So what happens when you buy one of the most popular earbuds on the planet and actually use them long-term? In this video I’m doing my AirPods 4 with ANC review one year later—what’s held up, what’s changed, and whether they’re still a great buy. I talk about the $179 retail price (and the fact that they go on sale a lot now), the tiny case that fits basically anywhere, and why I still recommend throwing a silicone sleeve on it for extra protection—because even with a case, mine has picked up bumps and bruises. I also go through the features: ANC modes, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Spatial Audio. They’re cool, but I’m keeping it real—I mostly just use standard ANC and pull an earbud out if I need to hear someone. What I do use constantly is the press controls on the stems for play/pause/skip at the gym. Sound quality has been rock solid for me, and while the ANC isn’t as strong as AirPods Pro (no silicone tips means no tight seal), I actually like having a bit of outside noise for spatial awareness—plus they still handled my noisy, sleep-talking roommates. After a year, my only real nitpick is they sometimes take a little longer to connect to my iPhone. The big win is battery life: it’s been incredible, to the point where I rarely charge them weekly. Overall, they’ve been simple, no-nonsense, and reliably amazing.