Apple AirPods 4 ANC Review: Worth it in 2024?

Odi Productions Oct 02, 2024

1202 People Read

Holding Apple AirPods 4th gen ANC in hand with box in background

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.

In this article, I'm going to share my HONEST Apple AirPods 4 ANC review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT in 2024. These are the latest 4th generation just released on September 20th, 2024. I'll also be comparing them vs AirPods Pro 2nd generation, AirPods 3rd generation and AirPods Max, all of which I have owned and reviewed in-depth.

I'll be sharing my critical opinion as an audiophile and professional music producer.

Let's dive right in!

Apple AirPods 4 ANC review in short

Holding Apple AirPods 4th generation ANC box in hand

The Apple AirPods 4th gen ANC are the best regular-line AirPods to date, and are a worthy upgrade to the 3rd gen due to superior sound quality, comfort, and surprisingly effective noise cancelling. The sound signature is bass-heavy and dark, which most consumers would enjoy for music, movies, and podcasts. In my opinion, the real debate should be between the AirPods Pro 2nd gen and the AirPods 4 ANC, and that is a much trickier decision. Keep reading for my honest thoughts on which one you should choose.

Apple AirPods 4 ANC Price

At the time of this writing, the AirPods 4 ANC are priced at $179 retail from Apple, but I was able to find them for as low as $169 on sale from Amazon below, a savings of $10.

The regular non-ANC version retailing for $129 new, but I was able to find it for $119 on sale on Amazon below, a savings of $10 as well.

Order the Apple AirPods 4 ANC HERE for LOWEST Price Available:

Disclosure: These links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to run the website 🙂

Apple AirPods 4 ANC Pros and Cons

AirPods 4th gen with Active Noise Cancellation original packaging

Pros

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

Cons

Bass can be overpowering at times
Dark sound signature sounds "veiled"
Treble lacks sparkle, airiness, and detail
Narrow soundstage

Comfort: 5 / 5

Apple AirPods 4th gen vs 3rd gen earbuds side by side

After dozens of hours of testing, I find the comfort and fit of the AirPods 4th generation to be improved over all previous generations.

Although the 1st and 2nd generation felt like wearing nothing (hence the "AirPods" moniker), the smaller earbud would just loosely hang inside of your ears. So while comfortable, they simply weren't secure enough for movements like working out or running.

Then came the 3rd generation (on the right pictured above), which featured a much larger and bulbous earbud. This did indeed make them more secure, but at the cost of being uncomfortable for some people's ears, pressing against parts of the ear creating soreness over time.

The 4th generation (pictured above on the left) features a much flatter and slimmer earbud that just feels much more natural and ergonomic inside of the ear, while filling out the space and feeling secure.

Looking at the two side by side, the rounder shape of the 3rd generation just doesn't seem like something that would naturally fit human's ears, but instead is geared more towards form over function.

Is Apple AirPods 4 ANC good for working out?

To fully test the AirPods 4 ANC, I wore them on various workouts including the gym and running outside. I found the added secure fit and active noise cancellation to be quite effective in real-world environments, honestly more than I expected. I always found the 1st and 2nd gen to be too loose, and these feel like they'll stay in place even with various movements.

Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 3.0 / 5

Holding AirPods 4 ANC in charging case

Features

The AirPods 4 ANC now has more features than any regular series AirPods that have come before it, and matches the number of features on the more premium AirPods Pro 2nd generation:

Active Noise Cancellation
Transparency Mode
Personalized Spatial Audio
Sweat and Water Resistant
USB-C Charging Case

Comparing to the previous 3rd gen, those did not have any form of noise cancelling or transparency modes.

The 3rd gen did come with Spatial Audio, but not "Personalized" Spatial Audio, which is a process that uses the microphones on the AirPods to tailor the Spatial Audio experience to your specific ears.

Aside from that, the 3rd gen also did not feature a USB-C charging case, still using the older Lightning connection.

Looks

At first glance, the AirPods 4 looks pretty much identical to the previous AirPods 3rd gen, but the earbud itself is actually much flatter.

This flatter design fits my ears much easier versus the rounded shape of the 3rd gen, while still feeling relatively snug and secure due to the width of the earbud encompassing that inner ear portion.

Overall, the AirPod 4 looks more streamlined, and I prefer the shorter stubs or sticks versus the original 1st and 2nd generation.

