Apple AirPods 4 will arrive later this twelvemonth in two var. , agree to a well - connected Apple newsman .
The main difference between the two model will beactive racket cancellation ( ANC ) , harmonise to Gurman . Apple has thus far reserved the attempt - after feature article for itsAirPods Promodels .
However , with much , much brassy wireless buds now offering ANC , it appears Apple is be after to yield and bring the feature film to the mid - tier AirPods 4 . However , the entranceway - horizontal surface model will still miss the din - pipe down engineering , accord to the veteran Apple watcher .
A modification affecting both of the AirPods 4 edition , according to Gurman , will be the transition from Lightning to USB - C charging as is happening across Apple ’s full product line . It ’s also potential Apple will enable a wireless charging case for the mid - tier AirPods 4 , turn on 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 organization , given the Pro sobriquet is currently in use . perhaps 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 fresh AirPods in October , as is the custom .
It ’s been almost three years since Apple launched AirPods 3 . Our reader said they were an well-situated good word for users who want good - vocalise buds with farseeing barrage fire life while saving a few buck over the Pro variant . However , the absence of ANC and the poor lineament performance in loud environment preclude a higher score than four asterisk .
Elsewhere , the AirPods Pro variant has n’t had a pregnant update since late 2022 and we expect that not to happen for another year . AirPods Max are also due a 2nd generation at some point , but it ’s all placid on that front too . We ’d envisage a significant computer hardware update would include the ability to receive hi - re audio frequency over a wireless connection . Anything short of that runs the risk of feeling iterative .
