Anticipating Apple’s Next Gen Earbuds: Release Timeline & Pre-Order Details Explored

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

On Monday at the “It’s Glowtime” event in Cupertino, California, Apple revealed the new AirPods 4, along with updated AirPods Max headphones with USB-C charging and new colors. The AirPods Pro 2 wlll also get a major software update, including a hearing aid feature , Apple announced during the event.

Here’s what to know about when the new AirPods will be released and where to preorder. (You can also find out how to preorder the new iPhone 16 line and the new Apple Watch Series 10 .)

AirPods 4: Preorder now View now at Apple

AirPods Max: Preorder now View now at Apple

How to preorder the new AirPods

The AirPods 4 and new AirPods Max are available for preorder now on Apple’s website, and will officially go on sale on September 20.

The AirPods 4 cost $129 for the base version and $179 for a version with active noise cancellation. Other features include an H2 chip, personalized spatial audio, and machine learning-powered voice isolation to remove background noise.

The AirPods Max will come in new colors (Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Starlight), and include USB-C charging and iOS 18 features for improved audio features. The price remains the same, at $549.

AirPods Pro 2 -- which were released back in 2022 – will get a software update that includes a hearing protection feature, to keep the volume from damaging your hearing. You’ll also find a hearing test that you can take on your iPhone using your AirPods. And perhaps most importantly, the AirPods Pro 2 will get a hearing aid feature that basically allows the AirPods to function as a hearing aid and amplify sounds around you. You can buy AirPods Pro 2 on sale for $199 at Amazon right now.

Also: The best AirPods: Expert tested

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