Why Apple’s New AirPods 4 Are Dated And Definitely Not Magical

It seems like Apple's new iPhone 16 and Apple Watch launch attracted every soul on Earth. Somewhat hidden away among all that fanfare were the quieter launch of the new AirPods 4 and the updated AirPods Max—Cupertino's latest effort in the consumer audio space. However, some are criticizing the lack of innovation despite the high MSRP.


Starting with the AirPods: this year, Apple has two offerings: the regular AirPods 4 and a model with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Aside from the ANC bit, a quick glance at the design and factory specs basically shows a cursory upgrade—or perhaps more aptly, an update—over the AirPods 3. The new AirPods 4 carry forward the previous generation's spatial audio support and purportedly offer the same "up to 30 hours" of battery life, packed in a design that has barely moved the needle.

That said, Apple engineers have endowed the new earbuds with IP54 ingress resistance (up from IPX4) and a more powerful H2 chip running all the processing and AI functions in the background. Apple specifically notes that the aforementioned ANC model's noise cancellation brings it within striking distance of the noise isolation available on the AirPods Pro 2. That's not a knock on the tech; the AirPods Pro 2 are in-ear ("earphones") while the standard models rest on the outside of your ear ("earbuds"). We're happy to see Apple finally offering the feature on its earbuds, which better caters to users who prefer to hear their surroundings, sometimes, but would like the option of active noise suppression.


As for the AirPods Max, fans who have waited for Apple to bring something new to the flagship headset were likely met with collective disappointment. The four-year old device now gets USB-C charging (which the AirPods 4 gets too, by the way), personalized spatial audio, and new colors... and that's it. No improvements to the lackluster battery life or any reduction in weight, both of which are frequently cited as the biggest negatives of these headphones.

The refreshed AirPods Max can be had right now for the same $550 as the previous model. The standard and ANC iterations of the AirPods 4 are also available for pre-order at $130 (identical to the AirPods 3) and $180, respectively. Apple says that it expects initial deliveries by September 20.