AirPods price over ten years: what 2016 cost versus 2026

A decade of AirPods pricing

Apple revealed its first AirPods alongside the iPhone 7 at its September 2016 event, a launch tied to the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone. The earbuds reached shops that December at $159, according to Engadget. Ten years later, the entry-level AirPods 5 still start below that figure, at $129.

Adjusted for inflation, the original $159 price would be roughly $222 today. In other words, the AirPods price has effectively fallen over the decade, even as the product gained features. Engadget notes this makes AirPods unusual among tech products, most of which have climbed in cost.

How each generation changed the bill

The second-generation AirPods arrived in March 2019 with the same $159 price and an identical design. A wireless charging case option cost $199, and owners of the original earbuds could buy that case separately for $79.

The third generation came in October 2021 at $179, the only rise in the core line's history. It brought shorter stems, spatial audio and longer battery life, and wireless charging became standard. At that point Apple kept the second-generation model on sale at $129, a practice it continued until the fourth generation launched in September 2024.

AirPods 4 started at $129, with a $179 version adding active noise cancellation and a wireless charging case. The current AirPods 5, released in September 2026, keep the $129 entry point and add an improved $149 model. Engadget recommends the dearer version, saying the extra $20 buys better battery life, volume controls on the stems and wireless charging.

Pro and Max models hold steady

The premium lines have seen no price changes at all. All three AirPods Pro models, launched in 2019, 2022 and 2025, have cost $249. Both AirPods Max releases, in 2020 and 2026, carry a $549 tag.

Inflation again works in Apple's favour here. The original $249 AirPods Pro price equals about $326 today, and the $549 AirPods Max price from December 2020 would be roughly $710 now. Engadget found the AirPods Max 2 impressive but says the price is too high for most people.

What buyers get for less

The feature list has grown considerably since 2016. Active noise cancellation, which cancels incoming sound with an inverted signal, first appeared on the 2019 AirPods Pro and reached the base AirPods with the fourth generation. Chips progressed from the W1 to the H1, which enabled Hey Siri, and then to the H2, which supports Adaptive Audio on all but the base AirPods 4.

Newer models add Conversation Awareness, which lowers the volume when you speak, and head gestures such as nodding to accept a call. The AirPods Pro 3 can measure heart rate without an Apple Watch. Cases on recent models include a speaker for locating them and work with Find My, and charging has moved from Lightning to USB-C.

With a compatible iPhone, today's AirPods also support Siri AI, allowing more natural language requests and real-time conversation translation.

Why the price has not climbed

Engadget points out that AirPods are spared from the current memory supply problems because their chips use integrated memory and need no storage. Apple also has a commercial reason to keep the base model affordable, since AirPods tie users more closely to its ecosystem and make products such as the Mac more attractive.

Apple itself does not discount AirPods on its own storefront, but other retailers regularly cut prices. Engadget suggests waiting for events such as Black Friday or Prime Day to find discounts across the range.