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

[News]

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
Transparency mode	No
Adaptive Audio	No			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			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
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

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/head...pples-headphone-lineup-190150611.html?src=rss