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Here’s how the new AirPods 4 compare to the rest of Apple’s headphone lineup

Apple gave its AirPods lineup a makeover on Monday, introducing two different pairs of wireless earbuds dubbed the AirPods 4, a minor refresh for the over-ear AirPods Max and some new features for the existing AirPods Pro. Both models of the fourth-generation AirPods look like slightly smaller versions of the third-gen model from afar, though Apple says the shape has been refined to improve overall comfort. They also feature Apple’s H2 chip, smaller charging cases with USB-C and promised improvements to sound quality. 
The higher-end version of the two comes with active noise cancellation (ANC), which was previously limited to the AirPods Pro and Max. Its case also supports wireless charging and has a speaker that should make the whole thing easier to find if it’s ever misplaced.
The revised AirPods Max, meanwhile, now charge over USB-C and come in a few new colors. Finally, while there aren’t all-new AirPods Pro, Apple says the current model will receive new software features centered on hearing health, including the ability to function as a “clinical-grade” hearing aid.
Of course, the best way to figure out how much these updates matter is to actually listen to the new headphones. Unsealed earbuds like the AirPods 4 tend to naturally let in lots of outside noise, for instance, so we’ll be eager to see how well its ANC feature works. We’ll have full reviews in the near future. If you’re already dead-set on upgrading in some fashion, though, we’ve put together a quick and dirty breakdown of how the updated AirPods lineup stacks up. 

AirPods 4
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
AirPods Pro (2nd gen)
AirPods Max

Pricing (MSRP)
$129
$179
$249
$549

Design type
Earbud (unsealed)
Earbud (unsealed)
In-ear (sealed)
Over-ear

Active noise canceling
No
Yes
Yes
Yes

Transparency mode
No
Yes
Yes
Yes

Adaptive Audio
No
Yes
Yes
No

Multipoint connectivity
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only
No Automatic device switching with Apple devices only

Battery life (rated)
Up to 5 hours
Up to 5 hours (with ANC off; up to 4 hours with ANC enabled)
Up to 6 hours
Up to 20 hours

Total battery life with case (rated)
Up to 30 hours
Up to 30 hours
Up to 30 hours
N/A

Wired charging
USB-C (cable not included)
USB-C (cable not included)
USB-C (cable included) 5 mins in case = around 1 hour of listening time
USB-C (cable included) 5 mins charge = around 1.5 hours of listening time

Wireless charging
No
Yes
Yes
No

Water and dust resistance
IP54
IP54
IP54
No

Size and weight
1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches 0.15 ounces
1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches 0.15 ounces
1.22 x 0.86 x 0.94 inches 0.19 ounces
7.37 x 6.64 x 3.28 inches 13.6 ounces

Case size and weight
1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches 1.14 ounces
1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches 1.22 ounces
1.78 x 2.39 x 0.85 inches 1.79 ounces
4.74 ounces

Chip(s)
Apple H2
Apple H2
Apple H2 Apple U1 in charging case
Apple H1

Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.0

Bluetooth codecs
AAC, SBC
AAC, SBC
AAC, SBC
AAC, SBC

Spatial audio
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Control type
Touch controls with force sensor
Touch controls with force sensor
Touch controls with force sensor and swipes
Digital Crown dial + Noise control button

Mics and sensors
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Optical in-ear sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Optical in-ear sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer
Dual beamforming microphones Inward-facing microphone Skin-detect sensor Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer
Nine microphones total: eight ANC mics, three mics for voice pickup (two shared for ANC) Optical sensor Position sensor Case-detect sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/heres-how-the-new-airpods-4-compare-to-the-rest-of-apples-headphone-lineup-190150611.html?src=rss

Apple gave its AirPods lineup a makeover on Monday, introducing two different pairs of wireless earbuds dubbed the AirPods 4, a minor refresh for the over-ear AirPods Max and some new features for the existing AirPods Pro. Both models of the fourth-generation AirPods look like slightly smaller versions of the third-gen model from afar, though Apple says the shape has been refined to improve overall comfort. They also feature Apple’s H2 chip, smaller charging cases with USB-C and promised improvements to sound quality. 

The higher-end version of the two comes with active noise cancellation (ANC), which was previously limited to the AirPods Pro and Max. Its case also supports wireless charging and has a speaker that should make the whole thing easier to find if it’s ever misplaced.

The revised AirPods Max, meanwhile, now charge over USB-C and come in a few new colors. Finally, while there aren’t all-new AirPods Pro, Apple says the current model will receive new software features centered on hearing health, including the ability to function as a “clinical-grade” hearing aid.

Of course, the best way to figure out how much these updates matter is to actually listen to the new headphones. Unsealed earbuds like the AirPods 4 tend to naturally let in lots of outside noise, for instance, so we’ll be eager to see how well its ANC feature works. We’ll have full reviews in the near future. If you’re already dead-set on upgrading in some fashion, though, we’ve put together a quick and dirty breakdown of how the updated AirPods lineup stacks up. 

AirPods 4

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

AirPods Max

Pricing (MSRP)

$129

$179

$249

$549

Design type

Earbud (unsealed)

Earbud (unsealed)

In-ear (sealed)

Over-ear

Active noise canceling

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Transparency mode

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Adaptive Audio

No

Yes

Yes

No

Multipoint connectivity

No

Automatic device switching with Apple devices only

No

Automatic device switching with Apple devices only

No

Automatic device switching with Apple devices only

No

Automatic device switching with Apple devices only

Battery life (rated)

Up to 5 hours

Up to 5 hours (with ANC off; up to 4 hours with ANC enabled)

Up to 6 hours

Up to 20 hours

Total battery life with case (rated)

Up to 30 hours

Up to 30 hours

Up to 30 hours

N/A

Wired charging

USB-C (cable not included)

USB-C (cable not included)

USB-C (cable included)

5 mins in case = around 1 hour of listening time

USB-C (cable included)

5 mins charge = around 1.5 hours of listening time

Wireless charging

No

Yes

Yes

No

Water and dust resistance

IP54

IP54

IP54

No

Size and weight

1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches

0.15 ounces

1.19 x 0.72 x 0.71 inches

0.15 ounces

1.22 x 0.86 x 0.94 inches

0.19 ounces

7.37 x 6.64 x 3.28 inches

13.6 ounces

Case size and weight

1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches

1.14 ounces

1.82 x 1.97 x 0.83 inches

1.22 ounces

1.78 x 2.39 x 0.85 inches

1.79 ounces

4.74 ounces

Chip(s)

Apple H2

Apple H2

Apple H2

Apple U1 in charging case

Apple H1

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.0

Bluetooth codecs

AAC, SBC

AAC, SBC

AAC, SBC

AAC, SBC

Spatial audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Control type

Touch controls with force sensor

Touch controls with force sensor

Touch controls with force sensor and swipes

Digital Crown dial + Noise control button

Mics and sensors

Dual beamforming microphones

Inward-facing microphone

Optical in-ear sensor

Motion-detecting accelerometer

Speech-detecting accelerometer

Dual beamforming microphones

Inward-facing microphone

Optical in-ear sensor

Motion-detecting accelerometer

Speech-detecting accelerometer

Dual beamforming microphones

Inward-facing microphone

Skin-detect sensor

Motion-detecting accelerometer

Speech-detecting accelerometer

Nine microphones total: eight ANC mics, three mics for voice pickup (two shared for ANC)

Optical sensor

Position sensor

Case-detect sensor

Accelerometer

Gyroscope

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/heres-how-the-new-airpods-4-compare-to-the-rest-of-apples-headphone-lineup-190150611.html?src=rss

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