Apple AirPods 4: Everything we know so far and what we want to see
AirPods 4 feel overdue. In fact, they feel overdue. It’s been over two years since the Apple AirPods 3 hit store shelves, and Apple still hasn’t officially said when we can expect their successors—though we do have a big Apple event confirmed, the “It’s Glowtime” party on September 9, starting at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST. (The name? Presumably a reference to the new glowing, squeeze-your-phone Siri experience that comes with phones that support Apple Intelligence. So now you know.)
Back to the icy white earbuds you came here for, and while the AirPods Pro 2 still rank high on our list of the best earbuds (we’re also hoping for the AirPods Pro 3, by the way, on September 9), the AirPods 3 have had a rough go of it. And now they’ve got a lot more competition than when they launched in October 2021.
We’re not just waiting for AirPods 4 – it’s fair to say Apple’s non-Pro-suffix AirPods are all getting an update , and we’re especially eager to see either AirPods Max 2 or the long-awaited AirPods Lite. The question is when those will arrive – and, if you’re in the market for a pair of AirPods, whether you should wait for the fourth-generation, or grab one of the best AirPods deals going right now.
To help you decide, we’ve collected all the leaks, tips, and intel currently circulating surrounding the AirPods 4. From release date rumors to chatter about new hardware tricks, you’ll find all the latest AirPods 4 news below. We’ve also weighed in on which upgrades we think are most likely to make it to market, and which features we’d like to see.
Apple’s last big reveal, WWDC 2024, took place on June 10th and the AirPods 4 weren’t announced at the time (which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone), but we fully expect them and the AirPods Max 2 to release before the end of 2024. Apple did announce five free upgrades for the AirPods Pro 2 thanks to iOS 18, so if the AirPods 4 use the same H2 chip as the AirPods Pro 2, which we’re expecting, then those features are likely coming to the new model as well.
Apple AirPods 4 Release Date and Price Rumors
The AirPods 3 launched on October 26, 2021, priced at $179 / £169 / AU$279. It’s rare for Apple to drop the price of a similar upgrade, so we’d expect the fourth-generation AirPods to retail for a similar price.
There is a caveat, however. Recent rumors have suggested that Apple could release two versions of the AirPods 4: the regular version and a cheaper, more basic variant. Analysts Jeff Pu, Mark Gurman, and Ming-Chi Kuo have all hinted at a lower-cost version of the standard AirPods alongside the mid-range AirPods 4, possibly called the AirPods Lite, which could hit the US market for a more approachable $99 price point.
On September 9, Apple will host its iPhone 16 launch party (see five things to expect at Glowtime and three we don’t for more information about the event itself) and respected Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman has already repeated this several times (also in his letter of August 18) Power On Newsletter) that Apple will likely refresh its entry- and mid-range AirPods at that event. Gurman backed up those claims with a suggestion that the regular AirPods 4 will benefit from noise cancellation and a case equipped for Find My notifications, features the base option apparently won’t offer. Gurman doubled down on those claims of two AirPods 4 models, so he’s clearly got confidence in this leak.
What’s unclear is when (if?) either or both models will launch at the event — though Mark Gurman said on September 6 that we’d likely see the Lite and 4, but not the AirPods Max 2 or AirPods Pro 3. Apple’s September and October 2023 events passed without any mention of the AirPods 4. The original AirPods launched in December 2016, followed by the second-generation in March 2019, and then the AirPods 3 in October 2021. Based on those date windows, the AirPods 4 would be late after the first quarter of 2024.
We’re definitely expecting the AirPods 4 to come out this year, a timeline backed up by Gurman, who claimed in February 2024 (again, writing for Bloomberg) that the AirPods 4 would arrive “in late 2024.” When, late 2024? It could certainly be September or October, though for that we’d have to point to an update Gurman provided in March. He wrote that it could be Apple’s “biggest AirPods launch yet,” with production expected to begin in May.