AirPods 4 ANC Battery Life

The AirPods 4 ANC's single-charge battery life of 5 hours is actually 1 hour less than the previous 3rd gen, but the overall 30 hours with charging case remains the same.

My guess is that all the newly added features comes at the cost of a slight battery life hit.

Single-charge battery life of these truly wireless earbuds simply cannot compete with the full-sized, over-ear headphones that can fit much larger batteries.

Also, only time will tell how long the AirPods 4 lifespan is, as I've found most pairs of AirPods to only last 2-3 years before failing to hold a decent charge.

AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Performance

I'll admit, coming into this review I had very low expectations of the AirPods 4's active noise cancelling capabilities.

The reason is simple, and that's due to physics. The regular series of AirPods don't create a physical seal like the AirPods Pro or over-ear headphones like the AirPods Max.

Without that physical seal, outside noise can enter freely regardless of what the earbud technology itself is doing. This "bug" actually became a feature of the AirPods, allowing you to be aware of your surroundings in public.

So when Apple introduced active noise cancelling for the regular series AirPods, you can say I was skeptical at the very least.

But after hours of testing the AirPods 4 ANC outside in the real-world the past few days, what I heard shocked me...

I don't know how the folks at Apple did it (although I have some hypotheses I'll share below), but the Active Noise Cancellation is surprisingly effective.

If the AirPods Max is a 9/10 when it comes to noise cancelling, I would feel that the AirPods 4 noise cancelling is deserving of a 6/10, which is WAY higher than I was initially expecting.

I really thought it would be more of a gimmick, maybe flooding your ears with white noise like the earliest days of noise cancelling headphones.

If I had to guess how they were able to achieve this, I'd say it comes down to 2 things: the shape of the earbuds, and Artificial Intelligence (I know, I know, but hear me out).

First, the improved shape of the AirPods 4 feels form-fitted to fill out the ear more naturally than ever before. This means that although we don't have a physical seal, the earbuds do feel like they occupy most of the empty space before the ear canal.

Second, I know that "Artificial Intelligence" is a buzzword thrown around so easily and people are sick of the hype, but I think this is a very real use-case where the multiple microphones on the AirPods 4 are able to detect and counteract outside noise as it happens by the millisecond.

I noticed this when I was outside on my run, there would be "adjustments" that I can hear happening real-time depending on what's going on around me.

Now the active noise cancelling can at times be annoying, hearing a bit of a "whoosh" as it counteracts outside noise in real-time, but I can't lie about its effectiveness. Also, I'll take this annoyance compared to the "pressurized" feeling of some other noise-cancelling headphones.

So overall, AirPods 4 ANC is much better than expected, and good enough for casual real-world environments. But if you need world-class noise cancelling, especially for noisier environments like airplanes, then consider the over-ear headphones from Sony or Bose instead.

AirPods 4 ANC Sound Quality: 7.6 / 10

Holding AirPods 4th gen with Active Noise Cancellation earbud

"Holy BASS, Batman!"

That was my first impression of listening to the AirPods 4 ANC for the first time.

Sub-bass was decently audible on AirPods 3rd gen and AirPods Pro 2nd gen, but never have I FELT the bass impact like on the AirPods 4th generation.

The bass response reaches down low to the sub-bass region, and the bass impact and quantity has a real heftiness and visceral punch to it.

I don't know how the Apple engineers managed to make truly wireless earbuds sound like over-ear headphones, but that's the impression I get due to the enormous bass presence.

Out of curiosity, I actually A/B tested with the full-sized, over-ear Beats Studio Pro and found the bass to be a little underwhelming compared to the AirPods 4.

Listening back and forth between the AirPods Pro 2nd gen and the AirPods 4, I'm surprised how anemic and thin the bass sounds on the Pro 2.

vs AirPods 3rd generation

One note about the AirPods 4 versus the previous 3rd generation: There is a much larger "sound hole" on the 4th gen that is not as aimed downward, and I notice that it's 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 natural fit of the 4th gen.

Listening back and forth, the 3rd generation has a more balanced/neutral sound, but less clarity. 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 bass on the 3rd gen has less impact and clarity as well.

In short, the previous AirPods 3rd generation sounds boring and less exciting versus the 4th gen.

Now that I'm done praising the bass, it 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, EDM, etc., this is a very fun and consumer-friendly sound signature.

