The Apple AirPods 4 are truly wireless earbuds that give you one of the best AirPods Pro 2 features for less money.
ANC powers aside, Apple is adding its H2 chip to bolster sound and call performance and fine tune audio for your ears.
Testers Mike, Kieran and Nick have all been putting the new AirPods to the running test and breakdown what’s new from the AirPods 3rd generation, how they compare to the AirPods Pro 2 and tell you if these are the best AirPods for runners and one of the best running headphones to grab right now.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Price and key stats
02:00 – Design, fit and controls
09:35 – Sound quality
14:55 – Battery life
18:14 – Verdict and comparisons
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Hey this is m r testers these are the New airpods 4 with active noise Canellation now myself Nick and Karen Have all been testing the new airpods And taking them out on our runs to find Out whether these might be the best Airpods for runners and whether this Might be one of the best set of running Airbuds you can buy right now first We'll get into what's different from the Previous airpods how it compares to the Airpods pro as well too then get into Our own thoughts and let you know Whether you should be bu buying the Apple airpods 4 with active noise [Music] Cancellation okay so here are the key Things you need to know about the Apple Airpods 4 with ANC let's start with Price and the airpods 4C are priced at1 179 in the UK or $179 in the US the Airpods for without NC in comparison Cost £129 or $129 design-wise it retains the stem Style look and Carries an ip50 for dust Sweat and water resistant rating which Is an upgrade on the ipx4 rated design On the airpod third generation like the Third gen airpods you've got Force Sensor style controls to play and pause Audio handle calls skip back and forward To track and can be pressed to summon Siri the buds sit inside a case that
Supports wireless charging so works with Apple watch Chargers and Qi certified Chargers there's also a speaker built in To make sure you can make use of Apple's Find my locating feature Terms of audio features you're getting Active noise cancellation of course Though not the pro level version offered On the airpods Pro 2 you are also Getting Pro two features like Transparency mode and adaptive EQ with The microphones to handle calls and Blockout exterior noise for clearer core Quality in terms of battery the airpods 4C promise 4 hours withc in use or 5 Hours with thec disabled there is a Quick charge mode to give you 1 hour Play time from a 5 minute charge So I was very excited about the launch Of the airpods 4 I tend to really like Open fit headphones like this that you Know aren't completely open but sit in The air without in ear buds which Sometimes don't really work that well For me I was a big fan of the airpods 3 And I still use them to this day and I Think the airpods 4 have a design that Is an upgrade on those you've got a Lighter dinkier design here with your Headphones themselves being a little bit Smaller they sit a little bit better in The ear for me as well and obviously the Addition of a ANC just makes them a lot More useful in general I find so the fit
Is perfect for me so this is not going To be the case for everyone with open Fit buds like these they either stay in Your ears or they don't but I find that They stay in my ears really well I've Been using them for pretty much all my Runs over the last few weeks done a lot Of very long runs with them and they're Just comfortable they stay in place I Don't have to worry about if I'm wearing Glasses hats that kind of thing they are Comfortable under a headband as well and Yeah it's just been great for me like Very occasionally at the start of a rep Where I suddenly speed up they feel a Bit loose but they never had any Indication they're going to drop out and For the most part I've done 20 MERS in Them and they just sit in the air Perfectly well so the fit is exactly What I want basically for running Because in earbuds like the airpods pro For the most part will squirm a little Bit loose for me unless they have wings Or some kind of hook which then can be a Bit uncomfortable there are exceptions To this jabra's headphones have always Sat really well in my ear but the Airpods pro do come loose for me a Little bit without a third party silicon Wing or something so I fit like this It's just very uncomplicated it just Sits there I can hear my music and my Audio really clearly there's no
