I used to think that active noise cancellation in an open-ear earbud was basically a marketing gimmick. It sounded impossible. To get real silence, you need a seal, right? You need those squishy silicone tips jammed into your ear canal to create a vacuum-like barrier. Otherwise, the noise just leaks in through the gaps.
Then Apple released the AirPods 4 with ANC, and honestly, it kinda changed my perspective on what "open" headphones can do.
They aren't perfect, and they definitely aren't "Pro" killers in every category. But for a specific type of person—someone who hates the feeling of earplugs but wants the world to be a little quieter—these are sort of a technical miracle.
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The Weird Science of Open-Ear Silence
Most people get wrong how ANC works on these. On the AirPods Pro, the silicone tip does about 50% of the work just by physically blocking sound. With the AirPods 4 with ANC, the software has to work overtime.
Apple uses the H2 chip to basically "guess" how the bud is sitting in your ear. Since there’s no seal, the microphones are constantly measuring the sound leaking in and out. It’s a lot of math happening in real-time.
Does it work? Yeah, surprisingly well. If you’re in a coffee shop with that low-frequency hum of refrigerators and distant chatter, it basically disappears. If you’re on a bus, the engine rumble gets pushed way into the background.
But—and this is a big but—it won't stop a baby crying next to you or a coworker with a mechanical keyboard. High-frequency sounds just slice right through because there’s no physical barrier to stop them.
Why the H2 Chip is Doing the Heavy Lifting
Basically, the H2 chip is the brain that makes this specific model worth the extra $50 over the base AirPods 4. It enables things like:
- Adaptive Audio: This is actually my favorite feature. It blends Transparency and ANC, so if you start talking, it lowers your music and lets the outside world in automatically.
- Conversation Awareness: You don't have to take the buds out to order a latte. It just knows.
- Voice Isolation: During calls, it’s scary how much wind and background noise it can cut out so the person on the other end can actually hear you.
Honestly, if you're looking at the standard AirPods 4 versus the ANC version, the chip is the same, but the features it's allowed to run are totally different.
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The Battery Trade-off Nobody Likes
We have to talk about the battery because it’s a bit of a step back. If you have the ANC turned on, you’re looking at about 4 hours of listening time on a single charge.
Four hours.
That’s shorter than the old AirPods 3. If you turn the noise cancellation off, you get 5 hours, which matches the base model. The case gives you about 20 total hours with ANC or 30 without it.
It’s enough for a commute or a gym session, but if you’re the type of person who leaves their earbuds in for an entire eight-hour shift, you’re going to be frustrated. You'll be charging these at lunch every single day.
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The Case is Actually Better
One thing that gets overlooked is the case. The AirPods 4 with ANC comes with a case that supports wireless charging (Qi or even an Apple Watch charger). The base model doesn't.
Also, the ANC case has a tiny speaker. If you lose your pods in the couch cushions, you can trigger a sound through the Find My app. It sounds like a small thing until you’re ten minutes late for work and can’t find your left bud.
Real World Fit and Comfort
Apple used something like 50 million data points to map out the shape of these. They are slightly smaller and more contoured than the 3rd gen.
If you've always found AirPods to be "just okay" in terms of fit, these might feel a lot more secure. They don't have the "clogged ear" feeling of the Pros, which is the main reason people buy them. You can wear them for three hours and forget they’re even there.
However, because they rely on fit for the ANC to work, if they don't sit perfectly in your ears, the noise cancellation performance drops off a cliff. There’s no "tip fit test" here to save you.
The AirPods Pro 2 Comparison
Look, if you want the best noise cancellation Apple makes, buy the Pros. The AirPods Pro 2 are officially rated by Apple to have "2x more noise cancellation" than the AirPods 4 with ANC.
The Pros also have:
- Volume Swipe: You can slide your finger up and down the stem to change volume. On the AirPods 4, you have to ask Siri or use your phone.
- Clinical Hearing Aid Features: If you need the hearing assistance features Apple just launched, you can't get them on the 4s.
- Better Bass: That silicone seal helps trap the low-end frequencies. The 4s have punchy bass, but it's not as deep or "rumbly" as the Pros.
Practical Steps for Choosing Your Pair
If you're staring at the Apple Store page wondering which one to click, here is the breakdown of what to do next:
- Check your ear sensitivity: If silicone tips make your ears itch or feel pressurized, the AirPods 4 with ANC are the best earbuds ever made for you. Period.
- Evaluate your commute: If you fly on planes once a month or take a loud subway, the open-ear ANC probably won't be enough. Go for the Pros.
- Look at your chargers: If you already have a MagSafe or Apple Watch puck on your nightstand, get the ANC version. The convenience of wireless charging is worth the extra $50 alone, even if you rarely use the noise cancellation.
- Test the fit immediately: When you get them, try them in a room with a fan or a loud AC unit. If you can't hear a "whoosh" of silence when you toggle ANC, the shape of your ear might not be a good match for the open-ear design, and you should return them within the 14-day window.
The AirPods 4 with ANC occupy a weird middle ground. They aren't the cheapest, and they aren't the "best" at silencing the world, but they are easily the most comfortable headphones Apple has ever put out. For a lot of people, that comfort is worth the sacrifice in battery life and pure silence.