Apple AirPods 4 review: Simply essential

Turn your head around and you'll see most people donning AirPods around you, no matter if they own an iPhone or Android. AirPods are everywhere—either the regular ones, Pros, or the knockoffs. The AirPods that started it all eight years back is now having its fourth revision, and they now have active noise cancellation while keeping their good-old tip-less design that seemingly still appeal to some.This write up isn’t about that one. If you want to read about the AirPods 4 with ANC, click here. Now, let’s catch up on the AirPods 4, the regular ones that don’t have the noise cancellation, and if they are worth your money. AirPods, not the Pro, have had one flaw — they don’t have silicone eartips. But that’s what people who really love AirPods love about them. Yes, it’s not the design that many prefer, as they aren’t the most comfortable, but there’s a section of people that hate silicone eartips and want these regular AirPods only for their open-ear design. Maybe I now understand why.I absolutely love the fit and seal of the AirPods Pro, but I have started to like how light the regular AirPods feel on my ears. At times, I used to feel some fullness in my ears after using the Pros or any earphones with silicone eartips for more than a few hours, but with the open-eared AirPods I haven't really felt that way. Apple says it went through thousands of ear shapes while designing the AirPods 4, so they "naturally" fit everyone. It’s got some more curves and new angles. While I didn't have thousands of ears to check that, I and a few others who tried them did find them quite comfortable, while some couldn't stand wearing them for more than a minute. Yes, this one-size-fits-all construct felt quite uncomfortable for the first few days I started using them. But about 3-4 days in, I didn't really feel any discomfort, and I even wore them for 2-3 hours straight. I know the regular AirPods don't seem very snug, but they fit pretty nicely inside the ears, which wasn't the case last time I tried a pair of regular AirPods. I had the first AirPods, and they never stuck inside my ears. But the AirPods 4 have a comparably snug fit. While it seems they will fall off the ears very easily, they don’t. I wore them while walking, running, and even when traveling in auto rickshaws. They stayed in place. Only when I was banging my head to Guns N' Roses did they fall out of my ears.But, it could be different for you, so I’d suggest you to try these out before purchasing them. The AirPods 4 look largely the same as the AirPods Pro sans the eartips. The stems are short and have force sensors just like the Pros. A single press plays or resumes music, double press is for skipping music and pressing and holding on each bud awakes Siri. All these gestures work intuitively, albeit the one that’s not here — the volume controls. Yes, there’s no way to control volume from the earbuds themselves, and it’s inconvenient. The charging case in which the AirPods stay when not in use is smaller than before. It still fits perfectly inside the jeans' coin pocket, and yes, it also still has this glossy white finish which gets easily scratched. Apple has put a USB-C port for charging in the case but has taken away wireless charging, although it's still there on the more expensive active noise cancellation option. What’s common between the two is both have IP68 rating — for the case and buds. Comfort aside, most people also really didn't like the sound of older AirPods. Yes, they have sounded pretty good. But they had this very flat sound signature that lacked the punch most people were left waning for. The AirPods 4 sound a lot better than the regular AirPods that have come before them. Apple says it has reworked the internals, putting in a new custom low-distortion driver and a high dynamic range amplifier. That paired with the H2 chip create a more detailed and punchy sound signature. Bass notes land with greater impact, while vocals and instruments benefit from improved texture and clarity.The AirPods 4 are also better at handling high and low sounds. High notes, like the guitar in John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," sound crisp but not harsh. Low notes, like the bass in Daft Punk's "Around the World," are strong but don't overpower everything else. Songs with both high and low sounds, like "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se, sound especially good – you can hear both the crisp cymbals and the deep bass clearly.The open-ear design of the AirPods 4, which is its most controversial feature, actually helps in for a more spacious soundstage, which in turn allows for better separation between instruments and vocals. Put on a busy track like A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho," and you will hear that each layer of music is distinctly audible.Then, listen to songs like "Tiny Moves" by Bleachers, and you'd notice the instrument separation is more pronounced, and in Bollywood classics like "Kal Ho Naa Ho" by Sonu Nigam, where the emotional