Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation vs AirPods Pro 2

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are the first of the regular AirPods to include ANC technology. This feature was previously reserved for the AirPods Pro lineup. That said, there are still a few reasons to consider upgrading to the AirPods Pro 2 instead of getting the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. In this AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation vs AirPods Pro 2 comparison, you’ll find out exactly which of Apple’s earbuds are the better option for you.

Editor’s note: this article was published on September, 24, 2024, and is the first version of this article. 

What’s it like to use the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation compared to the AirPods Pro 2?

The biggest difference between the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2 is in the design of the earbuds. The AirPods Pro 2 come with four different sizes of silicon ear tips that insert snugly into your ear canal. On the other hand, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation do not have ear tips, and rather have a one-size-fits-all unsealed design.

If the AirPods 4 do not fit your ears well, you won’t enjoy using them. For that reason, we highly recommend you try on the AirPods 4 before buying, if you have the opportunity. On the other hand, if the AirPods Pro 2 don’t fit perfectly out of the box, you can experiment with the different sizes of ear tips.

Beyond just comfort, how your earbuds fit is crucial to their performance. If the AirPods 4 do not fit snuggly in your ears, the sound quality and noise canceling performance will significantly suffer. On the other hand, some people prefer the unsealed design of the AirPods 4 simply because they don’t like jamming things down their ear canals. To each their own, as long as you know what you are signing up for.

Beyond the ear tips, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are very similar in build to the AirPods Pro 2. Both have some minor water-resistance, which means you can wear them in the rain or during a sweaty workout. The AirPods 4 case is slightly smaller than the AirPods Pro 2 case, which means it can fit in a wider variety of pockets.

Do the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have more features than the AirPods Pro 2?

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and the AirPods Pro 2 both have the H2 chip to interact with your Apple devices. Since they have the same chip, you get pretty much all the same features on the AirPods 4 as you do with the AirPods Pro 2. This includes things like finding your lost earbuds and case, spatial audio, head tracking, and Adaptive Audio to adjust listening modes.

One big advantage of the AirPods Pro 2 though is that they can be used as a hearing aid, something the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation can not do. If you have the AirPods Pro 2, you can take a five-minute hearing test to assess your hearing ability. The AirPods Pro 2 will then amplify your surroundings, and media playback, to compensate accordingly.

How do the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2 connect?

Just like all previous generations of AirPods, the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation work best with Apple devices. Connect to one of your iCloud devices, and the AirPods automatically connect to all of your other devices. The AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 both use Bluetooth 5.3 with support for SBC and AAC. We didn’t experience any connectivity issues with either the AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation during our testing period.

Is battery life better on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or AirPods Pro 2?

In our battery testing, the AirPods Pro 2 lasted 5 hours and 43 minutes with ANC turned on. We are still currently testing the AirPods 4 with ANC turned on, but with it turned off we found the AirPods 4 last 6 hours and 21 minutes. On the other hand, Apple says you can expect one additional hour of use from the AirPods Pro 2 compared to the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Regardless, both have enough charge to get through a day of normal use. Combined with the charging case, either set of earbuds can last up to 30 hours of total playback time.

You can charge the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPod Pro 2 a variety of ways. The charging cases support USB-C, Apple Watch chargers, and Qi wireless chargers. The AirPods Pro 2 case also supports MagSafe chargers.

Do the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or AirPods Pro 2 block noise better?

If you plan on listening in noisy environments, the AirPods Pro 2 are superior to the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, thanks to their ear tips. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation do a pretty decent job of blocking out mid-high frequency noise, such as the sounds of people talking. Our testing shows it can reduce these sounds by up to 20dB, which is a 75% perceived reduction in loudness. That said, the lack of ear tips to physically block out low-frequency sounds means that the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation can not block out the rumble of an airplane engine. If you frequently travel, the AirPods Pro 2 are the better option.

As you can see in the chart above, the AirPods Pro 2 can block out noise across the entire audible spectrum. No matter what environment you are in, you will notice the ANC is very effective. In fact, the AirPods Pro 2 are some of the best noise canceling earbuds on the market, as our testing shows they reduce the loudness of noise by an average of 83%.

Do the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation sound better than the AirPods Pro 2?

Most people will prefer the sound quality of the AirPods Pro 2 to that of the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Moreover, your impression of the AirPods 4 sound quality will vary wildly depending on how well the earbuds fit in your ears. Since the AirPods Pro 2 ear tips provide a snug fit, you can enjoy more consistent sound quality, especially when it comes to bass.

The AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation both come with Adaptive EQ, which adjusts the frequency response based on your ears. They also both support Spatial Audio, which works best when listening to Dolby Atmos mixes on Apple Music.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The charts below show how the sound of the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2 were assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

As you can see, the AirPods Pro 2 attain a much higher Overall score according to a simulated panel of listeners. This is a result of higher scores in Timbre and Distortion, which isn’t surprising given the benefits of ear tips that provide a tight seal.

Objective Measurements

While the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 sound the same in the mids, they differ in the lows and highs. In particular, the AirPods 4 are lacking in sub-bass frequencies below 100Hz. If you like thumping low end, you’ll prefer the sound of the AirPods Pro 2.

The AirPods 4 also under-emphasize frequencies around 3-6kHz, which means less detail on vocal harmonies and guitars compared to the AirPods Pro 2. On the other hand, the AirPods 4 have more extension in the highest ranges of human hearing up to 20kHz, compared to the AirPods Pro 2 which fall off starting at 8kHz. This is particularly helpful if you have suffered from age-related hearing loss.

Do the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or AirPods Pro 2 have a better microphone?

You can use both the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2 microphones for taking calls on the go. Note that the microphones perform better when AirPods are paired to an iPhone, since they lean on the device to handle the processing of background noise. When connected to an iPhone, both do a great job of blocking out background noise in a variety of environments.

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

AirPods Pro 2 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation vs AirPods Pro 2: Price and availability

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have a starting price of $179. On the other hand, the AirPods Pro 2 have a higher starting price of $249. That said, since the AirPods Pro 2 are a few years older, you are more likely to find them on sale. Both are widely available at retail stores and online. Right now, you can get the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for $149.99 at Micro Center, and the AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99 at Amazon.

Should you get the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or AirPods Pro 2?

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are a very close competitor to the AirPods Pro 2. They share a nearly identical feature set, which means your decision should come down to whether or not you want ear tips. The swappable ear tips of the AirPods Pro 2 provide a secure fit, better noise canceling performance, and more consistent sound quality performance. They also enable support for Apple’s hearing aid features.

If you can’t stand inserting ear tips into your ears, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are a great option. They have a significantly cheaper starting price than the AirPods Pro 2, but are packed full of advanced features. While they can’t block out all noise, the addition of active noise canceling is a noticeable improvement to prior generations of AirPods.

Further Reading: The best earbuds for iPhone

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