Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

Do-it-all AirPods that offer a little bit of everything

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When Apple announced its next generation of AirPods would include noise cancelling in an open (ie no eartips) design, eyebrows were raised. Both of them. The AirPods 4 launched in two variations: a standard model, and one with active noise cancellation (ANC), the latter of which we are testing here.

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (or AirPods 4 with ANC for short) cost ₹17,900. Happily, that is the same price as the previous generation they are replacing, the AirPods 3 (from 2021). The AirPods 4 with ANC sit firmly in the mid-range price bracket, then, where there are plenty of decent alternatives from the likes of JBL, Technics and Cambridge Audio; but not many extraordinary ones.

The real competition for the AirPods 4 with ANC is actually from within. These buds aim to bridge the gap between the standard AirPods 4 and the five-star flagship AirPods Pro 2, which have swappable eartips.

Shorter, narrower, lighter