Apple Explains How AirPods 4 Feature 'Great' Active Noise Cancellation Without Ear Tips

In a recent interview with Engadget, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering Kate Bergeron and AirPods marketing director Eric Treski explained how the company was able to add "great" active noise cancellation (ANC) to the higher-end AirPods 4, even though the earbuds have an "open-ear design" without silicone ear tips.

AirPods Buyers Guide Feature
Apple said the H2 chip and "computational audio" were significant factors in adding ANC to the standard AirPods for the first time.

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.

"It's really, really hard to create this great ANC quality in a non-ear-tip product," said Treski. "The power of the H2 allows that, so we're actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we're canceling as much as possible."

Apple said the revised shape and acoustic architecture of the AirPods 4 also contributes to the earbuds having effective ANC.

The full interview offers additional details about how Apple designed the AirPods 4, which became available in stores today. There are two types of AirPods 4, with only the higher-end $179 ones offering active noise cancellation.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....

Top Rated Comments

VisceralRealist Avatar
9 weeks ago

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.”

Or…you could add 3 cents of silicon tips?

Why are the pros twice the price if these are the more difficult and sophisticated design? The whole article is on how the low end ones are worth way more than a superior product because of stupid design choices.
These AirPods are marketed at people who don't like silicone tips.

I don't see why it's such a problem to offer a feature formerly exclusive to the silicone tips model to those who don't prefer silicone tips.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cirillo Gherardo Avatar
9 weeks ago
That doesn't really answer the question though. Yes, you can computationally cancel noise, but only the noise going through the microphone and out the speaker into the ear. There is no accounting for the noise that comes into the ear from around the sides of the AirPods, which is why AirPods pro have silicone tips to begin with ...to create a seal that prevents noise from coming into the ear unless its going through the mic first.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sandstorm Avatar
9 weeks ago
We'll see. I'm one of the people who dislike silicone tips, but my current AirPods 3 are quite bad on a plane, for example. Picking up AirPods 4 ANC today.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrJR Avatar
9 weeks ago
This is amazing and with new AI enhancements it is able to actively filter out the frequencies of my coworkers blathering voice yet render everyone else in the meeting crystal clear.

Imagine a "mute" setting for specific contacts....hmmmmm
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
9 weeks ago

"The power of the H2 allows that, so we're actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we're canceling as much as possible."
And yet all this amazing power from H2 was not deemed worthy of an upgrade for AirPods Max
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mapsdotapp Avatar
9 weeks ago
Picked them up at the Apple Store and immediately put them on. The hustle and bustle of iPhone launch day was tuned out and I could very clearly hear my music at a safe 80db limit. Apple has done it again.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)