Apple's AirPods 4th Generation with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) represent a significant advancement in the company's wireless earbud lineup, offering enhanced audio performance, improved comfort, and innovative features.

Design and Comfort

The AirPods 4 maintain the iconic stem design but with subtle refinements for a more secure and comfortable fit. The internal architecture and refined contour provide a natural and secure fit for more people than ever. The shorter stem houses the battery and H2 chip, while the new force sensor allows for easy control of playback and calls with a simple pinch. Additionally, both the earbuds and the charging case are rated IP54 for dust, sweat, and water resistance, ensuring durability during workouts and in various environments.

Audio Performance

Equipped with Apple's H2 chip, the AirPods 4 deliver a transformed audio experience. The entirely new acoustic architecture uses an Apple-designed low-distortion driver powered by a custom high dynamic range amplifier, resulting in exceptional detail, deeper bass, and crystal-clear highs. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking creates an immersive, theater-like sound experience, placing sound all around you. Adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to your ears, ensuring rich detail in every song. 

Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode

For the first time in an open-ear design, the AirPods 4 offer Active Noise Cancellation. Powered by the H2 chip and upgraded microphones, ANC reduces low-frequency environmental noise—such as airplane engines, HVAC systems, and city traffic—before it reaches your ears. Transparency mode provides a natural way to hear the world around you, perfect for staying connected to your surroundings during calls or while listening to music or podcasts. Additionally, Adaptive Audio blends Transparency and ANC in real time, tailoring noise control to your changing environment. Conversation Awareness senses when you're speaking to someone nearby and automatically lowers the volume of what's playing, bringing it right back as soon as you're done. 

Battery Life and Charging

The streamlined charging case is more than 10% smaller by volume than the previous generation, with no sacrifice to charging times. AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation feature a wireless charging case—the smallest in the industry with this capability—as well as a built-in speaker for Find My to help you keep track of it. The earbuds offer up to 5 hours of listening time on a single charge (up to 4 hours with ANC enabled), and up to 30 hours total with the charging case (up to 20 hours with ANC enabled). Charging options include USB-C, an Apple Watch charger, or a Qi-certified charger. 

Additional Features

• Voice Isolation: Advanced computational audio minimizes background noise while clarifying the sound of your voice, ensuring clearer calls even in loud or windy conditions.

• Seamless Connectivity: AirPods 4 pair immediately with every device connected to your Apple Account. They provide a seamless listening experience across iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, sensing when you take them out of your ears and pausing playback until you put them back in.

• Find My Integration: Track down your AirPods 4 with the Find My app. For AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you can have the case play a sound to help locate it.

Sensors

• Dual beamforming microphones
• Inward‑facing microphone
• Optical in‑ear sensor
• Motion‑detecting accelerometer
• Speech‑detecting accelerometer
• Force sensor

Controls