Discomfort can use them for several Hours afterwards as well and they're More comfortable than the earbuds for Extended use as well all around Delighted with the fit and the fact that They are not in earbuds mean that you do Get some external sounds coming in Obviously they're not completely open Headphones or bone conduction headphones But I find with the airpods 4 in I can Hear enough of my surroundings on the Run that I'm not worried about you know Missing a car going by especially if you Use the transparency mode or turn thec Off so it's kind of The Best of Both Worlds for me in that you get better Sound quality than from you know truly Open headphones whilst we're having some Awareness controls have been fine for me As well like it's a bit annoying there's No volume control on them like there is With the airpods pro I do wish Apple had Added that slider control to these as Well but the controls that are there are Quite easy to do on the run like it's Slightly fidly to hold and squeeze a Headphone on the run but at least you Know you are getting that control right You get like haptic feedback and ton and Stuff like that so yeah the controls are Fine use on the run but I do wish they' Added the volume control when it comes To design the airpods for withc are Really light they're among some of the
Lightest buds that I've ever run with And I really like that a lot however Without the Silicon tips I don't find The fit is as secure as you'll get on The airpods Pro 2 and you obviously Can't adjust that fit by choosing Different size of silicone tips because You've got a one size fits all here so On the whole I found that they feel much More like they're going to wriggle free On your runs than the airpods Pro 2 and Buds like the jabber Elite a active now While I didn't have any dropouts during My tests they don't have the full fit Security for me and I'm just aware of That Jeopardy as I run I'm just aware They might fall out at any moment the Airpods Pro 2 lock more reliably in my Ears and for that I think they're the Better option for running the flip side To that though I think is that you feel The airpods Pro 2 and your ear more They're not quite as overall sort of Comfor comtable the airpods 4 withc they Just disappear somewhat more and when You're using them for dayto day the Airpods 4 are definitely more Comfortable for long listening periods Now speaking of day-to-day use I'm often Jumping from phone to laptop and I found The auto switching between the Apple Devices brilliantly fast and reliable it Seems to be a bit more smooth than You'll get with sort of third party
Headphones when you're using Apple kit It's kind of a small thing but when you Do that move a lot it's really happily Seamless and you know it works really Nicely now the is 2/3 smaller than the Airpods Pro 2 that's a big plus for Stash ability on runs and I salute the Fact that it's dust sweat and water Resistant and on my runs in some pretty Testing conditions so far it's been Absolutely fine stashed there in my Running belt though I would like a hook On the case here so that you can secure Them to a key hook in your belt it's got That kind of smooth lozengy in losable Kind of case feel now the speaker on the Case is also dead handy for pinging and Finding misplaced headphones if you do Happen to lose them though when it comes To the controls of the bud I found the Four sensors and the combination of Presses and holds really easy to get to Grips with and generally they're nicely Responsive and easy to use though I do Worry that when I'm grabbing the stem on Faster runs to sort of do those moves That I might tug them free or jostle Them and that's kind of comes into play With a kind of fit security I also Really wanted a voice confirmation to Let me know which sound mode I'd switch To on runs now I might be missing Something in the settings here but I Couldn't seem to find that another thing
To note when it comes to volume I tend To whack my headphones in and just Hammer up the volume and then I just run Kind of one mode off you go I don't Fiddle too much but some Runners will Definitely miss the sliding volume Controls that you would have got on Other airpods they're not here on the Airpods for with A&C and I'd happily Swap the summon Siri press and hold to Have those volume controls back you kind Of have to do voice um Siri controls to Raise the volume or go to your phone to Do that I do have a like the nod Interaction that lets you nod your head To answer a call or shake your head to Reject it and do the same with incoming Messages I found that dead handy now if I'm running I am mainly rejecting by the Way now let's start with the all Important fits and also talk about the Controls as well too now I have used the Airpods pro airpods pro 2 a fair amount I've trained with them I've used them For Races they sound great the fit is Very good crucially it has that kind of Silicon tip that really kind of you know Improves that overall fit now you don't Get that on the airpods here it's a very Different design setup it's kind of Open Air Design which I can be a bit hit and Miss in terms of the secureness that I Enjoy and I would say with the airpods My experience has been more on that side
