Testing Apple’s New AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation

Alongside the iPhone 16 models, Apple launched its next-generation flagship AirPods, the AirPods 4. There’s a new design and for the first time, Active Noise Cancellation, so we thought we’d check them out to see how they compare to the prior-generation AirPods 3 and the AirPods Pro 2.

There are two versions of the AirPods this time around, an entry-level $129 model, and a $179 model that also includes Active Noise Cancellation. ANC has previously been exclusive to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ and the AirPods Max, and this is the first time that Apple’s used it in an open-ear headphone design and in a device at the sub-$200 price point.

Apple tweaked the design of the AirPods, introducing a shape that’s supposed to fit more ears. The revamp took into account millions of scans of different ears to get a more comfortable, snug fit for people. In practice, the design isn’t that much different, but if you have had trouble keeping AirPods secured in your ears, you might have luck with the new shape.

ANC typically comes in headphones or earbuds that have some kind of seal with the ear canal, but that’s not the case here. Apple did not add silicone tips like it has for the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2, so the ANC isn’t going to cut out sound quite as well as earbuds where you get a seal. That said, the ANC is pretty decent at cutting down on annoying ambient noise like ACs, the drone of an airplane engine, and similar sounds.

Apple upgraded both models with the same H2 chip that’s used in the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2, and it’s an upgrade over the H1 that was in the AirPods 3. Sound quality is about on par with the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 as a result, and the feature set is the same in terms of support for spatial audio, Voice Isolation, Personalized Volume, Transparency in the ANC version, and other functions. If you’re coming from AirPods 3 and upgrading to ‌AirPods 4‌, you’ll definitely notice the boost in sound quality.

Apple slimmed down the AirPods case, and it’s tiny. Cutting case size sacrificed MagSafe charging though, so while the $179 model supports Qi-based wireless charging, it does not have a magnet inside. The more affordable model doesn’t have wireless charging at all. The button at the back for pairing and setup is gone, but there’s actually a hidden button at the front for these features.

Battery life has actually gone down compared to the AirPods 3. You’ll get up to five hours of listening time with a single charge instead of six hours, and a little less with ANC turned on. There’s still 30 hours of total listening time with the case, even though it’s smaller than before.

The case for the more expensive model also has a built-in speaker for Find My, so if you misplace your AirPods, you can get the case to play a sound so you can find them. This isn’t a feature of the cheaper version, but it still has general ‌Find My‌ connectivity so you can locate it on a map.

For the $179 price, the ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC offer a pretty robust feature set, and at $129, the version sans ANC is competitive with many other cheaper Bluetooth headphones on the market. The main benefit of AirPods with Apple devices is the automatic pairing and device switching, which you can’t get with competing products.

RIP, Apple ID

Tuesday September 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

The “Apple ID” era is officially over. The transition from “Apple ID” to “Apple Account” went from a rumor to an official announcement to something that has now been fully completed. As of this week, the account.apple.com website is fully updated with Apple Account branding. “Apple ID is now Apple Account,” the page says. “You can still sign in with the same email address or phone…

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple…

Apple Announces iPhone Driver’s Licenses Will Come to These Additional U.S. States

Thursday September 19, 2024 10:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The list of states where the feature is available currently includes Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Hawaii, and most recently…

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Firmware

Wednesday September 18, 2024 11:34 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released a new firmware update for all AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 models. The AirPods Pro 2 firmware has a build number of 7A302, up from 7A294, and the AirPods 4 firmware has a build number of 7A304. There is no word yet on what’s included in the firmware, but it comes just a week after Apple last updated the AirPods Pro 2 firmware to add iOS 18 features like support for head…

Apple Just Broke a Tradition It Held for 17 Years

Wednesday September 18, 2024 7:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

It’s the end of an era. It has been confirmed that the latest iPhones do not come with Apple stickers in the box, breaking a 17-year tradition dating back to the original iPhone. Marques Brownlee shared an unboxing video that confirms the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max do not include Apple stickers in the box, as part of Apple’s goal of removing plastic…

Apple Pulls iPadOS 18 for M4 iPad Pro After Bricking Complaints [Updated]

Tuesday September 17, 2024 11:24 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple stopped signing the iPadOS 18 update for the M4 iPad Pro models, which means the new software is no longer available to be downloaded and installed at the current time. The update appears to have been pulled following complaints from some iPad Pro owners, who found that the update bricked their devices. There are reports on Reddit from iPad Pro users who had an interruption in the…