I Was Skeptical About AirPods 4 ANC, but They Surprised Me

Intro A portion of this video is sponsored by Xfinity  Mobile. So, ever since I learned Apple might   outfit a version of its new AirPods 4  earbuds with active noise cancelling,   I've been skeptical. But now that I've had a  chance to hear them in action, I’ve got to admit,   I'm surprised. And if you've been skeptical at  the idea of an open-ear earbud like the AirPods   4 being any good at noise cancelling, well,  I think you're going to want to stick around. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Caleb  Denison, and before I say another word,   this is not a review of the new AirPods 4  with ANC, nor is it a review of the feature   itself. Apple was very clear that reviews  are embargoed. So, what I'm going to tell   you is based entirely on some impressions I got  during a briefing and demonstration at Apple Park   during the launch event. My story about this  has already been published on Digital Trends. Now, this is going to be tough, right? Because  since that briefing, I've had more experience with   AirPods 4 with ANC, but I can't—and I won't—speak  to that. All I'll say is that you definitely   should subscribe and ring that bell so you see my  review when it comes out. I'm going to do a killer   review on these and compare them to the AirPods  Pro, and I think you're going to want to see that. Sponsor Xfinity Mobile Hey everyone, I've got an incredible Xfinity  Mobile deal that you won't want to miss. Now   through January 10, Xfinity Internet customers  can take advantage of an amazing buy-one-get-one   offer on unlimited lines. Right now,  if you purchase one unlimited line,   you'll get an additional unlimited line free  for an entire year. Now is the perfect time   to join the millions who have already switched  to Xfinity Mobile. With this incredible offer,   you'll not only save on your monthly bill but  also gain exclusive access to the most powerful   mobile Wi-Fi network, giving you fast Wi-Fi  speeds of up to a gig on the go in millions   of locations nationwide. Don’t miss out on  this opportunity to experience the unmatched   performance and value that only Xfinity Mobile  can provide. We've got all the details down below,   including a direct link to this amazing offer.  Visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more and switch   today. Big thanks to Xfinity Mobile for  sponsoring this portion of our video. Overview Now, a quick catch-up: if you didn't see  my video about these new AirPods already,   or if you just haven’t tuned in yet, Apple  created two new versions of the open-ear   AirPods earbuds. There are a lot of changes  for both. They're meant to be more comfortable,   the sound has supposedly been improved, and I  can tell you unequivocally that it has because   I got to listen to them at this same briefing. The  drivers were redesigned, and the driver now points   more directly into the ear, and they have a force  sensor on them. Oh, and they’re all USB-C now. Of course, the AirPods 4 with ANC—that's the  actual name—also add a wireless charging case   with a “Find My” speaker in them and, of course,  ANC, plus all the stuff that comes along with ANC,   like conversation awareness, transparency  mode, and adaptive listening mode. The base   model without ANC or a “Find My” case  is $129, and the model with it is $180. Impressions of ANC During this briefing, an Apple representative  piped some faux airplane noise into the room   via hidden speakers while I wore the AirPods 4  with the ANC engaged. I toggled the ANC feature   on and off by cycling through transparency and  adaptive audio modes. I also just removed the   earbuds entirely to hear what the airplane  noise sounded like without any interference   from the AirPods 4, and to also get a read  on just how loud that airplane noise was. So,   the noise reduction was more quantifiable in  my head, and I’ve got to tell you, my curiosity   about just how loud the airplane noise actually  was in the room resulted from just how loud it   was not while wearing the buds with the feature  turned on. Yeah, I was stunned at that moment. See, I went into that room with a healthy dose  of skepticism, and I imagine that a lot of y’all   would have done as well, because the AirPods’  so-called open-ear design means there is very   little passive noise isolation, since the ear  canal is not completely blocked when you put   these in. So, you can probably understand why I  had a hard time imagining that the active noise   cancelling—which, by the way, works by blasting  sound that's 180° out of phase with the noise   around you—would be all that effective. I just  imagined too much of the source noise bleeding   through, just going around the active noise  cancelling sound that the earbuds were making. And yet, the AirPods 4 with  ANC knocked that fake plane   noise right down to a level that was both  more tolerable to exist with in general,   but it also made the music I started listening  to far more audible. In fact, with music playing,   I could have easily forgotten that  the plane noise was happening at all. There is one big potential caveat to mention,  though. When I listened to the plane noise   without anything in my ears, I noticed that it  didn’t contain very much high-frequency noise,   which has me curious about how well the  feature will work on a real trip in a plane,   train, or automobile. Lucky for  me, though, I had to fly home,   so yeah, I can tell you exactly  how they work in real life soon. Final thoughts So yeah, I mean, there are plenty of ANC earbuds  on the market that cost well less than the AirPods   4 with ANC, many of which might have better  overall noise cancelling, but I’m unaware of an   open-ear earbud with ANC that can come anywhere  close to what I heard with the AirPods 4 with   ANC during my brief demo experience. Now, all  that remains is to see how they do in real-life   scenarios, which I'll be testing nonstop  until I record my review in just a few days. Anyway, for those of you out there who want  or need active noise cancelling but just can’t   tolerate something blocking your ear canal,  or maybe because earbuds with ear tips just   never fit you right, the AirPods 4 with ANC are  likely exactly what you need. Stay tuned for   the big review, guys, and thanks as always for  watching. Like, subscribe, ring that bell. I'll   see you on the next one, and until then, here  are two other videos I think you might like.