If any proof were needed that Black Friday isn’t necessarily the best time to buy tech at the cheapest price, Argos is currently selling some of the latest and best in-ear Beats earbuds for a better price than they cost during the just-finished seasonal sales.

Just in time for Christmas, Argos has the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for £149.99, what the retailer says is its “lowest ever price” and a whopping £100 off the RRP. The buds had previously sat at £164.

Also on sale for the same price at Amazon (price tracker Camelcamelcamel showing this really is the cheapest ever price for the buds), the Powerbeats Pro 2 only launched back in February as the sequel to the very popular originals. Beats is owned by Apple, so the Powerbeats Pro 2 gains a whole host of tech you can also find in the AirPods Pro 3, now for a cheaper price.

If you prefer the secure fit of an over-ear hook, then the Beats are a better pick than the AirPods Pro anyway. A fitness-first active design means once you put these in your ears they really cannot fall out, meaning you can dial in to that run, cycle or weights session without worrying about your buds.

That said, the Powerbeats Pro 2 also works perfectly as everyday earphones for listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks, and have decent mics for making calls or attending video calls for work.

I reviewed the Powerbeats when they launched earlier this year, and praised their versatile fit, great sound, solid battery life and noise cancellation and transparency modes. Those handy does are a touch below the quality of the AirPods Pro 3, but it’s very close.

View the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 at Argos

One of my main gripes was that the Beats were too expensive at £249.99, which is £20 more than the AirPods Pro 3. But for £149.99, the Beats become a much more tempting proposition, with the same auto switching for Apple devices you can get on AirPods plus personalised spatial audio in compatible apps.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 also have heart rate sensors in each bud that activate for use when you start a workout using the Apple Workout app on the iPhone or the Apple Watch. It’s a bit of a shame it’s restricted to this app only.

It also means the sensors are a bit useless if you have an Android phone, but the buds do play nice with Android phones, compatible with the platform’s quick pair tech. You can also keep the firmware up to date and customise the on-ear controls via the Beats app for Android.

I don’t know how long this special price for the Powerbeats Pro 2 will last, and cheaper Beats are available, but for £149.99 this is an excellent deal.