Chase Bernath / SoundGuys
Are the ear tips worth the extra cost to you?
These deals are available from Amazon. All discounts are applied automatically, so there’s no need to deal with coupons. Just add the item to your cart and check out!
Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC
The Apple AirPods 4 and Apple AirPods 4 with ANC are pretty good basic earbuds. They won’t exactly win any awards, but they work very well for the price. Especially if you can get them on sale, like today.
All things considered, we had a relatively pleasant experience reviewing these earbuds. While this may vary, depending on your ear shape and size, we found that the new design offers an improved fit. I own this model, and happen to agree. It makes sense because Apple made a special effort to make these fit well on most people, using thousands of ear scans and 50 million data points to optimize the shape.
The sound quality is pretty nice, and because of the inclusion of the H2 chip, you get plenty of great features and improved performance. You’ll enjoy direct access to Siri, automatic device switching, auto pausing, stem-pressing controls, Find My support, and more.
The only difference between these two models is that the higher-end version offers ANC, as the name suggests. Again, while not amazing, we found the ANC performance to be pretty nice. Especially considering these have an open-ear design with no tips to block out sound naturally.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Apple AirPods Pro 2
One of the best true wireless earbuds for iOS users.
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) modestly improve upon the first-generation AirPods Pro and feature the same iconic look. Apple’s upgraded H2 chip begets better noise canceling and battery life, while the case’s U1 chip and integrated speaker let you precisely locate the case. If you own an iPhone, the AirPods Pro 2 are an obvious choice.
The AirPods Pro 2 may be from 2022, but they are still the best earbuds Apple has to offer. At $169, they are also not much more expensive than the $148.99 AirPods 4 with ANC. You might as well upgrade unless you prefer not to have actual tips.
If you opt for the higher-end Apple AirPods Pro 2, you’ll be rewarded with excellent sound quality and much better ANC performance. The tips will help block out external sound, as well as provide a more secure fit. We can confidently say there is nearly no chance these will fall off on their own, something regular AirPods users often complain about.
These also get an IPX4 rating, which is the only area where the AirPods 4 model does better. Those get an IP54 rating. Regardless, you won’t need to worry about light exposure to sweat and other liquids. Just like the AirPods 4, these come with an H2 chip, so you’ll also enjoy the improved performance, better audio, and extra feature set.
Of course, these also get all the fancy features, such as auto-switching between Apple devices, spatial audio, wireless charging, gesture controls, auto-pausing, etc.
Are you getting any of these? Try to hurry, because these are the best offers we have seen in a long time. They may be gone soon! If you still need some help deciding between these, here’s our full comparison between the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2.
