Quick review
The good
The not-so-good
Apple’s earbuds haven’t won everyone over in the past, but in the AirPods 4, something different has arrived. And you just might be a convert on sound, comfort, and price.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something musical, too. That’s not how the original saying goes, but that line is the vibe of the latest AirPods, a generation of earbuds that finds a way to improve the formula for everyone.
For the longest time, “everyone” didn’t appear to be the target area of Apple’s earbuds. Anyone could buy them, sure, but not everyone would find a generation of the AirPods comfortable. They were made to fit ears, but whether you’d be comfortable wearing them? That was a different issue altogether.
But in the latest generation, Apple is changing things. Research and data and a lot of development has crafted a new pair designed to fit more ears. And that’s not all.
Armed with a new design, a smaller case, new features, and even a potentially compelling price point, the AirPods 4 could be Apple’s best surprise of 2024.
Design and features
Glance at the new pair quickly, and you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between the previous AirPods third-gen and this year’s 2024 entry, the AirPods 4: they’re both white and sport a similar shape.
But once you start comparing the shapes of each individually, you can see some of the changes Apple has made.
The plastic casing is still very much a part of the design, as is Apple’s wireless components, but they’ve been moved into a slightly different setup.
Inside of each is a custom Apple driver and amplifier, as well as the Apple H2 headphone chip, plus a couple of microphones, accelerometers, and force sensors on the stem to let you control the earbuds.
They each come in a compact case which easily has to be one of the smallest earbud cases around, complete with support for Apple FindMy, which is good because we’re scared how easily we’ll lose the thing.
In-use
While this is the fourth generation of the AirPods, it’s technically the 12th year Apple has been working on earbuds in this shape and form-factor, with the original wired EarPods introduced back in 2012.
Twelve years of research and development have led Apple to take over 50 million data points and build a better earphone that’s compatible with more ears.
And it has totally worked.
Up until this version, AirPods and this reviewer have had a bit of an unsteady relationship. We’ll happily review them, but in terms of finding them comfortable, that has never happened.
Like all earbuds that aren’t designed to fit with a tip or stabiliser, we’ve found the AirPods were previously had a love or hate relationship with people. You either loved the fit, or hated that they didn’t. We were in that last category… until the AirPods 4.
In the AirPods 4, Apple has struck a balance, with slight changes to the angles allowing the earbuds to fit more comfortably. They still don’t feel stable per se, but they are easily more stable and absolutely comfortable. Wearing the AirPods 4 for several hours, we didn’t feel a single ache or pain, compared to 20 minutes with the AirPods 3 delivering just that.
These are leaps and bounds ahead of their predecessors.
Controls are more or less exactly the same: a quick squeeze of the stem for pause and play, or hold a squeeze longer to trigger either Siri or the active noise cancellation dependent on the model you’re using.
Easy and comfortable. Just how we like it.
Performance
What we also like is great performance, so let’s look at that. After all, it’s no use having a pair of headphones if you don’t like how they sound.
As with all our audio reviews, we’re testing using the Pickr Sound Test, which you can listen to for yourself, and that starts with the electronic sounds of Tycho and Daft Punk, delivering a balanced sound that you can easily here.
The mids and highs are where most of the attention is, but the lows of the bass aren’t missed, with even a touch more sub-bass than you may expect, something we hear in a drop.
The balance continues throughout pretty much all of our test: pop and R&B delivers everything you want to hear, while rock channels the whole sound just beautifully. The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is a great example, delivering that little bit more bass than you’d expect a pair of open earbuds to nail, and the same is true with Rage Against the Machine’s “Take the Power Back”.
Balanced is definitely the name of the AirPods 4 game, and it’s a welcome sound that just works well on anything, from the minimal instruments found in The Dave Brubeck Quartet to the overlapping sounds of Radiohead’s “Daydreaming”.
To put it simply, these sound great.
Spatial audio
Both AirPods 4 options support spatial audio, and when used with Apple Music, you’ll find Dolby Atmos tracks waiting complete with head-tracked spatial audio and personalised sound available.
That’s handy if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, but even if you’re not, streaming services support head-tracked Dolby Atmos via the AirPods, as well.
We’ve tested both pairs of AirPods 4 — with and without active noise cancellation — and the sound is identical throughout, regardless of whether you used spatial or stereo.
Noise cancellation
The main difference between the two is that noise cancellation technology. Sit in a quiet room and the AirPods 4 sans-ANC sound great, though run them in a noisy environment, and much like the previous AirPods models before them, you’re competing for what your ears hear.
But in the noise cancelling model, things are different.
For folks who opt for the ANC model, you’ll find a few different features available to you, one of which is active noise cancellation, a technology that has never been truly compatible with earbuds and open audio.
To make this work, Apple is using the power of its H2 chip to cut back on low-frequency noise, such as the hum of a bus or train, or the rumble of aircraft engines. It’s not quite the cancellation afforded by proper noise cancelling earphones and headphones — it can’t be, as the earbuds are open. However, it can let you hear your music out and about without the competition.
Tested while walking around busy streets, train stations, and riding on Sydney trains, we never felt the outside sound was a dominant factor the AirPods were pushing up against, which is definitely how it sounded with the standard AirPods models before.
In fact, that’s not far from what the standard AirPods 4 sound like, and there’s a great reason why: the ANC model comes with a slightly different microphone setup and the ability to process noise using the Apple H2 chip.
There’s a huge difference in what Apple is blocking here. You’re no longer competing with environmental sound. You’re getting a more isolated experience.