Of oh these going to fall out I've Always got that fear that maybe the way They sit in my ears they feel a bit Precarious in terms of that positioning Now the first run I did was kind of a Rainy windy run I had them on I put them In when I started to or needed to kind Of you know play around the controls I Felt like I was kind of dislodging them From that kind of relatively secure Position and I found that was always the Case In Those runs where I was running a Bit faster you know was a bit windier You know if I you know and I had to Interact those controls you know I had That constant fear that these aren't Sitting securely enough in my years I've Had a fair few runs with they've been Absolutely fine I've done treadmill runs I did a track session with them as well Too I've done some easier runs with them As well they been absolutely fine but That fear has never really gone away With me where I've not really had that With the airpods pro really and I think Ultimately that has been an issue for me In my time and wanting to use it you Know for all of my runs I had a race Coming up and I ultimately didn't feel Comfortable or confident enough that These would you know deliver that kind Of secure fit that I wouldn't absolutely Knock them out during the race if I had To play around with the controls now the
Controls in general are pretty good I Like the fact that they're kind of built Into the stems they kind of you know Simple kind of presses to kind of play And Pa skip tracks that works very fine As I said you know when I'm running easy They're generally you know easy to Interact with faster it's a bit more of A problem for me I think you know the One thing I really missed from the pros Is the kind of volume control there kind Of stem controls and you can just kind Of roll and slide your fingers up and Kind of adjust the controls I really Like a volume control and UL you don't Have that here on the airpods you know So I missed that here for me so while The controls are generally good I do Miss the kind of pro kind of volume Control that you do get and I always Would prefer physical controls in General anyway which I think the airpods Pro ones are a little bit closer to Those kind of physical controls you get From other truly Wireless airbuds so Yeah for me fit was okay but there was Obviously definitely more occasions Where I felt a little bit fearful of Secureness overall and particularly when Using or trying to interact with the [Music] Controls so it says overall Sound Performance I would say overall I've Been very happy what you get on the
Airpods which makes me slightly more Disappointed by the experience I've had With the fit because you know every time I put them in in most scenarios they've Sounded fantastic even for kind of open Air um kind of style airbuds they do Really perform really well it's very Balanced you know it's very versatile um I think things like thec is very good For this style of headphone um Particularly you know when I've been Running indoors Outdoors when I've just Been using them for kind of you know for Traveling as well too you know I've been Surprised by how effective they are in Canceling out noise not as good as the Airpods pro pro 2 but it definitely you Know does deliver a good level of active Noise cancellation here I think the one Thing that's really St for me is the Kind of adaptive audio quality which I Think you know a lot of kind of airbuds And headphones do offer this kind of Feature but I think it's very notable How well it works when it is adjusting That level of sound when you are in Louder environments when you're in Quieter environments and it's very Subtle in the way it does that and it Just ensures that you know you're not Having to listen at the loudest volumes You're still hearing what you want to Hear but just hearing in you know in Correspondence with what you know the
Other noises in your environment and That's been a feature that's really Stood out for me in my time but I think Ultimately you know these are really Good sounding airpods you know they Aren't going to give you the top level Active noise cancellation that you will Get in Apple's airpods range but it is Very good and it definitely is effective Enough I think in a lot of environments I think overall yeah the sound is just Very enjoyable you know I've enjoyed Using them on all my runs I think yeah That adaptive audio feature really has Stood out for me and how well it Effectively Works uh in a lot of Different environments now I'm no golden Ear audio file but for me on my runs I Found the sound quality well balanced You get clear vocals good top volume and A healthy amount of Base that all adds Up to audio that's plenty rich and Punchy enough to deliver a decent Mot Motivational kick in the pants the kind Of kick in the pants that I want from The cheesy European dance music that I Tend to pump out on my runs which tends To be a bit basy nice and loud you know Just pretty full and Rich does the job Here and when it comes to different Sound profiles the comprehensive Selection of different sound modes I Think delivers some really very clever Capabilities I like the adaptive audio
