AirPods & Audio

Get to Know AirPods & Audio

AirPods Upgrade Guide

Refer to this quick guide if you can't decide if you should upgrade your AirPods.

AirPods Model

Model

Upgrade?


AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

 


AirPods Pro 2 (lightning)

 


AirPods Pro 1st generation

 


AirPods 3rd generation with MagSafe

 


AirPods 3rd generation

 


AirPods 2nd generation

 


AirPods 1st generation

 


AirPods Max (USB-C)

 


AirPods Max (Lightning)

 


*Check full guides below to see feature comparisons

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AirPods models explained

AirPods 4:

Simple wireless earbuds for everyday listening.

AirPods in case, AirPods out of case & H2 chip

AirPods 4 ANC:

AirPods 4 upgraded with basic noise cancellation.

AirPods in case, AirPods out of case & H2 chip

AirPods Pro 3:

The best in-ear earbuds from Apple with silicone eartips.

AirPods in case, AirPods out of case & H2 chip

AirPods Max 2:

Apple's only over-ear headphones with noise cancellation & lossless audio.

All AirPods Max colour variants & H2 chip

HomePod models explained

HomePod mini:

Apple's smallest home hub with a full-range driver speaker.

All HomePod mini colour variants & S5 chip

HomePod:

Apple's larger home hub with a high-excursion woofer & spatial audio.

All HomePod colour variants & S7 chip

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Dive deeper into each model.

EarPods

£19

Earpods

Released 12 September 2023

Good time to buy

Recommendations

Also available with headphone jack & lightning connector.

View on apple.com

EarPods are Apple's wired earbuds sold for customers who may prefer these over wireless options.

EarPods can connect to any modern iPhone, iPad or Mac via USB-C.

Design
Plastic earbuds available in white.

Battery
No battery, just plug into your device.

Features

- Built-in remote
- Deep, rich bass tones
- Microphone

Compatibility

- iPhone 15 or newer
- iPad models with USB-C
- Most Mac models since 2017

AirPods 4

£119

AirPods 4

Released 20 September 2024

May be refreshed September

Recommendations

Consider AirPods 4 with ANC & wireless charging support.

View on apple.com

AirPods 4 are Apple's entry-level wireless earbuds great for everyday listening when on-the-go or watching content at home.

AirPods 4 connect seamlessly to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch & Vision Pro. AirPods can also connect to other devices including Android phones & PCs.

Design
Glossy plastic earbuds & charging case available in white.

Battery
Apple rates AirPods 4 with up to 5 hours on a single charge and up to 30 hours for the case.

5 minutes in the case gives about an hour of listening time.

Features

- Spatial Audio with head tracking
- Dual-beamforming microphone
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Dust, sweat & water resistant (IP54)

Compatibility

- Apple Device on the latest software for all features
- Can be used with older software/devices with limited functionality
- Compatible with non-Apple devices

AirPods 4 ANC

£169

AirPods 4 ANC

Released 20 September 2024

May be refreshed September

Recommendations

Consider AirPods 4 if you don't use noise cancellation.

View on apple.com

AirPods 4 ANC are Apple's entry-level wireless earbuds with noise cancellation great for everyday listening when commuting in busy loud environments like on trains, buses or when walking.

AirPods 4 ANC connect seamlessly to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch & Vision Pro. AirPods can also connect to other devices including Android phones & PCs.

Design
Glossy plastic earbuds & charging case with wireless charging & speaker for Find My, available in white.

Battery
Apple rates AirPods 4 with up to 5 hours on a single charge and up to 30 hours for the case (20 hours with noise cancellation on).

5 minutes in the case gives about an hour of listening time.

Listening Modes
AirPods 4 with ANC support conversation awareness to lower volume when you initiate a conversation, transparency mode to let outside sounds in and noise cancellation to block out other sounds. These AirPods also support adaptive audio to adjust these listening modes based on the current environment.

Features

- Noise Cancellation
- Adaptive audio & transparency mode
- Live translation
- Conversation Awareness
- Spatial Audio with head tracking
- Dual-beamforming microphone
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Dust, sweat & water resistant (IP54)

Compatibility

- Apple Device on the latest software for all features
- Can be used with older software/devices with limited functionality
- Compatible with non-Apple devices

AirPods Pro 3

£219

AirPods Pro 3

Released 19 September 2025

Good time to buy

Recommendations

Buy from third-party retailers for up to £50 off.

