The AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation bring Apple's wireless earbuds lineup into the modern day with Pro-level features for less. While we wish the battery life was a bit better, they're some of the best buds you'll find for under $180.

The AirPods 4 with ANC has a new one-size-fits-most design that's surprisingly snug. Whether I sprinted on a treadmill or bobbed my head to a song, they stayed put.

I am a huge fan of the AirPods 4 with ANC. If you’ve struggled with the in-ear design of the Pro model, these offer many of the same features in a less intrusive design. The case is ridiculously tiny, and the battery life is good. You get all the usual AirPods features, like snappy pairing with multiple devices, plus useful new additions like USB-C.

Previously, you could argue the case for choosing truly wireless earbuds from other brands, on sale for a bit less money than what Apple charges for AirPods. But AirPods are great, and going elsewhere meant losing out on all the exclusive ecosystem integration features. That’s still true, but now you have another reason to justify the expense. The active noise cancellation on AirPods 4 really works, and is not just marketing hype. I’m simply not aware of any other earbuds that come close to offering the same degree of noise cancellation in an on-ear form factor. It truly makes AirPods 4 stand apart.

I was originally an AirPods sceptic because I feared the design would not work for people with large ears like me. I could not have been more wrong. And since the first AirPods came out in 2016, I have never left home without one in my pocket. After every new truly wireless earphone I review, I always come back to my AirPods for regular use, because at the end of the day it is a natural extension of my iPhone and in a way my personality. In 2024, Apple seems to believe more users need to experience this and that seems to be the guiding principle behind the two new AirPods.

In the end, the way to look at these two earbuds is that the standard AirPods 4 are slightly smaller versions of the AirPods 3 with better sound quality and the benefits of the more powerful H2 chip going forward. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are essentially the AirPods Pro 2 with an open earbud design. However, only the AirPods Pro 2 -- and not the AirPods 4 -- are getting Apple's new hearing-aid feature, so take that into account before buying these if that's something you're interested in.

Apple offers useful noise cancellation while keeping your ears open on the AirPods 4 with ANC. There are also a lot of Pro features available.

The AirPods 4 are some of the best Apple headphones I’ve ever used. I also can’t recommend them without noting a few asterisks. These buds offer sound quality that rivals the AirPods Pro 2 across the board and — for folks that spring for the $179 model — active noise cancellation that does the same. But since they’re otherwise so similar to their more premium counterpart, you’ll really have to ask yourself what kind of fit you prefer; not to mention how much you’re willing to give up for a lower price.

I can see why the Pro line might be a non-starter for some people, though. I must concede that I take breaks from the tips myself, and swap for the standard AirPods when I’m wearing earphones around the house for a better fit. If you prefer more of an "open-ear" fit or you don't want to pay more than $200 for a set of earbuds, the 4 ANC will give you most of the Pro line's premium features at $179, and if anything the audio experience is barely a step down—much better than I could've expected before putting them in my own ears.

But I’ve been genuinely impressed by what they are capable of. If you just put the AirPods 4 in and turn on noise cancellation without any audio playing, you might not be wowed. You’ll hear… well, absolutely everything — but the din is less overwhelming. The ANC is best at tackling lower-frequency noises from airplane cabins, city traffic, and those random hums at many offices. The AirPods 4 even did a fairly remarkable job of cutting down the rumble of ferry engines at the pier near our office.

The AirPods 4 are a small refinement in the physical form of Apple’s open-fit earbuds with big upgrades in audio quality and the option of noise cancelling for the first time.

For any iPhone owners seeking the ANC goodness of AirPods Pro without that screwed-into-the-ear-canal feel, the AirPods 4 with ANC are likely to be received with open arms (and happy ears). It should come as no surprise that Apple's newest earbuds deliver nicely tuned audio, lots of useful features and virtually unrivaled (except by other AirPods) call quality.

The AirPods 4 with ANC cram in so many flagship features with effective sound-blocking and improved sound at this mid-range price – they’re a no-brainer for Apple fans

The improvements across the board make these AirPods highly appealing. In fact, the entry-level model adds so much over the identically-priced second-gen model that I’d say these are the best-value option of any AirPods ever. The addition of ANC in AirPods 4 With Noise Cancellation is very welcome, especially as the price hasn’t increased. That said, if you can snag AirPods Pro 2 at a decent discount from its regular $249 price, it’ll be worth the extra for better audio, more features and so on.

The Apple AirPods 4 are an excellent pair of earbuds, whether you get the ANC or base model. Anyone invested in the Apple ecosystem should consider these first before earbuds from other brands.

Noise cancelling reduces the battery life, unsurprisingly. Apple says the earbuds last five hours without noise-cancelling, four hours with. That feels about right from my testing. Putting buds back in the charging case for just five minutes or so gives up to an hour’s more listening time.

The AirPods 4 with ANC (and without, if you want to save even more money) are a solid release from Apple and offer a brilliant alternative to the AirPods Pro 2.

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.

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are good for commute and travel use. Their one-size-fits-all design will be comfortable for most people, although those with particularly large or small ears will have no way of adjusting the fit and will find they fall out of your ear all too easily. They're very lightweight and portable, too, with a case that's even smaller than previous iterations. Their noise isolation performance is surprisingly good in common scenarios, considering their open-back design. While they won't hermetically seal you from the external world, they can effectively attenuate against low engine rumbles and nearby conversations. Even though their continuous battery life is on the shorter side, at 4.5 hours, they can fully charge in about 30 minutes, and their case carries an extra four charges.

Ultimately, the new AirPods 4 are an improvement over previous versions, but the battery life, sound, and noise cancellation aren’t superlative, given the $130 and $180 price tags. We’ll do more testing in the coming days, and we will update our findings in our guide to Bluetooth earbuds, but we aren’t likely to recommend them for most people.

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation is a great effort to bring ANC to unsealed AirPods — though it's still not everyone's cup of tea. AirPods fans will love the new earbuds, though newcomers might not understand the hype.

The more expensive AirPods 4 suffer from poor battery, a loose fit, and underwhelming noise cancelling.

The Apple AirPods 4 with ANC deliver something that will no doubt only work well for a percentage of the population, but when they do work they are mostly excellent. If you can’t stand the feel of silicon in your ears, it doesn’t fit you or just don’t like that isolated feeling and are already in the Apple Eco-system these are an easy recommendation, especially for all the interesting audio features and the sound quality.