Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Apple AirPods 3rd gen vs 4th gen ANC comparison and whether it’s worth the upgrade. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the better overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
Also, if you’re interested in learning more after, I have tested each product individually in my AirPods 3 review and AirPods 4 ANC Review, along with the rest of the lineup with my AirPods Pro 2 review and AirPods Max Review. (Links open in new tab.)
Apple AirPods 3rd Generation vs 4th Generation Price Compared
At the time of this writing, the older Apple AirPods 3rd generation is $20 cheaper than the AirPods 4th generation with ANC at current market prices for brand new. Interestingly, the 4th generation without ANC is currently the same price as the AirPods 3rd gen.
Apple AirPods 3rd generation Prices
- Retail: $169.00
- New: $129
- Renewed: $100 (save up to $29!)
Apple AirPods 4th generation ANC Prices
- Retail: $179.00
- New: $149
- Renewed: $140 (save up to $9)
Apple AirPods 4th generation Prices
- Retail: $129.00
- New: $129
- Renewed: N/A
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Apple AirPods 3 vs 4: Comfort
Historically, I’ve always found AirPods to be extremely comfortable since the 1st generation.
But now that I’ve gotten the chance to spend hundreds of hours between the entire AirPods lineup of 2nd gen, 3rd gen, 4th gen, Pro 2nd gen, and Max… I realize there is some interesting differences.
Since we are only comparing the 3rd gen against the 4th gen in this article, the biggest difference is that the 3rd gen’s earbud is bigger and bulkier than the 4th gen.
Taking a look at the image above, the 4th gen on the right has a significantly slimmer and more streamlined earbud.
What this translates to is a more natural fit for the 4th gen inside the ear compared to the older 3rd gen.
I had previously given the 3rd gen a perfect score for comfort, but it’s clearly less form-fitting and comfortable than the improved 4th gen.
So for that reason, the 4th gen receives a perfect score, while the 3rd gen is now docked 0.5 points.
AirPods 3rd gen vs 4th gen Case Size Compared
Also, for those interested, the 4th gen USB-C charging case is also now smaller and less wide than the 3rd gen’s lightning case (see picture below).
Apple AirPods 3 Comfort: 4.5 out of 5
Apple AirPods 4 Comfort: 5 out of 5
Winner: AirPods 4th generation
Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
What is the difference between AirPods 3rd gen and 4th gen ?
The biggest difference between the 3rd gen and newer 4th gen AirPods is that the 4th gen now has a model with ANC, or “Active Noise Cancelling”. No previous regular line AirPods came with any form of noise cancelling, unlike the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
Aside from ANC, the 4th gen also introduces a smaller MagSafe USB-C charging case, versus the older MagSafe Lightning case on the 3rd gen. These MagSafe cases can charge wirelessly using a variety of wireless chargers, such as the Apple Watch charger.
Technically, there is also a newer “H2″ chip powering the 4th gen, which I subjectively found to transmit better quality audio, not to mention probably plays a role in the new ANC feature.
Both the 3rd and 4th gen support Dolby Atmos via Personalized Spatial Audio.
What they share in common is that seamless connection and switching between multiple Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.
Once you get used to how AirPods effortlessly switch between your devices, it’s really hard to go back to manually pairing, unpairing with other Bluetooth devices.
Please note that all AirPods still work fine with Android and Windows devices, which I’ve tested myself, but you don’t see as much info as iOS or MacOS about the device.
Although both also contain in-built microphones, I highly recommend you use another mic such as your laptop or smartphone instead.
The microphones are very underwhelming in my opinion, and something like a late-model MacBook Pro has way better sound quality. So choose that as the input for your Zoom calls instead of the AirPods.
Looks
I think the more streamlined and slimmer profile of the 4th gen earbuds looks and feels much better than the 3rd gen’s bulky, bulbous earbuds.
Their stem length looks to be about identical, so there’s not really much difference when wearing them.
AirPods 3rd gen vs AirPods 4th gen Battery Life Comparison
Interestingly, the older AirPods 3rd gen actually has 1 more hour of battery life on a single charge, although both earbuds are rated at 30 hours total including the charging case. I suspect the shorter battery life is due to the 4th gen’s new ANC feature which consumes additional power.
- Apple AirPods 3 Battery Life: Up to 6 hours on single charge, Up to 30 hours with charging case
- Apple AirPods 4 Battery Life: Up to 5 hours on single charge, Up to 30 hours with charging case
30 hours of total battery life including the case is great, as that can typically last an entire week for most average usage.
I found both battery figures to be fairly accurate in my testing. Honestly, 1 extra hour of battery life doesn’t outweigh the addition of the ANC feature in my opinion.
AirPods 3 vs 4 Noise Cancelling Performance
To be clear, the AirPods 3rd gen doesn’t have any noise cancelling at all, so let’s just talk about the noise cancelling performance of the 4th gen ANC.
It’s also important to note there is also a non-ANC version of the 4th gen that is cheaper and more comparable to the 3rd gen.
When I first heard that a regular line AirPods was getting Active Noise Cancelling, I was completely skeptical.
How can the regular line of AirPods have any chance of effective noise cancelling when they don’t create a physical seal like the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max?
But to my surprise, not only does the 4th gen’s ANC actually work, it’s shockingly effective… all things considered.
Look, these obviously aren’t of the caliber of full-sized closed-back headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM5, both of which are the current best I’ve tested.
