Can’t get enough of the Year of the Snake celebratory mood? Well, how about adding another piece of festive merch to your collection? Apple is joining a parade of themed items from brands like Marshall, Longines, and Satechi with its Year of the Snake Special Edition AirPods 4 with ANC.
To be fair, calling it “special” might be stretching it a bit. It’s your standard AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, and Transparency mode—same iconic white design, same stem-style earbuds. The only nod to the zodiac theme is a subtle gray line art of a snake etched onto the charging case, plus a slightly bolder red version of it on the packaging. Snazzy? Sure. Transformative? Not so much.
As a refresher, the AirPods 4 brings Apple’s H2 silicon to the table, offering crisp sound, a seamless Adaptive EQ, and features like Conversation Awareness and Voice Isolation. The case is a multitasker too, supporting USB-C, wireless charging via Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers, and even doubling as a Find My speaker—because losing your AirPods shouldn’t be the real snake in your life.
They’re IP54 dust, sweat, and water-resistant, and the buds deliver up to 4 hours of ANC playback on a single charge, or 30 hours total with the case. But let’s face it, the Year of the Snake upgrade is more about vibes than specs.
The Apple Year of the Snake AirPods 4 with ANC is available now online in select regions, including Malaysia (RM 829), Singapore (S$249), Hong Kong (HK$1,499), China (RMB 1,399), as well as Taiwan (NT$5,990).
I don’t understand the need for exclusivity for this. I mean Chinese celebrating the Year of the Snake are everywhere. Pretty sure some of them want one too. Then again, it is just a small logo. It’s really not something that will make anyone scream “Shut up and take my money.”
Images: Apple [SG].
