AirPods 4 are something special but AirPods Pro 3 could be truly brilliant (if Apple listens)

Now, for starters, it’s important to note that there aren’t many earbuds makers (from the billions of them out there) that make on-ear earbuds (that don’t penetrate your ear) and offer Active Noise Cancellation at the same time

In fact, the only other pair of such earbuds I can think of are Huawei’s scary-looking FreeBuds 5, which do exactly that - stay on your ear and give you ANC.

This is why I’ll wait for our full review of the AirPods 4 before pulling the trigger. Because if the ANC turns out to be non-existent, I can just get a pair of $20 Apple earpods, which are wired but do the same job.

However, if the ANC in the AirPods 4 turns out to be even half as good as the one in my AirPods Pro 2 (which works incredibly well), then I might be pulling the trigger.

The cheaper, technically inferior AirPods 4 might be better than AirPods Pro 2 for many people and in many situations

Here's a more specific breakdown as to why I find the AirPods 4 more appealing than the AirPods Pro 2

• I’ve always preferred on-ear earbuds over in-ear ones because they are so much more comfortable

• Having had the AirPods Pro 2 for about two years now, I also realize they are harder to clean as the ear tips collect all the good stuff that’s in your ears…

• Not that my AirPods Pro 2 are bulky, but the AirPods 4 look even more compact

The case and the earbuds seem to have all the same features as my AirPods Pro 2 thanks to having the same chip, which means the only difference should be the slightly weaker ANC due to the design limitations - no ear tips

Apple didn’t announce new AirPods Pro 3 but I just invented them, and they might be the perfect wireless earbuds

Now, is it a splurge to buy a second pair of AirPods to use in quiet environments, and use my AirPods Pro 2 when it’s loud around? It absolutely is, and ideally I wouldn’t like to have to do that. With that in mind, I do have a “solution”, which Apple isn’t going to like...

How about we simply make the future AirPods Pro 3 modular, Apple? Let me remove the ear tips and get the same fit as the vanilla AirPods 4. This means I can put the ear tips back on when I need a good seal for loud environments, or if I’m doing sports (so they stay in my ear).

In fact, I just tried it out, and I can sort of use my AirPods Pro 2 as “on-ear” earbuds even now by simply removing the ear tips, and guess what - it’s way more comfortable than having the ear tips on all the time - even when you don’t need a super tight seal.

Of course, the AirPods Pro 2 were never designed to be used without the ear tips, which leaves the speaker mesh completely exposed. Moreover, the shape is clearly not optimizted for on-ear use either. But as I said, Apple’s job would be to take the new AirPods 4 and add removable ear tips to them (which I can store in the case when I don’t need them). And voila!

Now, is Apple going to do that? Honestly, part of me likes to believe they’ve already explored this idea, and have it in mind for the future AirPods Pro 3. But everyone knows Apple likes making thatcash, and eliminating the need to buy two pairs of AirPods by giving users both designs in one means… less sales.