The best cheap wireless earbuds we’ve tested at Tom’s Guide prove that you don’t need to break the bank to get great quality audio. The EarFun Air Pro 4 buds have just entered the budget earbuds market, and they could give all other earbuds a run for their money.
What’s not to like about the Air Pro 4? They build on the success of their predecessors — the EarFun Air Pro 3, which I also loved — and offer incredibly effective ANC and EQ customization through a user-friendly app. But their biggest selling point is, well, the literal selling point: the Air Pro 4 buds deliver spectacular sound for just $89. EarFun has also added support for advanced codecs to deliver clean sound that’s consistent across all genres, and the Air Pro 4s achieve all this while remaining very comfortable.
For the complete breakdown, read my full EarFun Air Pro 4 review.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A pair of budget-friendly earbuds featuring excellent ANC
- Who is it for? For audiophiles on a budget
- How much does it cost? The EarFun Air Pro 4 are available at Amazon for $89 / £79
- What do we like? The lightweight design, comfort levels, support for advanced codecs, amazing sound quality that’s consistent across genres, and effective ANC
- What don’t we like? Sound tends to bleed at high volumes, and there’s no spatial audio
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Specs
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Price & availability
Launched in Summer 2024, the EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds are available for $89 / £79 from Amazon. EarFun has a reputation for making budget-friendly earbuds and headphones, and its latest offering is only $10 more expensive than the last model, the Air Pro 3s ($79).
This price tag pits the Air Pro 4 against the likes of the OnePlus Buds 3 ($99), Sony WF-C500 ($99), and the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW ($79).
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Design & comfort
When it comes to design, there are very miniscule differences between the EarFun Air Pro 4s and the outgoing Air Pro 3s. The fourth gen buds retain the long stem design which first debuted on the original Air Pro earbuds back in 2020. Coated in a glossy finish, the Air Pro 4s have thankfully lost the somewhat plasticky feel of earlier models. They’re really light too, weighing only 0.17 ounces each, and there were moments when I forgot I had them in my ears.
In the box, you’ll find four different earbud sizes. I stuck with the default size, and they fit snugly in my ears. Having worn them for eight hours straight, I didn’t feel any discomfort. I even wore them when I napped and had no issues sleeping on my side. The case is really nice and sleek too. The matte finish makes it look and feel premium. Two white LEDs light up when the earbuds are put back into the case to indicate charging, which is handy.
At this price, it’s natural that sacrifices will be made somewhere, and for the Air Pro 4s it’s in weather resistance. These buds are IPX5 rated, which means they’re waterproof and sweatproof, but have no dust protection, so keep them packed away when you hit the beach. This is relatively consistent with other similarly-priced buds — the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW are IPX4, as are the Sony WF-C500. The OnePlus Buds 3 are IP55 though, offering the same water resistance plus protection against dust.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Connectivity
The EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds take what the Air Pro 3 did right and improve on the flaws. The new earbuds utilize Bluetooth 5.4 (up from Bluetooth 5.3) to seamlessly connect to up to two devices simultaneously, and they support the basic AAC and SBC codecs. Furthermore, they support advanced codecs like aptX lossless, LDAC and Bluetooth LE. These earbuds support more advanced codecs than the likes of similarly-priced earbuds, like the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC ($99). Advanced codecs like these are even missing from more expensive earbuds like the JBL Tour Pro 2 ($249)! It’s great that EarFun brings these to audiophiles on a budget.
You can also tick off multipoint connectivity on the list of things the Air Pro 4 excel at doing. I was able to connect them to my MacBook Air M2 and Google Pixel 7 Pro at the same time, and switch between audio sources effortlessly.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Controls & app
The EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds don’t feature any physical buttons, so everything is done via a flick (or tap) of the finger. Tapping either earbud will increase/decrease the volume, while long-pressing the left earbud will help you cycle through the different ANC modes. In my testing, all the touch controls were highly responsive and I never registered a mis-tap.
The fourth gen buds now bring wear detection to the Air Pro lineup, which can be disabled via the app. If you remove an earbud, the media will automatically pause and then resume when you put it back in.
If you want to customize the earbuds or update their firmware, you’ll need to download the EarFun audio app on either iOS or Android. There are five different ANC modes to choose from, which I’ll discuss soon, and multiple EQ presets. Since the earbuds support LDAC and Bluetooth LE, you can choose to enable these via the app too — but make sure you check if your phone is supported.
