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Here's how much Apple AirPods cost in 2016 vs. 2026
AirPods are one of the few products that haven’t seen an insane price climb.
It's been just over 10 years since Apple announced AirPods, the company's first wireless earbuds. They were revealed alongside the iPhone 7 during September 2016's Apple event, accompanying the shocking removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone. AirPods have since become a huge seller for Apple and are often the standard against which other earbuds are judged.
Despite their popularity, AirPods are one of the few tech offerings that haven't radically gone up in price over the last decade. In fact, they offer more value now than they did years ago.
The original AirPods hit shelves in December 2016 after their Apple event reveal earlier that year, costing $159 for a then-new fully wireless experience.
The original buds were succeeded by the second-gen AirPods, which arrived in March 2019. These used an identical design to the first iteration and came with the same $159 price tag, though there was also a wireless charging case option available for $199. Without this, the only way to charge your AirPods case was the Lightning port. Those with original AirPods could order a standalone wireless charging case for $79.
In October 2021, Apple upgraded AirPods to the third generation, which brought some of the perks from the AirPods Pro to the core line — along with a higher price of $179. The stems were shortened compared to the first two releases, while they also gained spatial audio support and better battery life. Wireless charging was included on all models instead of requiring an upgrade, though Apple later bizarrely offered a model with a case that lacked wireless charging for only $10 less.
The third-gen AirPods marked the only time Apple kept selling the previous generation of AirPods alongside the latest release. At this release, AirPods 2 (without wireless charging) dropped to $129 and weren't discontinued until AirPods 4 were released in September 2024. That generation kept the more affordable price, starting at $129 and offering a $179 model with ANC and a wireless charging case.
Finally, the current AirPods 5 arrived in September 2026, starting at the same $129 baseline price along with an improved $149 model. We recommended avoiding the cheaper model, since the extra $20 gets you better battery life, volume adjustment controls on the stems and wireless charging support.
Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max lines have had much simpler prices. All three AirPods Pro models (first-gen in 2019, second in 2022 and third in 2025) have cost $249 with no variations. AirPods Max have similarly come with a price tag of $549 on both releases (2020 and 2026).
The original AirPods' price of $159 in December 2016 is equivalent to roughly $222 today when adjusted for inflation. Furthermore, $249 for the original AirPods Pro in October 2019 would be $326 now, and the AirPods Max's hefty $549 price tag from December 2020 equals $710 at the time of writing.