This isn't for audiophile critical listening, micro-details, and creating the most natural-sounding timbre with a wide soundstage. But I'd argue that nobody is using AirPods for critical listening, rather more for convenience.

All of that said, even as a lover of bass, it overpowers the rest of the frequency spectrum creating a warm, dark, veiled sound that makes the treble sound a bit rolled-off.

Now this isn't as extremely muddy and lopsided as the earliest iteration of Beats products, but it veers in a similar direction.

The benefit to this is that you won't encounter much sibilance from songs with too much treble energy, and instead sounds quite smooth and palatable.

The downside is that you won't hear the airiness or sparkle that can really bring a song to life, especially for female vocals and instruments.

vs AirPods Pro 2nd generation

Combine that with the narrow soundstage that can sound a bit boxed in and claustrophobic, the AirPods 4 ANC falls short in the audiophile sensibilities compared to the AirPods Pro 2.

To make the contrast clear, the AirPods Pro 2 has a much wider soundstage, along with a much more balanced sound signature that brings out wonderful detail in the treble region.

Vocals are more detailed with sparkle and airiness, and instruments have a much more realistic timbre. In other words, music just sounds more "natural" and neutral.

One more AirPods product that I have owned and thoroughly tested is the $549 AirPods Max. I have mixed feelings about the AirPods Max (scored a 7.9 in sound quality), but it is better than the AirPods 4 due to soundstage, mids, and treble.

I might actually prefer the bass on the AirPods 4 over the Max, which I found lacking and not enough to "scratch the bass-head itch".

Outside of music, I found the AirPods 4 ANC excellent for listening to podcasts, movies, TV shows, YouTube, and gaming.

I'd assume if you're like me, the convenience of AirPods makes them a go-to choice for casual listening to media, and the added bass response and warm tone makes all of the above more enjoyable than the 3rd or 2nd gen.

The wider soundstage and "naturalness" of the AirPods Pro 2 may give it a slight edge for dialogue, but the bass of the AirPods 4 makes things overall more exciting.

Overall, I initially debated scoring the AirPods 4 ANC lower, but I can't help but enjoy the bass and the consumer-friendly "fun" sound signature.

I still put the overall sound quality below the AirPods Pro 2 which scored an 8.1, but I'd argue the AirPods 4 ANC is more fun to listen to, especially for the average consumer.

Is the Apple AirPods 4 ANC worth it?

Holding left AirPods 4th generation with ANC earbud in hand

So is the newest AirPods 4th generation with Active Noise Cancelling worth the upgrade?

Personally, I think these are easily the best regular-series AirPods to date. The additions of an effective Active Noise Cancellation, improved comfort and fit, and a noticeable step forward in sound quality make the upgrade worth it.

Now at $179 brand new, that is nothing to sneeze at, and is worth taking a look at the AirPods Pro 2nd gen, Beats Studio Pro, or Sony WH-1000XM4 - all within the same price range today.

Over-ear headphones will have significantly better noise cancelling, but sound quality and enjoyment will be close for casual listeners. They're also more cumbersome and less comfortable.

I've written about each of these alternatives in individual reviews which you can read after.

Value: 4.0 / 5

Scoring Breakdown

Comfort: 5 / 5

Features / Looks / Noise Cancelling: 3.0 / 5

Sound Quality: 7.6 / 10

Value: 4.0 / 5

Total: 19.6 / 25

Our Rating: 7.8 / 10

Order the Apple AirPods 4 ANC for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE:

Disclosure: These links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to run the website 🙂

AirPods 4 ANC Frequently Asked Questions

Do AirPods 4 have noise cancellation?

Yes, the AirPods 4th generation have a more expensive option that includes Active Noise Cancellation, and a less expensive model without the feature. Noise cancelling is entirely new for the regular series of AirPods, previously only featured on the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max models.

Are AirPods 4th generation comfortable?

Yes, I find the AirPods 4 to be the most comfortable AirPods to date, featuring a slimmer earbud shape that conforms to the ears more naturally versus the rounder 3rd generation. This makes the AirPods 4 both more comfortable but also more securely fit when working out.

Are AirPods 4th gen wireless charging?

Yes, the AirPods 4th gen comes with a wireless charging case that works with most wireless chargers, along with a USB-C port that is new for the 4th gen versus 3rd gen. The latest 3rd gen charging case also has wireless charging, but uses a Lightning connector instead.

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.

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.