Apple's AirPods dodged a possible redesign as the EU exempts wireless earbuds from new battery rules aimed at reducing waste.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Apple’s Back to School 2026 promotion goes live in the United States and Canada, offering eligible students gift cards valued up to $150.
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How many more times (and in how many more ways) can I say this? Nothing's most recent batch of colorful, joyful and hang it all refreshingly different listening gear is nothing short of excellent for the money.
And the thing is, those already-excellent asking fees have just been further reduced, in some cases by up to 49% off for Prime Day.
• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale
My pick of the over-ear headphones bunch would be the excellent noise-cancelling CMF Headphone Pro, which have absolutely no business looking this good, or indeed sounding so fabulously fun, for just $65 — a massive 34% off an original launch fee that's barely eight months old.
And if you're after earbuds, it'd be easy to just opt for the cheapest of the cheap, and let me be clear, 49% off the CMF Buds 2a, making them just $19.99 rather than $39 is incredibly low, however you try to slice it. But for me, the Nothing Ear (a) still win out, with a new lowest-seen price of just $53.20 (was $99 at launch, although $79 is their most-recent discounted price) .
And I'm not even done! I also love the firm's second stab at flagship headphones, the Nothing Headphone (a), not to be confused with the inaugural Heaphone (1) which do not feature in this list (yes, I know Nothing's naming strategy can be confusing. That's why you stick with me). No, this newer, far better set of over-ears retains the unusual aesthetic of the original effort but adds much better, fuller, more expansive audio and offers excellent on-ear controls to further enhance it all, plus a battery life that's, well, nothing short of excellent.
Not after headphones or earbuds? It's OK, you can see the best of the new deals, as they drop, in our Amazon Prime Day live blog.
If I had to pick, I'm still going for the delightfully fresh, luxuriously padded teal CMF Headphone Pro, which I regularly reach for (and I test headphones for a living, remember) owing to the easy-breezy on-ear controls and fun, zealous sound when I'm out and about.
That said, there's a little more clarity in the Headphone (a) and I do love the cassette-type look of the ear cups. But if you need a bit of wiggle room in your bag for other essentials, earbuds suddenly start looking very good indeed, no?
That said, the Nothing Ear (3) are the best if you regularly record your voice, thanks to their 'Super Mic'. It's the shiny button directly under the snappy case magnet labelled 'TALK' and it's a lot of fun. It's best to think of it as very much like those little clip-on wireless mics content creators hold very close to their mouths on social media — except now, they might hold an earbuds case to their lips to add voiceovers.
Nothing calls Super Mic a "breakthrough dual-microphone system driven by ambient-filtering technology." Essentially, the dual MEMS beamforming mics built into the case focus on your voice, cutting through surrounding noise (up to 95dB is the claim) for clearer calls and voice notes. And no other product in this little roundup has it. Food for thought, then…
In my glowing 4.5-star review of these truly likeable September 2025-issue noise-cancelling over-ears, I said they "could easily cost twice as much", adding "you'll struggle to find a more original set of affordable headphones that offer this much for this little". Well, now that figure has shrunk to just $61.75, a fee our price trackers have never seen until now — their previous all-time low price was $68, just for full clarity. For this money, and as long as the glorious white or light green colorways suit, I wouldn't even hesitate. Highly recommended! View Deal
A moment for the 'fried-egg-meets-cassette-tape' colorway though… yes, it's a look for the bold, but the deal is live on the slightly more demure black or white finishes too, and this March 2026 set of noise cancelling cans doesn't just excite us in the looks department. These aren't to be confused with the slightly disappointing Headphone (1) — no no, this is the greatly improved (and far cheaper) follow-up set. And in our full review, we summarised our thoughts thus: "Now THAT's how you do a second version". This is the cheapest they've ever been, but given that they're barely three months old, that's not surprising… View Deal
Here at TechRadar, we test dozens of pairs of headphones every year. And while we've been won over by many an ultra-pricey set of cans, we also love a cheap pair of headphones that punches above its price tag. This article is dedicated to showcasing these wallet-friendly wonders. I asked TechRadar's audio specialists which headphones they'd recommend to buyers on a budget, and you'll find their suggestions below.
If it's true wireless in-ears you're after, you'd struggle to do better than the Nothing Ear (a) buds, which Audio Editor Becky Scarrott awarded a perfect five stars, calling them "a resounding home run" for the British startup and praising the noise cancellation, sound quality and battery life in particular. In the current Amazon Prime Day deals, they're unbeatable value at under $55 / £50.
In the over-ear arena, standouts are the CMF Pro and the 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51, both of which earned 4.5 stars in our tests. The former were put through their paces by Becky, who was impressed with the "superb" sound quality in general, and was pleasantly surprised to discover "the sort of... personal sound profile curation [we're] more used to seeing in headphones much higher up the food chain". The latter were reviewed by our review's team's resident headphone specialist Harry Padoan, who praised the "adept audio, noise-crushing ANC and eye-catching design". Both are even better value than usual right now, too, thanks to those Prime (and rival-Prime) deals.
Read on for more budget-maximizing buys — and hit the 'View details' button for a summary of what we thought of them in our tests, plus links to the full reviews.
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