AirPods Model Comparison

Which AirPods are right for you?

AirPods 4

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

AirPods Pro 3

AirPods Max

Choose models to compare.

Images

Colour

White

Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, Orange

White

Buy

N/A

Overview

N/A

Active Noise CancellationSee legal disclaimers

Up to 4x more Active Noise Cancellation compared with original AirPods Pro and AirPods 4 with Active Noise CancellationSee legal disclaimers

Pro-level Active Noise CancellationSee legal disclaimers

Up to 2x more Active Noise CancellationSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Adaptive Audio and Transparency mode

N/A

Adaptive Audio and Transparency modeSee legal disclaimers

Transparency modeSee legal disclaimers

Adaptive Audio and Transparency modeSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Conversation Awareness

N/A

Conversation AwarenessSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Conversation AwarenessSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Personalised Spatial Audio

Personalised Spatial
Audio with dynamic
head trackingSee legal disclaimers

Icon for Personalised Spatial Audio

N/A

Personalised Spatial
Audio with dynamic
head trackingSee legal disclaimers

Lossless Audio

N/A

Lossless Audio via USB‑CSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Heart rate sensing

N/A

Heart rate sensing
during workoutsSee legal disclaimers

N/A

Hearing health

N/A

Hearing Test See legal disclaimers and Hearing Protection See legal disclaimers

N/A

Hearing Test See legal disclaimers and Hearing Protection See legal disclaimers

N/A

Resistance

Dust, sweat, and water resistant (IP54)See legal disclaimers

Dust, sweat, and water resistant (IP57)See legal disclaimers

N/A

Dust, sweat, and water resistant (IP54)See legal disclaimers

N/A

Sweat and water resistantSee legal disclaimers

Charging Case

Charging Case (USB‑C)See legal disclaimers

Wireless Charging Case (USB‑C) works with Apple Watch charger and Qi‑certified chargers; See legal disclaimers includes speaker for Find MySee legal disclaimers

MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) works with Apple Watch charger and Qi‑certified chargers; See legal disclaimers includes lanyard loop and speaker for Find MySee legal disclaimers

Smart Case

MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) works with Apple Watch charger and Qi‑certified chargers; See legal disclaimers includes lanyard loop and speaker for Find MySee legal disclaimers

Lightning Charging Case

MagSafe Charging CaseSee legal disclaimers

Battery Life: Listening Time

5 hours

Up to 5 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

5 hours

Up to 5 hours of listening time on a single charge (up to 4 hours with Active Noise Cancellation on)See legal disclaimers)

8 hours

Up to 8 hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

20 hours

Up to 20 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

6 hours

Up to 6 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

5 hours

Up to 5 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

6 hours

Up to 6 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

6 hours

Up to 6 hours of listening time on a single chargeSee legal disclaimers

Battery Life: Total Listening Time

Up to 30 hours of listening time with charging caseSee legal disclaimers

Up to 24 hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation See legal disclaimers with charging case

N/A

Up to 30 hours of listening time with charging caseSee legal disclaimers

Up to 24 hours of listening time with charging caseSee legal disclaimers

Up to 30 hours of listening time with charging caseSee legal disclaimers

Controls

Force sensor

Touch control

Digital Crown

Touch control

Double-tap

Force sensor

Chip H2, Voice Isolation

Voice Isolation

N/A

Voice Isolation

N/A

Automatic Switching

Automatic SwitchingSee legal disclaimers

Legal disclaimers

Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation (for AirPods Pro 3): Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation compared with AirPods Pro 2 when tested in accordance with IEC 60268‑24.
Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation (for AirPods Pro 2): Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation compared with AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.
Up to 4x more Active Noise Cancellation: Up to 4x more Active Noise Cancellation compared with the original AirPods Pro and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when tested in accordance with IEC 60268‑24.
Pro-level Active Noise Cancellation: Up to 2x more effective than AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.
Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, and Transparency: The performance of features like Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, or Transparency mode may be affected by the buildup of dirt or earwax. Regular cleaning is necessary to maintain performance and full functionality. For cleaning instructions for AirPods 4, visit support.apple.com/cs-cz/102672. For cleaning instructions for AirPods Pro 3, visit support.apple.com/cs-cz/120409.
Conversation Awareness: Available on compatible devices running iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia and later, paired with AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or AirPods Pro 2 and later with the latest firmware.
Personalised Spatial Audio: Compatible hardware and software are required. Works with supported content in compatible apps. Some content may not be available in Dolby Atmos. To create a Personalised Spatial Audio profile that syncs across Apple devices with the latest iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or tvOS an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera is needed.
Lossless Audio (USB‑C): Lossless Audio listening requires a wired USB‑C connection and compatible content from supported apps and services.
Heart rate monitor: Built-in heart rate monitor is intended for use during workouts with the Fitness app and compatible third-party apps on iPhone running iOS 26 and later. Refer to support.apple.com/cs-cz/ for more information.
Hearing Test: The Hearing Test features are supported on AirPods Pro 2 and later with the latest firmware paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad with iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 and later and are intended for people 18 years old or older.
Hearing Protection: The Hearing Protection feature works with AirPods Pro 2 and later with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia and later. The feature is not available in all regions or all languages. View complete list. See support.apple.com/cs-cz/120850for total attenuation and more information. The Hearing Protection feature is not suitable for protection against extremely loud impulse sounds, such as gunfire, fireworks, or jackhammers, or against sustained sounds louder than 110 dBA. Hearing Protection may not be suitable for all work environments. Consult your employer before use. When EN 352 Protection is enabled, the Hearing Protection feature complies with the EN 352 hearing protection standard.
Dust, Sweat and Water Resistance: AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and AirPods Pro 3 are resistant to dust, sweat, and water during everyday activities, excluding water sports. These products, including the charging case, were tested under controlled laboratory conditions and meet the IP54 (AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC) and IP57 (AirPods Pro 3) standards according to IEC 60529. Resistance to dust, sweat, and water is not permanent and may decrease over time with normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet device. Cleaning and drying instructions can be found at support.apple.com/cs-cz/HT210711.
Charging: Charging requires a compatible USB-C charger.Wireless charging requires a Qi‑certified wireless charger. MagSafe charging requires a compatible MagSafe charger. The charging case for AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 3 also works with an Apple Watch charger.
Find My: Find My functionality requires iOS 18 or later.
1.5× greater Precision Finding range in the Find My app: Compared with AirPods Pro 2. Enhanced Precision Finding requires an iPhone with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip and AirPods Pro 3; availability varies by region.
Battery: Battery life depends on settings, usage patterns, the environment, and many other factors. Testing was conducted on AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods Max with noise control enabled.
Voice Isolation: Available on compatible devices running iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia and later, paired with AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, or AirPods Pro 2 and later with the latest firmware.
Automatic Switching: Requires an iCloud account and a compatible Apple device running the latest operating system software.