AirPods 4 review: smart features, low price

It’s hard to overstate the success of Apple’s AirPods. They went from a laughing stock, thanks to their white upper design, to an absolute icon in the space of just a few years. Now, AirPods are in their fourth generation, and this time they were released in two models: AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation.

I’ll review the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation separately, as I think the standard AirPods 4 are a pretty interesting release. These earbuds are designed to be the entry point to the AirPods line, offering a lower price than most competitors, with a solid feature set. They also have a new design compared to the AirPods 3 before them. How do they work? I used them to find out.

More portable and more comfortable

As mentioned, the AirPods 4 bring a new design to the entry-level AirPods. They still have an open design that doesn’t completely create a seal in your ears when you insert them, and they still have a stem, which has become an iconic design element of AirPods in general.

However, that stem is shorter than before, and the bud at the end of the stem has a different shape than the AirPods 3. According to Apple, the shape is the result of millions of ear scans and an effort to to ensure that AirPods 4 fits as many ears as possible.

Image source: Christian from Looper for BGR

Indeed, the AirPods adapt very well to my ears. They were comfortable to wear for extended periods of time and I found that I never really felt much discomfort. However, they aren’t as snug as the AirPods Pro, and the result is that during intense movement they can move around a bit and even become dislodged. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones to work with, it’s probably worth going with the AirPods Pro or another pair of headphones.

The AirPods 4 offer essentially the same controls as before, which is a good thing. I found the compression controls on the AirPods very easy to use and overall responsive. That said, I wish you could customize them beyond just customizing call controls. And unfortunately, they only really offer tap controls, not swipe controls. This means you can’t control the volume on the earbuds themselves like you can on the AirPods Pro.

The design of the case is also different. The case that comes with the AirPods 4 is quite different from the one that comes with the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation. The good news is that the deal is smaller than before, if you can believe it. AirPods already generally offer some of the smallest charging cases, and it’s nice to see them getting even smaller to be easier to carry in a pocket. A USB-C port sits at the bottom.

Image source: Christian from Looper for BGR

But there is also bad news related to this matter. Unlike AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, the base AirPods 4 charging case does not support wireless charging. This seems to be a bit of a miss on Apple’s part. Many alternative earbuds in this price range support wireless charging, and it seems a bit silly to hold it back as a feature. Additionally, this case does not come with built-in speakers for status alerts. I do like the LED light hidden under the front of the case though, and it’s really nice to see that the charging case is IP54 water resistant, and not just the earbuds.

Generally, the AirPods 4 design allows for a more comfortable fit and more portable build. I wish Apple wouldn’t hold back as many features as it did, though.

Limited battery and no wireless charging

I was a little disappointed with the battery life the AirPods 4 offered. They have a continuous listening time of 5 hours, which is less than any earbud I’ve tested recently. The charging case will give you an additional 25 hours, bringing the total listening time to 30 hours. To be honest, it’s probably rare that you listen to music for 5 hours straight.

Image source: Christian from Looper for BGR

But again, the majority of competitors offer longer autonomy. This is a problem made even worse by the lack of wireless charging. It makes sense that Apple would try to differentiate the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation with certain features. But I think ANC is enough of a feature to do that. I kind of find the lack of wireless charging a bit confusing for customers who might assume that the only thing they’re not getting with lower-end earbuds is the lack of ANC.

Apple-y Features

But they offer a huge range of features, as we’ve come to expect from AirPods in general. Some of them are carried over from previous generation models, but others are new and they are all powered by the H2 chip.

For starters, as you would expect, they support Apple’s auto-switching technology. This feature can be a little buggy at times, but it’s a feature I’ve come to love and rely on over the years. For example, earlier this year my wife and I had our first child. Being able to easily connect my AirPods Max to the Apple TV in the bedroom or the Apple TV in the living room, or keep them connected to my phone or Mac as needed, has been a lifesaver when the quiet in the house was necessary. To be clear, this technology only works with Apple devices – there’s no standardized Multipoint Bluetooth here.

Image source: Christian from Looper for BGR

There are also many other smart new features. For example, AirPods 4 feature personalized audio that automatically adjusts the volume of your audio based on your surroundings. For some, this can be annoying, especially for those who want to control the volume more based on the mood of the music than their surroundings. But you can turn it off if you want.

AirPods 4 also feature personalized spatial audio, which uses head tracking and provides a more immersive listening experience. I’ve never liked using spatial audio for listening to music, but I really like it when watching TV shows or movies. And while I don’t actually do this on my phone, it also works on an Apple TV.

Finally, AirPods 4 include an accelerometer that lets you interact with Siri by nodding or shaking your head. This is a good way to respond to Siri without speaking, for example in an elevator. That said, I didn’t necessarily find myself using it beyond testing, but it’s nice that it’s an option – and one you can turn off if you want.

Better sound in every way

The AirPods 4 also sound much better than the AirPods 3 before them. They offer better bass on the low end, better clarity on the high end, and generally good sound, especially for a pair of headphones in this price range.

Image source: Christian from Looper for BGR

The bass response is particularly improved. This allows the kick drums to sound much more powerful, and the bass guitars and synths help round out the music. They even managed to produce plenty of bass tones, which is not so common in headphones in this price range.

Although the bass is probably more useful for a larger portion of listeners, I particularly appreciated the better clarity in the treble. This allowed percussion, such as cymbals, to sound cleaner and generally achieve a more natural audio response. The high-end frequencies are often lower than the average of cheaper headphones, but I was pleasantly surprised – although, to be clear, they are still a bit forward in the bass.

Conclusions

The AirPods 4 are a great entry point to the AirPods line. It makes perfect sense that the headphones don’t have active noise cancellation, unless you pay more. I wish some of the other features were available here, like wireless charging. Regardless, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones in the Apple ecosystem and want to spend as little as possible, the AirPods 4 are excellent, offering improved sound and access to features like auto-switching .

The competition

If you are an Apple user, these are the best headphones in their price range. They sound great, fit great, and offer advanced features. That said, it’s worth considering upgrading to AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation – not just for ANC but also for features like wireless charging.

If you don’t care much about Apple-focused features and just want the best headphones you can get in this price range, consider the Nothing Ear(a) headphones, which offer ANC, a cool transparent design. , and more, but they don’t have Apple features, like auto-switching.

Should I buy AirPods 4?

Yes, these are great Apple headphones at a low price.