AirPods 4 vs AirPods Pro 2

AirPods 4 was announced on 9 September 2024, the same day Apple unveiled hearing health features for the two-year-old AirPods Pro 2. That split still sums up the pair: the open stem gained optional noise cancellation, and the sealed Pro gained Hearing Aid. Both have been replaced since, by AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3.

Three models compared

Spec	AirPods 4	AirPods 4 with ANC	AirPods Pro 2
US launch price	$129	$179	$249
Announced	9 September 2024	9 September 2024	7 September 2022; USB-C case in 2023
Fit	Open stem, no tips	Open stem, no tips	Sealed, four silicone tips
Noise cancellation	No	Yes, with Adaptive Audio and Transparency	Yes, up to twice AirPods 4 with ANC, Apple says
Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection	No	No	Yes
Battery, buds	Up to 5 hours	Up to 4 hours with ANC; up to 5 off	Up to 6 hours; 5.5 with Spatial Audio; up to 4 hours lossless with Apple Vision Pro
Battery, with case	Up to 30 hours	Up to 20 hours with ANC; up to 30 off	Up to 30 hours with the USB-C case
Chip	H2	H2	H2; U1 in the USB-C case
Water and dust	IP54, buds and case	IP54, buds and case	IP54, buds and USB-C case
Case charging	USB-C	USB-C, Apple Watch charger or Qi	USB-C, MagSafe, Apple Watch charger or Qi
Case weight	32.3 g	34.7 g, with speaker	50.8 g, with speaker and lanyard loop
Bud weight	4.3 g	4.3 g	5.3 g

Hearing Aid is the Pro 2 feature

Pro 2 has the full set: Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection and Loud Sound Reduction, none of which is on AirPods 4. They need current firmware and an iPhone or iPad on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, or a Mac on macOS Sequoia or later. Apple aims Hearing Aid at people 18 or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss and doesn’t offer it in every country. It isn’t a diagnosis; see a clinician before you buy for it.

On both AirPods 4 models you get Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations. The $179 model also gets Live Translation, a beta for iPhones with Apple Intelligence on iOS 26 or later that leaves out some languages; Apple lists it for Pro 2 and later as well. Neither feature turns AirPods 4 into a hearing aid.

Tips or nothing in your ear

AirPods 4 has no tips and no wings, in one size. If tips hurt, that’s the appeal. If an open stem falls out when you talk, Pro 2’s four silicone tips, extra small to large, give you something to tune. Pro 2 doesn’t get the extra-extra-small foam tip that arrived with Pro 3.

An open stem lets the room in. Even the $179 AirPods 4 with noise cancellation on doesn’t plug your ear canal the way Pro 2 does. When you want voices back, Pro 2 has Transparency with the tip still in place, plus Conversation Awareness, which lowers your music when you talk, and Personalized Volume. The $179 AirPods 4 has Transparency and Conversation Awareness; the $129 model has neither. All three have Voice Isolation for calls. Apple gives no codec list for any of them, so Android buyers shouldn’t count on LDAC.

Noise cancellation: none, some, or Pro

The $129 AirPods 4 has no noise cancellation. The $179 model adds Active Noise Cancellation and Adaptive Audio, which blends it with Transparency. Pro 2 has what Apple calls Pro-level noise cancellation, rated at up to twice that of both the original AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. That claim is about the $179 AirPods 4, since the $129 model has nothing to double, and it’s Apple’s comparison rather than a decibel figure.

Battery depends on which AirPods 4 you mean

The $129 AirPods 4 is simple: up to 5 hours on the buds and 30 with the case. The $179 model matches that only with noise control off; with noise cancellation on, it’s 4 hours and 20 with the case. Pro 2 is rated for 6 hours with noise cancellation and 30 with the case, 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking, and 4 hours of lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro. Five minutes in any of the cases gives about an hour.

Pro 2’s figures are for the USB-C case, and Apple doesn’t give separate ones for the 2022 Lightning case.

Cases and charging

Both AirPods 4 cases charge over USB-C, and the cable was sold separately. The $129 case charges only that way and weighs 32.3 grams. The $179 case adds charging on an Apple Watch or Qi charger, plus a speaker Find My can use on iOS 26 or later; it weighs 34.7 grams.

Pro 2’s USB-C case is the heaviest here at 50.8 grams, and it charges four ways: USB-C, MagSafe, an Apple Watch charger or Qi. The cable comes in the box. It has a speaker, a lanyard loop and a U1 chip; neither AirPods 4 case has MagSafe or U1.

Every model here is IP54, buds and case: dust, sweat and water resistant for non-water sports. It isn’t a swimming rating. Apple says the resistance can decrease with normal wear and warns against charging any of them wet.

Buying either one now

AirPods 4 launched at $129 and $179 on 9 September 2024, and Pro 2 at $249 on 7 September 2022, a price it kept when the USB-C case arrived. Street prices on both have had time to move. Check the name on a used pair: only AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation is the $179 model, and a Pro 2 with a Lightning port is the 2022 version.

The AirPods 4 box has the buds, the case and documentation, with no tips and no cable. Pro 2’s USB-C box includes tips in four sizes and a USB-C cable. Both come in white.

If you’re paying close to full price, look at their successors. AirPods 5 has noise cancellation even on its $129 model, plus an IP57 rating. AirPods Pro 3 adds up to 8 hours with noise cancellation, five foam-infused tip sizes and a workout heart-rate sensor; Hearing Aid is already on Pro 2, so that alone isn’t a reason to move up. Check apple.com before you buy.