“The Apple AirPods 4 with noise cancellation are easily some of the best earbuds Apple has released,” reads one five-star Amazon review. Both options have excellent ratings and are sweat, dust and water resistant, and come with a charging case.

Finally, AirPods Max, the over-ears, are reduced at Apple, for four of the five colors by 27% at Amazon. That means the regular $549 is cut to $399.99, a savings of $149.01. All colors except orange are at this price now.

Beats and Apple each released flagship earbuds in 2025 with one standout feature: in-ear heart rate monitoring. Since Apple owns both companies, both earbuds offer native compatibility with iOS devices and provide iOS users with Apple-exclusive features.

It suggests packing more sensors than needed around the AirPods's ear tips and using an AI model to select electrodes with optimal signal quality.