Cheaper AirPods and the AirPods Max 2 could finally land later this year

Another leak drips out

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It’s been a bit quiet on the AirPods front in recent times – all we got in 2023 was a USB-C refresh for theAirPods Pro– but it looks like 2024 could be busier, with a new report suggesting4th-gen AirPodsand theAirPods Max 2are on the way.

This comes from well-knownAppleanalyst Jeff Pu (viaMacRumors), and the AirPods are being described as “lower-cost” earbuds. We’re not sure exactly what that means, butprevious rumorshave pointed to two versions of the AirPods 4 making an appearance, with one at an “entry-level” price and one at a “mid-tier” price.

Quite how those two price tiers are going to match up with the current (and rather confusing) line-up remains to be seen: Apple currently sells theAirPods 3from 2022 for $179 / £169 / AU$279 and theAirPods 2from 2019 for $129 / £129 / AU$219. It sounds as though both those models will be replaced.

We’re expecting a tweak to the design so that the AirPods fit better, and the switch to USB-C is a given. The mid-tier models are alsorumored to be gettingactive noise cancellation as well, in what sounds like a pretty major upgrade.

To the Max

As for the AirPods Max 2, the leaks have been pointing towards a 2024 launch for some time – although weweren’t that impressedwith the revelations last year that the 2nd-gen cans would switch to USB-C and get new colors… and that would be about it.

If Apple wants to keep up with thebest headphoneson the market, it might need to do a little more than that to tempt consumers into picking up the AirPods Max 2. The currentAirPods Maxretail for $549 / £499 / AU$899, which is on the expensive side.

This new leak doesn’t give us any more information about what’s coming with the AirPods 4 or the AirPods Max 2, only that production on these devices is due to ramp up in the last quarter of the year, pointing to a launch over the holiday season.

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There’s plenty of time for more leaks between now and then. In the meantime, Appleis being tippedto launch new iPad Pro and iPad Air models next month, and it should be sharing a whole host of software update news atWWDC2024on June 10.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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