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The 10 best Apple deals: Grab a discounted AirPods and HomePod bundle

Look to these promotions to save hundreds on Apple's latest iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, AirPods, and Apple Watches just in time for the new school year.
michael-gariffo
rebecca-isaacs
Written by Michael Gariffo, Staff Writer and  Rebecca Isaacs, Staff Writer on
Reviewed by Elyse Betters Picaro

Apple has earned dual reputations as a company known for producing status symbol products and as a retailer that rarely provides much in the way of discounts to the average consumer. That said, plenty of retailers, and even Apple itself, do have exceptional promotions going on right now -- especially now, thanks to back-to-school deals around the corner.

Let us help you find those deals and save some cash while buying into Apple's perennially desirable ecosystem. We've gathered the best savings currently available across numerous categories. Whether you're shopping for an iPhone, an iPad, a MacBook, an Apple Watch, AirPods, or accessories, we have a deal you definitely want to know about. 

Also: Ranking the best iPhones: Which model is right for you?

  • Current Price: $99
  • Original Price: $129

It's rare for an Apple Pencil to go on sale, so when this one dropped by $30, we were thrilled. The latest generation of Pencil charges wirelessly when magnetically attached to the iPad. With the purchase of the Pencil, you get six months of free Apple News+, Apple Music, and Apple TV+, too.

  • Current Price: $399
  • Original Price: $499

Apple's iPad Mini's 8.3-inch liquid retina display can help even the most diligent note takers during classes since it works with the Apple Pencil (sold separately). Take it on the go for a class-filled day with up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. Plus, with the A15 bionic chip and the 64GB of storage, you can take your notes with you on the go and even store them in cloud storage for when you prefer to use a laptop.

  • Current Price: $279
  • Original Price: $319

If you're looking to add some accessories to your home or dorm room, this package from Apple will help prep your smart home for studying in your private space versus on the go. You can even program the HomePod to recognize different voices.

Whether you're a power user who dabbles in graphics-intensive apps or a casual social media browser, the non-Pro iPhone 13 model is the one to buy. While its starting price of $829 is still a lump sum to cover, carriers like T-Mobile frequently offer deals to new and existing customers that can net you a free iPhone if you play your cards right. Currently, the "un-carrier" will reward you with up to $800 off an iPhone 13 when you add a line and trade in an eligible device, or up to $400 when you only trade in. This promotion applies to any rate plan (including Magenta Max), and the $800 credit will be applied via 24 monthly bill credits.

More: Best iPhone deals available right now

  • Current Price: $179
  • Original Price: $249

Arguably the best sounding wireless earbuds on the market, the Apple AirPods Pro has been discounted at major retailers. The earbuds are sleek, comfortable to wear, and boast an impressive sound quality that only gets better when paired with an Apple device. You also can take advantage of the AirPods' active noise cancellation technology, which tunes out your surroundings, for an immersive audio experience. 

The lowest price we've seen is $159, but this is still a really good deal at $70 off.

  • Current Price: $99
  • Original Price: $159

If you favor the classic, long-stem design of the Apple AirPods, the 2nd generation AirPods deliver excellent music playback, support Hey Siri commands, and connect seamlessly to your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. What you lose -- versus the AirPods Pro -- is the noise cancellation and wireless charging. For the standard AirPods, you'll need a lightning cable to top it up.

Reviewer Jason Cipriani felt the battery life lived up to its promise of five hours, making it great for listening and working. The lowest price we've seen is $109. We do not expect these to drop back down to $109 any time soon.

More: Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) full review

  • Current Price: $559
  • Original Price: $599

For a portable light-as-air tablet, look to Apple's 2022 iPad Air. The 5th generation model has an exceptionally clean design that puts the previous, home button-equipped versions to shame. With 64GB of storage space, the 10.9-inch screen is perfect for streaming the latest shows or sketching out new designs.

Reviewer Jason Cipriani felt the tablet expanded upon the 4th generation's already great features and made it a nearly perfect tablet for daily use.

Read the Apple iPad Air (5th Generation) full review here

  • Current Price: $999
  • Original Price: $1,099

If you crave a larger and more powerful canvas, we recommend the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The flagship tablet from Apple runs on the company's in-house M1 chipset and touts a Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion (120Hz) and exceptionally accurate color. For pro users, the 128GB model is a solid place to start.

More: Powering a home office with an iPad Pro

  • Current Price: $765
  • Original Price: $999

Apple's MacBook Air is often regarded as the best laptop for all users. Whether you're upgrading for college or just want a reliable, portable, and long-lasting laptop, the Air promises a powerful performance. The sale nets you the 13.3-inch MacBook with an M1 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of memory, and a sleek design for at-home and on-the-go use.

This is the lowest price we've seen.

  • Current Price: $309
  • Original Price: $369

The Apple Watch Series 7 offers a flagship Apple Watch experience and comes equipped with a slew of fitness and health tracking features (sleep monitor, heart rate monitor, etc.). The sale that we're highlighting is for the 40mm watch size, but if you prefer the larger 44mm face, that too is on sale at a $60 discount. Even though this is a Costco deal, you can get it without a membership for $328. If you're a Costco member you'll get the $309 price tag.

Interested in more tech deals and reviews? Subscribe to the ZDNet Recommends newsletter and let our expert reviewers scour the internet for only the top products, services, and deals for you.

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