Apple just announced the new AirPods 4 series. Yes, series. To recap, the company announced the new AirPods 4 and the AirPods 4 With ANC. The second model is like a nice middleman between the AirPods and the AirPods Pro. It’s a compelling offering for its price of $179. With that said, Apple, why do you still have the base AirPods 4?
Before we dive in, these earbuds are up for pre-order at the moment. You should check out our guide on how to pre-order the AirPods 4 and the ANC variant. Not only that, but we have how to pre-order the refreshed AirPods Max with USB-C. If you want to put in your order, then you’ll want to pre-order. There aren’t any special deals, but each vendor has some different perks like financing options and protection plans.
Apple, why do the base AirPods 4 exist?
I’ve reviewed a bunch of TWS earbuds from different companies, but AirPods have always been a blind spot for me. So, it never occurred to me how bad Apple was fuc…. uh… screwing over its users. It wasn’t until I saw the announcement for the new AirPods 4 with ANC that I realized how scummy Apple is. These earbuds come with some features that we see in the Pro.
But then it hit me, “The base AirPods 4 don’t have ANC?” Are you kidding me, Apple? These aren’t cheap earbuds. $129 is on the lower end of the premium earbud segment. I’ve seen earbuds that don’t cost too much more than these that deliver a truly premium experience overall. They come with features like ANC, and that used to be considered a premium feature a few years ago.
But, the thing is that ANC is no longer a premium feature. It’s becoming pretty standard across even mid-range earbuds that cost substantially less than the AirPods 4. For example, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (Review), aside from being an incredible pair of earbuds, have some amazing ANC, and they cost $79.99.
You mean to tell me that one of the most valuable companies in the world is selling a $129 pair of earbuds without a basic feature like ANC when other companies are providing this feature to their much cheaper earbuds? It just doesn’t make sense.
Apple neglect
This issue goes beyond just adding ANC to the AirPods. It branches in two directions.
Firstly, there’s the mentality of charging so much money for devices that are missing many of the standard features that most people enjoy. This is while continuing to deny users those features over the years. The industry has long adopted ANC and brought the feature down to its cheaper earbuds. Yet, Apple is still offering its $130 earbuds without this widely-adopted feature. There’s no ANC and no Transparency mode, two features that are objectively useful. Again, the Nord Buds Pro 3 cost 38% less than the AirPods 4, and they have their own features.
Next, there’s this mentality of charging people for these features. Seriously Apple? You’re delivering ANC and transparency mode in a separate more expensive model? They cost $50 more than the base model. Again, there are earbuds with ANC and Transparency mode that cost less than $100. You’re charging almost $200 for these features.
It’s like when Apple charged people for a wireless charger attachment or how it charges for wheels for its computer tower. What’s even sadder is that people are still buying these products.
The base AirPods are dead weight
The AirPods 4 with ANC cost $50 more than the base AirPods 4, and they offer a much better experience. There are some genuinely premium features like wireless charging and Conversation Awareness. There’s now a pair of AirPods with ANC that cost less than $200, and it has nice features to boot. I think that these features better justify their high price tag. $179 seems reasonable for what you’re getting.
So, what’s the point of the cheaper earbuds that don’t justify their price tag? They have the feature set of a significantly cheaper pair of earbuds (though, I think that the head motion feature is the only truly premium feature). They’re earbuds that people are paying more than they should for.
Sure, Apple redid the acoustic architecture for better audio, but AirPods have never been praised for their audio quality in the first place. I’m sure that the audio quality of the new AirPods 4 is fine, but Apple didn’t hint at any new drivers or higher-quality codecs. For all we know, you could be using the same tech as the older earbuds just in a slightly altered casing. So, the audio quality doesn’t seem like a proper justification for the price.
Let’s face it, the base AirPods are just dead weight. They don’t justify their price, and they show that Apple will charge you a premium for basic features. If Apple is going to charge more for premium features, and if it wants to maintain this vision of providing uncompromised quality, then the AirPods 4 shouldn’t be on the list.
What the people want
The thing is that, as I’ve said, ANC is no longer a luxury feature. Time moved on, and this basic feature has migrated to cheaper hardware. How much longer is Apple going to offer the base AirPods 4 without ANC before every brand adopts this feature? More and more audio brands are going to offer this feature with their earbuds, and more people are going to start to question why Apple doesn’t.
Many Apple users are stuck firmly in the Apple ecosystem; they’ll pay more for an Apple product even if it’s literally on fire. But, not every Apple user is a devout Apple fan. Tons of people can go either way. So, if you tell someone, “You can buy AirPods for $130, or you can pay $80 for these, and they actually come with noise cancelation, and have transparency mode. So, you don’t have to take them out of your ears to hear what’s around you.”
Hearing about a cheaper pair of earbuds that can do more will more than likely sway the user away from the AirPods. Again, the head motion features are great, but how often are you going to use them compared to ANC?
As time goes on, it’s going to be harder to justify the base AirPods, especially since people are becoming more price-conscious. Apple has a thing about attracting the masses, but no empire lasts forever; it can’t rely on its loyal following to sustain it as other companies continue to offer better value for its products.