Apple’s annual iPhone event sure brought the fire on the handset side of things, but the company also announced two new AirPod models to join the ever-growing lineup. There’s the standard AirPods 4 and a slightly more high-tech AirPods 4 with ANC.
The biggest news is perhaps the addition of USB-C to the charging cases. This finally brings the AirPods in line with the rest of the world and, most importantly, newer iPhone and iPad releases. The AirPods 4 earbuds should also fit better, thanks to a refined design. Both versions of the earbuds also include the H2 chip, allowing for an improvement in sound quality. There’s even personalized spatial audio, voice isolation and gesture-based Siri controls. All told, these buds should get 30 hours of battery life. There’s still no removable ear tips, which is a bummer.
The AirPods 4 with ANC may look identical to the standard model, but there’s an advanced feature set. This includes active noise cancellation, which isn’t always a given with earbuds, and wireless charging
Both models are available to preorder right now, with shipments going out on September 20. The fourth-gen AirPods cost $149 and the AirPods 4 with ANC costs $179.
The company also announced the second-gen version of its AirPods Max over-ear headphones, after four long years of waiting. The latest model boasts USB-C charging (yay) and comes in new colors like TK TK. The company did not announce a refresh of the AirPods Pro earbuds, and its long overdue.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/airpods-4-have-a-new-design-and-an-anc-upgrade-option-173900817.html?src=rss