Some of the most popular deals of Amazon Prime Day has been the discounts on AirPods, including AirPods 4 for $99 at Amazon (was $129), AirPods Pro 3 for $179 at Amazon (was $249) at Amazon, and AirPods Max 2 for $399 at Amazon (was $549).

However, Prime Day ends today, so these deals may end this evening as well.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

That's not confirmed — AirPods aren't labeled as Prime Day deals specifically, and they're also discounted at Walmart and Best Buy, so it's possible that all three retailers will keep these offers going past today. But what that means is that I don't know exactly when they'll end, and they definitely won't stick around for long, so my advice is to buy today if you want to buy a pair of AirPods.

Ah, but which pair? Surely the $99 pair is the most tempting? Well, I've tested them all, and I'm here to tell you to avoid the AirPods 4 today. $99 is now a pretty standard price for them, but last Black Friday, they fell to just $69. That's the price where they start to get tempting, because frankly they're just not very good value at $99 — the Nothing Ear (a) for $53.20 at Amazon (down from $79) are the better budget earbuds. They're half the price, but they sound better and have active noise cancellation.

So, maybe the AirPods 4 with ANC for $148 are a decent deal? Also no. These have fallen to $99 in the past, and that's a good price for them.

No, the only pair of earbuds here that are a stone-cold bargain are the AirPods Pro 3. Now, they fell to $169 recently, but Amazon's $179 deal is still a phenomenal price for earbuds this good — I wouldn't worry too much about the 10 bucks. If you can afford the extra $80 over the $99 AirPods 4, you'll get way more than that in extra value. If you can't stretch to that extra, that's totally fair — but again, I encourage you to get the Nothing buds and save yourself $45.

(I'm not really going to touch on the AirPods Max 2 here — they're their own thing, in their own price world, but $399 is their cheapest price to date, and is great value.)

In the UK? Scroll down for the best UK deals

Today's best AirPods deals in the US

Today's best AirPods deals in the UK

So why do I rate the AirPods Pro 3 so much better than the AirPods 4? They're better than the cheaper model in every way, offering massively better sound quality, active noise cancellation, and all the same features, plus a load of others that are genuinely useful, and complete game-changers in some cases.

Take the case, for example. AirPods Pro 3's case has a 'UWB' wireless chip, which means your iPhone can detect what direction it's in when it's lost, and can literally point you towards it, so you can see which jacket you left it in. And the case has a speaker in, which you can also trigger to help find it.

Or take the Live Translation of other languages in your ears, or the heart-rate tracking, so you can keep an eye on your fitness without a wearable.

Basically, AirPods 4 are a poor value for budget earbuds compared to the competition. AirPods Pro 3 are an excellent value for premium earbuds compared to the competition. Which means with just an $80 difference — which might easily pay for itself if the case stops you from losing them — the AirPods Pro 3 should be what everyone buys.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: up to 25% off SSDs & games
• Grand Theft Auto 6: pre-order now
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.