Every Apple Airpod's generation: a complete history of the publication data

Apple has a number of products that go beyond the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The Tech giant has slowly started to introduce various iPhone accessories in the past ten years, such as Apple Watch, and they have proven to be a great success. Another large accessory that we saw from Apple is none other than Airpods. The market for wireless earphones was slowly becoming popular in 2015, but nothing more shaken the market than the introduction of Airpods. With many different models and product lines, you may not remember every generation that Apple has published. In the following we have put together every generation of Apple Airpods. So buckle up and prepare a trip through this iconic device.

How many Apple Airpod's generations were there?

Apple has published a total in total Seven different Apple Airpods generations. The first model was published in 2016, with the latest arrival in 2024. We contained every AirPods version on this list with the Standard Airpods, AirPods Pro and Airpods Max.

Every Apple Airpod's generation in the order of publication

Apple Airpods (1st generation) – December 13, 2016

The Apple Airpods (1st generation) were the couple who started it all. Despite the bundling of wired Apple EarPods with all iPhone models, this first jump from Apple marked the wireless earphone room. Thanks to the Apple W1 chip, the AirPods were the opportunity to open the AirPods and connect them seamlessly to each Apple device.

Apple Airpods (2nd generation) – March 20, 2019

While Apple Airpods (2nd generation) looked like the original couple from the outside, internal changes were made internally that paved the way for a significant upgrade. Apple first replaced the W1 chip with the H1, a chip that enabled overall faster connectivity. While the battery life remained unchanged, the functionality of Hey Siri was also added so that users could quickly access Apple's AI assistant.

Apple Airpods Pro (1st generation) – October 30, 2019

The Airpods Pro marked Apple's first excursion to the Premium -Wireless -earphone market. Instead of an open-ear design, AirPods Pro has silicone tips that go into your ear and open the door for both sound and active noises (ANC). Apple offered two ANC modes in the AirPods Pro: Active farm and transparency mode. The latter enables voices to enter and mix with the sound, while all other noises are canceled.

Apple Airpods Max – December 15, 2020

In 2020 Apple published the Airpods Max, a brand new attitude to Apple Airpods. This model has a complete over-ear design that looks much closer to the Sony WH-1000MX5 or Bose QuietComfort 45. Airpods Max still offers the best sound quality in every AirPods model with a great balance and high-quality bass performance. Apple published an updated version of the AirPod Max in 2024, but the only change was a USB-C connection.

Apple Airpods Max Wireless Over-ear headphones

Functions: active noise suppression, transparency mode, spatial audio, digital crown for volume control, Bluetooth headphones for the iPhone

Apple Airpods (3rd generation) – October 26, 2021

Apple Airpods (3rd generation) was a large design in design compared to the last generation. This time the design Apple Airpods Pro was much closer, the case much more rectangular and the AirPods even had shorter stems with shorter stems. This generation also improved the battery life in a large way with more than six hours of additional hearing time for Apple Airpods (3rd generation).

Apple Airpods (3rd generation)

Apple Airpods Pro (2nd generation) – September 23, 2022

Three years after the publication of Airpods Pro published Apple 2022 Airpods Pro (2nd generation). This upgrade replaced the flash connection on the loading case with USB-C, increased water and dust resistance and much more. With this model, the sound quality has also been significantly improved, especially with regard to the performance of active noise suppression. Apple recently even supported a clinically validated hearing test for Airpods Pro (2nd generation), which can measure the health of the ear and present hearing habits to users.

Apple Airpods Pro (2nd generation) with Magsafe case (USB-C)

Apple Airpods (4th generation) – September 20, 2024

The latest AirPods model, Apple Airpods (4th generation), marked the first time that Apple offered several models for an AirPods gene. You can either choose between the standard model or a model equipped with active noise reduction. A new design was made especially for as many user ears as possible, with a solid upgrade of the sound quality was also offered.

AirPods 4 active noise suppression

When will new Apple Airpods come out?

At the moment, the next Apple Airpods start that we can expect is the next generation of Apple Airpods Pro. Since Apple did not reveal the new earphones last autumn or in addition to the iPhone 16E, it is likely that the unveiling for this fall will be determined. Apple will publish the iPhone 17 in September. All the news about all Airpods Pro models of the next generation will probably be published there.