Shortly after Apple killed off the legacy 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone, the company introduced AirPods as the solution to that very problem. At the time, Bluetooth headphones were clunky and ugly, looking like a shoelace with an earbud tied to either end. Apple’s true wireless earbuds were contrastingly chic — the futuristic headgear we’d all been waiting for — and they instantly exploded in popularity, creating an entire product category in the process. Today, Apple offers a whole range of AirPod branded audio gear. You can spring for those iconic white stems, or drop a lot more cash for the big, aluminum AirPods Max headphones.
****
One of the features Apple has pushed the hardest as it expands the AirPods lineup is active noise cancellation (ANC), a technology that reduces the noise you can hear from the world around you when you’ve got your earbuds in or headphones on. As we navigate noisy cities, try to ignore family members or roommates while perfecting our work from home setups, or keep ourselves occupied on the train, ANC has become a must-have feature for quite a few people.
However, not all AirPods support ANC, leaving many to wonder which generations of AirPods can give them that magical feeling of turning the volume down on the world. Although Apple has expanded its range of AirPods branded products over the years, only two models of AirPods come equipped with ANC, making it easy to determine which pair is best for you.
****
