You can now get AirPods in 'neutral' skin-tone colors, but you'll pay a premium for them

• All current AirPods have got a lick of paint from ColorWare
• 'The Blended Collection' offers neutral skin-tone colors
• But you'll be paying a pretty penny for the makeover

Bored of your plain, ceramic-white AirPods? Wish you could get a splash of color into your ears? These new custom-painted AirPod models from ColorWare might be what you need. ColorWare is a long-running company that takes new products, gives them a high-quality new paint-job, and sells them to folks with a mark-up.

The new ColorWare line gives Apple’s current headphone range a new lick of paint, with the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max all benefiting from the makeover.

Each model now comes in a variety of neutral options designed to match a few varieties of skin tones, including ‘Glaze’ (light pink/cream), ‘Toasty’ (light brown/beige), and ‘Java’ (a deepr brown).

It’s a far cry from the stark white coloring of most AirPods off the shelf, which have changed in shape and design over the years but otherwise stuck with Apple’s minimalist tone.

Some Apple ranges do push the envelope a little with their color palette, like the vibrant iMac M4 line, or ‘desert titanium’ colored iPhones. And the AirPods Max do break with AirPod tradition, with colorways including silver, sky blue, green, and pink.

But generally, Apple is known for sticking to a core set of tones for brand consistency, and to make sure its Apple-ness is visible from a quick glance.

A new era?

We previously reported how Apple had planned to release AirPods in a mix of different colors (pink, red, purple, black, blonde) in order to match the iPhone 7 that was on the market at the time, but the tech giant ultimately decided to keep things boring – I mean, simple.

Headphones are key consumer accessories these days, and shoppers are often forced to buy elsewhere in order to get the aesthetic they’re after – possibly sacrificing the audio experience in the process. These repainted (upcycled?) AirPods offer the best of both worlds, with Apple hardware in a fun, new finish.

Of course, other Apple-made headphones manage not to be so plain. The new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 will come in some fun colors, and the ColorWare 'Blended' range of skin-aping tones is very similar to Beats' collection with Kim Kardashian.

And yes, you will be paying a premium for these. The custom AirPods 4 retail for $329, roughly doubling the original price, while the custom AirPods Pro 2 now cost $439, with a similar markup. The AirPods Max has seen a 50% price increase, bringing its $549 official price up to $849.

Colorway’s website says the painted AirPods are “only available for a limited time”, though, so if you’re not put off by the price increase, now might be the time to buy.

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