Updated: September 10, 2024, 9:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time This story has been updated to include additional links to Amazon and Best Buy pre-order listings.
You can pre-order the new Apple AirPods anywhere:
How about pairing your new iPhone 16 with some new AirPods?
Apple unveiled three new models with varying degrees of freshness at its “Glowtime” event on Monday, September 9, including new AirPods 4 (with or without active noise cancellation) and some updated USB-C AirPods Max , a total of five new models.
Apple Event 2024: Everything announced, including iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10
AirPods 4 with ANC are priced at $179, without ANC for $129, and AirPods Max are priced at $549. Pre-orders are now available at the Apple Store, Amazon and Best Buy ahead of its official launch on Friday, September 20.
While Apple didn’t announce a new version of AirPods Pro at Monday’s event, it did show off some new health features coming later this fall, including clinical-grade hearing aids. They’re not much different from the standard (non-Pro) AirPods, though.
Mix and match speed of light
What’s new with AirPods 4
AirPods, do you need four…four and a half?
Credit: Apple
The new standard-bearer in the AirPods family features an updated open-back earphone design that is said to make them the “most comfortable AirPods ever.” They’re powered by the H2 chip, the same processor currently found in the AirPods Pro 2, adding support for features like voice isolation and Siri interaction (exclusive to the former Pro); you’ll be able to use it with head movement or by pressing a new button on its stem. force sensors to control them. Apple also promised that “sound quality will be greatly improved.”
AirPods 4 have the same battery life as their predecessors—up to 30 hours when using the included charging case—despite a 10 percent smaller charging case and a new USB-C port.
AirPods 4 without ANC start at $129, the same price as the now-discontinued AirPods 2 after a 2021 price cut. (It will initially cost $159 when it launches in 2019.)
The Lightning cable is dead: All products at Apple event use USB-C
For another $50, you can upgrade to AirPods 4 with ANC, a first for non-Pro AirPods models. They come with transparency mode, adaptive audio (which blends it with ANC based on your surroundings), and conversation awareness (which lowers the audio when you’re talking to someone). (These were also once exclusive to the AirPods Pro 2.) Their USB-C housing has a speaker that aids Apple’s Find My tool, and they can charge wirelessly or with an Apple Watch charger.
The price of the ANC-equipped AirPods 4 is the same as the now-discontinued AirPods 3 from 2021.
What’s new in AirPods Max
Same design, new rainbow color options.
Credit: Apple
Monday’s AirPods Max update was a last-minute surprise, but it ended up being decidedly less eye-catching than the AirPods 4: Apple’s over-ear headphones now come with a USB-C charging port and come in five new colors, including Midnight , starlight, blue, orange and purple. (They retain the same design, fit, H1 chip, and 20-hour battery life from 2020.) What will Tim Cook think of next?
In terms of price, AirPods Max still retails for $549, which is too expensive.
