Apple’s new AirPods Pro with USB-C charging case is already $50 off on a preorder

Apple’s biggest announcement last week at its “Wonderlust” event was, without a doubt, the iPhone 15’s change to USB-C, which is already having a ripple effect, as the AirPods Pro are also ditching Lightning for the port upgrade. Now, surprisingly, you can preorder the new second-gen AirPods Pro with USB-C ahead of its September 22nd release date for $199.99 ($50 off) at Best Buy.

The AirPods Pro are the first of Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones to get the USB-C treatment — other than that, they’re mostly the same second-gen Pros you can already get with a Lightning port on the case. I say mostly because the new AirPods Pro also get dust resistance and future support for lossless audio with the upcoming Vision Pro VR headset. On the software front, the new USB-C-ified AirPods have three new features: Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and Conversation Awareness. Thankfully, these are also coming to the older Lightning version with iOS 17, but if you want USB-C, you’ll have to pony up for a whole new set of earbuds.

Apple’s new AirPods Pro take after the original model but include swipe controls and an H2 chip that allows for improved noise cancellation. After the iPhone 15’s move to USB-C, they also now come with the option for a water-resistant charging case that charges wirelessly via MagSafe or wired USB-C.

While the new iPhones’ USB-C charging will be a welcome change for many, Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging is sticking around to help bridge the gap between new and old iPhone models. One of the best multi-chargers you can get for home or travel, the Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe, is selling for $119.96 ($30 off) at Amazon and Anker — one of its best prices to date.

Anker’s cube has full MagSafe support, meaning it can wirelessly charge a compatible iPhone at 15W, and it also has wireless charging spots for an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods. While many three-in-one chargers are fairly large pads designed for a desk or bedside table, the Anker Cube is quite compact and more travel-friendly. It even comes with a 30W USB-C power adapter to deliver all the juice you need to your three devices.

Read our MagSafe charger buying guide.

• Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Plus smartphone with 256GB of storage is back down to $799.99 ($200 off) at Amazon. If you prefer Android over iOS and you like big phones, the S23 Plus is hard to beat, with its excellent triple-cameras, 6.6-inch display, speedy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and strong battery performance.
• The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are on sale at Best Buy in all colors (including Best Buy’s exclusive blue) for $79.99 ($70 off). They’re a couple of years old now but remain one of the most unusual noise-canceling wireless earbuds around, with a bean-shaped design that’s comfy and compact.
• Hogwarts Legacy on PlayStation 5 is selling for $49.99 ($20 off) at Best Buy.
• The 16-inch Gigabyte Aero gaming laptop with Intel i7-12700H CPU, RTX 3070 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD is on sale at Best Buy for $1,349.99 ($750 off).
• While not much of a discount, the Nintendo Joy-Con controllers (both left and right) in the newer pastel purple and pastel green colors are $72.76 ($7.23 off) at Amazon when added to your cart. The equally cute pastel pink and pastel yellow color combo is also on sale for a slightly higher $75.14 ($4.85 off). Joy-Cons don’t come cheap, and these small deals are worthwhile if you really love the pastels.
• If you subscribe to one of Best Buy’s paid memberships (My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total), you can purchase a $499.99 Xbox Series X console and get an extra controller valued at up to $69.99 included for free.