EarFun Air Pro 4 Review: Flagship Specs, Budget Brand

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The Short Version

Buy it if you use an Android phone and want the most features for the money. Adaptive cancelling, LDAC, multipoint and six microphones are a very complete package at this price.

On an iPhone it is still good, but the codec advantage disappears. iPhones use AAC only, so aptX Lossless and LDAC do nothing, and a cheaper pair with good cancelling does most of the same job.

Treat the 50dB figure as marketing. Adaptive cancelling is a real feature; the decibel number is a best-case manufacturer claim that cannot be compared across brands.

What It Does Well

Adaptive hybrid cancelling. EarFun's system measures the fit of each ear and adjusts the cancelling to your surroundings, rather than running at one fixed level. At this price that is the main practical upgrade over older budget earbuds — you stop switching modes as you move from a quiet room to a loud street.

Six microphones for calls. Three per earbud, with Qualcomm's cVc 8.0 noise reduction. That is flagship microphone count, and it is where cheap earbuds usually fall down, particularly outdoors.

Multipoint and Fast Pair. It connects to two devices at once — a laptop and a phone, say — and pairs in one tap on Android through Google Fast Pair.

In-ear detection. Take an earbud out and the music pauses. Budget earbuds rarely include it, and once you have it, it is hard to give up.

An app with a real equaliser, so the tuning can be adjusted rather than accepted.

The Codecs, and Which Phone You Need

This is the section that decides the purchase for many people.

aptX Lossless is the headline codec. It needs a phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound support — a subset of Android phones, mostly recent models built on Snapdragon chips. On those it can carry CD-quality audio over Bluetooth.

LDAC is supported by many more Android phones, and carries more data than the standard codecs.

On an iPhone, neither applies. iPhones use AAC for every Bluetooth earbud, so an iPhone owner gets the Air Pro 4's cancelling, microphones and features, but not its codec advantage.

Be realistic about what codecs change. They matter most with high-quality files and a quiet room. On a train, with cancelling on and streaming music, the difference between codecs is far smaller than the difference between a good fit and a poor one.

Battery

Up to 11 hours per charge and 52 hours with the case, with a 10-minute charge for about 2 hours.

These are EarFun's figures, and like every manufacturer's they are best-case; cancelling and higher volume both reduce them. Even allowing for that, this is more battery per charge than most earbuds, flagships included.

What You Give Up

A big-brand name and support network. EarFun sells directly and has a solid reputation among budget buyers, but it is not Sony, Apple or JBL.

Flagship cancelling. Adaptive is better than fixed, but the Air Pro 4 does not match the most expensive earbuds against voices and irregular noise. No earbud removes speech completely.

Codec benefits on iPhone, as above.

EarFun Air Pro 4 or Soundcore P31i?

The Soundcore P31i is the closest rival and usually the cheaper of the two.

The P31i covers most of the same ground for less. The Air Pro 4 earns its premium with aptX Lossless and slightly more battery. If you have a Snapdragon Sound phone, the EarFun is worth the difference; otherwise the Soundcore is the better value, and its translation feature is a bonus if you travel.

Other Options Around the Same Money

CMF Buds Pro 2. Similar specifications with a dual-driver design; our EarFun Air Pro 4 vs CMF Buds Pro 2 comparison sets out the differences.

JBL Tune Buds. A better-known brand with fixed rather than adaptive cancelling and no hi-res codecs. The choice there is brand against specification.

For the wider field, see our best noise cancelling earbuds under $100 and best wireless earbuds for Android guides.

FAQ

Is the EarFun Air Pro 4 good on an iPhone? Yes, for cancelling, calls and features, but iPhones do not support aptX Lossless or LDAC, so the codec advantage is lost. Cheaper earbuds do most of the same job on an iPhone.

Does the EarFun Air Pro 4 have adaptive noise cancelling? Yes. It adjusts to your ear fit and surroundings. The quoted 50dB is a manufacturer's best-case figure.

What phones support aptX Lossless? Android phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound support, mostly recent Snapdragon models. Check your phone's specifications before paying for it.

Does it support multipoint? Yes. It can connect to two devices at once.

How long does the battery last? Up to 11 hours per charge and 52 hours with the case, by EarFun's figures. A 10-minute charge gives about 2 hours.

Does it pause when you take an earbud out? Yes, it has in-ear detection.

The Verdict

Our score: 8.2/10. The Air Pro 4 packs nearly a flagship's feature list into a budget earbud: adaptive cancelling, six microphones, multipoint, in-ear detection, a long battery and hi-res codecs. For an Android user who wants the most capability for the money, it is one of the strongest choices available.

Its value depends on your phone. On a Snapdragon Sound phone it uses everything it has; on other Android phones it is still excellent through LDAC; on an iPhone it is a very good earbud whose most advertised feature does nothing, and the cheaper Soundcore P31i is the smarter buy.