Apple gave its AirPods lineup a makeover on Monday, introducing two different pairs of wireless earbuds dubbed the AirPods 4, a minor refresh for the over-ear AirPods Max and some new features for the existing AirPods Pro. Both models of the fourth-generation AirPods look like slightly smaller versions of the third-gen model from afar, though Apple says the shape has been refined to improve overall comfort. They also feature Apple’s H2 chip, smaller charging cases with USB-C and promised improvements to sound quality.
The higher-end version of the two AirPods comes with active noise cancellation (ANC), which was previously limited to the AirPods Pro and Max. Its case also supports wireless charging and has a speaker that should make the whole thing easier to find if it’s ever misplaced.
The revised AirPods Max, meanwhile, now charge over USB-C and come in a few new colors. Finally, while there aren’t all-new AirPods Pro, Apple says the current model will receive new software features centered on hearing health, including the ability to function as a “clinical-grade” hearing aid.
Of course, the best way to figure out how much these updates matter is to actually listen to the new headphones. Unsealed earbuds like the AirPods 4 tend to naturally let in lots of outside noise, for instance, so we’ll be eager to see how well its ANC feature works over time. We have some early impressions of the new AirPods 4 up now, but we’ll have full reviews in the coming days. If you’re already dead-set on upgrading in some fashion, however, we’ve put together a quick and dirty breakdown of how the updated AirPods lineup stacks up.
|
AirPods 4 |
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation |
AirPods Pro (2nd gen) |
AirPods Max |
|
|
Pricing (MSRP) |
$129 |
$179 |
$249 |
$549 |
|
Design type |
Earbud (unsealed) |
Earbud (unsealed) |
In-ear (sealed) |
Over-ear |
|
Active noise canceling |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Transparency mode |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Adaptive Audio |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Multipoint connectivity |
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only |
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only |
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only |
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only |
|
Battery life (rated) |
Up to 5 hours |
Up to 5 hours (with ANC off; up to 4 hours with ANC enabled) |
Up to 6 hours |
Up to 20 hours |
|
Total battery life with case (rated) |
Up to 30 hours |
Up to 30 hours |
Up to 30 hours |
N/A |
|
Wired charging |
USB-C (cable not included) |
USB-C (cable not included) |
USB-C (cable included) 5 mins in case = around 1 hour of listening time |
USB-C (cable included) 5 mins charge = around 1.5 hours of listening time |
|
Wireless charging |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Water and dust resistance |
IP54 |
IP54 |
IP54 |
No |
|
Size and weight |
1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches 0.15 ounces |
1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches 0.15 ounces |
1.22 x 0.86 x 0.94 inches 0.19 ounces |
7.37 x 6.64 x 3.28 inches 13.6 ounces |
|
Case size and weight |
1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches 1.14 ounces |
1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches 1.22 ounces |
1.78 x 2.39 x 0.85 inches 1.79 ounces |
4.74 ounces |
|
Chip(s) |
Apple H2 |
Apple H2 |
Apple H2 Apple U1 in charging case |
Apple H1 |
|
Bluetooth |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.0 |
|
Bluetooth codecs |
AAC, SBC |
AAC, SBC |
AAC, SBC |
AAC, SBC |
|
Spatial audio |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Control type |
Touch controls with force sensor |
Touch controls with force sensor |
Touch controls with force sensor and swipes |
Digital Crown dial + Noise control button |
|
Mics and sensors |
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Optical in-ear sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer |
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Optical in-ear sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer |
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Skin-detect sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer |
Nine microphones total: eight ANC mics, three mics for voice pickup (two shared for ANC) Optical sensor Position sensor Case-detect sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope |
Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!
