My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Apple AirPods 4
Until September 2024, any Apple user interested in AirPods with active noise cancellation (ANC) would have to shell out $250 for AirPods Pro . With the release of ANC AirPods 4, the technology has become much more affordable—and you can currently snag a pair of these $179 headphones for $148.99 . Apple also has a lower -end version of the AirPods 4 without ANC ; this model is currently $99.99 , down from $129.
According to price tracking tools , both of these prices are at record lows. While the discounts aren’t earth-shattering, the fact that we’re seeing price cuts on the newly released AirPods makes them a bargain, relatively speaking, especially outside of the typical Prime Day/Black Friday sales window.
AirPods 4 received updated USB-C charging. Both models feature Apple’s H2 chip, so you’ll get personalized spatial audio (so you can hear sounds coming from seemingly different directions when you move your head) and the ability to use head gestures to tell Siri yes or no (this also works for answering or rejecting calls). It’s also likely that Apple will add live translation functionality to both models when iOS 19 releases later this year.
If you opt for ANC AirPods 4, you’ll get a charging case with a built-in speaker that you can use with the Find My feature to find it if you lose them. You’ll also get features like Conversation Awareness, which lowers the music volume when your AirPods detect that you’re talking to someone; Transparency mode, which allows you to better hear what’s happening around you while you’re wearing headphones; and Adaptive Audio (combines ANC and Transparency mode to adjust ANC levels based on the noise around you). Keep in mind that since these are open-back headphones that lack the silicone tip for better noise cancellation, the noise cancellation won’t be as good as the AirPods Pro or Beats Fit Pro .
Both versions are IP54 rated for dust and water resistance, offer up to five hours of listening time on a single charge (up to 30 hours with the charging case), and support automatic switching with other Apple devices. You can read more about the AirPods without ANC in PCMag’s “excellent” review, and more about the AirPods with ANC in PCMag’s “outstanding” review .