step-up model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is also $250 off right now, selling for $1,049 at Amazon and $1,249 at Best Buy. The M3 Air retains the excellent battery life found on the prior model but comes with a faster chip and improved Wi-Fi performance. It can now also power two external monitors when the lid is closed. Read our review.

The best iPad deals

Apple’s 10th-gen iPad is the successor to the older ninth-gen model. In exchange for its revised design, landscape-oriented webcam, USB-C port, larger 10.9-inch screen, and faster processor, it ditched the headphone jack and home button. Read our review.

The last-gen iPad is also matching its all-time low of $199 ($130 off) at Amazon in the 64GB / Wi-Fi configuration. The ninth-gen model lacks USB-C and is slightly smaller than Apple’s latest iPad at 10.2 inches, but it’s still snappy enough for streaming, browsing the web, and all the other typical tasks you’d use a tablet for. Plus, unlike other iPads in Apple’s current lineup, it features a 3.5mm audio jack for plugging in a pair of wired headphones.Apple’s latest iPad Mini is available at Amazon with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage starting at $349.99 ($149 off). True to its name, the USB-C-powered iPad Mini offers the smallest display in Apple’s tablet lineup. Its 8.3-inch screen makes it highly portable and easy to hold with one hand, rendering it a good option if you read a lot of digital books. It also offers speedy performance despite its aging A15 Bionic chip, so you can use it to stream shows, send emails, video chat with loved ones, and take notes, among other things. Read our review.

The best Apple Pencil and stylus deals

The Apple Pencil Pro offers a slate of new features, including Find My support, so you can find the stylus when it gets lost. It also touts new creative capabilities, like squeeze gestures and a “Barrel Roll” gyroscope.

Although the Apple Pencil with USB-C attaches magnetically on supported iPhone, it doesn’t support magnetic charging. Instead, you pair and charge it by connecting it to your device’s USB-C port. It also doesn’t support double-tap gestures and pressure sensitivity, but you do get Apple Pencil Hover support on both M2 and M4 iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

Amazon is also discounting the second-gen Apple Pencil, dropping it to $89.97 ($39 off) for a limited time. Unlike the USB-C Apple Pencil, Apple’s last-gen stylus offers pressure sensitivity and wireless charging but lacks support for the 10th-gen iPad. It also doesn’t work with the newer M2 iPad Air and M4 OLED iPad Pro models like the Apple Pencil Pro, but it is compatible with older hardware — including the latest iPad Air and iPad Mini.The first-gen Apple Pencil is also on sale for $79.99 ($19 off). It doesn’t support magnetic charging, but it does offer pressure and tilt sensitivity. It’s also compatible with a wider range of last-gen tablets than the second-gen model, including the ninth-gen iPad and older models.The Logitech Crayon is on sale at Amazon for $49.99 ($20 off), matching its best price to date. The comfortable USB-C stylus lacks pressure sensitivity and some of the more premium features found on Apple’s proprietary models, but it’s still great for note-taking and pairs instantly with any iPad that launched after 2018.

The best Apple Watch deals

The latest SE borrows a few features from the Series 8, including the same chipset and Crash Detection feature, but it’s an otherwise subtle upgrade from the last-gen SE. Read our review.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes in one size — 49mm — and is geared toward athletic types. It’s the most rugged wearable in Apple’s lineup, offering the brightest display as well as the longest battery life. It runs on Apple’s last-gen S9 chip, letting you take advantage of Apple’s newer double tap feature. Read our hands-on impressions.

The GPS-enabled Apple Watch Series 9 is on sale at Amazon starting at $299 ($100 off), which is one of its better prices to date. Although it’s a last-gen model with a smaller display than the Series 10, it’s still a great smartwatch with an S9 processor and Apple’s second-gen ultrawide band chip, which allow for offline Siri use, Apple’s newer double tap feature, and Precision Finding when used with an iPhone 15 or newer. It doesn’t offer a wide-angle OLED display like the Series 10, however, nor does it boast Apple’s latest chipset. Read our review.

Other miscellaneous deals

A Qi2 pad on the front and a party in the back, with three AC outlets and four USB ports. It can deliver up to 67W through a single USB-C port or divided between its two USB-C and two USB-A ports. Read our MagSafe / Qi2 charger buying guide.

Twelve South’s 3-in-1 charging stand offers full 15W MagSafe iPhone charging and can simultaneously top up a set of AirPods while fast-charging a compatible Apple Watch. The charger includes a power supply (with travel adapters) to deliver enough juice over its five-foot / 1.5m USB cable.

Amazon is selling Apple’s official iPhone 16 Clear Case with MagSafe starting at $37.99 ($11 off), which is its best price yet. The MagSafe-compatible polycarbonate case is available in multiple colors and is designed to work seamlessly with the new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16. Apple also added a “glossy scratch-resistant coating,” potentially in response to the critique regarding how easily last year’s FineWoven cases scratched.Anker’s Qi2-certified MagGo Wireless Charging Station (Foldable 3-in-1) is down to a new all-time low of $82.49 (about $28 off) at Amazon. The foldable charger can quickly supply a compatible iPhone with up to 15W of power while simultaneously charging a pair of AirPods and an Apple Watch. It’s also pretty lightweight, rendering it a good option for frequent travelers.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly MagSafe charger, Belkin’s 15W MagSafe Charger Pad is down to $23.99 ($6 off) at Amazon. It’s not a Qi2 charger, but the handy puck can still deliver up to 15W of power to compatible iPhones with its 6.6-foot built-in cable. Plus, as an added bonus, it sports a built-in kickstand that allows you to prop up your phone or use Standby mode while charging.

Anker’s magnetic power bank touts wireless Qi charging, a folding kickstand, and a convenient USB-C port for wired charging.

Verge Deals

/ Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox weekly.

Update, October 9th: Adjusted prices and added several new deals, including those for the Beats Solo 4, Anker’s MagGo Magnetic Charging Station 8-in-1, and the Logitech Crayon.