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Discovering Upgrades in Apple’s AirPods Lineup: The Ultimate Showcase of the Four Most Notable Enhancements

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

During Apple’s annual hardware event , the company announced two new AirPods in the fourth-generation lineup, new software features for the premium AirPods Pro 2, and some minor hardware upgrades to the over-ear AirPods Max.

Also: Everything Apple announced at it’s ‘Glowtime’ event: AI features, AirPods, Apple Watch Series 10, more

Each pair of Apple headphones debut with interesting upgrades which should make any audio and Apple fanatic excited to try what’s new. Although there are plenty of things to be excited about, there are a few standout features worth noting. Let’s go over the best ones.

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1. Hearing aid mode

Apple announced an innovative feature coming to AirPods Pro 2 when iOS 18 is released on Monday, September 16. This feature is called hearing aid mode and is only available on Apple’s premium earbuds. Users can complete a hearing test with their AirPods Pro 2, and the results are stored on the health app on their iPhone.

Also: Your AirPods Pro 2 can soon double as over-the-counter hearing aids. Here’s how

Then, if needed, the AirPods Pro 2 can use the wearer’s results and double as an over-the-counter hearing aid. This feature will allow the Pro 2 earbuds to use their directional microphones to amplify conversational noises for users who have difficulty hearing conversations in noisy environments. Apple is still waiting for the FDA to approve this feature, but the company expects the approval to be ready for iOS 18’s release.

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2. Find My speaker

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 feature a small speaker on the bottom of the charging case that rings when you press “Play Sound” in the Find My app. This speaker helps you locate your AirPods when they’re nearby, but you can’t pinpoint exactly where they are. Apple implemented the Find My speaker into the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation.

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3. AirPods Max wired listening

Apple refreshed its over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, during this year’s iPhone event. Although the upgrades only include new colors and a USB-C port, I’m satisfied with the USB-C compatibility. The AirPods Max with a Lightning port made wired listening feel like a science experiment. Users had to use two adapters to listen to wired audio, and there was no promise that extra dongles would get the job done.

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Now, if you have an iPhone 15 or newer, you can plug a USB-C cable into your iPhone and AirPods Max and begin listening. If you have an iPhone 14 or older, you can use a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter to plug into the new AirPods Max.

4. A ‘Goldilocks’ pair of AirPods

Apple’s AirPods selections had a considerable audio and software features gap between the second and third-generation AirPods and the AirPods Pro 2. If you wanted AirPods with noise cancellation, you had to purchase the Pro 2, even if you didn’t plan on using their more sophisticated audio features.

Also: Two reasons why I’m thrilled that there’s no new Apple Watch Ultra or AirPods Pro

Now, you can buy the AirPods 4 with noise cancellation, which offer upgraded audio features like spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, transparency mode, and adaptive audio without overpaying for the Pro 2 earbuds. I call the mid-tier AirPods 4 the “Goldilocks” AirPods because they are right in the middle between Apple’s lower-end AirPods and the more advanced AirPods Pro 2.