Amazon’s Big Deal Days sale (aka October Prime Day) is a week away. But if you don’t want to wait until October 6 to start shopping, there are a number of retailers offering early deals on everything from beauty must-haves to popular tech products, including a number of early deals on Apple products. You can find markdowns at places like Walmart, Target, Macy’s and Best Buy.
I frequently cover shopping events like Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a commerce editor for NBC Selected, so I know how to find deals that are actually worth buying. Below, I rounded up the best Apple deals happening right now from retailers other than Amazon. I’ll frequently update this list with newly-added deals, so continue to check back from now through October Prime Day .
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Not everyone can stand the plugged-up pressure of silicone eartips, and for those listeners, AirPods 4 are worth a look. Their semi-open design sits lightly in the ear, and in our testing they felt comfortable yet secure enough to wear for hours. You still get active noise cancellation, along with up to five hours of playback per charge and another 25 hours from the charging case.
For listeners who prefer over-ear headphones, AirPods Max are Apple’s top-tier option, delivering rich, detailed sound along with strong noise cancellation, a natural-sounding transparency mode, and clear call quality. They feature a knit mesh canopy and memory foam ear cushions that help spread out the weight, plus a Digital Crown for precise volume control and more. Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking creates a theater-like sound for movies and music, and the battery lasts up to 20 hours with noise cancellation turned on.
The Apple Pencil Pro comes closer to the feel of a real pencil than any other Apple stylus, and if you draw, sketch, or take detailed notes you’ll notice the difference. A gentle squeeze brings up a tool palette so you can switch brushes or colors without breaking focus, while double-tap lets you quickly toggle tools.
A built-in gyroscope enables barrel roll, so rotating the pencil changes the angle of shaped pen and brush strokes just like tilting a real one. It also offers pressure sensitivity, subtle haptic feedback that confirms your actions, and hover previews that show where your mark will land before you touch the screen. The Pencil attaches magnetically to the side of an iPad to pair and charge, and it’s supported by the Find My app in case it goes missing.
Beats headphones are a great match for anyone in the Apple ecosystem, pairing in seconds with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. With this particular pair, battery life is a standout at up to 40 hours on a single charge. You can go wireless over Bluetooth or plug in with the included cables for a wired connection that can boost audio quality in certain apps. They also offer active noise canceling for when you want to tune out the world, plus a transparency mode for when you need to hear what’s going on around you.
Like Beats Studio Pro, these on-ear headphones connect over Bluetooth, but you can also plug them in with the included USB-C cable for more detailed sound in supported apps. Where they really shine is battery life, getting up to 50 hours on a full charge — a significant increase from Apple headphones — and a quick 10-minute top-up gets you as much as five hours of playback. The one trade-off is that you won’t find active noise canceling or a transparency mode on these.
The Beats Pill packs surprisingly big sound for its compact, grab-and-go shape. A re-engineered woofer delivers deeper bass with less distortion, while a slight upward tilt aims audio toward you instead of to the ground. It’s IP67-rated against dust and water, runs up to 24 hours on a single full charge, and can even power up your phone through its USB-C port.
Why are these non-Amazon Apple deals worth it?
All of my recommendations above are based on NBC Selected’s previous reporting. I prioritized including products that are award winners and/or that our team tested. When possible, I used price trackers to evaluate the quality of these deals. I only included those that:
- Are 20% off or more
- Are highly rated with at least a 4-star average rating from hundreds of customers across several retailers
Why trust NBC Selected?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Selected who covers various topics, including lifestyle, home and wellness. I’ve covered sales and major shopping events like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday for more than a decade.
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