Apple AirPods 4 review: ANC is impressive for an open design, upgraded sound, and wireless charging, but no proper multipoint and inconvenient volume controls
The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are worth springing for compared to the regular pair.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s standard AirPods line previously emphasized a revised fit, water resistance, and sound improvements without noise cancellation. The new model moves that baseline forward with a $179 AirPods 4 ANC variant, positioning ANC as the meaningful step-up over the $129 version.
That progression narrows a longstanding capability gap between regular AirPods and the Pro range, whose second-generation model improved ANC and sound quality. This review suggests the lower-priced model now makes that comparison more consequential, even as convenience features remain incomplete.
First-order effects
- Buyers choosing between the two AirPods 4 versions get a clearer reason to pay for the ANC model: the review finds its open-design noise cancellation, sound, and wireless charging materially better than the regular pair.
- Apple improves the appeal of its non-Pro AirPods tier, but the lack of proper multipoint and awkward on-ear volume control remain immediate usability trade-offs.
Second-order effects
- The stronger ANC model makes feature differentiation within Apple’s own AirPods lineup more important: the regular AirPods 4 must compete primarily on its lower price, while Pro models need to justify their additional premium with capabilities beyond baseline noise cancellation.
- Rival open-fit earbuds face a higher bar for noise control and sound quality, while multipoint support remains a practical point of differentiation where Apple has left an opening.
Third-order effects
- If open-design ANC continues to improve, noise cancellation may become a standard expectation across more earbud form factors rather than a feature associated chiefly with sealed, premium models.
- The category’s competition is likely to shift from adding headline audio features toward execution of cross-device switching, controls, comfort, and charging convenience—areas this review shows can still determine perceived value.
The trend: ANC is moving down Apple’s earbud lineup, making software and everyday interaction design more central to product segmentation.