Apple rarely discounts its own products, and when it does, it’s rarely by much. Amazon is doing the work instead: the AirPods 4 without active noise cancellation are $99, down from $129, and the ANC version is $148, down from $179. Both versions are at their lowest prices to date, and at $99 the standard AirPods 4 are cheaper than most serious wireless earbuds from Samsung, Sony, or Google that target the same use case.
The H2 chip makes these a different category from previous AirPods
The AirPods 4 were redesigned from the ground up with a refined contour and shorter stem that sits closer to the ear for better stability during workouts and commutes. The H2 chip handles the audio processing, and the difference is audible: personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking places sound in a fixed position relative to the room rather than just your head, which creates a noticeably more immersive listening experience for music, video, and games. Voice isolation on calls filters background noise and clarifies your voice in loud environments, which is the feature most people notice first when switching from a previous generation.
The standard version at $99 covers everything most people actually need: spatial audio, voice isolation, IP54 water and sweat resistance, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and 30 hours total with the case. The ANC version at $148 adds active noise cancellation and transparency mode, which is worth it for anyone who commutes, works in open offices, or travels frequently. Both use USB-C charging on the case, and the case is more than 10% smaller than the previous generation, which matters when it’s living in a jeans pocket.
Siri integration runs hands-free, and a new feature lets you respond to Siri by nodding or shaking your head, which sounds like a gimmick until you’re on a call with your hands full and need to decline an incoming notification without speaking. The optical in-ear sensor pauses playback automatically when you take one earbud out and resumes when it goes back in, and the Find My integration locates the case and each earbud individually if they get separated.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sit at around $150 to $180. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 rarely drops below $180. At $99 for the standard AirPods 4 and $148 for the ANC version, Apple’s earbuds are now priced below the competition they used to sit comfortably above, and they remain the best-integrated option for anyone in the iPhone ecosystem. With nearly 29,000 reviews at 4.6 stars on the standard version and over 20,000 on the ANC model, both at more than 10,000 units sold last month, these are not niche products getting a clearance discount. They are the best-selling earbuds on Amazon, on sale.