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If you’ve been considering upgrading your earbuds without shelling out top dollar, a pair of refurbished Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) could be the smarter way in. They’re $159.99 on StackSocial right now (a noticeable cut from buying new ) and come with a Grade “A” refurbished rating, meaning they might come with a little cosmetic wear but are guaranteed to work like new. They ship free across the contiguous U.S. and come backed by a third-party 30-day parts and labor warranty—not as reassuring as AppleCare, but enough to cover any immediate surprises. And while they’re not brand-new, the price undercuts what you’d typically expect to pay for a pair that still offers Apple’s top-tier audio performance.
In terms of what you’re getting, the second-gen AirPods Pro deliver some real upgrades over the originals. Active noise cancellation is stronger, transparency mode sounds more natural, and Adaptive Audio now smartly blends noise control depending on your surroundings. If you’re used to older AirPods, the fit here feels tighter and more secure thanks to the extra ear tip sizes (though people with non-standard ear shapes might still find long sessions uncomfortable). Battery life holds okay too, with an estimated six hours of listening on a single charge and around 30 hours when you factor in top-ups from the MagSafe case. The shift to USB-C charging is also a bonus if you’re already moving away from Lightning cables with newer Apple devices, notes this PCMag review .
Still, there are a few things to keep in mind. Refurbished means you’re not getting a brand-new battery, so while it should be close to full health, it won’t have the same lifespan as something straight out of the box. Also, while the AirPods Pro are excellent for iPhone users with features like Personalized Spatial Audio and Find My tracking, they’re less impressive on Android devices, where you lose out on some of the ecosystem perks.
