review

SoundPEATS Air4 Review Semi Open Earbuds - Affordable Excellence

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

The SoundPEATS Air4 Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality audio without breaking the bank. With LDAC codec technology, Hi-Res Audio certification, and a host of impressive features, these earbuds offer a fantastic audio experience at an affordable price point.


The Air4 earbuds feature a sleek and compact design that's both lightweight, with each earbud weighing only 4 grams, ensuring comfort during extended use. Their semi-in-ear design, complemented by a long stem, offers a secure fit, reducing the chances of them slipping out during active use. The touch controls are highly responsive, enhancing overall convenience and user-friendliness.

The Air4 earbuds have a matte plastic finish on the upper part and a glossy plastic surface on the lower side, along with metal nozzle tips. Taking the earbuds out of the case can be a bit challenging, especially if you have larger fingers, as they are somewhat embedded within the case, making it tricky to pinch them out. You can easily switch between using both earbuds for stereo sound or a single earbud for mono mode, and the re-connection is instantaneous, without any noticeable delay.

The Air4 charging case features rose gold metal accents on the hinge and charging port reinforcement, adding an elegant touch to its design. The case lid is equipped with a sturdy hinge that remains stable and securely closes with the help of magnets. However, it's worth noting that the charging case has a curved bottom, preventing it from standing upright on its own.

The case is thoughtfully designed with a status battery LED light, which provides a visual indication of the battery level, and it automatically initiates Bluetooth pairing for the earbuds when you open the case. Additionally, the case is relatively lightweight, weighing in at 31 grams, and boasts a matte plastic finish that effectively conceals fingerprints and oily smudges. In terms of dimensions, the case measures 5.5cm in length, 5.5cm in width, and 2.5cm in thickness.

The standout feature of the Air4 earbuds is unquestionably the impressive Snapdragon sound quality, which closely rivals that of AirPods. However, it's worth noting that this feature exclusively functions when the Air4 earbuds are connected to a device that also supports Snapdragon sound technology. Moreover, the Air4 earbuds are equipped with support for the LDAC codec, enabling higher bit rates and sampling rates, ultimately delivering exceptional sound. Whether you're enjoying music, watching movies, or engaging in phone calls, the audio quality is consistently exceptional. Despite their semi-open ear design, the 13mm single dynamic drivers deliver ample bass, clear mid-range tones, and create an expansive soundstage, resulting in an immersive and captivating audio experience.

Another noteworthy aspect is the call quality provided by the Air4 earbuds. Thanks to their 6-microphone setup and effective noise reduction, these earbuds excel in capturing your voice with clarity while effectively suppressing background noise from interfering with your calls. This makes the Air4 earbuds ideal for various scenarios, including work-related calls, noisy commutes, or remote meetings. However, it's important to mention a minor drawback when the noise reduction feature is activated. It can slightly reduce the volume of your voice, which is a trade-off for its excellent ability to block out external sounds.

Regarding battery life, when the ANC feature is deactivated, and the AAC codec is utilized at 60% volume, the Air4 earbuds provide approximately 6.5 hours of playtime, extending to a total of 20 hours with the assistance of the charging case. When ANC is enabled, the battery life decreases to around 4 hours, offering a total of 12 hours when considering the case's charging capacity. The Air4 earbuds themselves take approximately 1.5 hours to charge, while the case requires approximately 2 hours for a full recharge.

The Air4 earbuds benefit from an advanced Bluetooth 5.3 chip, ensuring a reliable and swift wireless connection while conserving power. Additionally, the support for multipoint connections enables you to effortlessly link multiple devices simultaneously, eliminating the need for repetitive pairing and disconnection. This capability proves particularly useful for individuals who frequently switch between different devices. The Air4 earbuds offer supplementary features to elevate your overall listening experience. These include ANC, which features two modes: ANC on and ANC off. It's important to note that there is no transparency mode available.

However, it's worth mentioning that the ANC performance may not be as robust as that of in-ear earbuds, primarily due to the semi-open ear design, which allows some sound leakage and results in a less secure seal. Nonetheless, the semi-ear design has a unique advantage—better situational awareness compared to in-ear earbuds. This feature may be why the Air4 earbuds do not incorporate a transparency or ambient mode.

The Air4 earbuds offer valuable mobile app support, enabling you to perform various functions. These include checking the battery level for each earbud (unlike the case), adjusting volume, managing ANC, accessing eight preset sound profiles, activating game mode, and customizing your sound preferences using a 10-band EQ. However, it's important to note that touch control remapping is not available. This means you are limited to the default gesture control functions, which encompass volume adjustment, voice assistant activation, play/pause, gaming mode activation, skipping tracks forward, and ANC control. Unfortunately, the option to skip tracks backward is not supported.

The touch controls offer convenient control over your music and calls. Additionally, you have the option to disable touch controls entirely through the Soundpeats app. Furthermore, the earbuds include a Game Mode with minimal latency, and you can fine-tune your sound preferences using the 10-band EQ to create a personalized audio profile. You can buy the SoundPEATS Air4 from amazon and get 30% off using promo code: SPAIR4PR

Selling points
  • Superb sound quality very close to AirPods
  • Multiple codecs: aptX Lossless/aptX adaptive/aptX/AAC/SBC
  • Good call quality with effective noise reduction
  • Mobile app support
  • Stable connectivity
  • Eartip-free design
  • Affordable AirPods 3 alternative
  • Snapdragon Sound BT chipset
  • Loud and clean voice prompt alerts for ANC and game mode
  • Audible beep when reaching max volume
  • Highly sensitive touch controls
  • Game Mode with low latency (88ms)
  • EQ settings
  • ANC works with single earbud
  • Natural bass sound
  • Better sounding bass than the Air4 Lite version
  • Comfortable and lightweight to wear
  • Ability to disable touch controls (useful when sleeping)
  • Secure enough for jogging
  • Semi-in-ear design for situational awareness

Potential deal breakers
  • Mobile app requires email registration
  • Snapdragon Sound only supported with compatible device
  • IPX4 sweat resistance
  • No quick charge
  • Doesn't support absolute bluetooth volume
  • No Qi wireless charging
  • ANC lacking performance due to semi open ear design
  • No touch control remapping
  • No on-ear detection
  • Bass not as tight
  • Below average ANC performance
  • No transparency mode
  • No battery indicator for case in app
  • Game mode must be enabled first via the Soundpeats mobile app

Similar Gadget Explained Reviews

0 comments

Connect With Gadget Explained