There have been numerous new wireless earbud releases since Apple dropped the AirPods 4 in September 2024, and yet these entry-priced buds ares still among the most popular ones among reviewers and shoppers alike. The biggest reason? They frequently dip down to just $99 in price, as they are right now at Amazon, and they perform far, far above that price point.
The AirPods 4 are Apple’s entry point into the current-generation lineup — no active noise cancellation, no premium case features, just the core experience at the lowest price Apple charges for modern earbuds. That sounds like a limitation until you remember what the core experience actually includes: the H2 chip, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Voice Isolation for calls, and the full suite of Apple device integration. Best $100 you can spend on new buds? Almost certainly.
Killer Redesign
Apple reworked the basic AirPod design for the 4, with a more elegant contour and shortened stem, both of which change how the buds sit in your ear. It’s a more stable, less fatiguing fit over long sessions. Quick-press controls on the buds handle music and calls without fishing for your phone. An optical in-ear sensor detects when you’ve pulled them out and pauses playback automatically. None of these are flashy features, but they’re the kind of thing you use every day.
The AirPods 4’s H2 chip drives Personalized Spatial Audio that maps to your ear shape and uses dynamic head tracking to place sound in three-dimensional space — it’s the same underlying technology in Apple’s pricier options, just without the active noise cancellation layer on top. Voice Isolation on calls does serious work in noisy environments, filtering out background sound while keeping your voice clear on the other end.
Listen Long, Listen Well
The AirPods 4’s battery life runs about five hours per charge, with the case extending total runtime to 30 hours. The charging case itself was redesigned to be more than 10% smaller than the previous generation — a small but welcome improvement for pocket carry. Both the buds and the case carry an IP54 rating for dust, sweat, and water resistance, which covers rain, workouts, and the general abuse an everyday pair of earbuds absorbs.
At just $99 right now at Amazon, the AirPods 4 land in a range where they’re genuinely competitive — not just as an Apple-ecosystem default, but against similarly priced earbuds from Sony, Jabra, and Samsung. If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem and have been holding off on upgrading an older pair, this sale makes the decision pretty easy.
