The $99 AirPods 4 deal lasted about a week. On 25 Sep 2026 the old pair cost as much as the new one, or more. Here are the live prices, Apple's spec differences, and the thresholds that flip the answer.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Aliteq may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. Prices verified at publish time.
Share
The day Apple announced the AirPods 5, the old ones dropped hard. Gizmodo reported on 10 September that Amazon had the AirPods 4 at $99 and the ANC model at $149. If you bookmarked that and came back this week, I have bad news: I checked the listings this morning, and the old AirPods are now the same price as the new ones or more.
This is the most common trap in end-of-generation shopping. The clearance discount is real for about a week, the retailer sells through its own stock, and what's left on the listing is resellers and used units priced against the old list price. With Prime Big Deal Days on 6–7 October, here's what the AirPods 4 is actually worth next to the AirPods 5, and the price at which I'd change my mind.
$129
AirPods 5
Amazon.com, 25 Sep 2026
$129.99
AirPods 4 with ANC, new
Amazon.com, 25 Sep 2026
from $137
AirPods 4, new
Third-party sellers, 25 Sep
up to 1.5×
More noise cancellation
AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4 ANC, per Apple
Two generations that look almost identical. On 25 Sep 2026 the newer pair was the cheaper one. · Generated with Higgsfield
What the prices actually are today (25 September 2026)
I checked Amazon with a US delivery address (New York, 10001) and opened the full "other sellers" list on each product, because the headline price often isn't the new-condition price.
AirPods prices observed on Amazon, 25 Sep 2026
AirPods 5
Price
$129.00
Seller / condition
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case
Price
$149.00
Seller / condition
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 4 with ANC
Price
$129.99
Seller / condition
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 4 with ANC
Price
$167.95+
Seller / condition
Third-party sellers, new
AirPods 4 (no ANC)
Price
$137.00–$156.04
Seller / condition
Third-party sellers, new
AirPods 4 (no ANC)
Price
$91.26–$94.05
Seller / condition
Amazon Resale, USED
Price
Seller / condition
AirPods 5
$129.00
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case
$149.00
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 4 with ANC
$129.99
Amazon.com, new
AirPods 4 with ANC
$167.95+
Third-party sellers, new
AirPods 4 (no ANC)
$137.00–$156.04
Third-party sellers, new
AirPods 4 (no ANC)
$91.26–$94.05
Amazon Resale, USED
What the $129 actually buys you
AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4 with ANC (Apple's spec sheet)
AirPods 4 with ANC
$129.99 on Amazon, 25 Sep
vs
AirPods 5
$129 on Amazon, 25 Sep
ANC
Noise cancellation
Up to 1.5× more than AirPods 4 ANC
IP54
Water & dust resistance
IP57
4 hrs · 20 hrs with case
Battery (ANC on)
4 hrs · 20 hrs with case
H2
Chip
H2
Wireless (Qi / Apple Watch) + Find My speaker
Charging case
USB-C only
$129.99
Price, 25 Sep
$129
ANC wins 1wins 3 5
Those are Apple's numbers from its AirPods compare page, not my ears. I haven't done a side-by-side listening test, and I won't pretend to. What the spec sheet says clearly is that the new pair cancels more noise (Apple's launch release puts it at "up to 50 percent more external noise" removed) and handles water better. Battery life and chip are the same.
The AirPods 4 ANC's only win is the case. It charges wirelessly and has a speaker for Find My, and the $129 AirPods 5 case is USB-C only. If that matters to you, the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case gets it back, and adds volume swipe and an hour more listening per charge (5 hours with ANC, per Apple). That's $19 over the old ANC model for the newer earbuds and the better case.
Apple AirPods 5
The default buy. They were $129 sold by Amazon.com on 25 Sep 2026. ANC is standard, and Apple rates them up to 1.5× more noise cancellation than AirPods 4 ANC, plus IP57. Watch for a dip on 6–7 October.
Get this one if you want the wireless case. It was $149 sold by Amazon.com on 25 Sep 2026. You get the same newer ANC plus a Qi/Apple Watch case with a Find My speaker, volume swipe, and 5 hours per charge with ANC (per Apple).