View on apple.com

AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's best wireless earbuds with all listening modes & a heart rate sensor great for working out, travel & listening to music.

AirPods Pro 3 supports Apple's hearing test, hearing aid & hearing protection featured in the Apple Health app.

Design
Glossy plastic earbuds with foam infused silicone eartips & charging case with MagSafe charging & speaker for Find My, available in white.

Battery
Apple rates AirPods Pro 3 with up to 8 hours on a single charge and up to 24 hours for the case with noise cancellation on.

5 minutes in the case gives about an hour of listening time.

Listening Modes
AirPods Pro 3 supports conversation awareness to lower volume when you initiate a conversation, transparency mode to let outside sounds in and noise cancellation to block out other sounds. These AirPods also support adaptive audio to adjust these listening modes based on the current environment.

Features

- Noise Cancellation
- Adaptive audio & transparency mode
- Live translation
- Conversation Awareness
- Spatial Audio with head tracking
- Hearing health features
- Heart-rate sensor
- Ear tips
- Dual-beamforming microphone
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Dust, sweat & water resistant (IP57)

Compatibility

- Apple Device on the latest software for all features
- Can be used with older software/devices with limited functionality
- Compatible with non-Apple devices

AirPods Max 2

£499

All colour variants of AirPods Max 2

Released 1 April 2026

Good time to buy

Recommendations

AirPods Max 2 are heavy and may not be the best for long sessions.

View on apple.com

AirPods Max 2 are the only over-ear Apple branded headphones built for the best listening experience with the support for lossless audio.

To use AirPods Max 2 with lossless audio, a cable is required - this is sold seperately.

Design
Aluminium ear cups, stainless steel frame with a mesh top canopy available in Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Orange.

Battery
Apple rates AirPods Max 2 with up to 20 hours on a single charge and the device can enter an ultra-low-power state when in the case.

5 minutes in the case gives about an hour and a half of listening time.

Listening Modes
AirPods Max 2 supports conversation awareness to lower volume when you initiate a conversation, transparency mode to let outside sounds in and noise cancellation to block out other sounds. These AirPods also support adaptive audio to adjust these listening modes based on the current environment.

Features

- Noise Cancellation
- Adaptive audio & transparency mode
- Live translation
- Conversation Awareness
- Spatial Audio with head tracking
- Lossless audio
- Loud sound reduction
- 9 microphone system
- Bluetooth 5.3

Compatibility

- Apple Device on the latest software for all features
- Can be used with older software/devices with limited functionality
- Compatible with non-Apple devices

HomePod mini

£129

All colour variants of HomePod mini

Released 16 November 2020

Siri AI refresh expected

Recommendations

Don't buy - a new HomePod mini is expected this year with a new and improved Siri.

View on apple.com

HomePod mini is Apple's smallest home hub built as a central hub for an Apple HomeKit setup.

HomePod mini is also a great small-sized speaker than can be used in dual-stereo mode with Apple TV 4K.

Design
Fabric mesh speaker available in White, Yellow, Orange, Blue and Midnight.

Speaker details
HomePod mini has a full-range driver, dual force-cancelling passive radiators & supports multi-room audio.

Features

- Stereo pair capable
- Temperature sensor
- Humidity sensor
- Smart home hub
- Siri voice recognition
- Handoff with iPhone

Compatibility

- iPhone 6s or newer
- iPod Touch 7th generation
- iPad Pro
- iPad 5th generation or newer
- iPad Air 2 or newer
- iPad mini 4 or newer

HomePod

£349

All colour variants of HomePod

Released 3 February 2023

Siri AI refresh expected

Recommendations

Don't buy - a new HomePod is expected this year with a new and improved Siri.

View on apple.com

HomePod is Apple's best home hub built as a central hub for an Apple HomeKit setup.

HomePod is also a great speaker than can be used in dual-stereo mode with Apple TV 4K.

Design
Fabric mesh speaker available in White and Midnight.

Speaker details
HomePod has a high-excursion woofer, five beamforming tweeter array & supports multi-room audio.

Features

- Spatial Audio
- Room Sensing
- Stereo pair capable
- Temperature sensor
- Humidity sensor
- Smart home hub
- Siri voice recognition
- Handoff with iPhone

Compatibility

- iPhone 8 or newer
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPad Pro
- iPad 5th generation or newer
- iPad Air (3rd generation) or newer
- iPad mini (5th generation) or newer

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All product information is based on apple.com/uk and may differ by region.