Apple AirPods 4 (ANC) Review: finally decent noise cancelling in the classic AirPods shape

I’ve been using the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for a bit now as my daily earbuds: commuting, working at a desk, walking outside, and some light workouts. I’m already deep in the Apple ecosystem (iPhone + MacBook), and I came from older regular AirPods and briefly from first‑gen AirPods Pro. So I wasn’t looking for a miracle, just something that fits better than silicone tips but still cuts some noise.

Overall, these feel like Apple finally admitted that some people hate rubber tips but still want noise cancelling. That’s exactly the gap these fill. They’re not magic earplugs, and they don’t match proper in‑ear or over‑ear ANC, but they do a pretty solid job for open‑style buds. You just need to keep realistic expectations: if you want dead silence on a plane, these are not the right tool.

What stood out most to me is the combo of comfort + decent ANC + tiny case. That mix is actually rare. Most open earbuds either sound thin, have no noise cancelling, or fall out the minute you start moving. Here, Apple got a lot of that right. The sound is clear, the bass is more present than I expected from this shape, and the integration with iPhone is still the usual Apple “it just works” thing.

But it’s not perfect. Battery life is fine but nothing crazy, the lack of silicone tips means the seal is never as good as on AirPods Pro, and if you’re on Android you lose a big part of the interest. I’ll break down how they did on design, comfort, performance, ANC, battery, and value so you can see if they fit your use case or if you’re better off with Pros or a cheaper non‑Apple option.

On Amazon and during promos, people mention getting these around $110–$150 for the ANC version, which is honestly a pretty solid deal for what you get if you’re already using an iPhone. You get tight integration (instant pairing, automatic switching between Apple devices, Find My support), decent ANC for open buds, good sound, and a very compact case. At Apple’s full retail price, it stings a bit more, but that’s always the story with them.

Compared to AirPods Pro, this is how I see it: if you like silicone tips and want stronger ANC and a better seal, just pay the extra and get Pros. They’re simply better at isolating noise. If, like me, you can’t stand tips in your ear for more than an hour, these AirPods 4 with ANC make a lot more sense and actually feel like a better value because you’ll actually use them instead of leaving them in a drawer.

Against cheaper non‑Apple earbuds, the story changes. Yes, you can find buds with longer battery life and sometimes stronger ANC for less money. But you usually lose the Apple ecosystem perks: seamless switching, stable connection with iOS, spatial audio integration, and the little quality‑of‑life bits like head‑nod Siri interactions and solid Find My support with case speaker. If you’re on Android or you don’t care about this stuff, then the value drops and you might be better off with something from Anker, Samsung, or Sony.

For me personally, at a discounted price, they feel good value for money: they solved my comfort problem, improved sound over my old AirPods, and gave me usable noise cancelling for everyday life. If you’re expecting them to replace high‑end ANC headphones for flights and open‑plan offices, you’ll be disappointed. If you want very comfortable, simple buds for an iPhone with modern features and you catch them on sale, the price makes sense.

Design‑wise, Apple didn’t reinvent anything, but they did refine a lot of small details. The earbuds are slightly shorter with a shorter stem, and the contour feels a bit more rounded than the old AirPods 2/3. In the ear, they look like classic AirPods, just a bit more modern and less “toothbrush head.” If you’re used to the Apple look, there’s nothing surprising here: glossy white plastic, small black microphone grilles, and the usual stem pinch area for controls.

The case is where I really noticed the difference. It’s tiny. Officially it’s about 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm, and in the pocket it feels noticeably smaller than the AirPods Pro case I had before. It’s also lighter. It still stands up on its base, the lid has that usual solid snap, and there’s a small speaker on the bottom that works with Find My and plays little tones when you start pairing or when the battery is low. It charges via USB‑C or wirelessly via MagSafe/Qi or an Apple Watch puck, which is genuinely handy on a bedside table.

Build quality feels solid enough. The hinge doesn’t wobble, the lid doesn’t rattle, and the magnets hold the buds in place firmly. I can shake the case upside down and nothing falls out. The IP54 rating is reassuring for sweat and a bit of rain, though I wouldn’t intentionally soak them. The glossy plastic still picks up micro‑scratches over time, so if you care about that you’ll probably stick the case in a silicone cover within a week like I did.

