All I Want for Christmas Is the Apple AirPods Pro 2 (For My Daughter), Nearly 40% off for Black Friday

Last Christmas, I gave her a dud, and the very next day, she threw it away. This year, to save me from tears, I’m giving her something special (special).

All apologies to the late, great George Michael, but allow me to explain. The “her” is my 13-year-old daughter, who for the last two years has asked for AirPods for Christmas. Last year, I decided to instead give her a lesson in my sanctimoniousness and frugality. It didn’t go well.

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When my daughter unwrapped a pair of Amazon Echo Buds (which are on sale for Black Friday) and realized they were not, in fact, genuine Apple AirPods, her disappointment hit me hard. She didn’t have a negative word to say, bless her holiday spirit, but her unspoken reaction said enough. A couple days later, I noticed she never wore them, so I asked why. She told me, with a straight face, that she’d lost them. 

Of course I told her that I thought AirPods were too expensive, that other earbuds were just as good and that I felt she shouldn’t bow to the peer pressure of her schoolmates (who all, according to her, wear “real AirPods”). One guess as to whether any of my words made her happier.

So this year, when I saw that the actual Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $154 for Black Friday, I pounced. Once bitten and twice shy, off-brand, you won’t fool me again.

If you’re looking for other Apple deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, check out Apple’s new M4 MacBook Pro for $400 off and all the best Black Friday iPad deals.

Well it’s been a year, ANC doesn’t surprise me

Why did I choose AirPods Pro 2 instead of the newer AirPods 4 with ANC? First off, as I mentioned in another article about another pair of earbuds I bought recently on a Black Friday sale, I think sealed, in-ear buds are better than open-design models like the AirPods 4. The seal creates another layer of noise isolation and contributes to superior sound quality, and if you want to pay attention to the world you can always engage ambient sound mode, which Apple calls transparency mode. 

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Also a factor was the commentary of CNET reviewer David Carnoy, who considers the Pro 2 the best Apple noise-canceling wireless earbuds: “While we’re quite impressed with those new models — and with the AirPods 4 ANC in particular — the AirPods Pro 2 remain arguably the best Apple AirPods you can buy if you don’t mind having silicone ear tips jammed in your ears.”

My daughter uses earplugs all the time to help her sleep, so she definitely qualifies as somebody who’s comfortable stuffing things in her ears. Like her fingers when I start using words like “sigma,” “skibidi” and “relateable” to try to relate to her.

I asked Carnoy about the Pro 2’s potentially not fitting in her kid-size ears and he reassured me that Apple’s range of eartips included on the Pro 2s “now include XS so they should fit.” 

Now I know what a fool I’ve been

Finally I had a few recent conversations with my daughter to confirm her desires, without giving too much away. When she assured me that she’d rather have AirPods than a $170 gift certificate to Sephora, that sealed it. Now I’m dreaming of a white Christmas present and the joy it will bring to my Apple-happy kid.

If you’re looking for more Apple devices this holiday season, here are the best Black Friday Apple deals happening right now, and here are our favorite tech gifts under $100 and best gifts under $10.