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AirPods 4 Review Videos Show Hidden Pairing Button, Lack of MagSafe

Monday September 16, 2024 6:17 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The first AirPods 4 reviews surfaced today, providing us with a closer look at Apple's latest earbuds before they launch on Friday.

There are two types of AirPods 4, including ones with active noise cancellation for $179 and those without active noise cancellation for $129. As discovered last week, the pairing button and charging status light are now hidden on both AirPods 4 charging cases, and some of the review videos offer a quick demonstration of these changes.

Marques Brownlee showed the new capacitive button starting at the 3:48 mark of his video:

Watch on YouTube

Dave Lee touched on the button starting at the 3:20 mark of his video:

Watch on YouTube

As noted in both reviews, both AirPods 4 charging cases no longer support MagSafe. This means that while the cases can be wirelessly charged, they lack magnets for a precise locked-in position or use with upright charging stands. There is one exception: the cases can still be magnetically attached to the Apple Watch's charging puck.

Read our full AirPods 4 review roundup to learn more about the earbuds.

Related Roundup: AirPods 5

Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)

Related Forum: AirPods

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Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...

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AirPods Pro Beta Firmware 2

Apple Releases New AirPods Firmware With iOS 27 Features

Monday September 14, 2026 11:42 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware is available for all of the above devices, and it will enable support for new iOS 27 features. The firmware has a build number of 9A348. In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface, a slider for Adaptive mode, and support for custom EQ....

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AirPods 5 Announced With Improved Noise Cancellation, Audio Quality, and More

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:33 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple today introduced AirPods 5, offering Active Noise Cancellation with its entry-level wireless earbuds at a starting price of $129. Apple says AirPods 5 remove up to 50% more external noise than AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. They also boast a redesigned acoustic architecture and updated Adaptive EQ also promise richer, more detailed sound, and an improved Transparency mode...

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Top Rated Comments

27 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.

Many people don’t like the silicon seal on headphones

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

27 months ago

Did not like MKBHD's review at all (which rarely happens), like sure he's one of a percentage of people who don't fit Airpods but at that point why review it yourself and not have one of his numerous staff members do the testing. Yes ANC is going to be bad if the airpods don't fit you at all and have a bad seal. But that's not very interesting for the people watching the review whose ears are fitting for the airpods since those are the people who're interested in them.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

27 months ago

Pairing is one of most crucial points of using wireless headphones. The pairing button is also needed for resets.
Who was dumb enough at Apple to make the pairing button invisible?

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

27 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.

in-ear earphones don't work for everyone. They don't work for me. I tried them and whenever I move around, I get a "thump thump thump" sound ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hearing-the-thump-of-my-own-walking-while-wearing-new-airpods-pro.2208595/'). I looked it up and it's being referred to as "bone conduction." It's annoying AF.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/thumping-noise-when-walking-and-using-the-e3c-earphones?language=en_US

For those who cannot deal with the "thumping" and want earphones with ANC, the AirPods 4 are it. Sometimes it's not about the price.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

27 months ago

Because one doesn't like rubber tips in the ear canals?

I have AirPods Pros and the regular original style (with the long stems) and will often pick the old ones when running because I don't like tips on the Pros when working out. They fit fine, but itch when I get sweaty and amplify internal body sounds too much.

I prefer the original style for working out as I can change songs by just tapping them instead of squeezing them like the pros which then fall out!

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

27 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.

i don't like the sensation of the ear plugs / tips on the airpods pro. i went from airpods 1 > airpods pro > airpods 3 because of this. quite interested to see if the ANC of airpods 4 is actually good, but will wait for rtings to comment. :)

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

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