Not only should we see the AirPods 4 officially in a month or so, but we could be getting two new versions to choose from, Mark Gurman writes in the latest subscriber edition of his Power On newsletter.
Up to now, Apple has offered standard, Pro and Max versions of Apple's headphones to choose from. But Gurman has reported for some time that this fall, Apple could release a new cheaper pair of AirPods to replace the AirPods 2 from 2019, (an older model that Apple's kept around as a budget option) along with a sequel to the AirPods 3 that launched in 2021.
The main difference between the cheap and mid-priced new AirPods, Gurman explains, is that the more expensive pair will offer active noise cancelation (ANC) — something only the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have had before now.
An eagerly-awaited upgrade
With smartphones having pretty firmly rejected the headphone jack several years ago, wireless earbuds have effectively become a basic accessory for smartphones in the same way cases have. So first-party earbuds options that fit more budgets sound good, though it will depend on how much you have to sacrifice for this alleged basic model.
Fortunately, an overhaul remains on track. The new [AirPods] models will both look similar, but the mid-tier one will get active noise cancellation for the first time. Everything appears to still be a go for this fall, with a third-generation version of the AirPods Pro not coming until later.
Mark Gurman
Looking at the AirPods 2's features versus the AirPods 3's shows how much has changed between these generations, like upgraded sound, Spatial Audio compatibility, a more modern design and wireless charging. If Apple's new cheap earbuds still lack all these features, they could end up a poor value compared to the more expensive models.
There's also the matter of the AirPods Max, which launched in 2020 and haven't been refreshed since. Unfortunately the rumor mill currently claims it'll receive only a small update this year, and miss out on an upgrade to Apple's latest H2 audio chip that powers features like conversation awareness or adaptive noise control.
We're expecting a big Apple September event like usual, so that should be the time and place these new AirPods 4 models appear. And with the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch 10 tipped to appear too, it's sounding like a packed presentation already.
