Apple AirPods 4 tipped to land soon in two versions – here’s what to expect

The sound of progress

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Right now, choosing thebest AirPodsfor you can be a pretty confusing process, but new rumors suggest thatApplewill remedy this situation soon with the newApple AirPods 4.

Next month, the company is due to be hosting itsiPhone 16launch party, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has just reiterated in hisPower On newsletterthat Apple will likely be refreshing its entry-level and mid-range AirPods at that event.

Right now, you can buy the second-genApple Airpods (2019)or the third-genApple AirPods 3, while theAirPods Pro– the high-end edition of Apple’s in-ear headphones – are only on their second generation. Exactly how you choose between each one – to some, ‘third-generation AirPods’ mightsoundmore advanced than ‘second-generation AirPods Pro’ – isn’t always clear.

But according to Gurman, Apple will update its non-Pro AirPods to theirfourth generation. You’ll be able to choose from either a basic set or a higher-priced model with active noise cancellation – as we recently requested in our newAirPods 4 wishlist. There’s also seemingly a good chance that these models could replace both the second and third-generation AirPods entirely, thereby helping to simplify the lineup.

There may still be some short-term complication – Gurman thinks Apple might continue to sell theAirPods 3for a short time at a discounted price. If that ends up being a limited-time offer until the AirPods 3 are eventually discontinued, it will still mean that the entry-level AirPods will all be on the same fourth generation, making buying a pair a less puzzling situation.

Music to your ears

Why is Apple looking to phase out two AirPods generations in one go? Regulation probably has something to do with it. New EU laws state that companies must offerproducts with USB-C ports, something that the second and third-generation AirPods do not (they still use a propriety Lightning connector). By updating its AirPods across the board, Apple will be able to swap in a USB-C port on each model, helping it avoid further regulatory scrutiny.

Of course, there will be more to the updates than just a new port. Active noise cancellation is currently limited to the AirPods Pro, but Gurman believes that it will come to the higher-priced fourth-generation AirPods this September. As well as that, this model could also come with a wireless charging case,head gesture controlsand improved noise isolation. Beyond that, we might see every model getspatial audioand the ability to wirelessly juice upusing an Apple Watch charging puck.

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The only question is whether the AirPods Pro will get updated to a third-generation model. The AirPods Pro currently use a USB-C charging case, so the need for change is less pressing. Ultimately, we’ll likely find out about the AirPods Pro – and all the other AirPods models – this September at Apple’s mammoth iPhone launch event.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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