Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Notice: We're diving deep into headphone distortion. Learn more about this joint research project in partnership with Dr. Sean Olive in our article Distortion, Audibility, And Preferences: What We Know, And What We're Missing.
Products
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple AirPods 4
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Sep 22, 2025 09:19 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Oct 10, 2025 05:25 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeEarbuds
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple AirPods 4
The Apple AirPods Pro are an older model than the Apple AirPods 4 and each have slightly different strengths. If you want noise cancelling and an isolating fit, the AirPods Pro provide a more predictable in-ear fit compared to the loose and open-backed fit of the AirPods 4. The AirPods 4 have a better mic with more powerful noise handling for calls and the newer H2 chip, but they don't isolate you from the environment.
Variants
- AirPods Pro (White)
- AirPods 4 (White)
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.comMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
7.4
Treble Accuracy
8.7
2.7
Bass Accuracy
8.4
9.5
Passive Soundstage
1.0
2.5
Mid Accuracy
8.5
9.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
Earbuds
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.01 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
N/A
Controls
6.2
5.8
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Great
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
No
Talk-Through
On/Off
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
Portability
9.6
9.6
Portability Picture
L
1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)
W
0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
0.7" (1.8 cm)
Volume
1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)
0.85 in³ (14.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.5
8.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.8" (4.6 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)
W
2.4" (6.1 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)
Volume
3.60 in³ (58.99 cm³)
2.93 in³ (48.00 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
900 Hz
Bass Amount
-2.57 dB
-1.1 dB
Treble Amount
-1.83 dB
-7.2 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
9.3
9.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.14 dB
0.17 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
9.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.96 dB
2.3 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
49.67 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
-3.57 dB
-2.85 dB
Mid Bass
-1.63 dB
0.28 dB
High Bass
0.36 dB
0.14 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.5
9.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.04 dB
0.94 dB
Low Mid
2.84 dB
0.44 dB
Mid-Mid
0.9 dB
-0.89 dB
High Mid
0.35 dB
-0.71 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
2.7
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.06 dB
7.5 dB
Low Treble
-1.01 dB
-7.94 dB
Mid Treble
-1.37 dB
-6.19 dB
High Treble
-2.39 dB
-3.69 dB
Imaging
8.3
9.0
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.12
0.23
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.86
1.12
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.11
1.05
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.38
0.8
Passive Soundstage
1.0
2.5
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
2.0
9.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.1
2.3
Virtual Soundstage
2.9
5.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
On/Off
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio
Personalized Spatial Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.2
8.6
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.214
0.129
WHD @ 100
0.078
0.067
Test Settings
Firmware
2B584
7B19
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
AAC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Adaptive EQ
ANC
On
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.0
1.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
No
Overall Attenuation
-21.02 dB
-4.05 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-16.34 dB
0.07 dB
Mid
-22.6 dB
-0.04 dB
Treble
-24.81 dB
-13.49 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
2.2
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-3.75 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-4.14 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-4.13 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.0
6.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
630.82 Hz
276.97 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.63 dB
5.77 dB
HFE
7,896.12 Hz
4,902.93 Hz
Weighted THD
248.68
1.682
Gain
7.31 dB
28.06 dB
Noise Handling
6.4
6.7
SpNR
16.18 dB
37.48 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.5
5.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
6.9
7.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.3 hrs
6.7 hrs
Additional Charges
5.0
4.0
Total Battery Life
31.8 hrs
33.5 hrs
Charge Time
1.1 hrs
0.5 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
5.5
6.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
iOS Interface
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
No
macOS
Yes
Yes
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
No
ANC Control
On/Off
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
6.9
7.4
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.3+H2 chip
Multi-Device Pairing
No
Yes (Apple Ecosystem)
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
Line Of Sight Range
171.00 ft (52.12 m)
259.19 ft (79.00 m)
Latency - SBC
188 ms
215 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
49 ms
Android Latency
86 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
0.4
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
Lightning
USB-C
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Amazon.com
You have 10/10 free reviews left
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple AirPods 4
Comments
Apple AirPods Pro vs Apple AirPods 4: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.