Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Review

I’ve been living with a pair of AirPods Pro 2 in my pocket for the last 12 months, and while I’d love a little more battery life, they’re quite simply the best headphones that Apple users can buy. No pair of headphones has made me reconsider that statement until this new challenger arrived from within: AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

They arrive with the same H2 chip from the Pro variant, and on paper, these earbuds should give you most of the Pro experience at a lower price point. So, for this review, I set out to answer one main question: should you save money and opt for the more expensive AirPods Pro 2 or go to your nearest Apple Store and get your hands on a pair of Apple AirPods 4?

Before the full review, we must understand what Apple presents with these new headphones. Here’s what the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC bring to the table:

• New and improved fit for comfort
• Better audio quality with custom acoustic architecture and H2 chip
• H2 chip brings new Siri Interactions and better voice isolation
• Force sensor for more control
• USB-C Charging Case with wireless charging capability
• 4-hours battery life (with ANC), 5-hours battery life (without ANC)

Now that we’ve looked at the top-line specs and features let’s check out the complete review.

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What Do the Apple AirPods 4 Cost?

These new headphones come in two variants (both white):

• AirPods 4 – from AU$219
• AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation – from AU$299 (as tested)
• AirPods Pro 2 – from AU$399

This places AirPods 4 (without ANC) as the new entry-point to the new Apple Headphones line-up and puts the AirPods 4 (with ANC) at the middle point between the standard model and the AirPods Pro 2 ($399).

When shopping for the AirPods 4, you could also look at the Beats Studio Buds+ (AU$269), which has ANC and integrates rubber tips to fit more ears. I highly recommend cross-shopping the two pairs of headphones because since Apple owns Beats, the Beats Studio Buds+ integrate directly into the Apple ecosystem. That said, the AirPods 4 have more connectivity features because of the H2 chip: Personalized Spatial Audio, Automatic Ear Detection, Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, etc.

What Do We Like the Most About Apple AirPods 4 with ANC?

I’ve been using the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for a few weeks now, and the biggest highlights have been the Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness.

While the AirPods Pro 2 provides a superior fit with a tight seal around your ear, the open-back design of the AirPods 4 is sometimes preferred for comfort and safety reasons. Yes, more sound makes its way through the open-ear design, and ANC has suffered compared to the AirPods Pro 2. Still, there’s a trade-off for natural sound, and Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness all seem to work better with AirPods 4.

Gone are those awkward moments at the coffee shop when you’re talking to the cashier and trying to order a drink. I also prefer to wear these while seated at my desk to avoid missing those important conversations with a colleague.

I also prefer the overall design of the AirPods 4 case, which the brand has shrunk and added functionality. It’s 10 per cent smaller, and there’s a hidden LED indicator, USB-C charging, wireless charging (AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation only), and a case speaker for Find My (AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation only). I’d consider purchasing the ANC model for the Find My functionality alone. It’s a game changer when talking about such a small, lightweight case that seems to get lost often.

There are also tap controls to replace the back button, but I’d much prefer a physical button, as I struggled to get the tap controls to register when I first set up the AirPods 4.

What Ticks the Box But Doesn’t Blow Us Away?

Sound quality. The AirPods 4 with ANC has above-average sound quality, and Apple has gone to great lengths to add a custom low-distortion driver and high dynamic range amplifier for improved bass, wide mid-range, and clearer highs. However, it’s still resplendently neutral without great depth at either end of the spectrum.

My main query here is not the fact the bass and high notes seem to disappear into the background as soon as any mid-range is added but that there’s no control over the sound profile. You would think an equaliser would be a worthy addition to a pair of headphones that cost more than $200.

You could say the same about active noise cancellation. It’s strong enough to cancel out the majority of aeroplane engine noise and does a good job with cars in the city, but it’s simply not up there with the AirPods 2 Pro (AU$399), Sony WF-1000XM5 (AU$369), and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (AU$369.95). Blame the open-ear design all you want, but the significantly cheaper Soundcore Liberty 4 NC (AU$169) is better for pure noise cancellation. Still, you won’t be disappointed if this is your first foray into ANC.

Finally, battery life. The standard AirPods 4 has 5 hours of battery life (30 hours with the case), while the ANC model I’m testing here is limited to 4 hours (20 hours with the case). Put the AirPods in the case, and you’ll add 1 hour of battery life in 5 minutes. This is roughly half the battery life offered by the more expensive competitors listed above, and even the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC has up to 8 hours with ANC on.

What’s Not So Great About Apple AirPods 4 with ANC?

They still don’t fit in my ears comfortably, and they fall out when given the opportunity. It’s not just my ears either because plenty of other reviewers have also mentioned their disappointment in the fit.

I can wear them on my daily commute and for hours in the office quite happily, but as soon as I start moving around, turning my head, laughing, etc., they wiggle their way out, and the noise cancellation becomes less effective. That said, if they fit your ears, they’re perfect for working out, thanks to an IP54 dust and water resistance rating.

I have to give the brand credit because while they still don’t fit everyone’s ears like the Pro model, they did everything they could to make this shape work. Here’s everything they did to make the AirPods 4 fit more people’s ears:

• Analysed thousands of ear shapes with 3D photogrammetry and laser topography
• Analysed over 50 million data points to refine the design
• Narrowed the AirPod width to more securely sit on the ear
• Refined angle of the counter

Finally, they’ve added the H2 chip into the stem with a force sensor that can control the following functions:

• Press once to play or pause media
• Press once to answer a call or mute or unmute
• Press twice to end a call
• Press twice to skip forward
• Press three times to skip back
• Press and hold for Siri

These shortcuts work quite well. There’s also all of the ‘Hey Siri’ functionality you’d expect with controls like “Turn up the volume” or “Turn down the volume.”

Should You Buy the AirPods 4 with ANC?

Now that I’ve explained everything good, bad, and ugly about the new AirPods 4 with ANC, let’s return to my original question: should you save money and opt for the more expensive AirPods Pro 2 or go to your nearest Apple Store and get your hands on a pair of Apple AirPods 4?

The answer is simple: wait until the AirPods Pro 2 goes on sale and purchase a pair for the price of the AirPods 4 with ANC.

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