Not long after their September announcement, I got my mitts on some entry-level Apple AirPods 4. To clarify, I didn't get the step-up set with ANC (that would be the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation) but someone did grant me a pair of Apple's latest entry-level option.
I've linked to our full review in the paragraph above but my potted review is this: using my iPhone and Apple Music for Apple's Personalised Spatial Audio (you can toggle it on or off in iPhone settings, via the AirPods tab) is great fun. It opens out Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club like you wouldn't believe, making it feel as if the keys are below my chin as Roan snakes between each ear. Sadly, to get this effect, you pay a hefty price: detail. The AirPods 4's performance often feels bloated through the mids, a little flat dynamically and occasionally too warm to be considered good.
As any listener (or reader) using an AirPods-and-iPhone combo knows, the sound is only part of the story, though. They pair perfectly with my Apple phone with a pop-up as soon as I flip open the case. They pause the music when I remove one bud, and actually, I quite like the new gesture controls – even though you have to be quite pronounced with your movements (and I used to be a dancer, I know about pronounced movement).
I also like that even though there's no ANC, deploying Personalised Volume adjusts the volume of my tunes according to the noisiness of my immediate surroundings. And while the on-ear controls aren't exactly comprehensive (I struggle to alter the volume by stroking the stems, no matter how hard I try), you can tweak how you answer calls.
But it's not one of these ease-of-use perks that has me grabbing them over the selection of other earbuds on my desk, right before I leave the house.
When space is at a premium, small is beautiful
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this earpiece design makes AirPods 4 as good a pick as some of the best earbuds for small ears, although I do like the fact that there's no ear-tip faff; they either fit or they don't. This is Apple's newest 'open ear' fit based on a lot of ear-mapping research. For me, they're a little flatter, wider, and harder to accommodate comfortably, but this is a personal issue.
What is beautifully small is the case, which carries through to the packaging. And it's very easy to underestimate how much I want that. I think we all do. Chiefly, we want earbuds that offer a degree of comfort, a reliable connection, and a super-small-but-sturdy case we can chuck in a jeans pocket. Et voila, you have the key to AirPods 4's success.
I cannot tell you how many times over the past four months my hand has hovered over bigger, better, more expensive earbuds on my testing desk. Then, as my brain considered the jacket I'm wearing or the smaller purse I'm hoping to get away with today, that same hand instead grabbed the AirPods 4.
I've tried to put the case and packaging beside the AirPods Pro 2's for scale throughout this piece, but it's still hard to explain until you've held the AirPods 4 in your hand. A case this size is like a box of dental floss; you really ought to take it with you – it's good for you and hardly takes up any room.
So, despite the notable loss of detail in audio tracks, I like AirPods 4. They're just so agreeable to use and inconsequential when slipped into a pocket! OK, so they're not making it into my best earbuds buying guide on account of the fuller feature sets, better device agnostic support, and inclusion of active noise cancellation other manufacturers offer for the same money. But that doesn't mean I can't commend Apple for the bijou design here, which, honestly, I hope other brands try to emulate. (Then again this is Apple, so they usually do…)
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