Intro A portion of this video is sponsored by Xfinity
Mobile. So, ever since I learned Apple might outfit a version of its new AirPods 4
earbuds with active noise cancelling, I've been skeptical. But now that I've had a
chance to hear them in action, I’ve got to admit, I'm surprised. And if you've been skeptical at
the idea of an open-ear earbud like the AirPods 4 being any good at noise cancelling, well,
I think you're going to want to stick around. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Caleb
Denison, and before I say another word, this is not a review of the new AirPods 4
with ANC, nor is it a review of the feature itself. Apple was very clear that reviews
are embargoed. So, what I'm going to tell you is based entirely on some impressions I got
during a briefing and demonstration at Apple Park during the launch event. My story about this
has already been published on Digital Trends. Now, this is going to be tough, right? Because
since that briefing, I've had more experience with AirPods 4 with ANC, but I can't—and I won't—speak
to that. All I'll say is that you definitely should subscribe and ring that bell so you see my
review when it comes out. I'm going to do a killer review on these and compare them to the AirPods
Pro, and I think you're going to want to see that. Sponsor Xfinity Mobile Hey everyone, I've got an incredible Xfinity
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Visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more and switch today. Big thanks to Xfinity Mobile for
sponsoring this portion of our video. Overview Now, a quick catch-up: if you didn't see
my video about these new AirPods already, or if you just haven’t tuned in yet, Apple
created two new versions of the open-ear AirPods earbuds. There are a lot of changes
for both. They're meant to be more comfortable, the sound has supposedly been improved, and I
can tell you unequivocally that it has because I got to listen to them at this same briefing. The
drivers were redesigned, and the driver now points more directly into the ear, and they have a force
sensor on them. Oh, and they’re all USB-C now. Of course, the AirPods 4 with ANC—that's the
actual name—also add a wireless charging case with a “Find My” speaker in them and, of course,
ANC, plus all the stuff that comes along with ANC, like conversation awareness, transparency
mode, and adaptive listening mode. The base model without ANC or a “Find My” case
is $129, and the model with it is $180. Impressions of ANC During this briefing, an Apple representative
piped some faux airplane noise into the room via hidden speakers while I wore the AirPods 4
with the ANC engaged. I toggled the ANC feature on and off by cycling through transparency and
adaptive audio modes. I also just removed the earbuds entirely to hear what the airplane
noise sounded like without any interference from the AirPods 4, and to also get a read
on just how loud that airplane noise was. So, the noise reduction was more quantifiable in
my head, and I’ve got to tell you, my curiosity about just how loud the airplane noise actually
was in the room resulted from just how loud it was not while wearing the buds with the feature
turned on. Yeah, I was stunned at that moment. See, I went into that room with a healthy dose
of skepticism, and I imagine that a lot of y’all would have done as well, because the AirPods’
so-called open-ear design means there is very little passive noise isolation, since the ear
canal is not completely blocked when you put these in. So, you can probably understand why I
had a hard time imagining that the active noise cancelling—which, by the way, works by blasting
sound that's 180° out of phase with the noise around you—would be all that effective. I just
imagined too much of the source noise bleeding through, just going around the active noise
cancelling sound that the earbuds were making. And yet, the AirPods 4 with
ANC knocked that fake plane noise right down to a level that was both
more tolerable to exist with in general, but it also made the music I started listening
to far more audible. In fact, with music playing, I could have easily forgotten that
the plane noise was happening at all. There is one big potential caveat to mention,
though. When I listened to the plane noise without anything in my ears, I noticed that it
didn’t contain very much high-frequency noise, which has me curious about how well the
feature will work on a real trip in a plane, train, or automobile. Lucky for
me, though, I had to fly home, so yeah, I can tell you exactly
how they work in real life soon. Final thoughts So yeah, I mean, there are plenty of ANC earbuds
on the market that cost well less than the AirPods 4 with ANC, many of which might have better
overall noise cancelling, but I’m unaware of an open-ear earbud with ANC that can come anywhere
close to what I heard with the AirPods 4 with ANC during my brief demo experience. Now, all
that remains is to see how they do in real-life scenarios, which I'll be testing nonstop
until I record my review in just a few days. Anyway, for those of you out there who want
or need active noise cancelling but just can’t tolerate something blocking your ear canal,
or maybe because earbuds with ear tips just never fit you right, the AirPods 4 with ANC are
likely exactly what you need. Stay tuned for the big review, guys, and thanks as always for
watching. Like, subscribe, ring that bell. I'll see you on the next one, and until then, here
are two other videos I think you might like.