There’s also a handy Find my Headphones feature which will emit a sound from the Air Pro 4 to alert you of their location.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Sound & performance
Now to the main event: how do the EarFun Air Pro 4s sound? In one word: magnificent. To test them out, I listened to a playlist on Spotify Premium — one of the best music streaming services — on my Google Pixel 7 Pro, with ANC on and LE audio.
Equipped with 10mm dynamic drivers, the Air Pro 4s offer an outstanding listening experience, and unlike the Air Pro 3s, the sound is consistent across all genres. Delivering powerful audio and thumping basslines is no problem, even with the default EQ. The various instruments in Porcupine Tree’s ‘Fear of a Blank Planet’ and System of a Down’s ‘Holy Mountains’ sound balanced and never as though the drums are overpowering the guitar solos.
If you’re like me (a bassist) and love bass more than anything, you’ll be pleased with the three levels of bass boost in the EQ settings. Bump this to boost bass 3 and you’ll be treated to vibrations you can feel in your jaw. Listening to ‘Money’ by Pink Floyd with this EQ feels like an ethereal experience. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can also set the EQ to reduce bass. This won’t completely negate the basslines, obviously, but it will emphasize the treble and vocals instead.
There are several more EQs to choose from. For instance, I love the vocal enhancement preset which does exactly what it says on the tin. Give ‘A&W’ by Lana Del Rey a listen and you’ll see what I mean. There isn’t a massive difference, but it’s enough for audiophiles to notice.
It’s important to note, though, that the audio tends to bleed at high volumes. My coworkers reported that they could hear what I was listening to. Luckily, I wasn’t listening to my video game parodies playlist, which saved me some embarrassment. Keep this in mind if you’re working in a small office or a café. The Air Pro 4s also lack spatial audio. If you want that, look at the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds instead.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: ANC
Active noise cancelation is one feature I always look out for when I’m buying earbuds or headphones. You usually have to shell out a fortune on the best noise canceling earbuds, so it’s great that the EarFun Air Pro 4 buds boast effective ANC at an accessible price.
Utilizing Qualcomm’s QuietSmart 3.0 adaptive hybrid ANC, the earbuds block out sounds up to 50dB. Indoors, I couldn’t hear idle chatter in the office, or loud action sounds from the TV. The ANC worked even better outdoors. I walk past a construction site everyday on my way to work, and these earbuds have been a game changer. Drilling noises haven’t given me a headache since I started using EarFun’s latest offering.
But that’s not all. The Air Pro 4s offer five different ANC modes: strong, balanced, wind noise canceling, AI environment adaptive ANC, and AI ear adaptive ANC. The AI modes are very cool, as they automatically adjust how much noise is blocked. For example, the earbuds automatically let my partner’s voice through so I could have a conversation with her without taking the earbuds out.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Battery life
The EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds have longer battery life than their predecessors. EarFun claims these earbuds can last up to 52 hours (11 hours + 41 hours from the charging case) with ANC off on a single charge. With ANC on, the battery drops to 35 hours (7.5 hours + 27.5 hours). These earbuds lasted me 8 hours before they had to go back into their case.
When I received these earbuds, they were dead, but they went from zero to 100% in just under 90 minutes when charged with a 30W USB-A to USB-C charger. Also, with just 10 minutes of charging, you can get up to two hours of playback time. The case can be charged wirelessly too.
EarFun Air Pro 4 review: Verdict
So, should you buy the EarFun Air Pro 4? Yes. In my EarFun Air Pro 3 review, I said they were probably the best sub-$100 earbuds I’d tried — the Air Pro 4 have just topped that and are some of the best wireless earbuds around.
They sound almost too good to be true at this price. With five effective ANC modes, you can drown out nearly all sounds. Music sounds so good that you feel like you’re at a concert and can’t help but bob your head, thanks to the support for advanced codecs.
The only problems with these earbuds are that sound tends to bleed when media is playing at high volumes, they’re only IPX5 rated, and they do not have spatial audio. But with everything else that’s on offer for $89, I can happily overlook this.
If you’re an audiophile but don’t want to dish out hundreds on a pair of earbuds, the EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds are for you.
