Amazon Oct Prime Day: 25 of the best early Apple deals

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Apple fans should circle Oct. 7 and 8 on their calendars: That's when Amazon is having its fourth annual Prime Big Deal Days sale. This "October Prime Day" event (a Black Friday kickoff of sorts) typically prompts record-low prices on AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks, marking one of the absolute best times of year to upgrade any older Apple gadgets that just aren't cutting it.

This year, Prime Big Deal Days comes hot on the heels of Apple's "Awe Dropping" launch of new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. I doubt the new iPhone 17 series or iPhone Air will go on sale once the event starts, but I'm pretty confident we'll see some initial discounts on the new Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3, as well as the updated AirPods Pro 3.

At the time of publication in late September, the Series 11 was already $10 off (normally $399, now $389). I'd personally wait to see if it dips even lower, but if you're jonesing to have it right away post-release, this is a fine excuse to add it to your cart.

Two Apple gadgets that I'd go ahead and buy now without hesitation are the 11-inch M3 iPad Air (normally $599) and the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (normally $999), which Amazon currently has on sale for all-time lows of $449 and $799, respectively. I can't see them getting much cheaper once Prime Big Deal Days begin. (Happy to be proven wrong, though!)

If you're in the market for new AirPods, I'd definitely hold off on buying them: None of the current or previous-gen models have gone on sale at noteworthy prices yet. The best AirPods deal I've spotted so far on Amazon is a $50 discount on the AirPods Pro 2 (normally $249), which is still $50 higher than their price during Amazon's flagship Prime Day sale in July — not awful, but not stellar, either. I think we can do better.

Below, I've rounded up over two dozen of the best early October Prime Day Apple deals. I'll continue to monitor prices and flag record lows (marked with a 🔥) in the lead-up to the sale, so check back often.

Best AirPods deal

Why we like them

The second-generation AirPods Pro offer top-tier sound quality, excellent noise cancellation, and a battery life of about seven hours per charge. They're our current favorite earbuds for Apple users, though that may soon change once we finish testing the newer AirPods Pro 3, which have a different design and five swappable ear tips (up from three), even better active noise cancellation, Live Translation, and extra health features. They're a pretty significant upgrade on paper, but if price is your biggest concern, the AirPods Pro 2 are $50 cheaper for the time being.

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C).

More AirPods deals

• Apple AirPods 4 — $119 $129 (save $10)

• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC — $168.99 $179 (save $10.01)

• Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) — $519 $549 (save $30)

Best Apple Watch deal

Why we like it

The Apple Watch Series 11 is our new favorite fitness-tracking smartwatch and a worthy upgrade from its predecessor simply for its extended battery life: The less you have to use it in Low Power Mode, the more accurate health features like Sleep Score will be. Other (more minor) upgrades include a more scratch-resistant display and a new space gray finish.

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple Watch Series 11.

More Apple Watch deals

• Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm) — $329 $399 (save $70)

• Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS + cellular, 42mm) — $429 $499 (save $70)

Best iPad deal

Why we like it

A spring 2025 release, the 11-inch iPad Air is our favorite iPad for most people because of its sleek design, gorgeous display, and impressive performance; in our CPU benchmark, it proved to be just a tad slower than an M3 MacBook Pro. Tack on a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a budget-friendly laptop alternative. Its 128GB base model is sitting at a best-ever price of $449 ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. Some record lows on the 256GB and 512GB variants are available for a limited time at Woot, Amazon's daily deals site.

Read Mashable's full review of the 11-inch Apple iPad Air (M3).

More iPad deals

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) — $299 $349 (save $50)

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $449 $499 (save $50)

• Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) — $489 $499 (save $10)

• Apple iPad, 10.9-inch (A14 Bionic, WiFi + cellular, 256GB) — $499 $649 (save $150) 🔥

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M3, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $599 $749 (save $150) 🔥

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M3, WiFi, 128GB) — $649 $799 (save $150) 🔥

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M3, WiFi + cellular, 128GB) — $799 $949 (save $150) 🔥

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $899 $999 (save $100

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M4, WiFi + cellular, 256GB) — $1,081.99 $1,199 (save $117.01) 🔥

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $1,193 $1,299 (save $106)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M4, WiFi + cellular, 256GB) — $1,399 $1,499 (save $100)

Best MacBook deal

Why we like it

The latest MacBook Air is an absolute powerhouse, outperforming 89% of the laptops in our current testing database (many of which cost significantly more). Compared to the previous-gen M3 model, it offers a 24% speed boost along with an improved 12MP Center Stage camera and added open-lid support for two external displays. The 13-inch model is only $799 on Amazon right now, an all-time low that beats its July Prime Day deal by $30. Patience is a virtue, or something.

Read Mashable's full review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air (M4).

More MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $999 $1,199 (save $200) 🔥

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299 $1,599 (save $300) 🔥

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,249 $2,499 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4 Max, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,869 $3,199 (save $330)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $3,099 $3,499 (save $400)