Oliver Haslam on August 19, 2024, 4:33 pm

Apple Is Still Expected To Launch Two Different AirPods 4 Earbuds Before Year’s End

There have long been rumors that Apple has planned new updates to its AirPods lineup, and now a new report suggests that plans are still afoot for new entry-level and mid-tier models.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports, via his weekly Power On newsletter, that Apple intends to launch two versions of the new AirPods 4 which are aimed at different price points.

While they will both sport a USB-C charging port rather than the familiar Lightning, there will be key differences between the two. Both will look similar to the AirPods Pro, however.

The report suggests that the mid-tier AirPods 4 will have active noise cancellation technology similar to that of the AirPods Pro, while offering the feature at a lower price point than the premium wireless earbuds. However, the AirPods Pro will not be updated at the same time.

The new AirPods 4 earbuds are expected to arrive before the end of this year, suggesting that the new AirPods Pro will be announced in 2025.

Notably, there is no word on when we can expect that Apple’s premium over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, will be updated. A new USB-C version of the headphones will have to arrive sooner rather than later, and Gurman had previously suggested that new colors could be part of the update. More details, including a release timeframe, are hard to come by however.