If you asked me a week ago whether the Apple AirPods 4 were worth it, I would have said “just get the AirPods Pro 2 on sale for basically the same price.” But now that I’ve lived with Apple’s latest bid for the best wireless earbuds throne for a while, my answer’s a little more complicated.
These buds are incredibly compelling at a quick glance, improving significantly on the AirPods 3’s sound quality and features for an attainable $129. And despite their open-ear design, they miraculously offer active noise cancellation that can rival the AirPods Pro 2; at least for folks willing to spring for the $179 model.
But now that AirPods Pro 2 are almost always on sale for a similar price, the AirPods 4 become a slightly trickier proposition. And even if you don’t care about noise cancellation, you’re giving up some pretty notable features if you settle for the basic $129 model.
With all of this talk of multiple models and lots of overlap with the AirPods Pro, you probably have some questions about the latest member of the AirPods family. And after wearing them for a week straight on planes, trains and noisy city streets on both coasts, I have answers.
The basic AirPods 4 offer stellar sound quality, immersive Spatial Audio and lots of great features for a good price.
The pricier AirPods 4 model gets you active noise cancellation, wireless charging and a case that can make a sound when you're trying to find it.
What we liked about them
A comfortable, compact design
As a devout AirPods Pro 2 user for two years and counting, I usually have a hard time going back to the often looser fit of open-ear buds. But I’ve now worn the AirPods 4 across subway commutes, long work sessions and even an entire cross-country flight, and I often forget I’ve even made the switch. These are some of the most comfortable Apple buds I’ve gotten in my ears, with some improved ergonomics that Apple says are designed to fit well for more people than ever. They’ve stayed impressively secure for a pair of buds that aren’t completely lodged into my ear canals; there were a few instances of them popping out when I wore them in bed, though these things aren’t designed to be sleep earbuds.
The AirPods 4’s case is about 10% smaller than before, with a more squarish look that leaves plenty of extra space in my pockets. In a small touch that I love, the front-facing LED indicator is now completely hidden until you open or plug in the case, meaning that there’s no empty black dot up front the rest of the time. Apple also ditched the case’s button; you now put the AirPods 4 in pairing mode by simply double-tapping the back of the case. This command worked reliably, though given how seamlessly the AirPods sync up to most Apple devices, you probably won’t need to use it much.
Other perks include dust, water and sweat resistance (the AirPods 3 only offered the latter two), as well as wireless charging for those who spring for the noise-cancelling model. The AirPods 4 ANC case can also emit a chime when you’re trying to track it down in the Find My app — a feature I’ve loved having on my AirPods Pro 2 that I’m glad to see trickle down to more models. The new AirPods drop the Lightning port as Apple’s march towards an USB-C-only future continues, as you can conveniently charge them with the same cable you’re probably using for your iPad and MacBook. All of these upgrades result in a slick set of buds that are comfier and more functional than before, though you will have to pay up if you want everything they have to offer.
Surprisingly great active noise cancellation
The AirPods 4 bring ANC to the basic AirPods lineup for the first time, with an optional $179 model that offers the same suite of noise control modes you’ll find on the AirPods Pro 2. I was immediately skeptical that Apple’s open earbuds could drown out unwanted noise remotely as well as my trusty Pros — until I started using them.
From quieting the hordes of chatty journalists at Apple’s recent California launch event to putting up a strong fight against the New York City subway — and making the five-hour flight in-between pretty tolerable — the AirPods 4 have done a shockingly good job dampening noise. In fact, the new AirPods’ ANC performed nearly identically to that of the AirPods Pro 2 when I tested them against my clackety air conditioner that was fighting for its life against the last remnants of summer. More difficult-to-muffle noise such as piercing construction drills and incessant plane hissing made me miss the tight seal of my AirPods Pro, and I noticed that moving the buds around within my ears just slightly would have a significant impact on noise cancellation quality. Still, the AirPods 4 have largely been a good Pro substitute when it comes to drowning out the chaos, which is a notable feat for an open pair of earbuds.
Transparency mode worked as well as ever when I needed to stay alert while walking the dog, though I mostly found myself using the excellent Adaptive Audio mode that can automatically switch between ambient noise and noise cancellation based on your surroundings. The AirPods 4 also borrow the Pro’s Conversation Awareness feature that automatically lowers your music volume and turns off ANC when you start speaking. It works well, though I’d rather it pause your music instead of lowering it, and I generally keep it off since I tend to trigger it whenever I’m urging my stubborn Frenchie to keep walking.
Speaking of features that stop you from constantly having to take your phone out, the AirPods 4 let you answer and reject calls with a quick head nod or shake (the AirPods Pro 2 are also getting this perk via a software update). This worked reliably in my testing — you’ll hear a quick blip to confirm you’ve nodded your head for yes or shook it for no — and seems like a useful way for me to decline robocalls without even lifting a finger.
