Weighing AirPods 4 vs EarFun Air Pro 4, most buyers should get the EarFun, since it adds noise cancelling, lasts 11 hours a charge instead of 5 and charges its case on a wireless pad. Pick the AirPods 4 only for an iPhone, when hands-free Siri, head-tracked spatial audio and a design with no ear tips matter more than blocking out noise.
| Earbuds | Noise and fit | Hours a charge (total with case) | Case charges by | Gets the most from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds | No noise cancelling, no ear tips | 5 (30) | USB-C only, cable sold separately | An iPhone, for Siri, spatial audio and switching between Apple devices |
| EarFun Air Pro 4 Wireless Earbuds | Adaptive noise cancelling up to 50 dB, five pairs of ear tips | 11 (52), or 7.5 (35) with noise cancelling on | USB-C or a wireless pad | Either phone, plus LDAC or aptX Lossless on phones that support them |
Where the EarFun Air Pro 4 pull ahead
The EarFun Air Pro 4 Wireless Earbuds win on noise and stamina. Their adaptive hybrid noise cancelling reaches up to 50 dB and adjusts to the noise around you and how you wear them, while Ambient Sound modes let the street back in when you need to hear it. Five pairs of ear tips come in the box, so you can size the fit to your ears.
Battery is the widest gap. The EarFun run up to 11 hours a charge, or 7.5 with noise cancelling on. So even with it switched on, the EarFun Air Pro 4 outlast the AirPods 4 by two and a half hours. Quick top-ups are a tie, though. Line up the two spec sheets and the charging rates match. Apple’s 5 minutes of charging buys about an hour of listening, while EarFun’s 10 minutes buys 2 hours. That’s roughly 12 minutes of listening for each minute of charging.
They stay connected to two devices at once over Bluetooth 5.4, such as a phone and a laptop. For calls, six microphones and an AI algorithm work alongside Qualcomm cVc 8.0 to filter out the background noise.
For sound, the EarFun use 10mm composite dynamic drivers and hold Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certifications. EarFun’s Audio app adds a 10-band EQ that works from either an iPhone or Android, so you can reshape the sound yourself.
Get the EarFun Air Pro 4 for trains, planes and open-plan offices, whichever phone you carry. Skip them if ear tips bother you. Skip them too if you want hands-free Siri or head-tracked spatial audio, since EarFun lists neither.
Where the AirPods 4 pull ahead
The Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds win inside Apple’s world. On an iPhone, you can say “Siri” to play a song or make a call. With iOS 18 or later, you can also answer Siri with a nod or a shake of the head. Personalized Spatial Audio, with dynamic head tracking, puts sound all around you, but it needs compatible content.
Moving between Apple devices takes no tapping either. Sign in to each with the same Apple Account and two-factor authentication, and the AirPods 4 switch automatically between them. That covers an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro and a Mac on macOS Sequoia or later. That switching stays within Apple’s own devices on one account, so the AirPods 4 do a different job from the EarFun Air Pro 4’s two Bluetooth connections at once.
On calls, dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone feed Voice Isolation, which cuts background noise around your voice on iOS 18 or later. Music tuning is automatic rather than manual. An Apple-designed low-distortion driver runs from a custom high dynamic range amplifier, and Adaptive EQ tunes music to your ears on its own.
Fit, controls and water resistance
The AirPods 4 take presses on a force sensor in the stem. Press once to play, pause or answer a call. Press twice to skip ahead, three times to go back, or press and hold for Siri. Apple’s list of presses includes no volume control, while the EarFun use touch controls.
Fit is the other reason to choose them. The box holds the earbuds, the case and documentation, with no ear tips to size. Each earbud weighs 4.3 g. Apple pitches the redesign at “all-day comfort and greater stability.” If silicone tips have never felt right in your ears, that’s the strongest case for the AirPods 4.
Their IP54 rating covers dust as well as sweat and water, for the earbuds and the case. EarFun rates its earbuds IPX5 for sweat and water but doesn’t say whether the rating covers the case too. Swimming and showering are out for AirPods 4 by Apple’s own rules, and EarFun gives no immersion rating for its pair.
Get the AirPods 4 if you’re on an iPhone and mostly listen somewhere quiet. Skip them for a loud commute or a long flight, since this model can’t cancel noise at all.
What the price gap between AirPods 4 and EarFun Air Pro 4 buys
Apple no longer sells the AirPods 4 at its own store, so compare prices where you buy. What the AirPods 4 add is voice-activated Siri, head-tracked spatial audio, Voice Isolation and automatic switching. They also add a dust rating that covers the case, but not noise cancelling, battery or wireless case charging, where the EarFun come out ahead. Android owners don’t need those extras, because Siri won’t work on their phones and the switching only moves between Apple devices.
Apple’s own store adds a twist. It now lists AirPods 5 in place of both AirPods 4 models, with Active Noise Cancellation on both versions. So if you’re set on Apple and buying from Apple, compare the AirPods 5 first.
Six assumptions to check before you buy
Each of these sounds safe in an AirPods 4 vs EarFun Air Pro 4 decision, but each one is wrong for one pair or both.
- Every AirPods 4 has noise cancelling. Apple made two AirPods 4, and this one has no noise cancelling or Transparency mode. Both belong to AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.
- Both cases charge on a wireless pad. Only the EarFun case does, taking 2 hours over USB-C or 3.5 hours on a pad. The AirPods 4 case charges through its USB-C port alone.
- A cable comes in the box. Apple sells the USB-C charge cable separately for the AirPods 4, so have one ready before they arrive.
- EarFun’s lossless sound works with any phone. LDAC and aptX Lossless need a phone that supports them too. Sony contributed LDAC’s source code to the Android Open Source Project, and Qualcomm’s aptX site lists Snapdragon Sound phones such as Motorola’s edge 70 fusion for aptX Lossless. Neither page names an iPhone, so don’t count on either codec from one.
- The 52-hour total holds whatever you switch on. It drops to 35 hours with noise cancelling on, 40 with LDAC on and 28 with both. LDAC alone trims a single charge from 11 hours to 8.5.
- AirPods 4 do everything on an Android phone. Apple’s pairing guide spells out the limit: “You can’t use Siri, but you can listen and talk.” Firmware updates also come through an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Without one, you’d book an appointment at an Apple Store or an authorized service provider.
AirPods 4 vs EarFun Air Pro 4 questions
Do the EarFun Air Pro 4 or AirPods 4 have a low-latency mode for games?
Only the EarFun Air Pro 4 list a low-latency mode, which EarFun rates at under 50 ms for video and gaming. There’s no Apple latency figure for the AirPods 4, so no maker number exists to compare. If games matter most, the EarFun at least give you a mode to switch on.
Can either pair share audio with a friend’s earbuds?
Yes, both the AirPods 4 and the EarFun Air Pro 4 can share audio, in different ways. AirPods 4 share a song or show with any second set of AirPods, from a compatible Apple device. The EarFun rely on Auracast after a firmware update, which also opens up local broadcasts and assistive listening systems.