Apple’s store URL for AirPods 4 now loads AirPods 5 instead, at $129 for the standard model and $149 for the version with the Wireless Charging Case. Read together with Apple’s AirPods comparison page, which lists AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, the range Apple sells today is three products across four prices.
That is a store-page reading rather than an announced discontinuation, and the distinction matters. Apple’s September 9 AirPods 5 announcement said nothing about ending AirPods 4, and Apple has published no discontinuation notice for any AirPods model.
Key facts at a glance
| What we checked | What Apple’s pages show |
|---|---|
| Current earbud and headphone range | AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Max 2 |
| AirPods 5 | $129 |
| AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case | $149 |
| AirPods Pro 3 | $249 |
| AirPods Max 2 | $549 |
| The old AirPods 4 store URL | Shows AirPods 5 at $129 and $149 |
| The AirPods Max store URL | Shows AirPods Max 2 at $549 |
| Pre-orders | Open since Tuesday, September 9 |
| In stores | Friday, September 18 |
Three products, four prices
The four prices are $129, $149, $249 and $549. Only AirPods 5 is sold in two versions, and the $20 step between them buys the Wireless Charging Case rather than different earbuds.
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Apple’s own spec sheets put the battery split on the case, not the buds: the $149 model is rated up to five hours of listening with Active Noise Cancellation and up to 22 hours with the case, while the $129 model is rated up to four hours and up to 20 hours. Apple does not explain why two sets of otherwise identical earbuds carry different on-bud figures.
What the store pages no longer show
Every model below was still listed on Apple’s store within the past year. Launch prices come from Apple’s own press releases; the current column is what Apple’s shop pages showed when we checked them on September 10.
| Model | Launch price (US) | On Apple’s store now |
|---|---|---|
| AirPods (2nd generation) | $159, cut to $129 in 2021 | Not sold |
| AirPods (3rd generation) | $179, later $169 | Not sold |
| AirPods 4 | $129 | Not sold, URL shows AirPods 5 |
| AirPods 4 with ANC | $179 | Not sold |
| AirPods Pro 2 | $249 | Not sold |
| AirPods Max (USB-C) | $549 | Not sold, URL shows AirPods Max 2 |
Noise cancellation now starts at $129
AirPods 4 with ANC arrived in 2024 at $179 and was the cheapest route to noise cancellation in an open-ear AirPods shape. With that model off the store, the cheapest AirPods with Active Noise Cancellation on Apple’s site is AirPods 5 at $129.
Apple frames the new model’s noise cancellation against exactly that set, claiming up to 50 percent more noise removed than AirPods 4 with ANC in the press release and up to 1.5 times more on the product page. Both phrasings describe the same comparison, and the comparison target is a product you can no longer buy from Apple.
How the range fits the rest of the launch
AirPods 5 went up for pre-order on September 9 alongside Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, so the earbuds were orderable three days before the iPhone 18 Pro pre-order window that opens today. All of it lands in stores on the same Friday.
The software side arrives first. iOS 27 ships on Monday, September 14, and the AirPods 5 features Apple ties to it, hands-free Siri AI and Live Translation, need an Apple Intelligence iPhone as well as the update. Our event recap covers what else Apple announced that morning, and the pre-event rumor roundup shows how close the expectations landed.
What Apple has not said
- Apple has published no statement discontinuing AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro 2 or the USB-C AirPods Max. The evidence here is what its store pages show, nothing more.
- Apple has not said whether retailers or carriers will continue to sell the older models, or for how long.
- Apple’s trade-in page publishes no per-model dollar estimate for any AirPods model. It asks condition questions instead.
- No color options are listed on the AirPods 5 tech specs page.
- Apple has published no discount, bundle or promotional price on either AirPods 5 model, so the $20 gap between them is the only published lever.
Both AirPods 5 models have been orderable since September 9 and reach stores on Friday, September 18, in the US and more than 65 countries. iOS 27 arrives on Monday, September 14, which is the first date any of the Siri AI features can work.
