Apple may release new AirPods 4 models with a fresh design by October of this year.

Apple AirPods may finally get a major reboot and design changes in 2024, as the company is bringing not one, but two AirPods 4 models this year. New reports suggest that Apple will begin production of future AirPods in May and have them ready for shipping in September or October, when they will be announced.

AirPods have used the same design for a few years, and unless you’ve gone for the Pro version, it would be hard to tell the difference between AirPods 2 and the third-generation model. The biggest change the AirPods have received so far is the move to USB C for charging, which matches Apple’s general line-up with the iPhone 15 series released last year.

The AirPods 4 series could come in two versions, as the report highlights, with some of the biggest upgrades we’ve seen in a while. Most iPhone users looking to upgrade will welcome the new design, but it’s about time the vanilla AirPods also got advanced features like active noise cancellation and a USB C charging port.

However, Apple could go a step further with the AirPods 4 by adding a speaker to the charging case to help alert users linked to the Find my device network, which could be a valuable addition for many.

But Apple’s launch of two AirPods 4 models could mean it’s discontinuing not only the AirPods 2, but also the third-generation AirPods model. Moving these two models into the new AirPods 4 series could again allow the company to price the product at a higher value and entice existing AirPods users to upgrade to these new features later this year.

Although Apple is expected to bring the long-overdue AirPods updates, the company is not too eager to launch the next-generation AirPods Pro model until at least next year. This is the timeline that Apple has mentioned to introduce a new-look iPhone SE 4 model that could have a similar design to the iPhone 14 and end Touch ID on iPhones for good.