Noise cancellation is the whole point on a commute. That's why ANC being standard on the AirPods 5 changes the math. · Generated with Higgsfield
The thresholds: when the AirPods 4 win
What I'd pay for new AirPods 4 against AirPods 5 at $129
AirPods 4 (no ANC), new from third party$137+: skip
AirPods 4 with ANC, Amazon.com$129.99: skip
AirPods 5$129: the default
AirPods 4 with ANC: my 'worth it' lineUnder ~$109: fair
AirPods 4 (no ANC): my 'worth it' lineUnder ~$89: fair
AirPods 4 with ANC, new, under ~$109: about $20 under the AirPods 5 buys you the older ANC plus a wireless case. That's a fair trade if you sell yourself on the case.
AirPods 4 (no ANC), new, under ~$89: fine if you truly never want noise cancellation. Apple lists no ANC, no transparency mode, no Conversation Awareness and no Live Translation on this model, but it does get 5 hours per charge with noise control off.
Used AirPods 4 at ~$91–94: in-ear gear bought used is a personal call. I wouldn't pay $91 used when $129 gets new AirPods 5 with ANC.
AirPods 5 drops during Prime Big Deal Days: buy it. Any cut below $129 makes the older models pointless.
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
Only buy this under about $109 new. On 25 Sep 2026 it was $129.99 from Amazon.com, which is more than the AirPods 5. If it drops on 6–7 October, check the offer list says "Sold by Amazon.com", not a reseller.
+ You want a wireless charging case and the AirPods 4 ANC drops to ~$109 or less
+ You actively dislike noise cancellation and find the plain AirPods 4 under ~$89 new
+ You found a first-party open-box deal with a proper return window
Cons
− At $129.99 the AirPods 4 ANC costs more than the AirPods 5 and cancels less noise
− New AirPods 4 (no ANC) from third parties cost $137+, more than the AirPods 5
− IP54 vs IP57, if you sweat or get caught in the rain a lot
8/ 10
Verdict
Nadia's verdict
Buy the AirPods 5 at $129. The launch-week AirPods 4 deals were real for a few days and are gone. What's left is the ANC model at a penny over the new pair and resellers above it. Want the wireless case? Pay $149 for the AirPods 5 version rather than $129.99 for last year's. Only switch if you see the AirPods 4 prices under the thresholds above on 6–7 October.
Best for: iPhone users picking between the two generations of Apple's regular AirPods this autumn.
Not set on Apple? My cheap earbuds that beat AirPods piece covers the Android-friendly options. The same "old model got more expensive" pattern is showing up on Macs too; I did the maths on the M4 vs M6 Mac mini this week.
Quick answers
Are AirPods 4 cheaper than AirPods 5 now?
Not new, as of 25 Sep 2026. On Amazon the AirPods 5 were $129 and the AirPods 4 with ANC were $129.99, both sold by Amazon.com. New AirPods 4 without ANC were $137 or more from third-party sellers. The only sub-$100 AirPods 4 on the page were used units from Amazon Resale ($91.26–$94.05).
Do the AirPods 5 have noise cancellation?
Yes, both models. The $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case both have ANC. Apple says they cancel up to 1.5× more noise than the AirPods 4 with ANC. The difference between the two AirPods 5 models is the case (USB-C vs wireless with Find My speaker), volume swipe, and battery (4 vs 5 hours with ANC).
What happened to the $99 AirPods 4 deal?
Gizmodo reported AirPods 4 at $99 and AirPods 4 ANC at $149 on Amazon on 10 Sep 2026, the day after the AirPods 5 were announced. By 25 Sep Amazon.com was no longer offering the plain AirPods 4 new. The ANC model was $129.99 from Amazon.com, which is now slightly more than the AirPods 5.
Will AirPods be cheaper on Prime Big Deal Days (6–7 October)?
Nobody can promise that. If the AirPods 5 drop below $129, buy them. For the older pair, I'd only buy the AirPods 4 ANC new under about $109 and the plain AirPods 4 new under about $89. Anything above that loses to new AirPods 5.
Is the AirPods 4 ANC's wireless case worth paying for?
It's convenient if you already charge an Apple Watch or use a Qi pad. But the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case has a wireless case with a Find My speaker as well, plus the newer ANC and IP57. At 25 Sep prices that's $19 more than the AirPods 4 ANC, for the newer earbuds and the same kind of case.