That automatically adjusts the levels of Transparency and active noise Cancellation based on your current sound Surroundings that I sometimes s Experienced that there were sort of Apparent rises in volume when there Didn't seem to be too many changes to The sort of sound environment I was in It happened sometimes when I was moving Along the river side where I didn't Really notice much had changed didn't Happen that often but it is kind of Noticeable when it does now the Conversation awareness mode that spots When you're speaking and lowers the Volume I think is excellent as well it's Really effective it it works really Reliably on solo marathons and Ultras I'm often popping into shops and cafes To buy water and this works really well For that use case you don't have to take The buds out put them in the case put Them away or risk putting them on a Counter and leaving them there so that's A thumbs up then there's thec which is Impressive for this style of open Earbuds it's not as good as you'll get From the sealed fit of the airpods Pro 2 But it's still really quite good I don't Tend to usec that much on runs but I've Used it a lot working in noisy cafes When I've got video editing to do or Concentrating on writing and it locks Out the background really nice it's also
Pretty decent on regular trains it did Struggle with some of the loudest Underground lines though in here in London now call Quality I also found Impressive I don't tend to take calls on Runs that's my time to forget about the World for a bit um but in testing for This review I found the core quality was Excellent that's not always the case With buds that I take on the Run others Can struggle with the wind and the audio As you're moving but a good good Incoming audio and the callers at the Other end also reported good clear sound Coming back so that's a thumbs up the Sound quality of the airpods 4 I'd say It's pretty good like it's good enough That I've enjoyed using these headphones As my main headphones for everything They've all I've been using for runs Work traveling over the past few weeks And yeah the sounds good enough to be Enjoyable for me it's loud enough it's Clear enough on the run like I say Compared to open headphones you do get You know higher level of audio quality I Think and louder audio as well so it Means if you are running by a busy road You can you know Zone in and listen to Your musicnc is kind of the same like It's pretty good like you do filter out Quite a lot of sound when you're Traveling so I've noticed you know I've Been on trains and planes with this and
It does filter out enough of that External sound to you know really make An impact on your journey and actually When I'm training indoors on an indoor Bike or even a treadmill it does filter Out that sound quite effectively as well I' say with both the sound and thec it's A step down on buds like the airpods pro As you might expect and other really Good inar buds that you can get for Around this price but it is a step up on What you get from open headphones even At this price I think like the ones that Have the speaker near the year I think You get a better level of sound quality From the airpods 4 it's nice and clear You can play it nice and Loud without Any Distortion I find it's like it's not The most detailed or deep sound quality But it is really good and certainly very Enjoyable if if you are someone who's Very keen on their sound then certainly You're going to find better headphones For Pure sound quality andc but I do Think the airpods 4 deliver pretty well On both fronts and the transparency mode Is also very good like it does give you A really good amount of awareness when You are out on the run and it doesn't Have any of that kind of wind noise you Sometimes get with transparency modes When the mics are picking up all that Wind and filtering it in you don't get That at all so you can stay aware whilst
Listening to audio so the sound quality Would be a tick for me even though you Can get upgrades by looking at any [Music] Buds so in terms of battery life now You're not getting the biggest battery Life numbers on a set of truly wirless Airbuds here slightly less than the Airpods pro and pro two and obviously if You're factoring active noise Cancellation that is going to drain the Battery quicker as well and there's Definitely a mixture in terms of my Experience in terms of the battery I've Enjoyed when I've used the active noise Cancellation when I've used the kind of Transparency mode when I've used the Kind of adaptive kind of mode as well Too um and I think generally the battery Life is good it's good enough um but I Think ultimately if you're wanting those Kind of big battery life numbers that's Not what you're going to get here on the Airpod now in terms of kind of charging And stuff you know it's it's relatively Quick in terms of charging so you know While it hasn't got the biggest numbers Attached to it it's a relatively quick Charger and if you need to go out and do Run you know you're dropping it on a Charger pluging it into if you've got The USBC version you're not charging it For long to get enough battery life to Play with I like the fact that the case