Kuo largely agrees, suggesting that the AirPods 4 may not ship until then. Kuo said at the time that there could be delays that could push the launch date back to early 2025 due to a change in manufacturing partners, but a report from Apple analyst Jeff Pu in March confirmed that Foxconn was on board as one of the suppliers, with plans to start production in India in the fourth quarter. So while a launch at an Apple event in the spring is possible, it seems more likely we’ll have to wait longer.
Apple AirPods 4: Design and Features
In our review of the AirPods 3, we found their shorter stems and contoured cups to be more comfortable than previous editions. We hope and expect the design to be further refined for the fourth generation.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that the next AirPods will merge the design of the AirPods 3 with the AirPods Pro 2. The two are already visually very similar, so it’s likely that the AirPods 4 will refine the existing formula rather than doing anything revolutionary with the styling. In the same vein, we’re guessing the AirPods 4 will follow all previous editions and just come in Apple’s signature white finish.
One welcome update would be the addition of interchangeable eartips to the AirPods 4, a feature currently reserved for the Pro series. Unfortunately, Gurman thinks this is unlikely, and instead suggests that the AirPods 4 will retain the non-sealed setup of previous editions. This points away from the presence of active noise cancellation on the AirPods 4, though he doesn’t rule it out.
Likewise, we’d like to see the touch controls deployed to offer on-bud volume controls, as they do on the AirPods Pro 2. We commented on this omission in our review of the AirPods 3 , and it feels like a feature that should be offered as standard, rather than being reliant on Siri or your smartphone. Only time will tell whether Apple agrees and adds it to the AirPods 4.
As for the charging case, there’s been a lot of discussion about a switch to USB-C. This is almost a certainty, given the EU’s ruling on ports and the fact that Apple has already started installing the interface on its flagship devices, including the iPhone 15 family. Gurman even thinks that all AirPods will move to USB-C next year.
Apple AirPods 4: Sound Quality
The sound quality of the AirPods 3 was balanced and generally impressive, but far from the best out there. An unsealed fit means the bass will never be brilliant, but we’re still hoping to hear improvements in the AirPods 4. These could come from refinements to Adaptive EQ, or the presence of Apple’s H2 chip (see below).
The AirPods Pro will still be promoted as Apple’s audiophile-grade earbuds of choice, but Apple needs to at least keep pace with wireless in-ears that cost less and sound better – like the Sony WF-C700N. We’ll have to wait and see how it handles that one.
If Apple does indeed release a cheaper version of the AirPods 4, we don’t expect the core audio quality to suffer, but it’s likely Apple will scrap certain premium listening features from the cheaper option. These could include ear detection and support for Spatial Audio.
If you listen to music on a platform that doesn’t support Spatial Audio, like Spotify, then ditching Spotify in exchange for a lower price might make the “Lite” version of the AirPods 4 a more attractive choice.
Apple AirPods 4: Software and Performance
While battery life improved with the AirPods 3, those gains were negated when Spatial Audio was enabled. We’re hoping that the AirPods 4 see a significant improvement in longevity. One way to achieve this could be with Apple’s H2 chip.
The H2 chip, which is already in the AirPods Pro 2, is more efficient than the H1 equivalent in the AirPods 3. It also supports Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, which itself is more efficient and more stable than Bluetooth 5.0. The computational smarts of the H2 chip could also contribute to improved audio quality, though it’s unclear how much of an impact this would have without ANC.
The addition of the H2 chip to the AirPods 4 would mirror the trickle-down approach that Apple takes with its smartphone processors. Assuming the AirPods Pro 3 are also on the way, potentially equipped with a new H3 chip, the H2 makes sense as an incremental performance upgrade over the AirPods 4 – at least for the full-priced version.
As for other features, we think there’s a good chance that other, formerly Pro features will also make their way to the AirPods 4, most notably support for Find My notifications through speakers in the charging case.
Other developments invented by Mark Gurman Future AirPods models are expected to include temperature sensors and support for some kind of hearing data. Whether and when we’ll see such features remains to be seen, and it seems likely they’ll be introduced in an AirPods Pro update ahead of the standard model.
