Review: Soundpeats Air4 Pro

I’m not quite sure what “Soundpeats” is supposed to mean in a literal sense, but the young audio brand was savvy enough to keep the most important part of the name out front. Each pair of the new-ish company's earbuds I’ve tested have offered surprisingly good sound for the money.

The Soundpeats Air4 Pro, a not-so-subtle budget clone of Apple’s AirPods Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends), are another testament to this growing legacy. These comfy buds serve up clear and engaging sound alongside features like noise canceling and transparency mode, multipoint pairing, and respectable battery life, all for well under $100.

Depending on when and where you grab them, the Air4 Pro’s malleable price tag stretches from around $50 up to $90. At the high end, you can do better with options like Soundcore’s Space A40 (8/10 WIRED Recommended) or the Liberty 4 NC (8/10 WIRED Recommended), but you’ll rarely find the Air4 Pro at full price. If you can snag them closer to their $50 floor price, you’ll be nabbing one of the best deals on the market and an excellent entry point into the world of feature-rich wireless buds.

As much as the Air4 Pro draw on the insanely popular AirPods Pro for design cues, you won’t be mistaking these budget buds for Apple’s pricier pair or other top flagships. The speckled charging case is slim and pocketable, but feels flimsier than high-end options, with glossy plastic on the interior that betrays its budget status. The buds also sit in the case opposite to how they go in your ears, which is slightly unintuitive.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

The headphones themselves are more reassuring. Their solid, matte plastic stems lead to vented housings adorned with sensors for auto-pausing audio. The thin silicone ear tips and silver caps on the base of each stem still give a value-brand vibe, but the buds’ ergonomic shape and airy weight of under 5 grams per side go a long way to dispel any complaints. Like all my favorite models, the Air4 Pro seem to disappear in your ears over time, resting comfortably yet securely for hours.

The buds also confidently passed all the baseline usability tests that sometimes raise concerns in budget models. The Bluetooth 5.3 connection worked flawlessly across multiple devices, as did the auto-sensors and touch controls, with no notable issues over several days of testing.

That’s not to say the controls are perfect. After testing hundreds of wireless buds, I still found myself confounded by Soundpeats’ control layout multiple days in. Some commands, like holding the left touchpad to swap between ambient sound modes, make logical sense. Others, like utilizing the single tap gesture for volume control rather than play/pause, border on nihilistic chaos. There’s also no way to skip backward or repeat songs, and unlike a lot of buds I test, none of the controls are customizable.

Confusion aside, nearly all the commands you need are at the ready, with more control options available in the Soundpeats app. Considering the previous two pairs of Soundpeats buds I tested had no app support at all, that’s a notable step forward for the brand.

As expected, the Air4 Pro don’t offer everything you’d get in the $200 to $300 price range. They skip fancy extras like spatial audio or earbud trackers (sadly), but there are enough goodies here to make you feel reasonably chuffed about your purchase. The app unlocks conveniences like a multiband EQ, battery display, and even a gaming mode that lowers the audio latency to a claimed 88 milliseconds. You’ll also find controls for ambient sound modes, as well as the ability to turn off the buds’ auto and touch sensors. The ability for firmware updates down the line leaves open the possibility for new features or control options in future app iterations.

First, you’ll need to set it up, which requires a mandatory registration process that seems to have stalled some users due to its (unlisted) password requirements. The first few times I tried to register, my password was rejected. Pro tip: I dumbed it down to letters only, which then worked without a hitch.

Connecting the Air4 Pro’s multipoint pairing sidesteps the app, requiring simply turning off Bluetooth on your first device, connecting to the second, and reconnecting the original device. Once done, the buds moved remarkably smoothly between my iPhone and my spare Android phone or Macbook.

Battery life is another selling point, with Soundpeats claiming up to 6.5 hours of playback per charge, and three extra charges in the case. I got a bit less in testing with noise canceling, but using the feature for the better part of three hours at a stretch still left over 60 percent in the tank, so you can probably expect between five and six hours. The buds also charge quite quickly in the case, facilitating enough playback time for all but the most demanding use cases.

I made a fair few calls with the buds with no real complaints on either end. They tend to get testy with wind, but I found them up to the task for most scenarios.

The biggest get, the Air4 Pro’s noise canceling, is limited yet effective. It does a solid job rolling off low-frequency sounds like airplane drones, traffic, and other ambient noises, especially with some music playing. It’s not as successful as class-leading options like the Liberty 4 NC, but you’re also unlikely to pay as much for the privilege.

As expected, the Air4 Pro’s ANC struggles at subduing high-frequency sounds, from children yelling to keystrokes. The Liberty 4 NC and Space A40 both outdo them there, but you’ll have to step up to premium noise cancelers like the AirPods Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) or, above those, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 (7/10 WIRED Recommends) and Bose’s latest QuietComfort buds to successfully fend off those annoyances.

If you’re prone to using noise canceling without audio or with podcasts, you’ll likely hear some nominal buzzing and white noise with cancellation on. You’ll hear even more riffraff with the transparency mode engaged, which is far from the most natural-sounding version I’ve tested. But considering the price point, and the fact that plenty of comparable buds offer one or neither of these ambient sound modes, it’s difficult to raise much fuss.

As the most sophisticated and feature-packed Soundpeats buds I’ve auditioned, the Air4 Pro’s overall execution has been impressive. As usual, though, the sound quality is what first piqued my interest, and that remains the cornerstone of the experience.

The buds lead off with warm, full, and robust performance in the bass and lower midrange that confidently sets the stage for the other elements. Far from the muddy, bass-bombing buds that once ruled the budget set, the Air4 Pro’s bass is focused and chocolatey smooth. It hits heavily where it’s supposed to, but rarely overwhelms or masks other instruments. I turned it down a few notches after a few particularly thumpy tunes, and that’s where the EQ stayed.

From there, the midrange takes up the charge, reproducing instruments like vocals, guitar, and low strings with both body and clarity. Instrumental separation is refreshingly nimble, leaving room for details and instrumental textures to shine. The high frequencies take the biggest budget cut. Rarely did I notice any audible distortion or sharpness, but instruments like hot snares or cymbals are sometimes reproduced with a crisper, shoutier touch than my favorite options.

Apart from those occasional moments where things feel stretched too thinly, the Air4 Pro’s sound signature mostly hits the sweet spot for an inviting and engaging experience. I especially enjoyed listening to warmer, acoustic-forward productions, where woody guitars and smooth vocals are given their due.

When combined with the the Air4 Pro’s many features, a light and remarkably comfy fit, and their often shockingly low sale price, you’ve got a winning combination. You can outdo these buds by throwing down $100 or so, let alone stretching to $300 flagships, but if you find them for around $50 to $60 (where they’re priced as I write this review), grab them and run.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata