I couldn’t find a decent review explaining why anyone should upgrade from AirPods 3 to AirPods 4, so I’m writing my own. I own/have owned almost every pair of Apple headphones (AirPods 2, MAX, PRO—everything except PRO 2), so I can provide a solid review.
I’m an IT professional working in Google promotion and running my Telegram channel on SEO and Affiliate Marketing— https://t.me/maximaffiliate (what’s a post without a plug?). I also sell links for PBN websites.
What Is Done Better
Cleaner and Deeper Sound — 100%. Listened to a Lot of Tracks.
It was especially noticeable with Rammstein. For rap, I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference. You listen and get a sense of sound depth and clarity. When you switch back to AirPods 3 at certain moments, the flat sound becomes annoying. That alone makes the upgrade worth it. I don’t know what they did there, but for earbuds this small, it’s really impressive. I haven’t heard anything better in this form factor yet.
Volume Automatically Lowers During Conversation
When you start speaking with someone, the music automatically pauses. Then it automatically resumes as well.
Volume Lowers When It’s Quiet Around You
The slider drops slightly, but not drastically. I’ve seen it drop by 1 notch.
Slight Noise Isolation (Around 25%)
Not like in the Pro, let alone MAX, but they still dampen ambient noise a bit. About 25%, I’d say. As I type on the keyboard right now, typing feels quieter and calmer)) You can’t beat physics, so MAX will always have the strongest isolation simply because they are large and over-ear.
Better Shape That Fits Ear Anatomy Without Pressure
The earbuds are smaller, so they fit the ear better. Not as perfectly as AirPods 2, but better than AirPods 3. They exert less pressure and don’t stretch the ear.
What About the MAX and Its Sound?
I feel MAX is still slightly better overall, but considering they start feeling heavy and annoying after an hour of use, I think AirPods 4 will be my primary earbuds. MAX is great for flights for noise cancellation, but then again, PRO are also really good in that regard + don’t exert as much pressure, so I’m starting to think I don’t really need MAX anymore.
