Apple unveils two new AirPods 4 models with an H2 chip and USB-C; AirPods 4 for $129 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for $179, coming September 20
here's what's missing Damilola Makinde / TechCabal : Apple's new 2024 AirPods lineup features, pictures and prices Tsveta Ermenkova / PhoneArena : Apple's AirPods 4 with ANC is tiptoeing around AirPods Pro 2 territory Nicole Nguyen / Livemint : AirPods 4, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max...? A guide to the confusing new lineup Rudie Obias / Variety : Apple's New AirPods 4 Are Now Available for Pre-Order Online Nicole Nguyen / Wall Street Journal : AirPods 4, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, AirPod...Hearing Aids? A Guide to the Confusing New Lineup Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac : Apple announces AirPods 4 in two new models with H2 chip, USB-C, improved audio, more Daniel Sims / TechSpot : Apple AirPods 4 arrive with Pro-level features at a more affordable price Sagar Naresh Bhavsar / Neowin : You will need to buy a USB-C cable separately to charge the Apple AirPods 4 Sophia Feona Cantiller / GreenBot : Everything You Missed from Apple's Event: iPhone 16, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch 10 Chris Barylick / O'Grady's PowerPage : Apple debuts AirPods 4 wireless earbuds, cites new features between the two product tiers Threads: Quinn Nelson / @snazzyq : Adding USB-C to AirPods Max and doing literally nothing else is a war crime. H2 is in the $130 AirPods 4 but not in the newly refreshed $550 flagship headphones. So many things make AirPods Max unsuitable for purchase in 2024 and they fixed literally ONE of them. Abomination. X: Chris Bakke / @chrisjbakke : The CEO of Sony learning that Airpods have once again outsold the new and improved Sony WH-1000XM5-WHCH720N-WF1000XM5- CH520's for the 15th consecutive quarter [image] Greg Joswiak / @gregjoz : With Active Noise Cancellation and a new design, AirPods 4 are the most advanced and comfortable headphones we've created with an open-ear design. Add five new colors for AirPods Max and a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature for AirPods Pro, and it's an exciting day for your ears! [video] Quinn Nelson / @snazzylabs : If you told me Apple was going to update the AirPods Max with USB-C and then do literally nothing else, I wouldn't have believed you for a second. @om : The Indian head shake is going to confuse the heck out of Siri on AirPods. Imagine accidentally saying yes to mom call during middle of the day!!! Himanshu Rajawat / @himanshurajawt : @MKBHD Loving the improved noise cancellation and that new sleek design 🔥 M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : I'm as big of an AirPods fan as you'll find — and have been since day one. This is... a lot of AirPods options? #AppleEvent Ray Wong / @raywongy : “AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancellation” is the actual name [image] Aaron Zollo / @zollotech : AirPods 4 - H2 chip - Better audio quality - Personalized Spatial Audio - Nod yes or no to answer or decline - Voice isolation - USB-C - Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency - Adaptive Audio -Wireless Charging - Speaker for Find My [image] Gene Munster / @munster_gene : New AirPods 4 with head gestures to answer and decline calls and better noise cancelation and adding transparency mode. Same $179 price as was the previous AirPods 3. Bottom line. AirPods is still a replacement cycle business. Ben Bajarin / @benbajarin : Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 are much more likely to drive a giant upgrade cycle. All data points I've seen confirm a big portion of those installed bases on quite old hardware. LinkedIn: Liz Williams : The inclusion of a clinically validated hearing test in the new Apple AirPods Pro and possible approval as an OTC hearing aid is an exciting addition to the hearing aid market. …
Context & Ripple Effects
This release fulfills the earlier report that Apple was preparing two redesigned fourth-generation models with USB-C, including a higher-end version expected to add USB-C to the AirPods line. It also extends a product ladder Apple began with AirPods Pro's introduction of noise cancellation and transparency mode.
The key change is not just a refresh: Apple brings H2-powered features and an ANC option into the non-Pro range while retaining a clear price gap between the two new variants.
First-order effects
- Buyers can choose between a $129 entry model and a $179 ANC model, both using H2 and USB-C; pre-orders open ahead of the September 20 availability date.
- Apple makes USB-C the charging interface for these models, but customers without a compatible cable must obtain one separately.
Second-order effects
- The $50 step-up makes ANC a mainstream AirPods upsell, putting greater pressure on competing midrange earbuds to match noise-cancellation features without moving into premium pricing.
- The closer feature overlap between the ANC model and the Pro line makes Apple’s own product segmentation more consequential: Pro must continue to justify its higher tier through features beyond basic ANC.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues moving former premium capabilities into lower-priced earbuds, wireless-audio competition will increasingly turn on ecosystem integration and differentiated hardware rather than ANC alone.
- The lineup points to USB-C becoming a standard replacement-cycle lever across Apple accessories, though the provided coverage does not establish how quickly older connector-based products will be retired.
The trend: Apple is broadening advanced audio features into lower-priced tiers while using connector and chip transitions to refresh its accessory ecosystem.