But considering the form factor and lack of physical seal, the noise cancelling performance is better than I would have ever imagined.
If I had to guess why (without reading the marketing materials), I’m assuming some of the mics on the 4th gen’s earbuds pick up external sounds and actively filters them out hundreds/thousands of times per second using AI.
So overall, 4th gen ANC is not a gimmick at all, and makes a world of difference versus no ANC at all like the 3rd gen. This has me re-thinking both scores for both earbuds when it comes to this category overall, but it’s important to note that there is a non-ANC version of the 4th gen that is cheaper with less advantage over the 3rd gen.
AirPods 3 Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 2.5 out of 5
AirPods 4 Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 3.0 out of 5
Winner: AirPods 4th generation
Apple AirPods 3rd gen vs AirPods 4th gen Sound Quality Comparison
One note about the AirPods 4 versus the previous 3rd generation: There is a much larger “sound hole” on the 4th gen’s earbud that is not as aimed downward, and I notice that it’s much easier to get consistent sound quality regardless of positioning. I’ve noticed that the 3rd gen needs to be positioned correctly to get the best sound, and it’s now much easier to get the “sweet spot” due to the more natural fit of the 4th gen.
Listening back and forth, the 3rd generation has a more balanced/neutral sound, but less clarity and resolution. I assume the added clarity is due to the newer H2 chip in the 4th gen transmitting lossless audio. It very much sounds like 720p vs 1080p on the newer 4th gen.
The 4th generation’s bass has more impact and clarity compared to the older 3rd gen.
In short, the previous AirPods 3rd generation sounds a bit boring and less exciting versus the 4th gen.
Despite its improvements, the 4th gen does have its drawbacks. Let’s start with the bass being too overpowering and creating muddiness.
As someone who loves deep bass in their modern music such as Pop, Hip-Hop, and EDM, the 4th gen does have a very fun and consumer-friendly sound signature.
That said, the bass does overpower the rest of the frequency spectrum creating a warm, darker, veiled sound that makes the treble sound a bit muted and rolled-off.
The benefit to this is a smoother treble without much sharpness or sibilance from songs, at the cost of less detail and airiness in the upper frequencies.
Both the 3rd and 4th gen AirPods feature Personalized Spatial Audio and support Dolby Atmos, and this is my preferred listening method for both earbuds because it adds a sense of “3D” space and bigger soundstage.
With Spatial Audio with Head Tracking turned on, these little earbuds do a great impersonation of listening to a decent speaker system.
Apple AirPods 3rd gen Sound Quality: 7.1 out of 10
Apple AirPods 4th gen Sound Quality: 7.6 out of 10
Winner: AirPods 4th generation
Value
At the time of this writing, the AirPods 3rd gen is only about $20 cheaper than the 4th gen with ANC.
In fact, the 4th gen non-ANC is even sometimes cheaper than the older 3rd generation.
To me, I do think the surprisingly-effective ANC is worth upgrading to, especially at the cost of $20.
At the same price, it’s practically a no-brainer to go for the newer 4th gen non-ANC over the 3rd gen.
When not on sale, I will say that the full $179 retail price of the 4th gen with ANC is quite steep, and loses some Value points due to approaching AirPods Pro 2nd gen territory, along with intriguing full-sized headphones like the Beats Studio Pro (also featuring decent Active Noise Cancelling).
Apple AirPods 3 Value: 3.5 out of 5
Apple AirPods 4 Value: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: AirPods 4th Generation
Apple AirPods 3rd Generation Overall Rating
- Good sound quality
- More secure fit than AirPods 2nd gen
- Personalized Spatial Audio
- Sweat + water resistant
- MagSafe charging case
- AirPods 4 and Pro 2 have superior sound quality
- No noise cancelling
- Lightning charging case
Apple AirPods 4th Generation Overall Rating
- Better comfort and fit than previous generations
- Improved sound quality over 3rd generation
- Impressive bass response and impact
- Noise cancelling is surprisingly effective
- Sweat and Water Resistant
- USB-C charging case
- Bass can be overpowering at times
- Dark sound signature sounds “veiled”
- Treble lacks sparkle, airiness, and detail
- Narrow soundstage
Is it worth it to upgrade from Apple AirPods 3rd gen to AirPods 4th gen?
The Apple AirPods 4th generation with ANC improves upon the previous 3rd generation in every single category, and is a worthy upgrade, in my opinion.
The addition of a surprisingly effective Active Noise Cancelling is a bigger jump than any previous generation of regular line AirPods.
Not to mention, the much-improved comfort and fit, USB-C charging case, and better sound quality.
The only real question is that at the 4th gen’s $179 full retail price, this approaches some truly compelling alternatives such as the AirPods Pro 2nd gen, Beats Studio Pro, and Sony WH-1000XM4.
I recommend you check out those products above next.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE
(Do NOT pay retail):
Save up to $29 with Renewed below:
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Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
FAQ
Are AirPods 3 and AirPods 4 case the same size?
No, the AirPods 4th generation has a smaller width case size versus the older 3rd generation.
What is new about AirPods 4?
Apple AirPods 4 newly introduces an “Active Noise Cancelling” model, smaller USB-C charging case, and a slimmer earbud design for better fit and comfort.
Which generation of AirPods is the best?
The 4th generation of Apple AirPods is the best yet, with active noise cancelling, improved sound quality, and better fit.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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