AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Review

It’s been a while since I have reviewed any hardware but upgrading my AirPods to the latest version gives me the opportunity to rectify that.

There are now four different variants of the AirPods – two for the standard edition and two for the Pros. I have decided to go for the more expensive of the standard editions, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, which is what I am reviewing here.

In (and out) of Use

Everything about these new AirPods is small: the box, the charging case and the headphones themselves. Gone is the old toothbrush design to be replaced with something that looks much more like the Pro edition, albeit without the soft buds.

These still rest on the ear rather than having to be forced in the ear like the Pros and on their release Apple said that they were “the most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created” and went on to describe the lengths they went “to deliver the most comfortable AirPods ever”.

The new design is built with an unparalleled data set that uses advanced modeling tools, like 3D photogrammetry and laser topography, to precisely map and analyse thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million individual data points in total. This process helped refine the design to deliver the most comfortable AirPods ever with one shape that naturally fits even more users around the world.

Of course, you know what I am going to say now… These feel much more uncomfortable to wear than the old AirPods and worse than that they come lose and easily get knocked out of my ears. This is a real disapointment as the previous design was rock solid in my ears. Of course, your mileage may vary, but for me they are nowhere near as good.

The Sound of Silence

The big differentiator between the two non-Pro models is what Apple describes as “Active Noise Cancellation.” It’s the “Active” bit in this description that is really interesting in that the noise cancelling reacts to the surroundings. Firstly, the noise cancellation is excellent, and it comes as a real shock when you take them out again and discover just how loud the environment around you is. I still prefer my over-the-ear noise-cancelling cans (Sony WH-1000XM3) in certain situations, such as on an aeroplane, but everywhere else the AirPods are fantastic.

Now back to that “active” bit. The AirPods have four different modes with different levels of noise cancellation and awareness. You can have the noise cancellation off or on, or have it adapt to the environment around you by adjusting the level of cancellation. I have to admit that I just leave it on permanently.

In addition, there is also what Apple calls “Conversation Awareness,” which, as the name suggests, listens for people talking around you and then lowers the volume of what you are listening to so you can partake in the conversation. This works well in most situations and reacts quickly, ensuring that you don’t miss anything. However, I found that it also reacted to my singing along to music (I was wearing the AirPods at home while cooking and not in public!), which was a bit annoying but other than that, okay.

Conclusion

Priced at £179 or $179 it made sense to pick a pair of these up while on a recent trip to the states saving about £40. They are a pricy investment as most things Apple are but a good step up from the original with the noise cancellation working particularly well in such a small design. The only downside, other than the price, is that I found the fit to be poor compared to the previous version which somewhat suggests that Apple could have done with analysing a few more ear shapes.

Pros