Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” track has an addictive quality that’s enhanced when listened to through the newly released AirPods 4. It feels as though the song has been fine-tuned to perfection.

Traditionally, the basic AirPods lacked active noise cancellation (ANC) functionality. If you wished to block out ambient noise, you’d have to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 2. But that’s no longer the case.

Apple, the tech giant headquartered in Cupertino, launched the fourth-generation AirPods at the “Glowtime” event on September 9. The new AirPods 4 now boast more “Pro” features than ever. They come with ANC, Conversation Awareness, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive Audio.

But how effective is the ANC on the new AirPods 4? Allow me to share my initial impressions.

Hands-on with the Apple AirPods 4

I recently got a chance to try out the new AirPods 4. Before using them, I was skeptical about the fit, given my past experiences with the first-generation AirPods Pro, which required ear hooks to stay in place. However, the AirPods 4 provided a surprisingly snug fit, staying in place despite vigorous head movements.

According to Apple, the secure fit of the AirPods 4 is the result of analyzing thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million data points. This extensive research seems to have paid off, as the earbuds fit perfectly even in my non-standard ears.

Impressive active noise cancellation

When I played Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” in a simulated noisy environment and switched on the ANC, the effect was astounding. It felt like the surrounding noise had vanished, allowing the song to play in clear, uninterrupted tones.

This level of noise cancellation is unexpected in open-ear designs like the AirPods 4, which don’t fully seal your ears. But Apple seems to have solved this issue with a combination of upgraded microphones, the H2 processor, and advanced computational audio.

I’m looking forward to testing the AirPods 4 in more complex noise environments, like airports. While they may not match the noise cancellation capabilities of the AirPods Max, they could be a convenient, portable alternative.

There are two models of AirPods 4: one with ANC priced at $179, and one without, retailing at $129.