Ahead of the AirPods 4 release later this week, reviewers are offering their first look at these new open-ear earbuds.

The new AirPods 4 come in two models with different features, which may draw some users away from AirPods Pro 2. Here's how they compare.

For the first time ever, the entry-level AirPods have active noise cancellation (ANC). Apple unveiled the new AirPods 4 on Sept. 9 at the "Glowtime" event where the Cupertino-based tech giant debuted the new line with two variants: one with ANC and one without ANC.

To a publication, Apple executives explained the magic behind AirPods 4 ANC feature that works without ear tips.

The work that began with EarPods continues to pay off as Apple prepares to ship the noise-canceling AirPods 4.

The AirPods 4 with ANC and the regular AirPods 4 introduce the H2 chip, Apple’s new processor that enables features like Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode, and Conversation Awareness. The chip also helps the regular AirPods 4 with voice isolation and Personal Spatial Audio, which are a part of the package with the AirPods 4 with ANC.

In other words, without getting too much into the weeds of things, active noise cancellation works by the device "monitoring" the outside noise and emitting an inverted soundwave, or what Treski calls "the anti phase," to neutralize or negate the external cacophony.

In a recent interview with Engadget, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering Kate Bergeron and AirPods marketing director Eric

Apple’s AirPods 4 team sat down for a new interview detailing the challenges and timeline for the new AirPods’ design and development.