Amazon has pre Prime Day sale on Apple's most popular iPhone accessory

With Amazon's Prime Day kicking off on Monday, and the same happening with Best Buy on Prime Day and AirPods Prime Day deals, Amazon now has a pre-Prime Day deal on the latest version of Apple's wireless Bluetooth AirPods. Normally priced at $199, you can pick up the AirPods 2 for a $20 or 10% discount. That takes the price down to $179. If you successfully apply for an Amazon Rewards Visa Card, another $50 can be removed from the price. That would allow you to pick up the AirPods 2 for $129! This version of the device was released by Apple last March. It comes with the wireless charging case that works with the PowerShare reverse wireless charging feature on the Samsung Galaxy S10 line. Apple is expected to offer something similar with the 2019 iPhones.

The latest version of the highly popular in-ear accessory (also known as "earables") has longer battery life allowing for 50% more talk time (although there is no change is "listening" time) and always-on Siri that wakes using the "Hey Siri" hotword. When it unveiled the new AirPods Apple said "switching between devices while listening to music on iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad is more seamless than ever with two times faster connect times." The new model introduces Apple's H1 processor and is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0.

Besides Amazon, Walmart also has the latest AirPods with the wireless charging case for $179. Before you spend the money, keep in mind that we could see the true AirPods sequel unveiled later this year. This version of the accessory is expected to feature a water-resistant build, noise-canceling capabilities, improved sound quality, and possibly different color options.

The "earables" category is heating up with Samsung releasing its Galaxy Buds earlier this year ($129.99) Yes, they are compatible with iOS devices although the automatic sync and Ambient Aware Mode features won't work. The former means that automatic pairing with an iPhone is out, while the latter allows users to choose how much outside noise can be heard through the earbuds. Sony has released it's higher-priced ($230) WF-1000XM3 earbuds, and both Amazon and Microsoft are expected to enter this space later this year. Amazon says that its earbuds will cost less and offer higher sound quality than Apple's AirPods.