AirPods 4: The new active noise cancellation made ‘Me Espresso’ sound like it was performed in a soundproof café

I don’t know what Sabrina Carpenter put in her “Espresso” tune to make it so addicting, but on the new AirPods 4, it sounds like it’s been brewed to perfection.

To give you some background, the entry-level AirPods have always been sans active noise cancellation (ANC). If you wanted to block unwanted noise, you’d have to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 2.

But then, the Cupertino-based tech giant dropped the fourth-generation AirPods on Sept. 9 at the “Glowtime” Apple event. In other words, the new AirPods 4 are now more “Pro” than ever. Not only do they have ANC, but they also have Conversation Awareness, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive Audio.

You may be wondering, “Is the ANC on the new AirPods 4 any good?” Let me walk you through my brief experience with them.

Apple AirPods 4 hands-on

I had an opportunity to demo the new AirPods 4, and before I popped the earbuds in, I feared that they wouldn’t fit.

I was one of those ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ AirPods users who had to purchase ear hooks to supplement my first-generation AirPods Pro because they kept falling out. (It seemed like everyone else had their AirPods Pro secured, but because my ears are an anomaly, I had trouble keeping them in.)

However, to my surprise, the AirPods 4 fit super snug. Shaking, tilting and bobbling my head, the AirPods didn’t move an inch. How could this be?

Secure fit

Apple said that it analyzed thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million data points using advanced technology to design a more secure and precise fit (for most people) on the AirPods 4. And let me tell you, whatever Apple did during its analysis, it worked — for me at least.

I’ve got a set of unusual ears, and despite their weird, atypical shape, the AirPods 4 had a tight fit in my canal without taking a tumble.

Active noise cancellation is surprisingly good

Next, I fired up one of my favorite songs of the year: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” There was a white noise simulation in the demo room, similar to the drone of an airplane, and then I turned on active noise cancellation.

Whoa!

It was as if the noisy world around me disappeared, allowing Carpenter’s sugary sweet vocals to take center stage. Even if you’re not in a crowded room nor a noisy street, you don’t realize how cacophonous your surroundings are until you turn on ANC. From the tick-tock of a nearby clock and distant traffic to the hum of an air conditioner to the buzz of a refrigerator motor, these environmental sounds negatively affect the immersion of your listening experience.

“Espresso” already sounds like a warm vanilla brew with a frothy finish, but with ANC on, it felt like Carpenter was serenading me in a cozy soundproof café while I sipped on a pumpkin spice latte.

Why was I blown away? Well, for starters, it’s darn-near unheard of to find ANC in an open-ear design like the entry-level AirPods. The AirPods Pro 2, for example, have silicon tips that create a tight seal in consumers’ ears, making it easier to block external sounds alongside ANC technology.

But open-ear designs like the AirPods 4 are tricky because they don’t fully seal your ears, leaving ’em somewhat exposed. However, Apple managed to pull it off, thanks to a mélange of upgraded microphones, the H2 processor, and cutting-edge computational audio.

I’m eager to put the AirPods 4 to the test in more challenging environments, like airports, for example. The AirPods Max, in my opinion, are the best active noise cancellation headphones. It’s unlikely that the AirPods 4 will be able to compete with the AirPods Max, but I’m curious to see whether it could be a portable alternative with some trade-offs.

The AirPods 4 come in two models: one with ANC and one without. AirPods 4 with ANC costs $179 via Best Buy while the model without it will set you back $129.