The regular AirPods have been a big hit from Apple this year. In fact, the AirPods 4 are the only pair that have received a meaningful hardware upgrade this year. They now come in two variants – the standard AirPods 4 and the AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancellation.
As with every generation of new Apple products, the AirPods 4 are considered to be the best-sounding non-Pro AirPods ever as well as the most comfortable. Apple has used special mapping technology to test the ears of a large number of users and make the EarPods more comfortable. The company has also implemented a new acoustic design that significantly improves sound quality.
Personalized spatial audio is also a new feature and it is going to make the sound quality even better according to your preference.
The most significant update to this year’s AirPods is the addition of active noise cancellation. The once Pro-only feature has now come to the AirPods 4 ANC as well. And ANC works both ways – it will reduce the environment around you during music playback and calls.
ANC has additional features like Transparency Mode and Adaptive Audio. The former amplifies external noise so you can hear your surroundings more clearly, while Adaptive Audio intelligently selects the appropriate mode based on your surroundings. For example, if the system detects that you are having a conversation, it will turn on Conversation Adaptiveness and lower the volume of the music.
The case has also been redesigned and Apple says it is the lightest and most portable case ever. With this case, the buds can last up to 30 hours of continuous playback, so there is no compromise on battery life.
The case also has a small speaker that lets you easily find your AirPods 4 or notify you of an incoming call. Right next to the speaker, Apple has added a USB-C connector for charging. Now, AirPods can be charged either wired or wirelessly.
The standard AirPods 4 without ANC will cost $129, while the ANC version will cost $179. Shipments will begin on September 20. Pre-orders start today.