On the downside, only one color and very Apple‑centric design choices. No black option, no customization, and still that glossy finish that can get slippery with sweaty hands. Also, the lack of volume control on the stem is a design choice I don’t fully understand given the Pro has it. Overall though, the design is familiar, compact, and practical. Nothing flashy, but it works well in daily use and disappears in your pocket, which is what I want from earbuds.

Battery life is okay but not mind‑blowing. With ANC on, Apple claims up to 4 hours of listening per charge, and up to 5 hours with noise control off. In my use, with ANC or Adaptive Audio on most of the time and mixed music/calls, I usually get around 3.5 to 4 hours before I start seeing the low‑battery warning on at least one earbud. That’s enough for daily commutes, a work session, or a workout, but if you want to wear them literally all day, you’ll be putting them back in the case at least once or twice.

The case itself adds up to around 20 hours with ANC on or up to 30 hours with it off, which matches the spec sheet pretty closely in real life. I charge the case roughly every 3–4 days with moderate use (a few hours a day). The fast top‑up is handy: about 5 minutes in the case gives you roughly an hour of listening, so even if you forget to charge, a quick pit stop before going out usually saves you.

Charging options are flexible: USB‑C, wireless charging on Qi/MagSafe, and Apple Watch chargers all work. I use a single MagSafe pad on my nightstand and just drop the case on it with my phone. The small speaker on the case gives a little tone when it starts charging or when the battery is very low, which is useful if you tend to ignore on‑screen notifications.

So overall, battery life is good enough but not class‑leading. Some non‑Apple earbuds can push 7–8 hours on a single charge, but they’re often bigger or less comfortable. Here, Apple clearly prioritized size and weight over huge batteries. If you’re okay with a mid‑day top‑up in the case, it’s fine. If you want something you can keep in your ears for 8 hours straight with ANC, you should look at over‑ear headphones or different buds.

Comfort is honestly the main reason I kept using these instead of going back to AirPods Pro. My ears just don’t like silicone tips. With Pros, even with the smallest tips, after 45 minutes I started feeling pressure and discomfort, and they slowly worked themselves out of my ears. With these AirPods 4, that problem basically vanished. They sit in the outer ear like the old AirPods 2, with a shape that seems a bit more secure and less wobbly than AirPods 3.

In practice, I can wear them for 2–3 hours straight without feeling the urge to take them out, which is rare for me. The weight is low (around 4.3 g per earbud), and there’s no feeling of something “plugging” your ear canal like with in‑ear tips. For podcasts and calls, I often forget I still have one bud in. During walks and light runs, they stay in place well. I did a few sessions of cycling and some basic gym work; no issues with them falling out, even when I was sweating.

Of course, fit is very personal. A couple of user reviews mention they’re super comfortable, but that’s not universal. If classic AirPods always fell out of your ears, these might not magically fix that since they’re the same general concept. There’s no way to adjust size because there are no tips, so if the shape doesn’t match your ear, you’re stuck. That’s the big trade‑off with open‑style buds: when they fit, they’re great; when they don’t, there’s nothing you can tweak.

For me personally, these hit the sweet spot: no painful silicone, stable enough for everyday use, and no feeling of pressure. Just keep in mind: comfort is a strong point if you already know you like the classic AirPods shape. If you’ve always had issues with them moving around or hurting after an hour, you should probably try them in‑store before buying or go straight to AirPods Pro or another brand with multiple tip sizes.

On the sound side, I was pleasantly surprised, especially coming from older regular AirPods. The bass is much more present than you’d expect from open earbuds. It doesn’t hit like proper in‑ear or over‑ear headphones, but songs finally have some weight. Pop, hip‑hop, and electronic tracks no longer sound thin. At the same time, mids and highs stay clear, so voices in podcasts and vocals in music are easy to follow even at lower volumes.

