Apple Could Bring New-Look AirPods 4 Models By October This Year: What We Know

Apple AirPods could finally get a major reboot and design changes in 2024 as the company is lining up not one but two AirPods 4 models this year. New reports suggest Apple will start production of the upcoming AirPods in May, and have them ready for shipping by September or October when they will be announced.

AirPods have carried the same-ish design for a few years, and unless you’ve picked up the Pro version, it would be hard to differentiate between the AirPods 2 and the third-gen model. The biggest change AirPods have got so far is the switch to USB C for charging, which aligns with Apple’s overall product lineup with the launch of the iPhone 15 series last year.

The AirPods 4 series could have two variants as highlighted in the report, with some of the biggest upgrades we have seen for a while. The new design will be welcomed by most iPhone users looking to upgrade, but it is high time that the vanilla AirPods also get advanced features like active noise cancellation as well as USB C charging port.

However, Apple could go one step further with the AirPods 4 by introducing a speaker into the charging case that will help alert users linked to the Find my device network which could be a valuable addition for many.

But Apple launching two AirPods 4 models could mean that it will discontinue not only the AirPods 2 but also the third-gen AirPods model. Moving these two models to get the new AirPods 4 series could once again allow the company to price the product at a higher value, and tempt existing AirPods users to upgrade with these new features later this year.

While Apple is expected to bring the long overdue AirPods upgrades, the company isn’t too keen to launch the next-gen AirPods Pro model, at least until next year. That’s the timeline which has been mentioned for Apple to introduce the new-look iPhone SE 4 model which could feature iPhone 14-like design and bring an end to the Touch ID on iPhones once and for all.