Prime Day isn’t here, but these 5 wireless earbud deals already are

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale doesn’t officially kick off until October 6, but we already have some solid wireless earbud discounts. I went looking through the early deals, and the price range right now stretches from a $34 pair of CMF buds all the way to Bose’s flagship noise-canceling earbuds.

There’s a surprisingly good spread here. Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are back below $200, Nothing’s new Ear (3a) have already lost $20 from their price, and EarFun continues to cram a lot of features into a pair costing less than $100. Here are the five deals I’d check out before the main sale begins.

Note: Amazon prices and discounts can change quickly and may differ between colors.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) — $249.99 (16% off)

Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are the expensive option here. The $249.99 price tag makes these a little easier to justify than their $299 launch price. Bose upgraded its already excellent ANC with smoother adaptive processing, while CustomTune adjusts the sound and noise cancellation for your ears. You also get Immersive Audio, multipoint connectivity, improved SpeechClarity for calls, and finally wireless charging for the case. Battery life remains the weaker part of the package at six hours per charge, but anyone prioritizing noise cancellation should have these near the top of the list.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $199 (20% off)

AirPods Pro 3 dropping to $199 is probably one of the easiest deals to recommend to an iPhone owner. Apple gives you up to eight hours of listening with ANC enabled, an IP57 rating for both the earbuds and case, and a MagSafe case that also supports Qi and Apple Watch chargers. The more unique addition is heart rate sensing, which lets the earbuds track workouts through the Fitness app without requiring an Apple Watch. Live Translation, Adaptive Audio, hearing-health features, and the usual tight Apple ecosystem integration round out a very complete package.

Nothing Ear (3a) — $79 (20% off)

Nothing only launched the Ear (3a) at $99 in July, so seeing them at $79 this early makes them one of my favorite deals in the bunch. You get a 12mm dynamic driver, LDAC, Bluetooth 6.0, up to 45dB ANC, and as much as 42 hours of listening with the charging case when ANC is switched off. An interesting feature is Audio Snapshot, which is backed by onboard storage that can capture audio and calls before syncing them to the Nothing X app. Throw in Nothing’s excellent EQ controls and distinctive transparent design, and $79 buys a lot of earbud.

EarFun Air Pro 4+ — $79.99 (20% off)

EarFun’s Air Pro 4+ might have the most packed spec sheet for the money. At $79.99, you get a hybrid dual-driver setup combining a 10mm dynamic driver with a balanced armature, alongside LDAC, aptX Lossless, Snapdragon Sound, Bluetooth 6.0, and Auracast. QuietSmart 3.0 ANC is rated for up to 50dB of noise reduction, while battery life reaches eight hours with ANC or 12 hours without it. EarFun even added real-time AI translation through its app, making these an easy recommendation for anyone chasing features without spending flagship money.

CMF by Nothing Buds 2 — $34 (31% off)

For $34, the CMF Buds 2 are the pair I’d look at first if the goal is simply getting capable ANC earbuds as cheaply as possible. CMF equips them with 48dB hybrid noise cancellation, an 11mm PMI driver with Dirac Opteo tuning, and six microphones for calls. Battery life can reach 13.5 hours from the buds and 55 hours with the case, while a 10-minute charge adds up to 7.5 hours of playback. The IP55 rating also makes them an easy option for workouts, commuting, or a cheap backup pair for travel. I’ve owned a pair for the better part of a year, and it’s endurance and audio quality for its price are nothing short of impressive.