Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

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AirPods (2nd generation) compared with AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

	AppleAirPods (2nd generation)	AppleAirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	September 2024
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	Open-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	No	Yes
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	H1	H2
Drivers
Drivers	–	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness
Audio features
Audio features	Automatic ear detection with dual optical sensors and a motion accelerometer; AAC Bluetooth audio; SBC support listed by What Hi-Fi?	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Voice Isolation; Live Translation (with an iPhone 15 Pro or later running iOS 26 or later and Apple Intelligence); lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 4 hours
With the case
With the case	–	Up to 20 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	More than 24 hours of listening including case recharges, according to Apple; launch announcement claims up to 50% more talk time than first-generation AirPods	Up to 5 hours per charge and 30 hours with the case with noise control off
Charging case
Charging case	Lightning Charging Case charges by cable; Wireless Charging Case supports Qi-certified chargers and Lightning, with a front status LED; both measure 53.5 x 44.3 x 21.3 mm	Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My; charges with a USB-C cable, Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger
Fast charging
Fast charging	15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4 g (better)	4.3 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IP54
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.3
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	No	–
Controls
Controls	Double-tap to play, skip forwards or answer a call; hands-free Hey Siri; double-tap actions can be assigned separately to each earbud	Force sensor on the stems (press once to play, pause or answer a call; twice to end a call or skip forward; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri); “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions by nodding or shaking your head
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and speech-detecting accelerometer	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Fixed open-ear shape without interchangeable tips; each earbud measures 40.5 x 16.5 x 18.0 mm	Open-ear design with no ear tips
Case weight
Case weight	38.2 g for either case, according to Apple's specifications	34.7 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	IP54 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods and charging case
Works with
Works with	Full Apple features with compatible iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV software; standard Bluetooth audio with fewer features on non-Apple devices; Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods, chosen charging case, Lightning to USB-A cable and documentation	AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker, documentation; USB-C cable sold separately