Newsletter
Apple just held its latest hardware event, and we’re all still buzzing with excitement. Sure, the iPhone announcement was neat, and the Apple Watch announcement was fine, but all you care about is audio. Here are the new AirPods 4 and other neat stuff that Apple announced during its event.
Let’s start off with the base AirPods 4
The company didn’t really rock the boat when it comes to the design of the AirPods, but that’s to be expected from Apple. This year around, Apple stuck with the iconic design that it’s been using all these years.
What matters is what’s under that design. Apple brought the usual improvements to the AirPods’ drivers. The company improved the acoustic architecture to deliver a more immersive and rich sound. It didn’t go into specifics of how the audio was improved, but we know that your music and other content will sound better. Everything is powered by the Apple H2 chip, and the company touts this as a powerful audio chip.
You can also expect personalized spatial audio. This will give you a more immersive experience when you’re listening to content.
The Apple AirPods 4 bring over a feature that was showcased on the AirPods Pro. This is the ability to nod your head “Yes” to accept a call and shake your head “No” to reject a call. That’s probably the most interesting feature that these earbuds have.
Next, Apple touted voice isolation which will remove the background noise in your environment. This is so that other people can understand you when you’re calling them in a noisy environment.
The case
As for the case, Apple made a few changes as well. Firstly, this case charges via USB-C. The company officially switched over to USB-C with last year’s iPhone 15, but it still making it to the company’s other devices.
Next, Apple made the case a bit smaller. While the size isn’t all that different, it’s still noticeable. Be that as it may, it can still provide up to 30 hours of battery life.
Price and availability
The base AirPods 4 come in at $129. You can pre-order them today. They’ll be available to pick up on September 20th.
Next, we have the AirPods Kinda Pro…
Apple unveiled a new variant of its AirPods 4 with the very catchy name “AirPods4 Active Noise Cancelation”. As you can tell by the name, these earbuds come with ANC, which filters out background noise.
It’s a bit confusing why the company didn’t add ANC to its base AirPods 4, as there are other earbuds that cost much less than those earbuds with ANC. In any case, the ANC in these new AirPods use the embedded microphones to funnel and filter the audio. With the ANC also comes Adaptive Noise Cancelation. This feature will adjust the noise cancelation based on your environment.
Thanks to the microphones, theApple AirPods 4 ANC also have Transparency mode. This uses the microphones to let you hear what’s going on around you. Again, this is a pretty standard feature that should have been on the base AirPods 4.
One feature that’s pretty premium is Conversation Awareness. In all honesty, we’ve seen this on the Google Pixel Buds Pro, so it’s not anything new. This feature will detect when you’re in a conversation and make it so that you can hear who’s talking to you.
Apple’s version differs from Google’s in one key area. According to the keynote, Apple’s Conversation Awareness will simply lower the volume of what you’re listening to. The Pixel Buds Pro will pause your media, which seems more convenient if you don’t want to miss anything during your conversation. The Pixel Buds Pro also enable Transparency mode, while we’re not sure the AirPods 4 ANC do that.
The case
Moving onto these earbuds’ case, it also has USB-C. However, more notably, this case uses wireless charging. It’s compatible with Qi wireless chargers, and you can charge it with the same wireless chargers you use to charge your Apple Watch. Apple also added a speaker to this case to help you locate it when using Find My.
Apple says that it was inspired by the AirPods Pro model, and the company is not wrong there.
Price and availability
The Apple AirPods 4 ANC are $179. Just like with the base AirPods, they’re available to pre-order today with general availability starting on September 20th.
AirPods Pro
Apple didn’t announce a new iteration in this AirPods Pro line, but it did announce some new features coming to the existing models. Firstly, Apple is adding Hearing Protection to these earbuds. This feature will be enabled by default across all modes. When the microphones pick up on loud noises, they will automatically reduce the noise to help avoid any damage to your ears.
Next, Apple added a hearing test to the AirPods Pro. This is a short five-minute test that you can use to assess your hearing and see if you’re losing your hearing. It’s not a replacement for a proper hearing test from your doctor. However, according to the company, 80% of people haven’t gotten their hearing checked in the past five years, so it’s a useful tool to have.
Lastly, Apple brought a hearing aid feature to the AirPods Pro. This will accentuate certain audio for people who have mild to moderate hearing loss. You’ll use this feature after taking your hearing test. Since this is after you take the test, the Apple Hearing app will know what sounds you will need to be boosted in order to properly hear.
AirPods Max
This is barely an update. Apple has basically repackaged the original AirPods Max with USB-C. Other than that, the company added three new colors to choose from. All in all, they come in Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Star Light.
That’s pretty much it. Apple announced that these will also come with personalized spatial audio, so that’s a plus for people who like that technology.
Price and availability
There’s no price hike here, which is nice. These new AirPods Max come in at $549. Pre-orders start today, and you can pick them up on September 20th.