The case comes with a small speaker so you can find it if it gets lost, and it also supports wireless charging, particularly through the charger on the Apple Watch, even if it lacks MagSafe support thanks to the smaller case size.
Battery
Battery life isn’t quite on par with other noise cancelling earphones, but the case size and power draw from ANC is likely to blame.
For the regular AirPods 4 and without ANC, you’ll find between 4 and 5 hours of in-use time, with an extra 25-ish in the case. Think of it as five extra charges, with the USB-C port at the bottom of the case helping you revive the battery all too easily.
Throw in support for noise cancellation and the battery life drops slightly, though not enough to annoy. Instead, expect to find between 3 and 4 hours of use time with ANC switched on, with roughly four more charges.
Overall, that’s not bad. It’s not quite up to the level of dedicated noise cancelling earphones, but given the design of the curiously compact case, we’re not overly surprised.
Value
The price is surprising, however, with two options. There’s the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation for $279 in Australia, and the pair without for $219. Either way, that’s surprisingly good value.
As it is, true earbud styles are rarer, and the premium ones left tend to target the $200 bracket, so it’s not out of kilter. Bundling in ANC for an extra $60 makes the AirPods 4 with ANC excellent value, simply because earbuds typically skip this feature.
It’s difficult to find too much fault in Apple’s pricing here. The fact that you’re given two options for what is a similar package is genuinely surprising.
What needs work?
So what needs to be fixed? Interestingly, not much. Not much at all.
The lack of MagSafe charging feels a little like a back step, but we suspect it’s because of the AirPods case size. These are so small, apple may not have been able to build in a magnetic ring in the design.
Our other niggle is the stability, because sometimes the AirPods 4 are just a little wobbly to wear. The fit is certainly much better overall, and they never hurt the ears, but the design doesn’t always feel as perfectly fitting as other earphone options. It’s a minor thing, but still noteworthy all the same.
What we love
Despite this, we really dig what’s been made.
Credit to Apple where credit is due: there is so much more to love about the AirPods 4 than any other earbud-styled device that has come before it. Not just for people whose ears already don’t mind the style, but for everyone.
The design appears to actually fit more ears comfortably, a problem earbuds have long suffered from. This reviewer has long complained that while we might have collectively loved the freebie EarPods Apple used to equip its phones with, and that had trained us to dig the AirPods, they weren’t great at comfort. They did the job, while in-earphones did a better job.
In the AirPods 4, Apple has fixed that. The promised analysis of millions of ear-based data points has actually fixed the problem with a compromise that works, a compromise that’s actually comfortable.
And we are gobsmacked by it. On the 2024 tech bingo card, we definitely didn’t have “Apple fixes the shape of its AirPods” pegged. A welcome surprise.
It’s a similar feeling with a pair of earbuds that supports active noise cancellation.
We need to stress this point: Apple is not the only company to have tried ANC in open earbuds before, but it is the only company we’ve seen to get it right. Huawei’s attempts years ago never amounted to anything more than failure, while Samsung’s recent Galaxy Buds3 didn’t improve things while also being uncomfortable.
Apple has managed to fix both in one hit with research and development you can really experience the benefits from. These are spectacular.
AirPods 4 vs the competition
It is a little strange seeing the number 4 with the AirPods name, particularly given the previous generation was ostensibly the AirPods 3, but Apple called it the “Apple AirPods (3rd generation)”. Numbers are back, baby.
Regardless of the name, Apple’s AirPods 4 both compete with itself and with a range of other options in the earphone world, though markedly much fewer in earbuds alone.
Let’s focus on the former for the moment: there are heaps or earphone-styled devices with silicone tips, which is basically what the separation is. Whether an earphone goes further into the ear or not, the difference between an earbud and an earphone is the inclusion or a silicone or foam tip: earphones have them, earbuds do not.
At the moment, the most likely competition for the AirPods 4 in an open audio design is the Bose Ultra Open, a pair of $450 earbuds that hang on your ears like an earring. For that, Apple wins the value argument hands-down. There aren’t many other options, though.
There are heaps of truly wireless earphones out there at a variety of price points, however, and some come in at more competitive price points.
Take the Beats Solo Buds, which lacks noise cancellation and uses in-ear tips, but is more economically priced at $129, giving the $219 AirPods 4 a run for their money. There’s no head-tracking, but given they’re practically half the price, you may not care. A little higher in price, the $170 Soundcore Liberty 4 NC makes the case for noise cancellation before you hit the $200 price point and is a great choice.
Similarly, there’s also the Beats Studio Buds Plus, but given the $269 price point, we think the AirPods 4 ANC conquers the Beats pair simply because they have head tracking and wireless charging.
You might not expect it, but the AirPods 4 ANC has a lot going for it, and price is surprisingly one of those things.
Final thoughts (TLDR)
Apple has really made a winner here, and one that stuns as well as surprises.
The AirPods 4 have no right to be as good as they actually are. A quick glance at the compact body, easily one of the smallest pairs on the planet, and you might be quick to pass it off as another pair of the same.
Yet these are anything but the same game for Apple. Both options are excellent, but the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are stand out brilliant.
Simply put: the AirPods 4 are different in all the right ways. They’re better different, plain and simple.
Whether you need noise cancellation or not, the AirPods 4 offer the improvement earbuds have sorely needed. So much they won’t leave either your wallet or your ears feeling sore in the slightest. That’s the win we all needed. Highly recommended.