Is a little bit smaller I mean the Airpods pro Cas is is generally quite Small already but this is a even more Compact with the airpods um 4 and I kind Of lack the fact that you know if you Did want to carry and I don't generally Carry the case with him if I go out on Runs but if I was you know I know I Could easily slip this into a running Belt and I wouldn't feel any kind of you Know clunkiness or feel like it was Knocking around in my running belt so Yeah for me battery life is not stand Out um it's not the best UHC will Definitely impact on it um but in General you know it's been good enough For me and the charging kind of slightly Makes up the charging speed kind of Makes up for that experience I've had With the battery life on to battery life Then and like I said have been using the Airpods 4 as my main headphones for Everything usually with the AMC on Outside of my runs and you you do go Through that battery life pretty quickly If you do that like through a few days I Start to get a bit itchy and want to Plug them in for a little bit they do Charge very quickly and that obviously Is a big plus as well but you know you Can use them for a couple of days of Pretty much everything without worrying You can charge them very quickly I'd say It's not really a plus point about your
Life but I wouldn't say it's a huge Negative for me given that it's a very Small case the buzs themselves are very Small and it's not something that's Really a worry all the time if you are Looking at you know very long runs You're going to have to carry the case With you to make sure you have enough Battery life but it is a really small Case and very pocketable as well so do Think that's another plus point for the Buds in that you can bring the case with You on runs Without Really noticing it's There so yeah all around battery life Was kind of fine not very very long like You can get small headphones with more Battery life again looking at the Jabra Elite 8 active but hasn't been a big Negative for me in my use either now When it comes to battery life I found I Got less than 4 hours off the airpods Buds when I was using thec that's just Short of Apple's estimates but that's With volume up close to Max a 1H hour Run with noise control off burned 14% And in testing I also did the best part Of a marathon the airpods 4 I came up Just three miles short but I ran for Three and a half hours switching up the Modes every hour the total burn for that Run came in at 83% 1 hour withc burn 26% 1 hour with adaptive audio burned 29% And 1 hour transparency mode burned 26% Pretty even performance there the Bud's
Battery life is lower than many of the Rivals but I'd say most Runners can Comfortably run a marathon provided You're running without noise control on There's a healthy amount of backup Battery in the case too that means you Can squeeze out a month of daily Training on a charge and more than that With a few little timely topups which is Pretty good for most casual [Music] Users verdict then when it comes to Picking the best running headphones I Tend to prioritize three things good fit Battery life and sound now good fit for Me tops everything else if the buds Don't stay in or feel comfortable for Long runs the other stuff doesn't really Matter so much now the Apple airpods 4 Withc just about passed this test for me But not necessarily with flying colors I Wouldn't for example want to have them In on steep Trail descents or some of The runs where you've got big steep Faster downhill sections there's always This slight feeling that they might Wriggle loose and hit the deck that's One to consider for race day as well the Last thing you want is an airpod Dropping to the ground during a marathon Stampede now on steady runs it was less Of an issue but I do prefer the airpods Pro 2 and the Jabra el8 active for that Fit security then there's the marathon
Duration battery life if you're planning To use thec or other sound features and You're a 4our plus marathon runner the Battery life here might be a bit short Unless you carry the case for a quick Recharge on Route the 30-hour case does However make them an okay option for Ultras but you might not listen all the Time and you've got time to put them Back in the case to recharge for small Sections third on my priority list is Good sound then for my non-audio file is The airpods 4 withc deliver they're Balanced plenty loud and with an NC Performance that's excellent for the Open a design overall I think the Airpods for withc offer a lot if you're A casual Runner already invested in the Apple universe who wants to set Headphones that will cover everything From you know that daily commute into Work to remote working in cafes into the Gym for for sort of strength sessions And stuff and then onto your runs However if you definitely want airpods But want a more secure fit and a Better Sound Performance and better ANC I think It's worth paying the extra £50 for the Airpods pro too my verdict is that the Airpods 4 VEC are more or less perfect For me they're my like ideal headphones The fit is fantastic it's really Comfortable they stay on the ear when I'm running I get a little bit of
