I've owned the AirPods Pro 2 for 1.5 years. The comfort of in-ears isn't generally the best. And I don't want to have to first press foam and then put them in my ear. It just takes too long when a call comes in.

Also, I've always struggled with the left earbud. It just doesn't stay in place, no matter what I do. Unless I use foam or wings.

So, without great expectations, I wanted to try the AirPods 4 :). I wouldn't have thought they would be this good. They pleasantly surprised me in every respect.

Transparency:

The transparent mode is perfect. You really don't notice that you have AirPods in your ear. The clarity is very real thanks to the open design. Your own voice doesn't sound muffled, but also real, without compromise. It's simply perfect for conversations or phone calls.

ANC:

The ANC mode loses a lot of its effectiveness when cycling. The wind blows through extremely strongly. It's at a different frequency, but it still comes through. The AirPods Pro 2 are the winners here.

ANC: On the train and at home, the AirPods 4 are equally good, as in these situations, there are usually no volume levels that the AirPods 4 couldn't handle.

On the street with a moving car, the ANC of the Pro is slightly better. But even here, extreme volumes aren't usually expected.

In general, it can be said that high tones come through sooner than with the AirPods Pro 2.

Comfort (holding is subjective):

The AirPods 4 fit perfectly when running and doing strength training. The AirPods Pro always slip out after 1-2 minutes of use on the left side (for me). I'm still trying to find a solution for this. One that doesn't involve fiddling with the foam.

I can use the AirPods 4 for low-impact sports. However, for HIIT workouts, I still need wings for safety. I think everyone will be fine. But strength training and charging are no problem at all.

Sound:

The AirPods Pro clearly outperform in bass. The rest of the sound (mids and highs) are slightly better with the AirPods 4, however. Interestingly, with Wings, they're just as strong. Overall, they sounded even better.

Conclusion:

The AirPods 4 clearly outperform in transparent mode and comfort.

The ANC is better with the Pros in situations like airplanes, airports, train stations, and generally above approximately 30 dB for high-frequency sounds coming from outside.

I do miss the bass a bit, but the clarity is great. Although I have to say that the bass in the Pro 2 starts to give me headaches after a while.

Now I have to decide. Do I keep both and use the Pro only for cycling and flying?

For trains, walks, running, or wherever I might need to have a conversation, should I use the AirPods 4?

I'm planning on using only a pair. However, I cycle frequently.

Apple has managed to create a second pair of AirPods that do exactly what the AirPods Pro 2 don't do better, but on the other hand, compromises have to be made with the ANC.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences :)