The first-ever AirPods were launched almost ten years ago (yes, time flies!) with quite a lot of features for that period of time. The features that we consider to be basic for every headphone were top-tier in 2016. The original AirPods launched as a wireless alternative to the EarPods alongside the iPhone 7, which is infamously known for the removal of the headphone jack. While this move received a considerable amount of criticism over the years, users have now come to appreciate the convenience of AirPods and wireless headsets in general.
Here’s a timeline of each AirPods model and the features it introduced:
AirPods (1st generation):
- Announced in September 2016, alongside iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus, with availability starting in December 2016.
- Powered by the Apple W1 chip.
- One-tap setup with iPhone and Apple Watch.
- Automatic setup across iCloud devices, including iPad and Mac.
- Automatic play/pause using sensors.
- Double-tap to access Siri.
- Beam-forming microphones for clearer voice calls.
- Up to 5 hours of listening time on the AirPods themselves and around 24 hours of total listening with the charging case.
AirPods (2nd generation):
- Announced and launched in March 2019
- Powered by the H1 chip, replacing the W1 chip.
- Added hands-free “Hey Siri.”
- Up to 50% more talk time compared with first-generation AirPods.
- Device switching became up to 2x faster.
- Added the option of a Wireless Charging Case.
- Existing AirPods 1st generation users could also buy the Wireless Charging Case separately.
AirPods Pro (1st generation):
- Announced and launched in October 2019
- New lightweight in-ear design with Flexible silicone ear tips.
- Active Noise Cancellation.
- Transparency mode.
- Adaptive EQ.
- Vent system to equalize pressure.
- Force sensor controls.
- Sweat and water resistance.
- Up to 4 hours of listening time and up to 24 hours total listening time with the charging case.
By this time, Apple’s direction towards wireless earbuds was a success, and they started adding more products to the AirPods family, starting with:
AirPods Max (1st generation):
- Announced and launched in December 2020.
- Introduced the AirPods experience in an over-ear headphone design.
- High-fidelity audio with Custom acoustic design.
- H1 chip in each ear cup.
- Computational audio.
- Adaptive EQ.
- Active Noise Cancellation.
- Transparency mode.
- Spatial audio.
- Digital Crown for volume, playback, calls, and Siri.
- Noise control button.
- Smart Case with ultralow-power state.
- Up to 20 hours of battery life with ANC and spatial audio enabled.
AirPods (3rd generation):
- Announced and launched in October 2021.
- New design with a shorter stem.
- Added spatial audio with dynamic head tracking.
- Added Adaptive EQ to regular AirPods.
- Powered by the same H1 chip as the AirPods 2nd generation and AirPods Pro
- Force sensor controls, similar to AirPods Pro.
- IPX4 Sweat and water resistance for both earbuds and the charging case.
- Up to 6 hours of listening time and up to 30 hours total listening time with the charging case.
AirPods Pro (2nd generation):
- Announced and launched in September 2022 alongside the iPhone 14 lineup.
- Powered by the new H2 chip.
- Up to 2x stronger Active Noise Cancellation compared with the previous AirPods Pro.
- Major upgrade to Transparency mode.
- Introduced Adaptive Transparency, Personalized Volume, and Conversation Awareness with a software update released in September 2023
- New low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier.
- Richer bass and clearer sound across a wider frequency range.
- Personalized Spatial Audio using the TrueDepth camera on iPhone (also rolled out to the AirPods Pro 1st generation)
- Touch control on the stem for volume adjustment.
- Up to 6 hours of listening time and up to 30 hours total listening time with the charging case.
- Brand-new charging case, with support for Precision Finding in Find My, and Speakers for finding your AirPods case
- Added extra-small ear tips.
- Introduced Hearing Test, Clinical Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection in a software update
AirPods Pro (2nd generation with USB-C):
- Announced and launched in September 2023 alongside the iPhone 15 lineup.
- Added USB-C charging, replacing the Lightning port
- Added IP54 Dust Resistance
- Added Lossless Audio with Apple Vision Pro.
- It can be charged directly from iPhone 15 models using USB-C
- Introduced Adaptive Transparency, Personalized Volume, and Conversation Awareness (also rolled out to the Lightning version with a software update)
- Introduced Hearing Test, Clinical Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection in a software update
AirPods 4:
- Announced and launched in September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 lineup.
- New open-ear design.
- New acoustic architecture, Low-distortion driver, and High dynamic range amplifier.
- Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking.
- H2 chip.
- Voice Isolation for clearer calls.
- Siri Interactions using head nods/shakes.
- New force sensor on the stem.
- USB-C charging case.
- Smaller charging case.
- Up to 24 hours of battery life with the charging case.
Apple knew that users wanted some of the Pro features at a lower cost, and introduced the AirPods 4 with ANC.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation:
- Announced and launched in September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 lineup.
- New open-ear design.
- New acoustic architecture, Low-distortion driver, and High dynamic range amplifier.
- Introduced ANC in an open-ear AirPods design for the first time.
- Added upgraded microphones.
- Uses the H2 chip and computational audio.
- Added Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness.
- Find My Support with Speakers
AirPods Max with USB-C:
- Announced and launched in September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 lineup and AirPods 4
- Added USB-C charging.
- Added five colors: midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange.
- Added 24-bit/48 kHz lossless audio over USB-C in April 2025
AirPods Pro 3:
- Announced and launched in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 lineup
- New design with improved in-ear fit and stability.
- Foam-infused ear tips.
- Five ear tip sizes, including XXS.
- Up to 2x more ANC than AirPods Pro 2.
- Up to 4x more noise removed compared with the original AirPods Pro.
- New multiport acoustic architecture.
- Next-generation Adaptive EQ.
- More personalized Transparency.
- Up to 8 hours of music playback with ANC enabled, although total battery life with the case reduced back to 24 Hours
- Added heart rate sensing during workouts.
- Workout tracking for more than 50 workout types through the Fitness app on iPhone.
- Added Live Translation, available in beta (also rolled out to AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning and USB-C)
- Supports Hearing Test, Clinical Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection
AirPods Max 2:
- Announced and launched in March 2026
- Introduced the H2 chip to AirPods Max.
- Up to 1.5x more effective ANC than the previous AirPods Max.
- More natural Transparency mode.
- New high dynamic range amplifier.
- 24-bit/48 kHz lossless audio over USB-C (also available on the AirPods Max 1 with USB-C)
- Ultra-low latency audio.
- Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Loud Sound Reduction, Personalized Volume, Siri Interactions, and Live Translation were introduced to the AirPods Max for the first time, thanks to the H2 chip.
- Camera remote using the Digital Crown.
What’s coming next?
Rumors currently point towards an upgraded AirPods Pro 3 model with Cameras and IR Sensors to help your iPhone with Apple Intelligence get more details about your surroundings to provide helpful information and assistance when needed. Although it seems less plausible for now, these models might also be able to pick up gestures with the cameras, such as Double-Tap.
These last ten years have transformed the AirPods from an experiment to an everyday essential, allowing wireless headphones from more brands to become mainstream. If someone has a smartphone, it is very likely that they also have a pair of wireless headphones.
Which AirPods did you first use? Let us know down in the comments or write to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
