CUPERTINO—In addition to the iPhone 16 and the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple revamped its AirPods lineup at its Glowtime event on Monday. The biggest news comes in the form of two new pairs of AirPods: the $129 AirPods 4 and the $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. In addition, the existing AirPods Pro 2 are to gain Hearing Aid capability later this year, and the AirPods Max have been refreshed with a new USB-C port for charging and a smattering of fresh colors. I attended the event at Apple Park and got a chance to check everything out after the announcement, so let’s run through what I saw—and heard.AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 With Active Noise CancellationThe entry-level AirPods 4 ($129) feature Apple’s H2 chip but not noise cancellation. Also new to the AirPods 4 models is gesture-based Siri communication (nod for yes or shake head for no when Siri asks questions) and a redesigned enclosure with a narrower oval-shaped grille than the previous model.
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
The real showstopper? The $179 AirPods 4 model features open earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC). The tiny charging case for the ANC model has also been upgraded, as it now supports wireless charging and adds speakers for audible Find My support. I only had a chance to demo the ANC AirPods at the event, but some of my takeaways, such as the quality bass response for an open earbud design, apply to both. Sonically, the drivers deliver a solid bass response and solid overall balance with the highs. Somewhat surprisingly, the noise cancellation works quite well. It is impressive that an open design can provide effective noise cancellation. Keep in mind that most successful ANC earbuds seal off the ear canal, which provides an important assist in the form of passive noise reduction. This allows the ANC to sound more effective.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
The ANC performed well in the controlled environment at Apple Park. The loud chatter of the busy crowd was dialed back to a manageable level. Initially, Apple demonstrated how the AirPods perform with music playing in Transparency mode—then it switched on the ANC. This is a classic trick to make the ANC sound more dramatic, but when I was able to pause the audio and toggle between ANC Off and ANC On, the difference was still impressive. Ear-to-ear, I could detect a difference in efficacy, which was probably because the fit with open earbuds can (and will) vary, even if they fit securely. It wasn’t annoying, but it was noticeable. Regardless, I’ve never tested a pair of open earbuds that offered noise cancellation—or at least none that offered anything remotely effective. This is truly a feat. Surprisingly, Transparency mode actually did something useful even though my ear canals weren’t sealed off. Typically, one reason people favor open earbuds is because they don’t seal off the ear canal and hence have their own inherent transparency. The AirPods 4’s blend of open design and Transparency mode sounded natural, and I can see people finding it useful in certain scenarios. I was less impressed with the Adaptive mode, which combines the ANC and Transparency modes. It successfully dialed back the crowd noise, but it also tamped down the voice of the person speaking to me. I could hear her, but her voice was muffled. This rather defeats the purpose of this mode.I look forward to being able to test the AirPods 4 with ANC away from an event space. Regardless, their impressive noise cancellation—unheard of for open earbuds—made the biggest splash for me.AirPods MaxThe AirPods Max are now available in five colors: blue, midnight, orange, purple, and starlight. The basic physical build and $549 price remain the same. Apple has upgraded the connection port to USB-C, which is certainly an improvement over the old Lightning port and puts the headphones in line with the rest of Apple’s products. Even the visible internal pieces of the port are color-matched to the headphones. Apple hasn’t changed the basic internal design, for better or worse, and it hasn’t upgraded the ANC, either (at least not in terms of changes to the ANC mics). The ANC was great upon release and is still good, but it is not the best in class. Perhaps most notably, the headphones do not include the H2 chip found in other Apple products. A more robust overhaul should have included a new wireless chip and updated Bluetooth radio support. These are the basic, obvious upgrades the Max needs to keep up with competing models from Bose, Sonos, and Sony.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Thus, there’s not much to discuss other than the new colors. The orange is definitely a look that will stand out, as is the purple, while the blue, midnight, and starlight models feel a bit more typical of Cupertino. The two-tone sheen and feel of the metal have a familiar look and will pair nicely with a new iPhone 16 or MacBook Pro.
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The AirPods Max remain a quality product but are starting to feel a little dated in 2024—even with a new paint job.AirPods Pro 2You’d be forgiven for thinking there was a redesigned pair of AirPods Pro announced today—it certainly seemed that way at times during the presentation. Instead, the new hearing health-related features are coming in the form of software updates to the existing $249 AirPods Pro 2 later this fall. If you buy the AirPods Pro today, they will ship immediately but without the hearing features.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Apple didn’t have the AirPods Pro on hand to test the new features, but it laid out a three-tiered approach to address hearing health: Prevention, Awareness, and Assistance. The first is somewhat familiar to us. Apple’s Health app already provides information about surrounding noise levels, headphone volume levels, and danger to your hearing. The AirPods Pro also already have features that tamp down transient loud environmental noises. The more nuanced approaches taken recently include blending ANC and Transparency modes to reduce sounds that are troublesome without eliminating the sound you want to hear, like a train departure announcement.Awareness and Assistance, however, mark a new, more involved approach from Apple. The AirPods Pro will soon be capable of performing a five-minute hearing test. Once completed, you’ll see graphed hearing results that Apple claims will be completely private. Third-party apps already offer similar functionality. The Assistance aspect is quite new. The AirPods Pro will be capable of acting as a hearing aid. Companies like Sennheiser have gotten into the hearing aid market, but few mainstream models are combining regular audio performance (listening to music) with ANC and hearing aid functionality. These features will strike some as a godsend and others as invasive. Of course, using the features is entirely up to you.I look forward to exploring the new AirPods models in more detail, so be sure to check back soon. Until then, read up on the rest of PCMag’s Glowtime event coverage.
Apple Event 2024 Recap
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About Tim Gideon
Contributing Editor, Audio
I’ve been a contributing editor for PCMag since 2011. Before that, I was PCMag’s lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I’m a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.
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