How do Apple's new cheaper AirPods with noise cancellation stack up for travelers?

Take a look around the airport or airplane, and odds are that you'll see at least a few pairs of AirPods nearby.

Apple's popular headphones have become a staple of the travel experience for many flyers. They pair across all of your Apple devices, and you can also connect them to some seatback TVs that have Bluetooth connectivity. Across the lineup, the $249 AirPods Pro have become Apple's best-selling model, likely thanks to the strong audio quality, portability and noise cancellation packed into a case that's no bigger than a credit card.

But last week, Apple announced a brand-new model of AirPods launching Friday, Sept. 20, and it's one with some features that travelers may want to consider. Dubbed AirPods 4, this entry-level model packs many features historically reserved for the Pros, including better audio quality, more charging options and even the option to add noise cancellation.

With all of these Pro-style improvements, some travelers might wonder if the new $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation might fit the bill for a new pair of travel headphones.

Well, in advance of the launch, I had an exclusive opportunity to try the new AirPods 4 during a trip. Read on for my thoughts.

Noise cancellation is key

The new AirPods 4 lineup features a model with Active Noise Cancellation that retails for $179. (Apple will sell earbuds without this feature for $129, but the noise-canceling ones are likely to be more appealing to travelers.)

I tested both models on a transcon flight and during some train rides last week, and I was especially impressed with the ones that offer noise cancellation. They could drown out much of the environmental noise in the airport and train station and on board the plane and train. Because of the open-ear design (more on that below), these AirPods are designed to primarily reduce low-frequency noise, such as airplane engines.

Within seconds of putting them on while airborne, it was abundantly clear that they did a very good job at largely eliminating the engine noise. This was also true when I used them in a loud (and overcrowded) airport lounge — I could focus on my music without listening to my neighbors.

But sometimes, you might want to interrupt your listening session to speak to someone nearby. In my case, the flight attendant frequently came through the aisle, taking drink and meal orders and offering refills. Instead of removing the AirPods, I simply put them in Adaptive Audio mode — this feature is now available on the entry-level models — and they automatically adjusted the levels of noise cancellation and transparency pass-through modes to ensure I could converse with the flight attendant without removing the headphones.

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Once the flight attendant had passed my row, the AirPods realized that the conversation ended and went back into full noise cancellation.

The audio quality is impressive

These new AirPods might be entry-level in price, but they pack impressive audio quality.

Apple redesigned the earbuds to be shorter than the previous generation, and it also re-engineered the internal components to improve the acoustics.

During my travels, I repeatedly listened to songs on my old AirPods Pro and then on the new AirPods 4. By the end, it was hard to tell which model offered better audio quality, an impressive feat for the entry-level model.

Charging is more versatile

Another Pro-level redesign that Apple included with the noise-canceling AirPods 4 is the ability to charge the case wirelessly. You can use your Apple Watch charger or any other Qi-certified magnetic charger to power the AirPods case, which is helpful for travelers who want to minimize the number of cables that they travel with.

(Of course, you can always charge the case with a wire, and this year, Apple brought USB-C to the entire AirPods lineup. Just note that the AirPods don't come with a charging cable, so you're on your own there.)

Plus, more and more premium airplane cabins now feature wireless charging pads, so you can drop the case on the pad to get some juice.

Apple advertises that the AirPods 4 get four hours of nonstop listening time with Active Noise Cancellation enabled. I used the headphones for the entire flight from San Francisco to Newark, and they only died during the descent, in line with Apple's promise. I then put them back into the charging case, and after five minutes, they had enough charge to last another hour.

The case itself holds between 20 and 30 hours of charge, depending on whether noise cancellation is enabled.

Finding AirPods is easier

This is the first time that Apple has built a speaker into the charging case of an entry-level AirPods model, and while the speaker might look small, it's a godsend for travelers who frequently misplace their items.

The speaker is designed to make it easier to find your AirPods. If you misplaced the charging case, all you need to do is open the Find My app on your iPhone, locate your AirPods and click "Play Sound." Anyone who has used an AirTag before should find this process quite intuitive.

In fact, the speaker saved the day during my flight. While capturing content, I accidentally knocked over the AirPods case. It fell behind my seat, and I couldn't figure out where it was. I didn't want to hurt my hand or arm fiddling with the seat components, so I played a sound that helped me locate the AirPods much faster (and without a scratch to my body).

But comfort and fit aren't Pro-level

All that said, the new AirPods 4 are structurally a very different style than the Pros.

They offer an open-ear fit, meaning that there is no silicone tip to create a suction cup-style seal with your ear. Apple says that it analyzed over 50 million data points to build its one-size-fits-all earbud design, but even so, some travelers are bound to find the open-ear design uncomfortable.

In my experience, I wouldn't necessarily characterize the AirPods 4 as uncomfortable, but as a religious user of AirPods Pro, I did notice an immediate difference in how comfortable they felt throughout the five-hour flight.

During heavy turbulence, part of me thought the AirPods might fall out of my ear. (They didn't.) But they didn't feel as snug as the AirPods Pro.

I'm also a runner, and I wouldn't recommend the AirPods 4 for heavy cardio exercise. During one recent long run, one earbud did fall out of my ear.

The one other drawback of the open-ear design is that it limits how effective the noise cancellation can be. Without a complete seal with your ear, you'll hear a bit more surrounding noise than you would with the AirPods Pro.

Bottom line

All in all, Apple's new AirPods 4 are a compelling set of earbuds for travelers.

The noise-canceling model drowns out much of the background noise you'll experience on the road without compromising sound quality or battery life. Plus, the charging case has a few more charging options and support for the Find My app with sounds that should make it easier to find the earbuds if you misplace them.

That said, I still prefer the fit and improved noise cancellation experience on the AirPods Pro, so much so that it might be worth paying a little bit more upfront to invest in the Pros, especially if you plan to keep them for a while.

Of course, every ear is created differently. If you're in the market for a new pair of AirPods, I'd recommend trying the new AirPods 4 before you buy them to ensure that they create a snug and comfortable fit with your ear. If they do, you'll likely appreciate all the upgrades at the new entry-level price point.

Otherwise, it's probably worth splurging $70 more for the Pros.

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