4 things you need to know about Apple’s 2024 AirPods lineup

Apple had a lot to show during Monday’s “Glowtime” event, the focus of course being the iPhone 16 lineup and Apple Intelligence. But there were certainly other products on the display — including new AirPods, which the company is counting on millions of people buying when they go to pick up a new iPhone on September 20. They’re right there at the Apple Store, after all.

Before you give the company even more of your currency, though, here’s what you need to know about Apple’s AirPods updates. For some people, it may be worth saving up for more expensive earbuds.

1 Active noise cancelation is here for the masses

Still at a slight premium, though

Until now, the only AirPods with active noise cancelation (ANC) technology have been the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. That created a problem, not just for cost-conscious shoppers but for Apple itself, since in recent years ANC has become increasingly commonplace, even on budget audio. And it’s no wonder why — ANC can be legitimately life-changing, for instance eliminating distractions at work or allowing you to actually hear your movie during a cross-country flight. Even in relatively quiet conditions, ANC tends to improve the “purity” of your music.

We’re not expecting the new AirPods 4th gen with ANC to match the Max or even the Pro in ANC quality, but Apple is giving them features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness, which automatically tailor cancelation to your environment. That’s big deal in terms of convenience, which is all most people really expect from entry-level earbuds.

The catch is that ANC isn’t available on Apple’s absolute cheapest AirPods 4 model — you’ll have to pay $179 instead of $129, which is at least less than the AirPods Pro.

2 You’ll be able to use the AirPods Pro as hearing aids

Seniors can look cool too, at last

Apple

In a first for consumer headphones, you’ll soon be able to use the AirPods Pro as hearing aids, instead of paying the fortune some medical tech companies demand. It’s an extrapolation of the ANC-related technologies we mentioned a moment ago — just geared towards enhancing ambient sound instead of shutting it out. Assuming it works as advertised, it could revolutionize hearing care.

Indeed, Apple is even planning to let people use the AirPods Pro to conduct informal hearing tests. That makes sense, though, since all you do during a clinical test is confirm whether or not you can hear tones at varying frequencies. With earbuds, it’s a matter of app support and ensuring the drivers can replicate those tones. Apple has got that — you’ll just perform a five-minute test that saves data in Apple Health.

You’ll have to wait a bit, however. The necessary update to iOS 18 and the AirPods Pro firmware is only due sometime this fall.

3 The cheapest AirPods should sound better

As good as Beats?

Apple

Well, they probably won’t sound as good as the Beats Fit Pro, but both versions of the AirPods 4th gen are said to sport a new acoustic architecture. That should mean better bass and clearer highs, traditionally something Apple has used to upsell people on both Beats products and more expensive AirPods.

There’s not too much more to say on this front, but Apple’s H2 chip will support Personalized Spatial Audio and voice isolation during phone calls. The company is also adding a speaker to its new, more compact charging case, which will make it easier to find if you lose it.

4 Not much new for the AirPods Max

Lightning is dead – long live USB-C

Apple

Apple probably didn’t need to make many changes to keep people interested in the AirPods Max, and it’s taking the path of least resistance. The Max now finally has USB-C, removing one of the last vestiges of Lightning from the Apple ecosystem — not that it should’ve been on top-flight headphones in the first place.

The only other change of note is several new color options: Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Starlight. Those will probably be welcome, since not everyone was enthused with the original options, like a minty green.