AirPods 4 Review Videos Show Hidden Pairing Button, Lack of MagSafe

The first AirPods 4 reviews surfaced today, providing us with a closer look at Apple's latest earbuds before they launch on Friday.

AirPods 4 Hidden Button
There are two types of AirPods 4, including ones with active noise cancellation for $179 and those without active noise cancellation for $129. As discovered last week, the pairing button and charging status light are now hidden on both AirPods 4 charging cases, and some of the review videos offer a quick demonstration of these changes.

Marques Brownlee showed the new capacitive button starting at the 3:48 mark of his video:

Dave Lee touched on the button starting at the 3:20 mark of his video:

As noted in both reviews, both AirPods 4 charging cases no longer support MagSafe. This means that while the cases can be wirelessly charged, they lack magnets for a precise locked-in position or use with upright charging stands. There is one exception: the cases can still be magnetically attached to the Apple Watch's charging puck.

Read our full AirPods 4 review roundup to learn more about the earbuds.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...
android iphone airdrop quickshare

iPhone Users Can Now AirDrop Files to Android Devices

Thursday November 20, 2025 9:47 am PST by
Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available. The file sharing option works on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold....
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...

Top Rated Comments

Radin.Y Avatar
16 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.
Many people don’t like the silicon seal on headphones
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StoneJack Avatar
16 months ago
Pairing is one of most crucial points of using wireless headphones. The pairing button is also needed for resets.
Who was dumb enough at Apple to make the pairing button invisible?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dz5b609 Avatar
16 months ago
Did not like MKBHD's review at all (which rarely happens), like sure he's one of a percentage of people who don't fit Airpods but at that point why review it yourself and not have one of his numerous staff members do the testing. Yes ANC is going to be bad if the airpods don't fit you at all and have a bad seal. But that's not very interesting for the people watching the review whose ears are fitting for the airpods since those are the people who're interested in them.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.
in-ear earphones don't work for everyone. They don't work for me. I tried them and whenever I move around, I get a "thump thump thump" sound ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hearing-the-thump-of-my-own-walking-while-wearing-new-airpods-pro.2208595/'). I looked it up and it's being referred to as "bone conduction." It's annoying AF.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/thumping-noise-when-walking-and-using-the-e3c-earphones?language=en_US

For those who cannot deal with the "thumping" and want earphones with ANC, the AirPods 4 are it. Sometimes it's not about the price.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newJeans Avatar
16 months ago

Not sure why you would get these over the pro 2. If you can't afford the $20 difference you shouldn't be spending that much on headphones.
i don't like the sensation of the ear plugs / tips on the airpods pro. i went from airpods 1 > airpods pro > airpods 3 because of this. quite interested to see if the ANC of airpods 4 is actually good, but will wait for rtings to comment. :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xade Avatar
16 months ago

Because one doesn't like rubber tips in the ear canals?

I have AirPods Pros and the regular original style (with the long stems) and will often pick the old ones when running because I don't like tips on the Pros when working out. They fit fine, but itch when I get sweaty and amplify internal body sounds too much.
I prefer the original style for working out as I can change songs by just tapping them instead of squeezing them like the pros which then fall out!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)