At Apple’s September ‘It’s Glowtime‘ event, the Cupertino-based company announced updates to its entire AirPods range including two new models of its entry-level AirPods, unsurprisingly called ‘AirPods 4’ and ‘AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation’, a slightly refreshed AirPods Max model, and a few new features for the AirPods Pro 2.
AirPods 4 enters the chat
Apple was very proud of the fact that it mapped over 50 million ears to fine-tune the fit of its new ‘buds. If you’re already within the Walled Garden then you probably won’t mind because the AirPods 4 keep the open-air design and are apparently the company’s “most comfortable AirPods ever.”
They receive the H2 chip which first appeared in the first-gen AirPods Pro in 2022. It brings Bluetooth 5.3 and 48kHz noise reduction smarts to Apple’s base earbuds (the more expensive model, that is). This means poor folks who can’t afford AirPods Pro or AirPods Max can enjoy improved audio (which the company says is its best ever – no surprise there) and personalised spatial audio.
Thanks to the new H2 chip, the Fruit Company has also brought active noise cancellation, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness features to the slightly more expensive model of its entry-level ‘buds.
Being the innovative company it is, Apple has included a USB-C port in the AirPods 4 case and totally not because the EU’s Digital Markets Act says it has to. This case is also the smallest of the AirPods range and now includes 30 hours of total battery life and support for wireless charging. And for the forgetful among us, the case sports a previously AirPods Pro-exclusive speaker to help with pinpointing its location using the Find My network.
Cook’s new entry-level AirPods 4 will go for $130 (R2,321) while the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation will cost $180 (R3,213) in the US. Expect them to cost more here as usual and be available slightly later in South Africa.
AirPods Max 1.5 and AirPods Pro 2.5
Despite the rumours about a whole new AirPods Max model, Apple is keeping that for another event and only announced new colours – black, purple, and orange – and the switch to USB-C for its current iteration of over-ear headphones. It’s just as well that it kept the same $550 price in the US, or between R12,000 and R13,000 here.
The AirPods Pro earbuds have forgone a complete hardware update but will instead receive a suite of health-focused features… just as soon as the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approves them.
Those include a hearing protection feature that should protect your delicate ears if you wear your AirPods Pro to a live music concert and a clinically validated hearing test to see just how much damage you’ve sustained from not wearing your AirPods Pro to a live music concert. The test will create a personalised hearing profile that will boost the specific frequencies you need in real-time to make up for standing right in front of the concert speakers.
The company says these health-focused features are coming to devices in the US (when the FDA gives the all-clear) and over 100 other countries following that. Whether South Africa will make the list remains to be seen although we wouldn’t hold our breath for them. If SA does get the nod, they’ll be available as over-the-air updates.
