AirPods 4 with ANC vs. AirPods Pro 2: Which is a better buy?

Apple announced two new AirPods 4 models with a new design at its “Glowtime” event which took place on September 9. The cheaper $129 variant of the AirPods 4 offers up to 24 Hours of Battery Life with the USB-C Charging Case and is powered by the same H2 chip as the AirPods Pro 2, enabling support for 16-bit, 48kHz audio on the base variant. The more expensive $179 AirPods 4 offers even more battery life, with it being 30 Hours with the USB-C Charging Case. The premium variant boasts features like Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, speakers in the USB-C case for Find My, and more. While you can only charge the $129 variant using a cable, the $179 variant can be charged in multiple ways: USB-C Charging, Wireless Charging, or by using an Apple Watch Charger.

You might be thinking, doesn’t the $179 AirPods 4 have the same feature set as the AirPods Pro 2? Yes, but not quite.

Here are the benefits of the AirPods Pro 2 over AirPods 4 with ANC:

1. The AirPods Pro 2 offers “Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation compared with AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation”, according to Apple.
2. The AirPods Pro 2 will soon have features such as Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection by the fall of this year with a software update. These features won’t be coming to the AirPods 4. Read more about these new features by clicking here.
3. The AirPods Pro 2 offers Touch Control for volume adjustments, along with Force Touch, while the AirPods 4 only supports the latter.
4. Even though they both offer 30 Hours of Battery Life with the case, the AirPods Pro 2 can go up to 6 Hours on a single charge while the AirPods 4 can deliver 5 Hours.
5. Support for attaching a Lanyard Loop is only available to the AirPods Pro 2.
6. Conversation Boost is only available on the AirPods Pro 2
7. The AirPods Pro 2 case also includes the U1 chip for Precision Finding, which is not found on the AirPods 4
8. The charging case on the AirPods Pro 2 has support for MagSafe, while the AirPods 4 can only charge via Qi wireless charging
9. The AirPods Pro 2 features Silicone ear tips in four different sizes, for people who prefer it. If they’re not comfortable for you, the AirPods 4 is the way to go.
10.  Apple will also be releasing another significant update to the AirPods Pro 2 to bring more features such as Awareness, Prevention, Assistance, and clinical-grade Hearing Aid functionality. Read more about it by clicking here.

If you think these features would make a quality difference to your usage, then you can consider getting the AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 2 are available to purchase for a price of $249 on Apple’s Website. You can find them at authorized resellers such as Best Buy for around $189 during the sale periods.

For those who feel uncomfortable while wearing earphones with Silicone ear tips, the AirPods 4 with ANC is the way to go as it offers most of the features of the AirPods Pro 2.

Which AirPods do you plan to get? Let us know down in the comments or tweet/post to us at @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple News and Deals!