Apple AirPods 4 will arrive later this year in two variants, according to a well-connected Apple reporter.
In his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple will soon replace both the AirPods 2 and AirPods 3 with a pair of fourth-generation earbuds.
The main difference between the two models will be active noise cancellation (ANC), according to Gurman. Apple has thus far reserved the sought-after feature for its AirPods Pro models.
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However, with much, much cheaper wireless buds now offering ANC, it appears Apple is planning to relent and bring the feature to the mid-tier AirPods 4. However, the entry-level model will still lack the din-quietening technology, according to the seasoned Apple watcher.
A change affecting both of the AirPods 4 variants, according to Gurman, will be the transition from Lightning to USB-C charging as is happening across Apple’s entire product line. It’s also possible Apple will enable a wireless charging case for the mid-tier AirPods 4, enabling the case to be replenished by MagSafe or other wireless tech.
It’s not clear how Apple would look to distinguish a two-tiered AirPods 4 system, given the Pro moniker is currently in use. Maybe we’ll see AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 Plus this autumn along the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro? It’s probably more likely we’ll see new AirPods in October, as is the tradition.
It’s been almost three years since Apple launched AirPods 3. Our reviewer said they were an easy recommendation for users who wanted good-sounding buds with long battery life while saving a few bucks over the Pro variant. However, the absence of ANC and the poor quality performance in loud environments prevented a higher score than four stars.
Elsewhere, the AirPods Pro variant hasn’t had a significant update since late 2022 and we expect that not to happen for another year. AirPods Max are also due a second generation at some point, but it’s all quiet on that front too. We’d imagine a significant hardware update would include the ability to receive hi-res audio over a wireless connection. Anything short of that runs the risk of feeling iterative.