depth of the vocals is beautifully rendered. Music sounds even better in the Spatial Audio mode, and in the AirPods 4 it can be personalised according to your ear shape. You will have to capture yourself and then both your ears, which honestly is bit of a task. But the results afterwards are quite pleasing. Not only does it make the music feel more dynamic, but it also adds more depth. It also works with movies and shows rendered in Dolby Atmos.While these don’t have an EQ, they do have what Apple calls Adaptive EQ. So, how it works is the H2 chip tries to tune the audio to your ear shape for optimal sound. It seemingly works, and is probably part of the reason why AirPods 4 sound the way they do. Since there's no active noise cancellation, you will hear outside noises mixed with the music that's playing. Even if you max out the volume, much of the noise still seeps in, but less of the background murmurs, though that’s something not really advisable. So, this is where the active noise cancellation model one-ups these. You can read more about the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation here.Microphones have also been improved on the AirPods 4. These have beam-forming microphones, which focus completely on the wearer's voice. These also work with Voice Isolation (H2 chip makes it work), So, while I rarely use earbuds to take calls, I decided to test AirPods 4's microphone in the noisiest surroundings imaginable: sitting in an auto rickshaw in peak old Delhi traffic with horns blaring, the vehicle rattling, and the music inside the auto at its loudest. Plus occasional wind gusts when the auto moved — I could barely hear myself or the person on the call. Meanwhile, the person on the other side could hear me crisp, clear and didn’t even get an idea that I was in such chaos.The H2 chip also enables personalised volume, which adjusts the media volume based on your surroundings. Over time, the algorithms learn your preferred volume levels in different environments. Once it has learned your pattern, it'll automatically adjust to your ideal volume level. Does it work? Yes, and it comes in quite handy, especially on these since you don’t have volume control on earbuds. Then, there's Head Gestures, which is useful but might not see much use. This is because it only works when you have the "announce" option turned on for calls and notifications. So, if you do have that option turned on, you can accept or decline a call or notification by moving your head up and down or side to side. Or in Siri, to reply to yes or no replies. They don’t have much use otherwise, but they do work as advertised.There’s the usual ecosystem play with the AirPods. So, if you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, they are going to pair and connect seamlessly. No, companion app hassle. Then, they can also seamlessly switch between all your Apple devices. The Find My works, as well. Yes, they also work with Android phones, but any of the features that I talked about above, like Personalised Spatial Audio, Personalised Volume, and Head Gestures, won’t work on Android. Apple says that AirPods 4 should last you 5 hours on a single charge, and they do. I know 5 hours of playtime isn’t a lot but it’d get you through most domestic flights, last one whole Lord of the Rings movie, and a solid workout session. The case adds on four more changes, so they’ll last you good 30 hours before you need to plug it back in. Charging AirPods 4 doesn’t take long, about 30 minutes of charge juices up the buds and the case takes another hour. If you are in a hurry, you can have about 1 hour of playtime in 10 minutes. So, where do we stand with the AirPods 4? They're not just an iteration – they're the most refined regular AirPods yet, with sound quality that finally matches their popularity. They are the best-sounding regular AirPods yet.The open-ear design, while polarising, has its devoted audience, and Apple has perfected it here. For those who've always avoided silicone tips, these aren't just a compromise – they're exactly what you've been waiting for. If you're in the Apple ecosystem, the decision becomes even clearer.At Rs 12,900, they are definitely not the most affordable earbuds, and yes, you could find a pocket full of earbuds with more features for a whole lot of lless money. But that misses the point — you're paying for your comfort and convenience here. The AirPods 4 aren't trying to be everything to everyone.Instead, they are brilliant at being exactly what they are — a pair of earbuds that sound great, work seamlessly and are comfortable even for a selective few. If you can’t stand the silicone eartips, you can’t go wrong with the AirPods 4, these are the de facto choice. Yes, there's another AirPods 4 model with active noise cancellation selling for Rs 17,900, that’s Rs 5,000 more, and it only betters an experience that's already pretty good. You can read our detailed review of it here. But even these regular AirPods 4 hit a sweet spot of features — especially for those with an iPhone — that's hard to ignore.