## AN APPLE A DAY: The Sonic Revolution of AirPods 4 with ANC

AirPods 4 (2022) has caused a stir in the world of personal audio. Apple launched the new AirPods at its ‘Glowtime’ presentation and it’s the AirPods 4 (2022) with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) that have caused a stir in the hype machines across the world. This review captures my experience with the device and combines that experience with seasoned observations on what it takes for the AirPods 4 (2022) to make a real difference to our sonic lives.

### Unboxing the Magic: First Impressions that Last

I was excited to hear Apple’s promise of better immersion through the new AirPods Pro. I had worried that it wouldn’t fit right, one of the biggest criticisms for the previous generations of AirPods. Apple is clearly doing detailed work studying many shapes of ears and data points, engineering a fit that feels almost bespoke. They fit tight and felt like they weren’t going anywhere. In fact, they stayed in place as I shook and bobbed my head, an improvement in both fit and comfort.

### A Tight Fit: The Blend of Comfort and Secureness

Such attention to detail means that Apple’s podcasts, sports-fitness and frontiers-of-design minutiae have produced a universally fitting shape that seems like it would be impossible to get right through trial and error alone. The snugness of the AirPods 4 – while uncomfortable – was worth the price of locking them in, and that soreness remains just a small trade-off for a major step forward in comfort.

### Into the Realm of Silence: ANC That Dazzles

Active Noise Cancellation is at the core of the AirPods 4 experience. When I played Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, turning on ANC was like climbing into a sound-deadening pod. From the moment I pressed play, the world outside halted. To have Active Noise Cancellation in an earbud with no ear tips is technologically impressive. Apple’s combination of microphones and computing audio is a subtle revolution in open-air ANC.

### A Sound Experience Redefined

The immersive sound ride wasn’t over. The sweet tones of ‘Espresso’ track had been personalised to private serenades in a sound-attenuated café as ANC did its magic. In this context, sound immersion that goes beyond what open-ear designs could achieve is again Apple’s statement about what sonic experiences personal audio devices can deliver.

### The Practicality of Choice

Both the AirPods 4 with and without ANC appeal to a broader audience AND bring different value propositions to the table, depending on how you like to spend your listening time. With an MSRP of $179 for the ANC version and $129 for the standard model, Apple has engineered a product that reaches out to both pure sound escapists AND casual listeners who still want good quality but don’t care as much about the silence.

### Final Verdict: A Sonic Leap Forward

The AirPods 4 with ANC are not just an iteration in Apple’s lineup. They are a demonstration of Apple’s ability to innovate personal audio at affordable prices, in a design that fits snugly in one’s ear, with a tighter seal than the previous generation, or anything resembling a competitor. While the open-ear ANC will never apply the same pressure as over-ear ANC, it establishes a new experience that may be more useful in everyday life, all without the constraint of a full-sized headset. While the AirPods 4 won’t supplant the AirPods Max at the top of the noise-cancelling hierarchy, it establishes a new segment of its own, with portable headphones that sacrifice far fewer comforts than before.

### Understanding Apple's Innovations

The backstory of an Apple product is often as inspirational as the product itself: a tale of regular research and reinvention, constant perfecting. Apple’s AirPods 4 with ANC aren’t just a consumer electronics gadget, but a dial of the future, so that instead of you hearing the music, the music might hear you. From the very beginning, Apple pioneered personal audio.

In sum, the AirPods 4 with ANC are now really the earbuds you’ve been waiting for: they’re Apple’s vision for what the aural future will be. In delivering these great leaps forward in technology and human-centric design, the company is extending the frontiers of how we listen again and again.