AirPods 2nd Generation vs AirPods 4 — the biggest AirPods upgrade in years. Who should upgrade and what's actually different.
AirPods 2nd Generation (2019) remain functional for many users — Apple has supported them through iOS 18. But AirPods 4 (2024) is arguably the most significant standard AirPods upgrade since the original. Here's the honest breakdown.
AirPods 2nd Gen has no ANC. AirPods 4 with ANC ($179 variant) provides genuine noise cancellation — comparable to AirPods Pro 1st Gen in our testing. This is the single most impactful upgrade: going from zero noise isolation to meaningful noise reduction for commuting, focus work, and travel.
If you've ever envied AirPods Pro users for their ANC while using your 2nd Gen AirPods, this is the upgrade.
AirPods 2nd Gen uses the original stem design that fits some ear shapes but not others — the open-ear design can fall out. AirPods 4 redesigned the earbud shape with a more rounded profile and shorter stem, tested on thousands of ear shapes. User fit data suggests improvement, but "fit" is individual — try before fully committing.
Both are open-fit (no silicone tips), which means less seal than AirPods Pro but more comfortable for extended wear for users who dislike in-ear seals.
The acoustic redesign in AirPods 4 produces noticeably better bass response and imaging compared to 2nd Gen. In blind listening tests, casual listeners identify the difference in bass-heavy music. Spatial Audio (with Head Tracking) is present in AirPods 4 but was added to 2nd Gen via software — the hardware implementation is better.
AirPods 2nd Gen uses the W1 chip. AirPods 4 uses the H2 chip (same as AirPods Pro 2). This enables: better ANC (hardware supported), improved Transparency mode, on-device processing for Siri, and lower latency.
AirPods 2nd Gen: 5 hours listening (24 total with case)
AirPods 4: 6 hours (30 total without ANC), 5 hours (20 total with ANC on)
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Consumer Electronics & Smart Home Editor
Alex Carter has spent over 8 years testing and reviewing consumer electronics, with a focus on smart home gadgets, home appliances, and everyday tech. Before joining VersusMatrix, Alex wrote for sever...