Airpods 3 vs 4 - This gives me hope

[turbineseaplane]

My main issue with Airpods 3 (vs my beloved AP1/2) was the size of the "bulb"

I also don't like losing the tap controls honestly, but, that aside

This image from CNET gives me a little bit of hope
It appears to be a slightly smaller bulb -- might not take much to get over the "acceptable comfort" line here

Anyone else in this camp of finding the Airpods 3rd generation to be too "ear filling" for comfort?

 

[welles13]

3rd Gen was one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever worn. Unless 4 is a significant improvement, I'm Gen 2 for life.

 

[turbineseaplane]

3rd Gen was one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever worn. Unless 4 is a significant improvement, I'm Gen 2 for life.

Same
Will try 4th gen and quickly determine if those might work ... but if not, I'm going to grab several AP2 backups

 

[jonnyb098]

3rd Gen was one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever worn. Unless 4 is a significant improvement, I'm Gen 2 for life.

Yep same here the gen3 were terrible. For me it was putting so much pressure against the upper part of the outer ear canal. These look to be somewhere in the middle of the gen2 and 3 as far as size. The fact they dumped the gen2 gives me hope in their confidence about fit ….or it’s more Apple arrogance. We shall see next week !

The gen2 are so comfy I often fall asleep with them in!

 

[jonnyb098]

Same
Will try 4th gen and quickly determine if those might work ... but if not, I'm going to grab several AP2 backups

I did that too when gen 3 came out! I’m now using my backups I bought 3 years ago since my original ones from 6 years ago battery was nearly dead plus some water damage

 

[sixth]

Looks promising. Let’s hope at least. Have high high hopes. The 3rd gen’s were painful for me and I really wanted open ear style to work.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Dave is a fan of the fit change from AP3 to AP4!

I might have to buy the AP4's and give it a try as a next gen from my AP2s

 

[city_17]

There's a few more reviews out on Youtube, they're varying in their opinions about the ANC. CNET and MKBHD put the ANC levels of the 4 at about 40-50% of the Airpods Pro 2. Some others are more positive, but I think it also depends on your ear's shape (how much passive isolation do you get) and the situation you're in (low humming sounds filtered out more than talking).

Overall still seems like a great result at 50% of the Pros given the open design.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Dave is a fan of the fit change from AP3 to AP4!

I might have to buy the AP4's and give it a try as a next gen from my AP2s

That was an excellent review. Love his ANC simulation and recording comparisons. ANC not as great as I'd like, but understandable why and the mic is WAY better than the A2s and almost exactly like the AP2s. They’re basically fantastic for the price and working with the Apple ecosystem.

 

[jonnyb098]

My gut is telling me from watching all the currently available reviews is that while the fit is definitely better than the AP3 , it’s still not as good as the AP2 if those fit your ears like a glove.

 

[playtech1]

I thought it notable in the presentation that Apple called out better fit as a key feature - looks like they realised the 3s were just not as comfortable for many people, myself included.

But I've moved on to the Pros now and can't see myself heading back to buds.

 

[jonnyb098]

This video isn’t in English but offers a great comparison of the AP3 vs the AP4 shape…

 

[Stotka]

Compared to you, the airpods 3 fit perfectly and I love them!

 

[turbineseaplane]

Picking up some AP4's with ANC later today from Apple Store

Very interested to see how they are

 

[SwingOnThis]

My gut is telling me from watching all the currently available reviews is that while the fit is definitely better than the AP3 , it’s still not as good as the AP2 if those fit your ears like a glove.

Would be nice to have the AP2s available with the short stems.

 

[parking]

Like many others the 3s were a no go for me due to their large size. The 4s look great but I’m holding off until I see more feedback from users on size and overall functionality before I decide.

 

[Anonymous123]

Picking up some AP4's with ANC later today from Apple Store

Very interested to see how they are

Please let us know your thoughts after trying them out! Curious about the fit and comfort level compared to AirPods 2nd gen, especially when in the ears for an extended period of time.

 

[jonnyb098]

UPDATE: after about an hour of wearing these I definitely have that fatigued feeling in my right ear. These seems to be smack in the middle of the OG and AP3 as far as fit. Much better than the 3 but a tad worse than the OG/AP2. Which I kind of expected. I really wish they would just make a smaller version and make those the cheaper ones without ANC and all the fancy tech. Or just make a “small” version. hell they sell like a million different watch band sizes and combos. Why not have a small and regular AirPods line for those of us who had the perfect ears for the OG pods.



Just got mine…..first impressions (coming from the perfect fitting AP2):

Case: The case speaker is a welcome change for pairing, etc. Though the “click” feels and sounds way more loud, hollow and cheap when you close it. The OG case was soooo satisfying.

Fit: Much better than the AP3. Comfort is night and day from those. However I’m still noticing my right ear is starting to “feel” these compared to the Gen2 which were perfect. I clearly have a slightly smaller ear canal opening on my right ear. The left feels like it’s not even there. I think this is gonna be as good as it gets for now till I use them for longer than 20 min.

Sound: ANC is really impressive for an open bud design. It’s not perfect but it simply quiets things some. Sound is really really solid especially a nice low end. Spacial audio is night and day compared to Gen2.

Time will tell if I keep these or not due to my fit issues described above. But overall I think these will work MUCH better for most compared to the AP3. Jury still out compared to the OG/AP2 on the fit.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Will comment more later

ANC is pretty impressive given the nature of these

Fit is better than 3's -- Can tell that already
Problem I have is that the left one barely stays in for me

I do not get the big bulbous "feel" in ear that made me return the 3's!

Going to try a walk with them later and will report back more

Also, the ANC is a little "weird" -- the sound you get with it on is different than any ANC I've ever tried ... very interesting

Ultimately I need these to be useful for my walks (the whole reason I was interested in them .. road noise can be not great on parts of my walks)

 

[turbineseaplane]

These are INSTA-BUYS in my opinion

I'm totally blown away with how great the ANC works while still being pretty "open"

They won't replace my AP2's for Gym usage however, as I used silicone tips on those -- have to so they can stay in while doing all the various moves and positions at the gym

 

[Irock619]

Just got my new AirPods with ANC. I will be returning them asap. They dont fit well in my ear. They fall out very easy. Also you have no volume control on the stem. Total missed opportunity for those who dont want to pull out your phone to adjust volume. I'm bummed

 

[turbineseaplane]

Also you have no volume control on the stem.

I'm probably not missing that since I'm usually using AP2's 😂

 

[Irock619]

I'm probably not missing that since I'm usually using AP2's 😂

Yeah I didnt realize its a feature only for the pro version. Guess Im keeping my AP2 Pro's!

 

[turbineseaplane]

These AP4's are incredible!!

You essentially end up with “medium” ANC + Transparency mode in one!
(Since you can hear things going on do to the open style with no ear plug)

This is something the AirPods Pro simply can't do

 

[jonnyb098]

How’s everyone’s case ? My Lid creaks and and slightly moves…..feels cheap as hell when opening it up with my thumb