I’ve never been a huge fan of Apple’s regular AirPods. While the first few models didn’t fit securely in my ears, I found their sound quality to be adequate, and I liked the noise isolation offered by earbuds with silicone tips. But I fully recognize that a large number of people prefer the standard AirPods for their open design and the convenience that comes with it. After spending a week with the new AirPods 4, I can already tell you that they will be an instant upgrade for many.
From the outside, you won’t see any drastic changes from the AirPods 3. Apple is constantly tweaking the shape and contours of the earbuds for the best possible fit, and the charging case is now smaller than ever. (Yes, it’s got a USB-C connector this time.) But these are still part of the AirPods — and they still only come in white.
Big changes await inside: For the first time, Apple is offering two different versions of the regular AirPods. Both offer the same sound quality, so don’t worry about that. And each includes the company’s H2 chip, which offers several new features that boost sound quality and voice call clarity. They are both IP54 dust and water resistant. The base AirPods 4 cost $129, and the more premium model costs $179. For the extra money, you’ll get some major improvements, including subject differentiation and active noise cancellation.
So let’s start there. How well can ANC work in an open-form design that doesn’t completely seal your ears? It’s not the first time it’s been tried — Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 have noise cancellation — and the way it works is essentially the same as the AirPods Pro. The microphones in AirPods 4 analyze your environment and create anti-noise to reduce ambient noise. But with other earbuds, ANC gets help from the natural noise isolation of the ear tips. That’s not the case here, so you should go with realistic expectations. There are no miracles. AirPods Pro have the most comprehensive noise canceling capabilities, full stop. If you want a private bubble of peace, the AirPods 4 aren’t going to get you there.
But I was really impressed with what they did There are capable of If you put the AirPods 4 on and turn on the noise cancellation without any audio playing, you might not be surprised. You’ll hear… well, absolutely everything — but Tintin’s volume is high. ANC is great at dealing with low-frequency noises from airplane cabins, city traffic, and random sounds from many offices. The AirPods 4 did a remarkable job of reducing the noise of the boat engines on the pier near our office.
If you’re not listening to something, you’re always going to hear a fair amount of ambient sound, but once the music starts, that’s where ANC proves its worth. I find that I can keep the volume at 50 percent and have no distractions. With past AirPods (and the non-ANC AirPods 4), I routinely find myself turning down the volume to combat my surroundings. You don’t have to face that battle with the AirPods 4 with ANC, and you’ll often have to listen at safe levels. One unfortunate downgrade compared to the AirPods Pro is that you can’t adjust the volume directly on the earbuds; There are no swipe gestures like Apple’s flagship buds.
The AirPods 4 aren’t going to get the listening health features that come with the AirPods Pro, but the ability to shave off the outside world enough to let you keep the volume slider in a sensible place is a major reason to consider the upgrade. . There are certainly contexts where they can struggle – the ANC doesn’t struggle much in a crowded bar – but I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see how effective this open-ear style aspect has proven to be.
Along with noise cancellation, the high-end model also features a combination of transparency mode and adaptive audio, so important sounds like sirens can pass through. Adaptive audio is less useful here than in the AirPods Pro, as the AirPods 4 always make it easier to hear what’s going on around you through their design. But Conversation Awareness lowers the audio volume when you start talking, which is a useful trick — unless you’re prone to mumbling to yourself, as I often do.
Other perks are included with the high-end $179 AirPods 4. The case supports wireless charging with Apple’s MagSafe pucks or any Qi-compatible charger. The case also has a built-in speaker that can emit sound when you try to track it with Apple’s Find My app. The standard $129 AirPods 4 lack these features. I’m fine with losing the speaker, but will probably have to go without wireless charging on the base model.
Sound-wise, these are Apple’s best regular AirPods. The overall sound signature hasn’t changed much from the AirPods 3, but the AirPods 4 offer a thicker bass than its predecessors; I noticed more instrumental separation when listening to songs like “Tiny Moves” by Bleachers; The upper range / treble still has subtlety and clarity. The AirPods Pro are better when it comes to overall reliability, but I have no problem living with the AirPods 4. Again, conventional and ANC models are similar in this field.
I have to be more deliberate and twist these AirPods correctly in my ears. But once they’re in, they’re so tight, even as I rush down the subway station stairs to catch the train. With AirPods Pro, I can line them up without a second thought. But I can agree that the AirPods 4 are more comfortable during long listening sessions.
Head Gestures is a new capability you get on both sets of AirPods. A side-to-side shake of your head will also dismiss them. I’m not a fan of my earbuds pestering me with notifications, but in my brief tests, they accurately detected my head movements, even when they were very small. Some people may actually like this way of handling Siri, but I’ll stick to the more traditional methods.
Anyone who frequently uses AirPods for voice calls will appreciate the Voice Isolation feature already present in the AirPods Pro. And now it comes to AirPods 4. By running machine learning algorithms on AirPods and the source device simultaneously, Apple can better isolate you. Voice, even in noisy environments. It’s basically similar to Google’s Clear Call feature, and it can make a significant difference if you need to make a call in the best of circumstances. Note that Voice Isolation is only available on calls and cannot be used when recording a voice memo or video on your phone.
On top of these new features, you get the usual Apple ecosystem integrations like audio sharing, automatic switching between devices, hands-free “Hey Siri” commands, Apple TV integration, and more. I still wish Apple would add true multipoint support so you can connect to two products at the same time, but at this point, the decision to leave it out seems like a philosophical choice that isn’t going to change.
Battery life is four hours of playback time with noise cancellation on or five hours off. Adding the charging case gives a total of 20 and 30 hours respectively. (The cheaper AirPods 4 get longer numbers because they don’t have ANC.) I haven’t used them long enough to verify those ratings in detail, but they seem about right so far. Unfortunately, Apple still hasn’t made repairs a priority with the AirPods 4, so inevitably, there will come a time when that tolerance starts to wane.
After this review I will be going back to regular earbuds. That’s just me, I like as much noise isolation as possible. But the AirPods 4 with ANC are a long way off and Apple’s most compelling take on this open design. The noise cancellation isn’t on par with more expensive in-ear alternatives, but it’s good enough to ensure you can enjoy your music at normal volume wherever you are. You can tell a difference when the ANC is working, which I can’t say about other open earbuds that advertise noise cancellation. This, along with wireless charging, is the biggest reason I steer most people towards the more expensive model.
The standard AirPods 4 give you the same good audio performance, and they seamlessly tie into Apple’s ecosystem. They’re a substantial upgrade over the same $129 second-gen model, but beyond walled-garden tricks, Apple has left them relatively few frills compared to the ANC pair. So unless you’re too price-conscious, it’s worth going ahead. Your ears will thank you for spending the extra $50.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