Apple’s Adaptive EQ and Personalized Spatial Audio do their thing in the background. Spatial Audio with head tracking is nice for movies and some Apple Music tracks; it gives a bit of a surround effect. I wouldn’t buy them just for that, but it’s a nice bonus if you use Apple Music or watch a lot of shows on an iPhone or iPad. If you don’t care about that stuff, you can ignore it and just use them in regular stereo mode, which already sounds good for this type of bud.

For calls, the Voice Isolation is actually useful. In a noisy street, people still heard me clearly most of the time. It cuts a good chunk of background hum (traffic, fans, etc.), though sudden loud sounds still get through a bit. Indoors, on Zoom or Teams calls, I had no complaints from colleagues. The mics don’t turn you into a podcast host, but for daily work calls and quick chats, they do the job very well.

Just to be clear: if you’re an audiophile or super picky about soundstage and detail, these are not going to blow your mind. They sound pretty solid for open‑style earbuds, but they’re not competing with high‑end in‑ear monitors or big over‑ear headphones. Compared to first‑gen AirPods Pro, I’d say the tuning here is more balanced and less fatiguing, but you do lose some low‑end impact because there’s no seal. For most people streaming Spotify/Apple Music and watching Netflix, they’re more than good enough.

To be clear, this version of AirPods 4 is the open‑style model with Active Noise Cancellation, not the Pro with silicone tips. So they keep the classic AirPods shape (hard plastic, no rubber) but add ANC, Adaptive Audio, Transparency, and all the H2 chip tricks. You get Bluetooth 5.3, an IP54 rating (so dust, sweat, and splash resistant), and a very compact USB‑C charging case that also supports wireless charging and even Apple Watch chargers.

In the box, it’s pretty barebones: the two earbuds, the USB‑C charging case with a built‑in speaker for Find My, and the usual small paperwork. No cable, which is a bit cheap at this price, but most people already have USB‑C lying around now. The model number is MXP93LL/A if you want to double‑check you’re getting the ANC version. They’re only available in white, as usual with standard AirPods, so if you want color you’ll need a third‑party case.

Feature‑wise, they’re loaded: Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation for calls, and all the Siri stuff (voice trigger plus the head‑nod interactions). There are force controls on the stem: single press to play/pause or answer, double to skip or end a call, triple to go back, and press‑and‑hold for Siri. No volume swipe here like on Pros, which I slightly miss, but you get used to using your phone or Apple Watch.

On paper, they sit between regular AirPods and AirPods Pro: more tech and features than the basic model, but still the open fit. If you like the general feel of old AirPods 2/3 but always wished for some level of noise cancelling and better sound, that’s pretty much the target. If you already like in‑ear silicone buds and want maximum isolation, you’re looking at the wrong product.

The Active Noise Cancellation on these is the part that surprised me most, but you need to understand what it can and can’t do with an open design. Because there’s no silicone seal, they will never reach the isolation level of AirPods Pro or over‑ear headphones. What they do well is reduce constant background noise: fans, AC, engine hum on a train or plane, office chatter in the distance. It feels like someone turned down the volume of the world by a notch or two.

In a metro, with ANC on and music at around 50%, the rumble becomes much less annoying and I can focus on what I’m listening to. Voices around me are still somewhat audible when nothing is playing, but once audio starts, they fade enough that I don’t really pay attention. For me, that’s acceptable. If your goal is complete isolation and silence, you’re going to be disappointed; you’d need sealed in‑ear or over‑ear for that.

The Adaptive Audio mode is actually useful. It blends ANC and Transparency automatically depending on what’s going on. Walking outside, it lets in more sound so you stay aware of traffic. Sitting in a noisy café, it leans more on ANC. I noticed I barely touched the settings after a few days; I just left it on Adaptive and forgot about it. Conversation Awareness is also handy: when you start talking to someone, it lowers your media volume and opens up the mics so you hear them better. It’s not perfect, but most of the time it reacts quickly enough to feel natural.

Transparency Mode is one of Apple’s strong points. On these, it sounds pretty natural, not robotic. You can have a quick talk at a shop or hear announcements at a station without taking the buds out. Overall, in terms of effectiveness, I’d say: ANC is decent for open buds, the smart modes actually help in daily life, and the whole package feels mature. Just don’t expect miracles in very loud environments, and you’ll probably be satisfied.