AirPods 4 hands-on review: Pro features like ANC come to Apple's open earbuds design

You won't find silicon ear tips on the AirPods 4, but you will find features from Apple's AirPods Pro, especially on the AirPods with ANC

The AirPods 4 with ANC have an open design and a price point that opens up ANC earbuds to a whole new audience (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

Pros

• ✅ 🎵 New AirPods with good sound quality at two affordable price points

• ✅ 🔇 Active Noise Cancellation is effective on the ANC version

• ✅ 👂 Some people love an open earbuds design without silicon ear tips

• ✅ 🎧 A few Pro-level features: ANC, head gestures and transparency mode

• ✅ 🔋 Up to five hours of battery life and 30 hours with the case

Cons

• ❌ 👂 Can fall out of your ears if AirPods didn’t work for you in the past

• ❌ 🦻 You’ll miss out on the hearing aid features of the AirPods Pro 2

• ❌ ⚡ Only the $179 AirPods 4 with ANC have a wireless charging case

• ❌ 💰 The $250 AirPods Pro 2 are sometimes on sale for $189 at Amazon

I’ve been reviewing the AirPods 4 while testing the iPhone 16 in this vivid Ultramarine color (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

I’ve been wearing the new AirPods 4 while writing my ongoing iPhone 16 Pro review and Apple Watch 10 review this week, and I can already tell you one thing: this is the AirPods upgrade for the people who love that classic open earbuds design.

The best part is that they pull some pro-level features into an even smaller case and, importantly, a more affordable price point starting at $129.

The AirPods 4 have a classic open design, ditching the ear tips of the Pros (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

There are two versions of the AirPods 4. You have the $129 AirPods 4 and the $179 AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, a speaker for Find My, and a wireless charging case. Both versions get head gestures to dismiss audible notifications and calls with a head nod and head shake via Apple’s H2 chip.

The AirPods 4 case uses USB-C (a first for the non-Pros), and the case size is tiny, so it fits better in that 5th pocket of jeans. Yet it still offers a solid five hours of battery life from the earbuds and 30 hours of listening time when charging with the case. You’ll get less with ANC on, but that’s true of all earbuds we’ve reviewed on The Shortcut.

Both versions of the AirPods 4 use USB-C but only the ANC edition has wireless charging (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

You’ll want to opt for the AirPods 4 with ANC if you travel or live in a noisy city. I still find my AirPods Pro 2 do a better job at isolating me from outside environments and they’ll soon get the FDA-approved nifty hearing aid features. Using the word “nifty” automatically means I’ll need the hearing aid features soon.

That said, the AirPods 4, at these price points, have a place. Apple’s open earbuds design opens up ANC earbuds and USB-C to a whole new audience, and that may be the most important part of this year’s AirPods update.