Awareness while getting good sound Quality I like using them for traveling And other stuff like that because they Are more comfortable for me and the fit Is a bit more reliable On The Run than In a headphones but you know it's all Quite a personal thing I'd say some People they'll just fall out of your Ears and that won't be any good at all On the run but yeah the fit has been Perfect for me and if you are someone Who doesn't get on with inair headphones Finds them uncomfortable doesn't find They stay in place on the Run maybe an Open fit like this would work for you I'd say if you're someone who's very Invested in sound quality you are going To get better sound at this price and Certainly paying a little bit more by Looking at some of the best in-ear Headphones I think the sound quality is Pretty good on these and it's again fine For me but I think if you want to step Up here you can get it looking at Headphones from Jabra other brands of Inar headphones you just get that Passive seal better ANC as a result Slightly deeper more powerful bass and That kind of thing as well price is Pretty high you have got those excellent Headphones out there for in buds I think It's worth the extra on the standard Airpods 4 for me because thec does make A big difference in general use I would
Say it's a really you know Heth helpful Feature to have if you're going to use These for stuff like traveling and Working in the office as well you know Like I said there are some in buds Around that price that will give you Better sound quality which you might Look at like the jabas I'd say when You're looking at the open headphones Around this price I prefer the airpods 4 Definitely there headphones from Brands Like olad Dan open Rock You Know Shockers more expensive open fit Headphones at this price I would get the Airpods you're getting a much more Rounded set of headphones that still Give you a little bit of awareness that Is obviously based on the fact that they Do stay on your years when you're Running which will be a risk you can get Cheaper Opa headphones if you do find This fit this really work for you you Can look at things like the shocks open Fit air which have an ear hook and then Do give you more stability on the run as A result but if everything works for you As well as it works for me then I would Get the airpods 4 VNC because they're my Perfect running headphones pretty much But that won't be the case for everyone Obviously you pretty know the fit of These if it works for you based on past Models I think the fit and Design's Improved compared to the airpods 3 all
Around but still it might fall out of Your ears if they don't know they are a Cracking set of headphones that work Really well for running and general use So my vits on the Apple airpods for with Active noise cancellation and whether These are a good fit for runners is that Ultimately hasn't been a fantastic fit In my ears I think generally that's my Experience with in a airbuds that kind Of have this kind of style of design Where it's not been secure enough for me And that's kind of been my experience Here which is a shame because you know In return you are getting you know very Good sounding quality kind of airbuds uh Here you are getting effective active Noise cancellation you're getting good Battery life and pretty good charging Capabilities to back that up as well too I think ultimately that fit has been a Problem for me and I think if I look Around the airpods range I would still Be going for the airpods Pro 2 I think If you could find the airpods pro the First generation you it's definitely Going to be cheaper now that has more Effective active noise cancellation if That's a feature you really care about And you want that more secure reliable Fit and I think also slightly more Advanced controls as well there um I Think you know you look at the price Range of these against other airbuds you
Can definitely get similar Sound Performance I think better battery life I think you know similar level of active Noise cancellation with a fit that maybe Has ear tips wing tips that's just going To give you something that's going to Sit more securely and you're going to Make you feel more confident they're Going to stay it when you know over a Mixture of different runs so for me yeah It's a bit of a shame because you know I Do like a lot you know here with the Airpods 4 ultimately though that crucial One for me from a running perspective That kind of reliable fit um just wasn't Quite there for me uh and that's Something that I would factor in here um If it works for you absolutely great for Me though I would still probably be kind Of varing towards getting the pros or The pro Okay so there you have it that is our Take on the Apple airpods 4 with active Noise cancellation now have you got any Questions about these airb bars that we Haven't covered in this video do let us Know in the comments as always like And Subscribe hit that little bell to find Out about our latest videos and yeah We'll see you the next round test this Video
