Apple’s AirPods 4 Did What I Thought Was Impossible: Real Noise Cancellation In Open-Ear Design

Forbes October 1, 2024
Ben Sin

Open-ear earbuds are more comfortable to wear for most, but it used to mean no active noise cancellation — until now.

As someone who loves music and is frequently in very loud cities like Hong Kong, Bangkok and downtown Los Angeles, I have earbuds in my ear probably more than half of my waking hours. The type of earbud I wear depend on the situation: if I need to silence the outside world, I’d wear either Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 or Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, for my money the two best active noise cancellation earbuds on the market right now.

But I also have sensitive skin (or ears) and do not like the feeling of silicon ear tips jammed into...

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