The New AirPods Can Cancel Noise Without Gumming Up Your Ears

What’s New With the AirPods 4

You might not notice a big difference in the new AirPods 4 design at first glance if you don’t have one of the older models on hand to compare, but there have been significant changes. The charging case is slightly smaller than the previous generation’s and swaps in a USB-C port, since Apple ditched its proprietary Lightning port across its devices last year; it’s also compatible with Qi wireless chargers and has a speaker to help with FindMy location.

The earphones themselves are re-engineered too. Apple claims this was a major overhaul using “over 50 million individual data points” to inform the design; I mostly noticed that they’re slightly narrower, there’s a change in the layout of its vents, and that the main speaker is more elongated than the previous model’s. Still, Apple says the new shape should fit more people’s ears better than the old shape.

Under the hood, the new AirPods 4 adds a new “acoustic architecture” and the company’s Personalized Spatial Audio feature, along with the same H2 chip that powers the Pro 2 model. That in part enables a new way to be passive-aggressive to your friends and loved ones with Siri Interactions, which gives wearers a chance to shut down notifications by shaking their heads “no” to respond to Siri announcements (you can nod yes to accept them, too). Once you actually answer, phone call quality should be even better with a new Voice Isolation capability, which aims to cut down on background sound.

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation brings Apple’s advanced hearing controls to the base line, including Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness (which pauses or lowers volume level when you speak). I’ll explain exactly how all that works shortly.

Testing Out the AirPods 4

I began my trial period using the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (which I’m going to refer to as the 4 ANC going forward). The feature works similarly to the Pro model’s, minus the silicone tips to seal off the ear canal. Apple is calling the AirPods 4 an “open-ear” design, which I associate more with headphones that leave the ear canal totally clear—like those from brands like Shokz or Bose—but compared to the Pro, I guess I can feel the difference .

Out in the world, the noise canceling was immediately noticeable when I toggled between settings by pressing on the earphones’ stems as I passed an idling bus on my walk to work. The 4 ANC didn’t totally encapsulate me in an aural bubble, like the Pro 2 seems to do, but the sounds of my environment were almost completely muted. The fit here wasn’t as snug in my ear as the Pro 2 either, but with ANC enabled, the effect was (almost) the same. You’re able to create your own main character moment, isolating yourself in a wall of sound without the noises of the outside world interrupting your reverie. I don’t totally understand how it’s able to work so well without tips to seal off your ears, but it does, and it’s awesome.

I cued up Fontaines DC’s “Romance” on Spotify once I got on a subway train and the loud ambient noise was deadened, even with a relatively quiet, vocal-driven song—the only commute sounds I could pick up was the clank of the train passing on its track in the background. I toggled between settings on a platform when I transferred, and I was pleasantly surprised; I could make clear distinctions between the Transparency Mode (which allows outside sounds in) and ANC modes, even without the ear seal.

Curious for real time comparison, I switched to the Pro 2 while I was sitting on the train. I changed between them while listening to Fontaines DC’s “Starburster,” a track that has an atmospheric, layered production with a driving guitar part and strong backbeat; the audio is fuller with the Pro model, but not by much. I felt like I was in a booth surrounded by speakers wearing the Pro 2, while the 4 ANC wasn’t quite as immersive—like the door to that booth was left slightly ajar. Still, I could hear all of the song’s instruments in the newer earphones; the bridge of the song has a string arrangement, and I was still able to pick up every note clearly without straining, even though I could sense the train clacking along in the background.

Quieter songs sounded great on the 4 ANC too, even in transit. Zach Bryan’s acoustic strum and harmonica “Summertime’s Close” was clear and cutting (although it was tougher to hear once I switched from ANC to Transparency, but that’s to be expected). Hip-hop tracks lacked a bit of bass compared to the Pro 2; Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” didn’t bump quite as hard once the beat kicked in on the 4 ANC.

The Adaptive Audio setting works well to shift between situations automatically, especially when you want to stay aware of your surroundings. I was standing on the sidewalk and a street cleaner passed, even louder than the standard rumbling of traffic. The volume kicked up, and I didn’t miss a word of the podcast I was listening to as the host described a convoluted court case.

