Review: AirPods 4 with ANC no replacement for AirPods Pro
It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since AirPods first arrived on the scene. After years of avoiding Apple-branded earbuds for better-sounding headphones, I was really skeptical that Apple could build something that sounded good, but it sure did, and it was rewarded with a hit. I went from being skeptical to using them everywhere except mowing the lawn or riding on an airplane.
But in 2019, the AirPods Pro barreled in, with their in-ear design and active noise cancellation, and they became my go-to earbuds for everywhere. That noise cancellation made a huge difference and was enough for me to turn my back on the original AirPods design forever.
But in a bit of a surprise, this year, Apple has introduced the $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, a slightly pricier version of the $129 AirPods 4 that throws noise cancellation into the more affordable AirPods for the very first time. I’ve been able to use the AirPods 4 with ANC over the last few weeks, including on an airplane, and my feelings are… well, they’re mixed.
On the one hand, the fact that you can get noise cancellation on base AirPods is amazing. Their hard plastic body means that they can’t make a soft seal like the silicone tips on the AirPods Pro can, so there’s more outside audio leakage to compensate for. However, there’s a huge advantage there: If you can’t stand silicone ear tips sticking into your ears, maybe the AirPods 4 will let you finally use ANC AirPods for the first time.
I found the shape of the AirPods 4 to be perfectly acceptable, but every ear is different. Apple says it’s upgraded its database of global ear shapes in order to craft a shape that’s the best for most people, but there’s literally no way to generalize something like this: The only way you’re going to be able to tell if the shape of AirPods 4 is better or worse than previous AirPods is to try them for yourself.
Apple’s made a few other changes from the previous-generation AirPods, too. The H2 chip powers noise cancellation as well as conversational awareness, transparency mode, voice isolation, and adaptive audio. There are also a few downgrades: battery life is rated an hour lower, and the skin-detect sensor to reduce the number of times your music or podcasts keep playing when you shove the earbuds in your pocket has been replaced with a more primitive optical sensor.
But here’s the thing: While AirPods 4 with noise cancellation are a step up from the base model and from previous models, that $70 difference (only $20 if you can find AirPods Pro 2 on Amazon for $199, as I can right now) between the models comes with a huge leap in quality.
When I put the AirPods 4 with ANC in my ears while the house next door was being loudly power washed, I could hear my music and the faint sound of power washing. On an airplane, the hum of the engines was tamped down. Great! But in contrast, when I used my AirPods Pro 2 in those situations, the power washing sound was gone, and so was the hum of the engines. Apple’s claim that the AirPods Pro are twice as good at noise cancellation might be a bit of a head-scratcher in terms of how it’s calculated, but it’s not wrong.
And a few years of using AirPods Pro have also spoiled me when it comes to audio quality. The sound on the AirPods 4 is… fine? In a vacuum, I’d say that they sounded good. But the AirPods Pro sound better, and it’s not really close. I also missed the ability to adjust the volume on the fly by moving my fingers on the AirPods Pro—you have to use Siri, your iPhone, or your Apple Watch to adjust the volume on the AirPods 4.
There’s no denying it: AirPods Pro are superior to the AirPods 4 in every way, and if you’re buying a new pair of AirPods, you should really consider if it’s worth spending a little bit more to get the very best. (See Quinn Nelson’s YouTube review for a lot more detail on these issues.)
Everyone’s priorities are going to vary. At $129, AirPods 4 are a pretty good buy. At $249, AirPods Pro 2 are pricey but great. I’m not sure if these $179 AirPods 4 with ANC really make sense. If they’re the best fit for your ears and the AirPods Pro aren’t an option, great. But don’t make the mistake of buying AirPods 4 with ANC, thinking that they’re an easy way to save on AirPods Pro 2. They aren’t.
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