Apple’s first AirPods - the company's true-wireless in-ear headphones - were released in 2016 and ever since, they have been widely embraced as the most practical way to listen to music or make calls wirelessly. The original AirPods were supplanted by a second-generation model that looked pretty much identical – and which stayed in the range until last month. A third-gen model (that has also now been retired) was redesigned featuring a shorter stalk.
Apple has just released two new versions of its iconic entry-level AirPods – AirPods 4, with a brand-new design for the earbuds, a conspicuously more compact battery case, and with active noise cancellation (ANC) as an optional extra. There’s no visible difference between the two versions of earbuds, though the case is different, both inside and out, and is the smallest in the industry with wireless charging capabilities.
We tested a pair of the new AirPods 4 with ANC. Until now, active noise cancellation has been the exclusive preserve of the AirPods pro and AirPods max designs (both of which are still available), so this feature is a major boon. Set up is intuitively simple. The ANC model can be charged wirelessly on a MagSafe charger, for example, or an Apple watch charging puck. And because it has MagSafe built in, the case will snap satisfyingly in place with either of these. There’s also a speaker on the bottom of the case, so if you misplace it, you can use Apple’s nifty Find My app to make the case emit a sound to help you find it.
Appearance wise, the buds themselves look different from previous generations. Whilst they don’t feature the silicone ear tips of the AirPods pro, the stem is shorter and has a flat edge, which you can squeeze to turn noise-canceling on or off. Moreover, the grilles and speakers on the bud are different, and whilst testing them I certainly found the new design made the AirPods 4 more comfortable for extended wear.
These are open earbuds, and whilst they don’t have the silicone tips of the AirPods pro 2 (which offer a snug fit and noise isolation), audio quality is nevertheless excellent. Active noise canceling here is not as strong as on the pricier pro 2 model either, though it is easily as good as that offered by the original AirPods pro. The microphones on both the AirPods with noise cancellation and the AirPods pro 2 are identical, so some of the difference may come down to the open design. On phone calls using an iPhone with voice isolation turned on, however, it certainly reduces background noise effectively, even in noisy places like a café or a busy London street.
The AirPods 4 use the same H2 chip found in the AirPods pro 2, which features neat extras such as personalized spatial audio that offers a superb surround-sound effect. You can also answer or reject a phone call when Siri announces one in your ears by simply nodding or shaking your head.
Listening to music is exceptional, even with noise-canceling off, offering a broad breadth of sound and fidelity in vocals, mid-range and bass notes.
Turn on noise-cancelling and the background noises fade almost completely, though jet engine noise when you’re in the air may still be audible. Over-ear headphones such as AirPods max tend to be a more effective tool for overcoming these noises when you’re on a plane, for obvious reasons.
AirPods 4 have a ‘Conversation Awareness’ feature, which automatically lowers the playback volume when you start speaking, and raises it when you’ve stopped talking. Like all AirPods from the very first release, AirPods 4 have sensors that detect when you’ve taken them out of your ear, and pause the music when you do.
Noise-canceling does diminish the battery life somewhat, unsurprisingly. Apple says the earbuds provide five hours of usage without noise-canceling and four hours with, which I’ve found to be the case from my testing. Charging is rapid, however: I’ve found that replacing the buds in the charging case for just five minutes or provides up to an hour’s more listening time.
A note on pricing: the new models are each £10 more than the old ones: £129 and £179. In the US, the prices remain unchanged ($129 and $179). The other AirPods models are more expensive: £229($249) forAirPods pro 2 and £499 ($549) for AirPods max.
In summary, AirPods 4 represent a very big upgrade for almost the same price as the model they replace. They do more, they sound better, have a good battery life,and both the case and buds are more streamlined than the second-gen model. The powerful H2 chip with an entirely new acoustic architecture makes AirPods 4 the best-sounding AirPods ever with richer bass and clearer highs. They are a big step up from the entry-level second-generation AirPods that they replace, and they’re also an improvement on the third-generation AirPods which used to cost a lot more, making AirPods 4 the best-value and best performing AirPods ever.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Specifications
Processor: H2
Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
Personalised Spatial Audio: Yes
Battery life: 5 hours (4 hours with noise cancelling on)
Dimensions (earbuds): 30.2 x 18.3 x 18.1mm
Weight (case): 34.7g
To purchase: AirPods 4
