Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The 5 best Apple deals in the October Prime Day sales

With Prime Day fully upon us, we’re seeing a lot of great deals on Apple’s products, from the AirPods to the excellent Apple Macbook Air, to the point where we might as well call it Apple Prime Day deals with what we’re seeing. Of course, there are a lot of other great Prime Day deals to check out if you aren’t specifically tied to Apple’s ecosystem, especially since you might find a somewhat better deal.

Apple AirPods — $90, was $159

Apple AirPods
Riley Young/Digital Trends

While the Apple AirPods 2nd generation is now considered entry-level compared to other AirPods, they’re still a force to be reconned with at only half the price. One of the most important things about any headphones is the sound, and the AirPods 2nd gen is a bit more smoothed out so that it doesn’t offend anybody. That means that instruments are smooth, the treble is clear though it lacks presence, and the bass is not too bad, although not at the level of earphones at double the cost. That’s to say that altogether, the audio quality isn’t bad, and when you consider the roughly five-hour battery life of the AirPods with up to 24 hours when you include the case, they’re a surprisingly good deal. On the other hand, it’s worth checking the comparison between the Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs. AirPods Pro to see if you’re OK with going with the lower generation.

Apple iPad 10.2 (64GB, Wi-Fi) — $269, was $329

The iPad 10.2 on a table.

While there are a lot of great Prime Day iPad deals to look through, if you’re looking for the most budget-friendly of them, then this 2021 Apple iPad is probably the way to go. Loaded with the A13 Bionic chip, it’s a couple of generations behind the latest iPad Pro but is still quite powerful for modern applications, and 64GB of space should be more than enough to load a lot of content on it, but if you feel that isn’t enough, there’s a 256GB version as well. It also comes with a 12MP front-facing camera, an 8MP back camera, and an impressive 10 hours of battery life, although you may not always reach that if you have Wi-Fi on all the time. We’ll also mention that it’s compatible with the first generation of the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, which you’ll have to purchase separately. Overall, it’s a great little iPad if you want a table within the Apple ecosystem without paying too much.

Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS) — $349, was $399

An Apple Watch Series 8 with the screen on.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

With the Apple Watch Series 8 released just a few weeks ago, we’re surprised to see a deal on it, especially considering that it’s just one step down from the flagship Apple Watch Ultra. If you aren’t familiar with the Series 8, it has the same overall design as the Series 7, except with a nicer screen and a few extra sensors under the hood. More specifically, the Series 8 now has a couple of temperature sensors that can help tell your body temperature and track a user’s ovulation cycle, a feature that isn’t available in any other smartphone. Beyond that, the Series 8 comes with a WatchOS 9 that brings its own set of great features, car crash detection, and a battery life that can last almost two days, depending on your use. While this version on sale is 41mm, there’s also a 45mm screen if you want something a bit bigger, and it’s also worth checking out the other Prime Day Apple Watch deals for more options.

Apple iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi) — $559, was $599

The iPad Air attached to the Magic Keyboard.

The 2022 Apple iPad Air is truly the Apple tablet to get if you want to stay within Apple’s ecosystem. It comes with Apple’s powerful M1 chip, the same that you see in some of their laptops, and the 10.9-inch Retina Display comes in a resolution of 2360 x 1640 and is gorgeous. It has two 12MP cameras, one in the front and one in the back, and it even supports Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard, which we certainly appreciate for what is traditionally Apple’s mid-range tablets. While the version listed here only comes with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage, you have a couple of options, including a Wi-Fi + Cellular version and one with 256GB, the latter of which we encourage you to grab if you can. There’s also the iPad Mini to consider, which also has an M1 chip and is excellent if you want something smaller, and we have a bit more of a breakdown between the iPad Air (2022) vs. iPad Mini (2021) to help you decide.

Apple MacBook Air (8GB, 256GB) — $799, was $999

Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The 2020 Apple MacBook Air is a pretty important laptop for those in the Apple ecosystem; it is a budget-friendly Apple computer, and sometimes the first laptop Mac users tend to use. Luckily, it’s a powerful little laptop with an 8-Core M1 chip and 8GBs of RAM under the hood; it provides more than enough power for most productivity and general use tasks. The battery life is also impressive, managing up to 15.5 hours, which is more than a lot of other laptops in this range, and it remains surprisingly cool during extended periods of use, especially since it doesn’t have fans, and it is incredibly quiet. Truthfully, the M1 Apple MacBook Air is not just a budget Apple laptop but a powerful laptop in its own right.

Editors' Recommendations

Best Cyber Monday iPad Deals: iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad Mini
Best Cyber Monday iPad Deals

Cyber Monday is over, but some deals are still hanging on. We're seeing some lingering Cyber Monday deals on lots of highly sought after tech, like tablets. Below you'll find out picks for the best Cyber Monday iPad deals you can still shop, with discounts on everything from the iPad Mini to the iPad Air. Who knows how longs these remaining deals will last, so there's no time like right now to grab yourself a ne iPad. If you want to save some extra cash, you can grab a model from a few years ago -- or if the newest and shiniest iPad is all you'll settle for, don't worry as it's on sale too. If you're not married to Apple as a manufacturer, you should browse our other Cyber Monday tablet deals as well. Don't forget this is the last major sales event of the year, so if you order today, your new iPad should still arrive in time for the holidays.
Best Cyber Monday iPad Deals
Apple 10.2-inch iPad -- $270 was $329

This is one of those Cyber Monday iPad deals you don't want to miss. Digital Trends' Adam Doud once called the 2021 Apple iPad "the new boss," in his Apple iPad (2021) review, which, admittedly, is a lot like the old boss. That's not a bad thing -- it just means Apple got it right the first time, and with its return, they got it right again, with a little more power inside. It has great battery life, powerful internal hardware, and offers a big upgrade to the front-facing camera from the previous generation. Plus, the base storage is increased and much more acceptable with today's data-heavy activities. Grab this deal while it lasts.

Read more
5 great Apple holiday gifts you can buy in the Cyber Monday sales
Best Cyber Monday Apple Deals

Black Friday is over, and the Cyber Monday deals are here in earnest today, which means now's the time to do some shopping, especially if you're looking to cross some names off of your holiday gift list. Apple gadgets are always in demand and make for great presents, and a bunch of them are on sale right now, as you can imagine. Below, we've picked out our five favorite Apple holiday gifts that are on discount as part of the 2022 Cyber Monday sales, from stocking stuffers to one item that's really something special. Read on.
Apple AirTag -- $28

If you've got someone in your life who is always misplacing their stuff, then the Apple AirTag is a worthy stocking stuffer. It's a simple item tracker that lets you easily locate things, and it's arguably the best item tracker on the market thanks to the huge Find My Stuff network that Apple has created (the iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the U.S., after all). We found the AirTag to be easy to use and the tracking to be quite precise as well, and at this price, you can buy a few, even if they're only for yourself.

Read more
Best Buy just started a 3-day flash sale – all the best deals
Best Buy logo on a building.

Shoppers are getting another chance to take advantage of early Best Buy Black Friday deals in a three-day flash sale that the retailer just rolled out. There are discounts on a wide range of products, including TVs and laptops -- you'll surely come across an offer that will catch your attention if you take the time to browse.

With Best Buy's flash sale, you don't have to wait for the Black Friday deals on the shopping holiday itself, which will let you avoid the chaos that's expected to happen both in physical and online stores. We've rounded up the best offers that you can take advantage of right now, but feel free to look around as well for more bargains.

Read more