Headphones · 2024 · Apple

Apple AirPods 4 (Active Noise Cancellation)

Name: Apple AirPods 4 (Active Noise Cancellation)
Brand: Apple

The AirPods 4 with ANC are Apple’s 2024 earbuds that add active noise cancellation to the open design without ear tips. They offer the H2 chip, Adaptive Audio, IP54 resistance and a wireless charging case with a speaker. Testing liked the sound and noise cancelling, while fit varied from person to person. Owner reports describe a hum or hiss in one earbud with ANC on.

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation; USB-C case with speaker and wireless charging. The AirPods 4 without ANC and the AirPods Pro models are separate.

Apple AirPods 4 (Active Noise Cancellation) — The image from Apple’s AirPods 4 ANC tech specs page: white earbuds and charging case. — The image from Apple’s AirPods 4 ANC tech specs page: white earbuds and charging case.

Specifications

Specification	Value
Chip	Apple H2 headphone chip
Noise control	Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness Without ear tips the ear canal is not sealed like with silicone-tip earbuds, so ANC mainly reduces low-frequency rumble. Adaptive Audio blends ANC and Transparency based on surrounding sound.
Audio	Custom high-excursion Apple driver; high dynamic range amplifier; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; vent system for pressure equalisation
Microphones and sensors	Dual beamforming microphones and inward-facing microphone; Voice Isolation; optical in-ear sensor; motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers; force sensor The force sensor lets you press the stem to control playback, calls and listening modes.
Battery life	Earbuds: 4 hours with ANC on, 5 hours with noise control off; with case: 20 hours with ANC on, 30 hours off; 5 minutes in the case ≈ 1 hour of listening
Charging case	Charges via USB-C, an Apple Watch charger or a Qi-certified charger; speaker for Find My No USB-C cable is included. The speaker helps locate a lost case by sound.
Durability	IP54 dust, sweat and water resistance Not intended for water sports; resistance can decrease over time.
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3 Works as standard Bluetooth earbuds with non-Apple devices; features such as automatic switching, Spatial Audio and Adaptive Audio need current Apple software.
Size and weight	Earbud 30.2 × 18.3 × 18.1 mm, 4.3 g; case 46.2 × 50.1 × 21.2 mm, 34.7 g

From the manufacturer

Apple presents the AirPods 4 as the model that brings Active Noise Cancellation and Adaptive Audio to an open-fit design. Apple Support

Strengths and limitations

In Macworld’s test by Roman Loyola the earbuds lasted 4 hours 16 minutes while switching between ANC modes; empty earbuds reached 27% after 5 minutes in a full case. ANC cut most street traffic but did not block sound completely because of the open design; the AirPods Pro 2 did better, though the gap was small. Fit was better than the AirPods 3 but not perfect: the right earbud fit better, and the left one fell out running upstairs. Conversation Awareness worked in one-to-one talks but kept raising the volume in group conversations. The case has no MagSafe and no rear pairing button.
Macworld, Roman Loyola, 24 September 2024; one test unit. Fit depends on ear shape.
Macworld — Roman Loyola: AirPods 4 with ANC review

Owner experiences and issues

On Apple Community, three separate owners described sound problems with ANC on. Kenny-jR heard a deep, motor-like hum in the left earbud (June 2026, two “me too” marks); the reply said it could be a hardware fault and pointed to Apple Support. In Portugal, italogsa had a high-pitched hiss in the left earbud; firmware 7B19 and 7B20 and a reset did not fix it, the first authorised service could not reproduce it, and the problem ended when a second authorised service replaced the left earbud. In Germany, QwErTz228 heard constant hiss in both earbuds in ANC, Transparency and Adaptive modes; one user called it normal, testerer heard it on model A3056 with firmware 7B20 in a quiet room, Dutchman did not hear it on theirs, and melisaL’s earbuds replaced by Apple developed it again after two months.
Apple Community, three threads: 256315191 (EN, June 2026), 255847982 (PT, November 2024), 256002483 (DE, March 2025). A hum in one earbud, a high hiss in one earbud and a light hiss in both are different symptoms; they are not presented as one fault or a prevalence rate.
Apple Community: Low bass sound in left AirPods 4 with ANC mode on

Apple AirPods 4 (Active Noise Cancellation)

Specifications

From the manufacturer

Strengths and limitations

Owner experiences and issues

Tags

Compare

Sources