Superb sound quality — especially in Spatial Audio
Speaking of AirPods Pro parity, the AirPods 4 are an absolute joy to listen to music on. The bright, crunchy guitars and layered vocals of my usual emo and indie bangers sounded super crisp and lively, and Kendrick Lamar’s iconic hater anthem “Not Like Us” had plenty of kick and bite to its drums and vocals, respectively. But these things truly come to life once you fire up some Spatial Audio songs in Apple Music.
I’ve listened to boygenius’ “the record” approximately one billion times, and yet it still managed to floor me on the AirPods 4 — which provided clear separation between the band’s three distinct vocalists as they teamed up to devastate me with their harmonies. When I switched to Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” to lift the mood, the track’s rollicking 360-degree percussion got me so engrossed in my own personal pop party that I almost forgot I was on a cramped red-eye flight.
Sound quality was neck-and-neck with that of my AirPods Pro 2; the latter buds’ tight seal helped deliver punchier bass, though I found the AirPods 4 to sound a tiny bit clearer for vocals.
This impressive immersion can be partially accredited to the AirPods 4’s Personalized Spatial Audio, which is an upgrade from the regular ol’ Spatial Audio in the AirPods 3 that allows your buds to optimize themselves to your ears after taking a quick test.
The AirPods 4 were just as reliable for calls as they were for music; I never got any complaints after using them for a bunch of video and phone calls. The buds’ impressive voice isolation managed to eliminate some background fan noise in my voice recordings, which sounded even clearer than the ones I captured on my AirPods Pro 2.
What we didn’t like about them
No on-ear volume control
The AirPods 4 operate so similarly to my beloved AirPods Pro 2 that I often found myself sliding my finger up and down the stem to adjust the volume — only to realize that these buds don’t support that. For all of the great features that the AirPods 4 borrow from their pricier sibling, there’s no on-ear volume control, which is an incredibly convenient perk that’s been hard to go without after using the AirPods Pro 2 for a couple of years. It’s a minor nitpick, but one worth keeping in mind if you’re deciding between the two.
Battery life is just okay
The AirPods 4’s battery life has lived up to Apple’s claims in my testing, which is to say it’s just fine. The buds are rated for four to five hours of runtime based on whether you’re using ANC or not, and up to 30 hours when you factor in the charging case. This meant that the buds died at around the 4-hour mark of a 5-hour flight, and lasted through two full days of heavy on-and-off use before I had to recharge the case. To the AirPods 4’s credit, the buds juice up pretty quickly in the case, meaning that I only had a few terrifying moments alone with my thoughts during my plane trip. This is more or less what I’m used to on my AirPods Pro 2 (which are rated to last just an hour more than the AirPods 4), but there are plenty of longer-lasting buds out there.
The much-cheaper EarFun Air Pro 4 can last upwards of 11 hours on a single charge with a whopping 52 hours from the case, and the Beats Studio Buds+ (which offer some of the same perks as the AirPods) will get you up to nine hours on a charge and a solid 36 from the case. The AirPods 4’s endurance should be fine for most people’s day-to-day use, but you may want to consider other options if you typically use your buds for long, uninterrupted sessions.
ANC comes at a cost
The AirPods 4 come in two flavors: the base $129 version, and a $179 model that tacks on active noise cancellation alongside a few other benefits. In a vacuum, $179 for a pair of noise-canceling AirPods is a great value, especially compared to the AirPods Pro 2’s $249 retail price. But in a world where the AirPods Pro 2 are almost always on sale — sometimes for less than what the AirPods 4 with ANC cost — these premium buds become a tougher sell.
That’s not to mention the fact that noise-canceling budget earbuds have gotten incredibly cheap these days, with some of our favorite models like the EarFun Air Pro 4 and the Sony WF-C700N sometimes going for a fraction of what the priciest AirPods 4 cost. Of course, some people may just prefer an open-ear design, and you won’t get all that effortless functionality with your Apple devices if you go with a competitor. But these things are pricey!
It’s also a bummer that the $129 version of the AirPods 4 lack a few other key perks, including wireless charging (which is commonly found on cheap buds these days) and a built-in case speaker for more easily locating your buds in the Find My app. It doesn’t help that these two pairs are almost identically named, so if you’re willing to pay for the best version, make sure to look for “AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation” before you hit that buy button.
Bottom line
The AirPods 4 are some of the best Apple headphones I’ve ever used. I also can’t recommend them without noting a few asterisks.
These buds offer sound quality that rivals the AirPods Pro 2 across the board and — for folks that spring for the $179 model — active noise cancellation that does the same. But since they’re otherwise so similar to their more premium counterpart, you’ll really have to ask yourself what kind of fit you prefer; not to mention how much you’re willing to give up for a lower price.
I’ve always preferred the secure fit provided by a pair of ear tips, and after polling the Underscored staff, most of my colleagues feel the same way. But there were a good handful of outliers that professed their love for an open design. Some find this style more comfortable; others feel it helps them better stay aware of their surroundings. One of them just finds ear tips gross, which is valid!
If you’re in this camp, the $129 AirPods 4 are an amazing value pick, and the $179 AirPods 4 are basically the AirPods Pro but without any nasty silicone tips to clog up your ears. For everyone else? Yeah, just grab the AirPods Pro 2 on sale.
