Josh here.

So this year, Apple released two new AirPods, the AirPods 4 and the AirPods 4 ANC.

If you're looking for a new pair of AirPods, or if you're in the market to upgrade your older pair of AirPods, in this video, I'll be comparing the most current AirPods lineup to hopefully help you figure out which one you should get.

Let's get into it.

Now, first up, let's talk about the cases.

All AirPods come in a familiar gloss white plastic charging case with magnets to hold the buds in place and keep the lid shut.

They've all got an LED indicator on the front, USB-C charging on the bottom.

And as far as size goes, both the AirPods 4 and the AirPods 4 ANC share the exact same dimensions and are slightly smaller than the AirPods Pro 2s, but they're all very portable and very pocketable.

Now, as similar as these cases may seem, there are some subtle differences that you should probably know about.

For wireless charging, the only one that doesn't support wireless charging is going to be the regular AirPods 4.

Because it is slightly cheaper, Apple has chosen not to include this feature.

Between the AirPods 4 with ANC and the AirPods Pro 2s, both of them are going to support regular wireless charging as well as Apple Watch wireless charging support, being able to stick to the charger via magnets.

And then for MagSafe, only the AirPods Pro 2s are going to support the sticking magnets, whereas the AirPods 4 with ANC will charge, it just will not stick.

Another difference is that the regular AirPods 4s are the only ones not to get speakers on the case.

These speakers on the AirPods 4 ANC and the AirPods Pro 2s make finding your AirPods case easier with Find My.

And in addition, the AirPods Pro 2s also have the U1 chip, which is great for precision finding, whereas the AirPods 4 ANC don't.

And while all of those are nice features, I personally wouldn't make my decision based off of those alone.

So let's talk about the buds.

Now, the really interesting thing with these buds is that Apple has actually done a really good job making them really consistent with each other so that you're really not missing out on the core features.

For one, all AirPods have sensors for autoplay pause and an IP54 rating, meaning that light water splashes and sweat should be just fine.

They all also use the force sensor, allowing for squeeze gestures for playing, pausing, skipping, and going back and activating Siri.

And in a recent update, all of these actually support head gestures.

So you can actually nod your head up and down to accept a call or shake your head side to side to decline a call, which is pretty neat.

All of these AirPods also support modern AirPods features like spatial audio, audio switching between iCloud devices like your Mac, Apple TV, iPhone, and Apple Watch, and adaptive EQ, which uses inward facing mics to make sure you're getting the best audio experience possible.

Really at the end of the day, all three of these AirPods share a very similar core AirPods experience with the exception of two differences.

The first difference is that the AirPods Pro 2s are the only ones to get volume control right on the step.

So you can swipe up to increase the volume, swipe down to decrease the volume, and it works really, really well.

But then the second and probably most important differentiator between all three of these buds is active noise canceling or ANC.

So this year, Apple made a really interesting move to include active noise canceling on a non-silicone ear tip earbud, which has never been done before.

Previously, if you wanted ANC with literally any other earbud, you had to get a silicone ear tip.

And so this is a really big deal for people who either don't like silicone ear tips or find that they don't work for their ears.

But the biggest question that you probably have is how good is the ANC without silicone ear tips?

On Apple's website, they say that the AirPods Pro 2s have double the noise cancellation compared to both the AirPods 4s with ANC, as well as the original AirPods Pros.

But what does double the noise cancellation actually mean?

So to me, having used the AirPods Pro 2s for over two years now, these will do a great job at canceling out all types of noises.

I can even take these on the plane and they'll do great.

I can still hear my music, watch a movie.

When you put these in, you are basically transported to another world.

Now on the flip side with the AirPods 4 with ANC, for constant noises like your HVAC system, fan or heater, as long as they're not too loud or right next to you, they are going to pretty much cancel out those noises completely.

However, when it comes to more inconsistent noise like human voices or louder sounds, like if you're on public transport, while these will take the edge off of those noises, they're not going to completely remove it.

While testing the AirPods 4 with ANC, there have been times in the office where a loud group of people were walking by.

And in those moments, it really made me miss the AirPods Pro 2.

But I would actually say that for 95% of scenarios, I was completely fine with the AirPods 4 ANC.

If you're somebody who finds that the AirPods Pro 2s just don't fit your ears or you don't like silicone ear tips, this honestly might be the way to go.

Which leads me into the next section, comfort and fit.

Now, if you look online, people will say all sorts of things about which ones fit better and which ones are more comfortable.

Some people say that because the AirPods Pro 2s have a silicone ear tip, they actually grip the inside of your ear canals better.

While other people will say that because it is a silicone ear tip, it's actually a silicone ear tip.

So, I would say that the AirPods Pro 2s fit better than the AirPods Pro 3s.

At the end of the day, AirPods are what I call one size fits most.

So, you really do just need to go into a store and try them out for yourself.

Now, the last three things I'm going to cover are going to be sound quality, mic quality, and battery life.

Usually, when it comes to these earbuds, sound quality is a big deciding factor.

But I would say for AirPods, because they all sound pretty close in sound quality, I wouldn't say that this is a huge deciding factor.

There are some subtle differences.

So, the AirPods 4s, I would say, have a little bit more of a V-shaped curve with more emphasis on the highs, whereas the AirPods Pro 2s do sound a little bit more balanced and have a bit more mid presence.

Also, because the AirPods Pro 2s actually create a tight seal in your ears and are able to cancel out more noise, you could also argue that the AirPods Pro 2s allow you to hear more details in your music, whereas the AirPods 4s have a more open and airy experience.

But like I said, there really isn't a huge difference when it comes to sound quality.

The second thing is going to be battery life and pretty much the board, except the AirPods Pro 2s have six hours on the buds, whereas the AirPods 4s have five hours on the buds.

Last but not least, here's a microphone test with each of these earbuds.

These are the regular AirPods 4s.

Here's how they sound.

These are the AirPods 4 with ANC, and here's how they sound.

And here are the AirPods Pro 2s, and here's how they sound.

Okay.

So, you've made it to the end of the video, but maybe you're still a little bit confused as to which one you should actually get.

Let me break it down for you.

Now, first question you got to ask yourself is, do you actually want noise canceling?

Do you find yourself in noisy situations, whether you're at the gym or you're working at an office, or you're at home and you have loud neighbors, or maybe your kids are running around or loud housemates?

How much do you want to tolerate noise?

And do you want to bring the noise down a little bit?

So, if the answer is yes, then between the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 with ANC, if silicone eartips are not a concern for you and they don't bother you, then AirPods Pro 2, by far one of the best purchase decisions I've ever made.

These are truly a game changer.

On Amazon, you can find these consistently for under 200, which makes the price difference between these two pretty much negligible.

Now, if the answer is yes, I want ANC, but I don't like silicone eartips, then these ones are going to be the best bet.

If you're somebody who's been holding back from ANC earbuds, just because of the lack of options with silicone eartips, these truly have shocked me in terms of their performance.

And then going back to the first question, do you actually want ANC?

If the answer is no, then the regular AirPods 4s are actually a really great deal.

These retail for $129 or $119 on Amazon.

And for that price, you're arguably getting the same amount of audio quality as the AirPods Pro 2s, just without all of the fancy features like wireless charging, speakers on the case, and all that stuff.

But yeah, that about does it for this video.

I hope that it helped you out.

If it did, consider using the affiliate links down below to support the channel for free and to check the latest pricing on these AirPods.

All right, leave a like on your way out, subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, and I hope to see you guys in the next one.

Peace.