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This AirPods 4 deal exists because Apple just replaced the product. AirPods 5 arrived on September 9 with Active Noise Cancellation in the $129 base model, and stores get them on September 18. Meanwhile, Amazon’s AirPods 4 listing showed the outgoing non-ANC pair below $100 when we checked on September 11, sold and shipped by Amazon.com. Consequently, the cheapest way into Apple’s open-ear earbuds right now is the old model, not the new one.
Why this AirPods 4 deal is worth a look
Apple has already moved on. Its AirPods 4 product pages now forward to AirPods 5, so the remaining stock sits with retailers. In addition, Apple’s 2024 launch release priced this pair at $129 and the ANC version at $179. Because AirPods 5 now bundle noise cancellation at $129, the non-ANC AirPods 4 only make sense at a clear discount. The card below pulls live pricing rather than a number we typed.
What you get for the money
The chip is the big one. AirPods 4 run Apple’s H2, the same silicon that powers AirPods Pro 2, and it handles Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking and Voice Isolation for calls in loud places. You also get Siri Interactions, so a nod or a head shake answers a prompt without touching the stem. Apple rates the earbuds at up to five hours per charge and up to 30 hours with the case.
The case is the other upgrade over older base AirPods. It charges over USB-C, it is more than 10 percent smaller by volume than the previous generation, and both the earbuds and the case carry an IP54 rating for dust, sweat and water. Furthermore, Find My tracking covers the case as well as the earbuds.
What you give up
AirPods 4 give up noise cancellation, not the H2 chip, and that is the trade this discount is asking you to make. This model has no Active Noise Cancellation, no Transparency mode, no Adaptive Audio and no wireless charging case. All of those live on the ANC version, which cost $50 more at launch. However, AirPods 5 now include ANC at the old base price, so anyone who wants quiet should wait a week or grab the discounted ANC AirPods 4 below.
One more thing to weigh: the Live Translation push from Apple’s September event targets AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 5. If you mainly want cheap, comfortable Apple earbuds that pair instantly with an iPhone, that does not matter.
More Apple deals on Amazon
Amazon showed discounts on several related Apple products when we checked. Each card below pulls its own live price.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Same earbuds, same H2 chip, plus ANC, Transparency, Adaptive Audio and a wireless charging case. This is the pair to pick if quiet matters and you do not want to wait for AirPods 5.
Apple AirTag (2nd generation). The new tracker adds Precision Finding on Apple Watch, a louder speaker and longer range, and it still runs more than a year on a replaceable battery.
AirPods Pro 3. Apple’s in-ear flagship brings stronger noise cancellation, heart rate sensing for workouts and Live Translation. It is the pick if you want the full feature set rather than the cheapest entry point.
AirPods Max 2. The over-ear model pairs the H2 chip with Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Live Translation. The blue finish was the one discounted when we looked, so compare colors before you buy.
Before you buy
Deal timing changes fast, and the lead listing’s stock message shifted twice while we were writing. The cards above refresh price, savings and availability automatically, so trust them over anything written here. Finally, if AirPods 5 sound like the better fit, our launch story covers both models before they reach stores on September 18.
