Amazon Lists AirPods Pro 3 at $234 Ahead of October 6 Prime Day

Q: As Prime Day approaches, which rival retailer's secret sale actually holds the true lowest price for Apple earbuds?

Best Buy appears to hold the true lowest rival price right now for Apple earbuds, not Amazon. While Amazon’s early Prime Day price for AirPods Pro 3 is about $234, multiple rival-sale reports point to Best Buy’s parallel event — described as a Tech Fest or 60th Anniversary sale — cutting the same earbuds much further, to about $189.99. That undercuts Amazon by roughly $44 and is the clearest mainstream authorized-retailer low cited in the available coverage. There are lower prices mentioned elsewhere, but they come with important caveats. Walmart has been cited at $144 for AirPods Pro 3, but that was tied to an open-box listing rather than a standard new retail sale. Costco has also beaten Amazon on some older AirPods generations, but membership requirements and limited delivery options apply, and the reporting around current Pro 3 pricing still leaves Best Buy as the strongest straightforward rival sale. For shoppers comparing “secret” anti-Prime Day offers, the practical answer is Best Buy’s sale, especially for new AirPods Pro 3 from a major authorized retailer. As the original coverage advises, buyers should still verify the exact model generation, avoid suspicious third-party listings, and compare final prices across retailers before checkout.

3 articles · Updated · Macworld · Oct 2

$234 AirPods Pro 3 and $509 AirPods Max 2 are Amazon U.S.’s main early AirPods discounts before its October 6-7 Prime Day event, while AirPods 5 remains at its full $129 price.
Amazon’s U.K. store shows a similar pattern, with AirPods Pro 3 at £200 from £219, but no meaningful markdown yet on AirPods 5 or AirPods Max 2.
The report argues the current cuts are modest: AirPods Pro 3 is only $15 off in the U.S., and AirPods Max 2 has previously dropped to $399, making today’s offers less compelling.
Beats products show deeper headline discounts, including Beats Studio Buds + at $100 from $170 and Beats Studio Pro at £230 from £349 in the U.K.
With Prime Day still days away, shoppers are urged to compare newer models against clearance-priced older AirPods and check rival promotions from Walmart and Best Buy.