iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, and AirPods 4 Preview

The AirPods Pro 2, $249, remain unchanged, but Apple is introducing an update that allows the headphones to work as clinical-level over-the-counter hearing aids. The company has designed a 5-minute hearing test that involves tapping the screen on your iPhone when you hear tones with different volumes and frequencies. Apple claims that the test approaches the accuracy of pure tone audiometry done by an audiologist.

This results in a hearing profile—accessed through the Health app—that can be applied to your AirPods Pro 2 to turn them into a full-blown hearing aid, boosting specific sounds in real time to enhance normal conversation and environmental sounds. The findings are automatically applied to music, movies, and phone calls across all your Apple devices, too.

The AirPods Pro 2 update also includes hearing protection, activated by default across listening modes, when you’re at a concert or using noisy machinery. It reduces sound pressure levels while allowing a full-spectrum audio experience. The new features will be delivered in software updates to the AirPod Pro 2 and iOS 18. The hearing test and hearing aid capability will probably receive approval from the FDA and other regulators later this fall, according to Apple.

The AirPods Max are unchanged except for a universal USB-C charging port that replaces Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. But they come in several new colors, including midnight, blue, purple, orange, and starlight, and will soon receive spatial audio through an iOS update. The price remains the same at $550.