I'm disappointed there are no AirPods Max deals this Amazon Prime Day – but I’ve found one elsewhere

We're halfway through this summer's four-day Amazon Prime Day sales event, and we've spotted some excellent deals on budget Sony earbuds, premium B&W headphones, and even great savings on select hi-fi products.

However, there has been one product that has been missing from any of the Prime Day deals action: Apple's AirPods Max.

While there is a fantastic Prime Day deal on the five-star AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds (£179 at Amazon) and a good drop on the newer AirPods 4 with ANC buds (£149 at Amazon), there is absolutely no discount whatsoever on the premium AirPods Max over-ears.

Head to their Amazon listing and you'll see that the current AirPods Max with USB-C are still at their full UK price of £499 across all five colours.

We normally spot a deal or two on Apple's premium over-ear wireless headphones during these big sales events, so why have there been no deals this time? We've seen prices drop during Black Friday before, even some big savings on the original 2020 Lightning connector model during last year's October Prime Day (£429 at Amazon: a £130 saving from its £549 launch RRP).

But deals have been scarce on the current, updated model that came out in September 2024 (eight months ago!)

Apple doesn't drop the price of newly released products that easily, but considering this was a very light upgrade – five fresh colours, USB-C connection and charging – with no material design or performance upgrades, I am very surprised that we haven't seen any discounts this week.

In the UK, the price of the new AirPods Max with USB-C has remained firm at £499 all year. But I've been checking Amazon every day this week for a surprise Prime Day deal – but with no luck.

Best Apple AirPods Max USB-C deal

I have, however, scoured the internet and found a genuine saving on the new AirPods Max in the UK – and you won't find it on Amazon.

Head to online retailer Laptops Direct, and you can nab yourself a fresh pair of the current AirPods Max headphones for just £458 – a £41 saving.

This biggest saving is on the purple finish, however. You can get the blue, midnight and starlight colourways for £494 – a mere £5 discount compared to anywhere else.

Five stars

Apple AirPods Max USB-C: was £499 now £458 at Laptops Direct

The hype around the Apple AirPods Max is justified – these luxuriously designed wireless noise-cancelling over-ears are wonderful to use with iOS devices, boast spatial audio support and stake their claim as some of the best-sounding wireless headphones we have heard.

This rare £41 saving on the new USB-C model is on the purple finish only.

View Deal

Apple caused a stir when it released its first over-ear, noise-cancelling, wireless headphones, the AirPods Max, in 2020, with an unprecedented high price tag for its product type.

Many rivals have followed suit since – we are inundated with superb premium wireless headphones from Sony, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, Dali, Focal, Mark Levinson and more – but the Apple headphones remain luxurious in build and performance.

With a five-star review and a 2021 What Hi-Fi? Award to their name, the Max offer exceptional build quality, superb noise-cancelling and, most importantly, some of Apple's best-ever sound.

Their authenticity, detail, crispness and spaciousness elevate their wireless audio quality enough to be considered alongside genuine hi-fi products at this price point. They also work seamlessly with iOS devices – one of their most appealing selling points, especially for dedicated Apple users.

The current AirPods Max with USB-C offer wired audio listening (lossless up to 24-bit/48kHz) with the bundled USB-C charging cable. You also get cinematic spatial audio and various Apple-only features.

I've been using the current model all year in my daily life, and while the new Sony WH-1000XM6 and B&W Px7 S3 offer greater portability and clearer detail and greater transparency, the AirPods Max are still a hugely attractive proposition. They are lovely to use, are comfortable to wear over long hours, and still deliver a wonderfully engaging and likeable balance that makes listening to music a pleasure.

While we may have to wait even longer for a genuinely bigger price drop to make them a bit more affordable, the current deal price of £458 at Laptops Direct (for the purple finish) is the best saving I've seen so far.

MORE:

Forget Prime Day deals on no-name wireless headphones – these are the two best pairs for most people

Sony's best wireless earbuds get another big discount

See Amazon's Top 100 Prime Day deals according to the retailer

Check out our expert pick of the best Prime Day audio deals live now