The reports of Beats’ death are (reportedly) greatly exaggerated. Rather than phasing out the brand, as had been rumored, Apple put Scott Croyle, the former head of product design at phone-maker HTC, in charge of crafting new Beats headphones, according to an unconfirmed report.

Like most Apple fans, you’re probably disappointed that the rumored March 23 date for Apple’s upcoming event might have been a ploy to uncover leakers within the company. If you were eagerly awaiting big news about new products and redesigns, it looks like you’ll be waiting until April.

But perhaps a hot deal on top-rated Bluetooth headphones will satisfy your feelings of rejection. For your convenience, we rounded up the 11 best AirPods Pro alternatives that won’t break the bank.

Sony’s terrific WF-1000XM3 earbuds are widely regarded as the best alternatives to AirPods Pro. Some say they’re even better, despite their silly name. Bag yours today for just $178 — down from $229.99 — for a limited time only.

The buds offer up to 24 hours of playback with their included charging case, plus active noise cancellation, built-in Amazon Alexa, and all-around terrific sound.

If you’re an audio enthusiast, you know that some headphones don’t fare well with age. When you factor in hours of listening time and the advent of the latest and greatest features on newer models, your tried-and-true pair might not have the same allure they did before.

That’s not the case with Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones. These award-winning headphones have stood the test of time well, with fast charging, exceptionally long battery life and Apple’s proprietary W1 chip.

If you want headphones that offer noise cancellation and outstanding sound quality, but you don’t want to pay AirPods Max prices, check out Sony’s brilliant WHXB900N. They look great, have Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant built-in, and are now $100 off on Amazon.

Get yours before the discount disappears!

Whether you’re reliant on music to get you through a workout or require a great set of headphones to help you concentrate at work, it’s pretty much always a good time to upgrade your audio equipment. From earbuds to over-ear headphones and from sweatproof to cushiony, we’ve rounded up the most noteworthy headphones for the holidays. These make the perfect gift for yourself or friends and family — and with coupon code BFSAVE20, you can get early Black Friday access and save an additional 20% off the sale price.

If your ears just don’t get along with AirPods, check out these awesome deals on headphones from Beats, Bose, and Sony instead. You can save up to $119 on some of the hottest models for a limited time only.

There are both in-ear and on-ear options to choose from — as well as wireless speakers, if you prefer.

Apple got approval to release a pair of “totally wireless high-performance earphones” from the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday. But the company didn’t release this product, so exactly what they’ll offer is a mystery.

That said, information buried in the FCC filing shows these will be very similar to last year’s Powerbeats Pro. They might be the successor.

Apple is hooking up its employees with some huge discounts on a few of its audio products this week.

It’s unclear whether it’s being done to help employees be entertained while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic or an effort to move surplus units during a sales lull.

The clearest look yet at Apple’s upcoming over-the-ear headphones was unearthed from an early build of iOS 14 this week.

Icons for Apple’s unreleased over-the-ear headphones were spotted by 9to5Mac, revealing a few features about the headphones’ design as well as a possible timeframe on when they might launch to the public.