Apple AirPods become hearing aids

Tim Cook and his team presented the fourth iteration of the classic AirPods at the Apple keynote. In other words, the AirPods in the open design, which come without silicone plugs and therefore still have fans, even if the Pro version is technically superior.

The AirPods appear to be slimmer again. According to Apple, it has done its own research and made sure that they are more comfortable. After the launch of the third generation, the Cupertinians were criticised because the Airpods 3 were significantly wider and therefore more uncomfortable than their predecessors. A more detailed test will show whether the promise of comfort is kept.

Catching up with the pros

In the fourth generation, the Airpods come in two variants and have caught up quite a bit on a technical level. Like the Pro version, they get the H2 audio chip. This supports 16-bit audio and a maximum sampling rate of 48 kilohertz. Apple has also installed the Personal Spatial Audio known from the Pros and Airpods Max, which provides an acoustic 3D effect.

The Airpods also come with transparency mode if you want to hear outside noises while listening to music, for example to understand announcements at the railway station. Conversation Awareness is also coming to the Airpods. This function recognises when you start talking. The music then pauses so that you can hear yourself and the other person. You can control these functions with the pinch gesture on the stem of the Airpods, which is familiar from the Pros.

Last but not least, the Cupertinians have given their latest audio addition Voice Isolation. So when you're on the phone, outside noise is filtered out so that the person you're talking to can hear you better. When you are called, you can also decide whether or not to answer. The nod and head shake gestures are supported from iOS18 onwards.

The charging case also gets a small update, at least in the more expensive version: it is smaller and the battery should last up to 30 hours, six hours more than its predecessor. You can also charge it wirelessly - including via the Qi standard. However, Apple does not reveal the maximum wattage.

Noise suppression with an open design

For the more expensive version of the new Airpods 4, Apple is also announcing ANC, or active noise cancellation. The headphones' external microphones measure the frequencies of ambient noise and block these frequencies with silent counter-noise. Of course, this is nothing new. However, it is rather rare for this to be built into headphones with an open design. In my experience, the ear must be completely closed for this technology to work reliably and with sufficient quality. But here, too, a test will shed light on the subject.

The two Airpod 4 variants cost 129 francs, or 179 francs with ANC. They will be available for pre-order from 20 September.

Apple AirPods Pro 2: iOS 18 turns them into a hearing aid

New AirPods Pro were not expected - and Apple did not present any. However, a very extensive firmware update has been rolled out together with iOS 18. This adds a hearing aid function to the Airpods Pro 2 so that they can be used like hearing aids.

First of all, you can take a five-minute "certified" hearing test with the Pros to check your hearing ability. You will be played various sounds at different volumes and frequencies. A hearing profile is then created in the Health app based on the result. If you then activate the hearing aid function, certain sounds - e.g. human speech - will be amplified in real time.

The update will be rolled out with iOS18 in autumn and will be available in "some European countries", among others. Apple specifically mentions Germany.

Apple Airpods Max: mini update for the over-ears

Lately, leakers and analysts have been speculating about whether there might be a new pair of over-ear headphones from Apple. After four years, some think it's about time. These hopes were not fulfilled.

Apple has only shown a few new colours in which the existing AirPods Max will be available to buy. These are Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Orange and Purple.

These colour variants now also come with USB-C instead of Lightning. With the update to iOS18, there will also be improvements in the area of spatial audio. The rest remains unchanged.

You can pre-order all devices here: