Apple
Apple AirPods 4
The cheapest current AirPods, and the version to buy only if you're sure you don't want noise cancellation — because the ANC variant costs just a little more and adds a lot. You get the same H2 chip, the same comfortable hard-shell open fit, excellent call quality, Personalized Spatial Audio, and Voice Isolation; owners like how the redesigned shape stays put better than older base AirPods and how light 4.3g feels over long wear. What the base model drops: ANC, Transparency, Adaptive Audio, the case speaker for Find My, and — the one that stings — wireless charging, since this case is USB-C only. Reviewers who measured both versions also found the non-ANC model rolls off sub-bass harder, so music sounds a bit leaner. Battery is 5 hours per charge and 30 with the case, and a 5-minute top-up buys an hour. The usual Apple fine print applies: AAC only, no EQ app, and half the features don't work on Android. If AirPods have never fit your ears, this shape won't change your mind — and if you're tempted at all by ANC, spend up for the other version.
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Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓Same H2 chip and call quality as the ANC version
- ✓Featherweight 4.3g open fit stays comfortable for hours
- ✓30-hour total battery with the case
- ✓Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking
- ✓IP54 dust and splash resistance
- ✓5-minute charge buys an hour
Cons
- ✗No ANC or Transparency — the ANC version costs little more
- ✗Case is USB-C only; no wireless charging or Find My speaker
- ✗Measurably leaner sub-bass than the ANC version
- ✗Fit lottery — hard plastic shape either fits you or it doesn't
- ✗AAC only, no EQ, feature-poor on Android
Owner Insights(450 discussions)
The base AirPods 4 are the cheapest current AirPods and the best-sounding non-Pro pair Apple has made, and owner sentiment is warm with one enormous asterisk: almost everyone who researched both versions says spend the extra on the ANC model. The redesigned shell fixes the biggest historical AirPods complaint — most owners report a more secure fit than AirPods 3 — and the H2 chip brings Pro-tier tricks like Personalized Spatial Audio and Voice Isolation down to $99-129 street price.
Day to day, owners praise the sound as a real step up from older base AirPods and rank the call quality among the best at the price — Voice Isolation genuinely earns its name on noisy calls. Battery is an honest 5 hours per bud and 30 with the case, and long-term reports show minimal degradation after a year. The friction points are all about what's missing: no seal and no ANC means the outside world comes straight through, the leaner sub-bass is measurable next to the ANC version, there's no EQ app, and the USB-C-only case gives up the wireless charging even AirPods 3 had. On Android they're crippled enough that owners tell people to look elsewhere.
Buy the base AirPods 4 only if you're on iPhone, you're certain you don't want noise cancellation, and the price gap to the ANC version is at its widest. When the ANC model dips near $148-150 it's the better buy for almost everyone — that's the strongest alternative by far. Android users should look at the Pixel Buds 2a or Soundcore Liberty 5 instead, and anyone who wants real isolation at this budget should consider the Liberty 5's sealed fit and 8-hour ANC battery for less money.
Pros
- +The redesigned hard-shell shape stays put noticeably better than AirPods 3 — roughly three-quarters of owners in fit comparisons call it 'more secure', and at 4.3g they disappear during all-day wear
- +Best-sounding non-Pro AirPods to date — the new acoustic architecture and H2 chip deliver clearly fuller sound than AirPods 2/3, and Personalized Spatial Audio works the same as on the Pro line
- +Call quality is a standout: Voice Isolation strips background noise so effectively that owners report colleagues can't tell they're on earbuds in a coffee shop
- +Battery holds up long-term — owner reports and testing show under 5% capacity degradation after a year, better than the AirPods reputation from earlier generations
- +30 hours total with the case (more than the ANC version's 30 with features running), and a 5-minute USB-C top-up buys an hour
- +Seamless Apple ecosystem behavior owners take for granted until they leave: instant pairing, automatic device switching between iPhone/iPad/Mac, audio sharing, and Find My
- +No silicone tips means no canal pressure — the go-to recommendation owners make for people who physically can't tolerate sealed buds like the AirPods Pro
Cons
- −The $30-50 gap to the ANC version buys a lot, and it's the single most repeated owner take: ANC, Transparency, Adaptive Audio, wireless charging, and a case speaker for Find My — most owners say pay the difference
- −This base case is USB-C only — no wireless charging at all, a feature even the old AirPods 3 case had, and owners with charging pads find it a genuine daily annoyance
- −Measured comparisons show the non-ANC model rolls off sub-bass harder than the ANC version, so music sounds leaner — the two aren't sonically identical despite identical hardware claims
- −Zero noise isolation: no seal and no ANC means buses, planes, and open offices pour straight in, and owners compensate by cranking volume
- −No EQ of any kind — Apple offers no companion app, so if the tuning doesn't suit you there's nothing to adjust beyond system-wide accessibility settings
- −Android support is bare-bones: AAC audio works, but spatial audio, auto-switching, Find My, and even battery percentage are gone — Android owners consistently say buy something else
- −Occasional pairing hiccups where opening the case doesn't trigger the connection card, forcing a trip into Bluetooth settings — reported on both AirPods 4 variants
Common Questions
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Wireless Earbuds
These are for people who hate silicone ear tips but still want some noise cancellation — and on that narrow promise they deliver. ANC on an open-fit earbud shouldn't work as well as it does here; it takes the edge off planes and offices, though physics means it can't touch a sealed bud like the Pro 3, and bass depends entirely on how the hard plastic sits in your particular ears. That's the real gamble: fit is a lottery, and if AirPods have never stayed put for you, nothing changed. Battery is the other weak spot — 4 hours with ANC on is bottom of the class. Call quality is excellent, the H2 chip does Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness, and the ANC version of the case adds wireless charging and a Find My speaker. AAC-only and no EQ app, as always with Apple.
Best for ear-tip haters who still want noise cancellation
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Wireless Earbuds
If you live on an iPhone, these are the easy answer. Apple roughly doubled the ANC over the Pro 2, added heart-rate sensing, foam-infused tips that actually seal, and bumped water resistance to IP57 — owners consistently say the noise cancellation now trades blows with Bose. Battery went up to 8 hours per charge, though the slimmer case total actually dropped to 24 hours. The honest caveats: you're stuck with AAC (no LDAC or aptX, so Android users lose hi-res and most features entirely), there's no real EQ beyond Apple's presets, and multipoint only works as auto-switching between Apple devices. Transparency mode and call quality remain the best in the business, and the hearing-aid feature is genuinely useful. Some longtime owners still grumble about eventual battery degradation — it's not user-replaceable. On Android, buy literally anything else.
Best for iPhone users who want set-and-forget ANC
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Wired & Studio
Seventeen dollars gets you Apple's wired earbuds with a small DAC built into the USB-C plug, which is quietly the whole story: they bypass your phone's jack-less design and play at full volume from any USB-C phone, iPad, or laptop — an amp is beside the point, and Apple doesn't even publish an impedance figure. The open, unsealed fit is love-it-or-hate-it: no silicone tips to fuss with and you can hear traffic, but there's zero isolation and bass is thin unless they happen to fit your ears just right. The inline remote and mic are genuinely good — many people keep a pair purely for calls because they beat most Bluetooth mics. Longevity is fine but not endless; the cable survives pockets better than the old 3.5mm version, and at this price they're effectively disposable.
Best for cheap reliable calls and commutes
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