Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation vs Apple AirPods Pro 3

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AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation compared with AirPods Pro 3

	AppleAirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation	AppleAirPods Pro 3
Overview
Released
Released	September 2024	September 2025
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	H2	H2
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier
Chip
Chip	–	H2 in each AirPod; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the MagSafe Charging Case
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness	Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode, Conversation Awareness and Loud Sound Reduction; foam-infused ear tips for passive isolation
Audio features
Audio features	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	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; studio-quality audio recording; Live Translation; lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro
Hearing health
Hearing health	–	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid (with automatic Conversation Boost) and Hearing Protection
Health sensors
Health sensors	–	Heart rate sensor for workouts
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 20 hours	Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 5 hours per charge and 30 hours with the case with noise control off	Up to 7.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking on; 6.5 hours with heart rate sensing during workouts; 10 hours in Transparency using the Hearing Aid feature
Charging case
Charging case	Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My; charges with a USB-C cable, Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger	MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My and lanyard loop; charges with MagSafe, Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers or a USB-C cable
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4.3 g (better)	5.55 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IP54	IP57
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3
Controls
Controls	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	Force sensor with volume swipe on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes; swipe up or down for volume); camera remote; “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Open-ear design with no ear tips	Foam-infused silicone ear tips in five sizes (XXS, XS, S, M, L)
Case weight
Case weight	34.7 g	43.99 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP54 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods and charging case	IP57 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods Pro and charging case
Works with
Works with	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	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 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker, documentation; USB-C cable sold separately	AirPods Pro 3, MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and lanyard loop, silicone ear tips (XXS, XS, S, M, L), documentation; USB-C cable sold separately