I enjoyed wearing the new AirPods out in the world for more than just my morning commute. Conversation Awareness works, but maybe a bit too well. When I walked past my neighbor outside my apartment it cut the sound when I said hello—but it also paused my podcasts when I spoke absentmindedly to my dog ​​(this happened an alarming number of times for my own good, actually), and when I happened to clear my throat on the train as the conductor made an announcement. I toggled it off after getting these examples down for the review’s sake.

The nod/shake gesture is really cool and works well, but I had to enable “Announce Notifications” on in my iPhone’s settings for it to work before I shook off a call from a colleague and sent him to voicemail. I really personally don’t like that much overt interaction with Siri describing all my business out loud, so it was fun to test, but I’ll likely turn it off for everyday life. I took a few calls, but didn’t notice any difference in quality from other experiences I’ve had with other AirPod models.

How the AirPods 4 Performs During Workouts

I’m particularly picky with the headphones I use when I’m training. Whether I’m lifting weights, running, or swinging kettlebells around, I want to make sure that I can hear my audiobooks while I’m working out. That usually means that I’m reaching for a pair of buds with ear tips to seal off the sound if I’m in the gym, or totally open-ear models while I’m on busy roads on a run. The standard AirPods model hasn’t been a go-to for years, since there’s no noise-cancelling feature for the former scenario, but my ear canal is still filled in the latter. I put both of the AirPods 4 models to the test in the gym and on the run to see if they’ll make me change my tune.

First up was the gym. The fit in my ears is good enough that no regular jostling knocked them out. I laid back on a bench to press and they stayed in place; saidto when I reached my arms up to hang on a pullup bar. The sound is still good, too (especially in the 4 ANC). This is also a setting where the base model might have an advantage over the Pro—the earphone tips can sometimes catch perspiration and feel gross when I start to sweat, while the 4 models don’t have that issue.

I’m training for a marathon, so I also went on several runs with the new AirPods. They felt stable in my ears, but I did have to adjust them intermittently as my strides and head movements jostled them. I was most pleasantly surprised when I took the non-ANC model out on my long run, a brutal 2 hour and 40 minute jaunt down to Rockaway Beach. The buds stayed in my ears with minimal fuss, and the sound was much better than expected, even as I ran next to highways and over bridges. Even better, the battery only drained about 15 percent (I wasn’t playing audio the whole time, though).

Battery life in general was good. I had the 4 ANC in my ears for hours over the first three days of the review period, between workouts, commutes, walking my dog—just about any time I was awake and didn’t have to interface with another human. Apple estimates 30 hours of listening time per charge (with top-offs from the case) and 20 hours with ANC enabled. I didn’t track my testing to the minute and moved between modes, but I only needed to charge the case on the fourth day of the period. That’s solid performance in my book.

Should You Get the New AirPods 4?

I actually enjoyed crossing my self-imposed audio line to use versions of the new AirPods 4 everywhere I went. They’re excellent true wireless earbuds, especially considering their seamless integration into Apple’s walled garden ecosystem of products (switching my headphones between my phone, TV, and work computer still feels like magic to me).

The question is, which is the best choice for you? Testing the AirPods 4 was fun and I was genuinely impressed by its ANC capability, but I ultimately prefer the Pro 2’s fit and sound for the majority of situations when I’m out in the world. If cost isn’t a factor (the Pro 2 runs $249) and you don’t mind the seal of the silicone tips in your ear canals, those will be your best bet. Apple didn’t make any hardware changes on the Pro 2 line this year, but did announce some genuinely groundbreaking hearing health features (including an FDA-authorized over-the-counter hearing aid, the first of its kind) coming later this year via software update—so that’s also something to consider.

I can see why the Pro line might be a non-starter for some people, though. I must concede that I take breaks from the tips myself, and swap for the standard AirPods when I’m wearing earphones around the house for a better fit. If you prefer more of an “open-ear” fit or you don’t want to pay more than $200 for a set of earbuds, the 4 ANC will give you most of the Pro line’s premium features at $179, and if anything the audio experience is barely a step down—much better than I could’ve expected before putting them in my own ears.

The base AirPods 4 are much more solid than I expected too, and at $129, they’re comparably (and even competitively) priced to other entry-level earbuds on the market from major brands. If you don’t need premium features like active noise cancellation and you just want some reliable headphones, they’re one of the best overall picks for iOS users.

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