Scored on 113 verified owner verdicts, from 1,506 comments read across 4 communities
TL;DR
Owners love how comfortable these are to wear for hours with no silicone tips jammed in the ear canal, and most are genuinely surprised by how well the noise cancellation works for an open, unsealed bud, alongside a clear step up in sound and call mics that several rate above the Pro 2. The catch is the fit: with no ear tips they fall out or work loose during movement for a lot of people, and how well they suit you depends heavily on your ear shape. Battery runs short with ANC on, and the noise cancellation, while good, still trails the sealed Pro 2.
58% of 113 verified owners recommend the Apple AirPods 4, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
1,506 comments reviewed · scored on the 113 clearest verdicts
58%
Recommend
66 owners
15%
Neutral
17 owners
27%
Don't recommend
30 owners
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
58%
107
Other forums
67%
6
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer), but here they sit too far from the owner consensus on Reddit and forums — channel comment sections can skew heavily positive or negative by trend — so they're shown for perspective and kept out of the score.owner comments
41%
203
Affiliate blogsiThese blogs earn a commission when you buy. Across our data they rate products ~35 points more positively than actual owners — shown for transparency, never counted in the score.paid commission
0%
2
Affiliate blogs here say 0% recommend, while the owner-based score is 58%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Very comfortable for long wear, no silicone tips in the ear canal · 30 · 27%
ANC is impressive for an open, non-sealed earbud · 24 · 21%
Noticeably better sound than older AirPods · 16 · 14%
Stays in the ear well for many people, fits ears the Pro never did · 12 · 11%
Mic and call clarity, often rated better than the Pro 2 · 7 · 6%
What owners flag
Fall out or work loose with movement since there are no ear tips · 16 · 14%
Short battery life, especially with ANC on · 12 · 11%
ANC is weaker and more limited than the sealed Pro 2 · 11 · 10%
Crackling, static, or buzzing/feedback noises · 8 · 7%
Ear pain or pressure for some wearers · 4 · 4%
Who it's for
A great fit if
People who dislike silicone in-ear tips
Unusual ear shapes that reject Pro tips
Calls in windy, noisy places needing a strong mic
Everyday commuting and around-the-house listening
Look elsewhere if
Running and workouts, where they slip out
Long days needing extended battery life
Anyone wanting strong, sealed noise cancellation
Synthesized from what Apple AirPods 4 owners say — not a spec sheet.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
Top quotes, sourced
1,506 reviewed · 318 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▲ recommend
“SON GENIALES ! El sonido es muy bueno”
YouTube— neutral
“the 4 with noise cancellation isn't worth it”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“la verdad son un desperdicio los 4ta y no traen cable”
YouTube— neutral
“there's almost no bass and that sometimes stresses me out”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Me compre los airpods y se me caen 😔”
YouTube▲ recommend
“they're way more comfortable than other versions, even without noise cancellation they're very, very good”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▲ recommend
“es la primera ves que ocupo audífonos así, que asombroso”
YouTube— neutral
“the tips do bother me after about 3 hours, that said, gorgeous sound and bass”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“tampoco es para tanto la cancelación de ruido”
YouTube— neutral
“I had a call that came through with strange noises, the person I was talking to noticed it too”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“that they took away the volume control for the good of the plot”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▲ recommend
“ha sido una experiencia increíble”
YouTube— neutral
“genial me encantan pero llevo meses donde al responder o hacer una llamada me dicen q me escucha a lo lejos”
YouTube▲ recommend
“without a doubt the only thing worth buying from the last event is the airpods 4”
Translated from Spanish
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“me seguían siendo incómodos 😢 luego de una hora de uso o menos el oído me empezaba a doler”
Reddit— neutral
“I chose AirPods 4 ANC, not the price problem, but I went to an Apple Store and tried them both out.
Both sounded amazing, but I hated the feeling of the earbuds in my ear canal.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“no funcionan las funciones táctiles, como cambiar cancion anterior siguiente, pausar reproducir”
YouTube▲ recommend
“es impresionante on mayúsculas la cancelación de sonido”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“siento q se escucha bajo,solo llevo 2 días con ellos y siento q no tienen mucho volumen”
Reddit— neutral
“The AirPods 4 are nothing like that. They sound great, and the ANC is really cool, and they are very comfortable…. WHEN they stay in my ears. Any slight head movements and they fall out quite easily.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Cancelación de ruido es increíble!”
YouTube▲ recommend
“wow el sonido es tan hermoso, el precio lo vale ademas lo comodo que son”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“It also turns the music down and that's a flaw”
Translated from Spanish
Reddit— neutral
“The new Airpods 4 are very comfy but the noise cancellation is limited, as are the controls, and they are even more flawed if you aren't an Apple user.”
