Fans of Apple’s tip-less earbuds known as the AirPods are in for a treat, as a new pair pops up in two options: better or better with noise cancellation.
It’s been a few years since the AirPods were updated, and that’s a long time in headphone world. When it comes to earphones and headphones, the rate at which we see new products is typically closer to one every 1 to 2 years, sometimes stretching into 3 years for upgrade cycles.
With the last pair of earbuds from Apple without the tips, the latter is exactly how long it has been: three years since the AirPods 3 appeared, providing improvements in just about everywhere, from the design to the sound quality and even supporting Spatial Audio.
But three years is a long time in audio, and there is a lot of competition now. So it only makes sense Apple is ready with a fourth version, aptly named the AirPods 4.
AirPods 4 with and without active noise cancellation
“AirPods 4” is the official name, but most people will probably just call this pair the “AirPods”, because they’re the style of tip-less earbuds you wear by simply throwing them in your ears.
There aren’t a heap of earbuds that don’t have tips, and it’s an area Apple has largely led for ages, while the style with tips offers plenty of competition.
The latest pair will keep much of the look set by the last pair, but make improvements to the design and fit. Thanks to more data to map thousands of ear shapes, Apple has improved on the AirPods fit, which may mean more people will find them comfortable. Tip-less earbuds can leave listeners in a position of either loving them or hating them, and that often comes from the design, which can feel like they’re falling out.
The sound is also improving, thanks to a new architecture built with a combination of low-distortion driver and an amplifier delivering a high dynamic range, not to mention the Apple H2 chip which will process the audio, too. Support for head-tracking is also here, much like it was in the previous generation.
The AirPods 4 also feature up to 30 hours of battery life through the case, which can be charged using USB-C and Qi wireless charging.
All of that will come in the standard AirPods 4, priced at $219 in Australia. However, depending on how much you spend, they’ll also feature something normally specific to Apple’s earphones with a tip: active noise cancellation.
For $299, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation will upgrade the tech to support upgrade microphones while unlocking noise cancellation technology in an open audio design.
It won’t quite be the same experience as the AirPods Pro’s noise cancellation, but it will use computational audio to reduce environmental noise, such as the engines from aircraft, the hum of traffic, and other typically cancelled out sounds ANC normally handles.
Apple will also include a “transparency” mode to let you switch this off, essentially hearing through the earbuds, while its Conversation Awareness technology originally added to the AirPods Pro previously will pick up on where you’re talking and lower the sound accordingly.
As for whether ANC will work effectively in a pair of open earbuds, that remains to be seen. Previous efforts by companies to try open sound earbuds with ANC often come up a little shorthanded, at least by comparison, but it will be interesting to see whether Apple can nail it.
AirPods Max with USB-C
If three years was a long time for the AirPods 4, then four years in between the original AirPods Max goes even further.
The good news is that Apple has a new pair of AirPods Max also on the cards, but not much has changed.
On the one hand, the 2024 AirPods Max will switch the port type from Apple’s mostly retired Lightning port to the more common USB-C, which is a win. You’ll also find new colours.
But that appears to be roughly it, with some of the audio processing improvements seen through in new Apple processors missing in action here.
Australian pricing and availability
In terms of pricing and availability, September 20 is when you can expect all three variants, with the AirPods 4 available online and in store in Australia for $219, with the noise cancelling AirPods 4 found for $299 locally.
Meanwhile, the AirPods Max will retain their existing $899 price tag, launching the new pair alongside on September 20.
In terms of previous models, they appear to have disappeared, as the previous entry-level AirPods 2 can no longer be found on the Apple Store, and neither can the wired EarPods equivalent. That shouldn’t come as a major surprise, mind you, with the $129 Beats Solo Buds likely taking their place and available now.
