Apple AirPods 4 don’t come with a USB-C cable for charging

Apple has taken another step in reducing included accessories, as the newly announced AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation will not include a USB-C charging cable in the box. This move follows the company's trend of minimizing packaged accessories, which began with the removal of charging adapters from iPhone boxes a few years ago.
The absence of the charging cable was confirmed on Apple's official spec page for the new earbuds.While the cases for both AirPods 4 models feature USB-C ports, users will need to purchase a compatible cable separately if they don't already own one.
This decision comes as Apple transitions its product line from Lightning to USB-C connectors. The lack of an included cable may inconvenience users upgrading from older Lightning-based AirPods models who don't have spare USB-C cables.
The new AirPods 4 models – come in two options, one with an ANC along with the standard ones – and are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping on September 20, coinciding with the release of the iPhone 16 lineup.