EarFun Air Pro 4

Comparison: EarFun Air Pro 3 and EarFun Air Pro 4

The new features include sound personalisation via sound profile, support for Snapdragon sound technology and Google Fast Pair for quick connection with Android devices. The fourth generation also features wear detection and enables the use of the Auracast function (see guide) in conjunction with compatible smartphones. Another difference concerns the headphone’s Active Noise Cancellation, which automatically adjusts itself in two adaptive ANC modes.

Compared to the already very well-equipped EarFun Air Pro 3, the selection of audio codecs has also increased. The repertoire of SBC, LC3, AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive has been expanded to include aptX Lossless and LDAC. The latest Bluetooth standard is also supported with version 5.4. However, during our test prior to the sales launch, we experienced some disconnections with iOS devices. With firmware version 0.2.3, the range was also significantly lower than with Android devices, but this could be rectified with a software update upon the release of the EarFun Air Pro 4. We did not experience these kinds of connectivity problems with the previous model or any of the other EarFun models that we have tested in the past.

Battery life – how long do the EarFun Air Pro 4 last?

At high volume, the EarFun Air Pro 4 offered a listening time of eleven hours per charge when the AAC codec was used. However, if adaptive noise cancellation was active, you can expect six hours of runtime.

These in-ears can also be fully charged three times in the charging case and then once more for an extra capacity of three hours (without ANC); this resulted in a total runtime of 36 hours in standard mode and almost 20 hours in ANC mode. When the headphone batteries were empty, refuelling took just under 60 minutes. In addition, a ten-minute quick charge provided capacity for two and a half hours (without ANC). As with the previous model, the case offers you the option of wireless charging. Power can also be supplied via the USB-C port, and here, the battery reserve was restored after 110 minutes using the USB-C to USB-A charging cable supplied.

Operation of the EarFun Air Pro 4

These wireless in-ears have touch-sensitive surfaces for controlling playback, handling phone calls, volume control and track navigation. You can also switch between ANC, transparency and basic mode from the factory settings and call up the voice assistant.

If you want, you also have the option of activating or deactivating the gaming mode, as the touch controls can be customised to suit your own preferences via the app. However, you can’t switch the headphones on and off via the touch surfaces, which means that you will always need to have the case to hand. That said, it is possible to use them one-sided in single mode at any time.

EarFun Audio app

A general transparency mode and a total of five ANC modes are available via the noise control in the app (for Android and iOS). The noise cancellation is divided into two static and two adaptive variants with wind noise cancellation for use during outdoor activities.

The range of preconfigured settings for sound customisation also seemed complicated, with 14 options for boosting or cutting bass, mids and treble at different intensity levels. This selection was complemented with 15 genre-specific settings that ranged from hip-hop to classical music.

As well as the preconfigured settings, an EQ with ten bands allows you to make customised settings, and these can be saved as pre-sets. There is also the option of carrying out a listening test, which allows you to create your own sound profile, although this was not yet working properly. So far, the results seemed rather muffled, bass-heavy and one-dimensional, with the successful basic sound offering a much higher-quality reproduction.

In addition to the touch control, voice announcements and microphone settings can be configured in the app, and you can carry out firmware updates. Gaming mode, wear detection and multipoint connections can also be switched on or off as required, while a beep search function should make it easier to find the headphones when you take them out of your ears.

It was also possible to select LE Audio instead of Google Fast Pair, which allows you to use the Auracast function. You can also activate the audio codecs aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC on Android devices.

Voice intelligibility when making calls

According to the manufacturer, the EarFun Air Pro 4 use three AI-supported microphones per side with cVc 8.0 technology to suppress ambient noise when you are communicating on the phone. This is a plus point for outdoor phone calls as it largely filters out wind noise, with strong gusts of wind being perceptible by the person on the other end of the call as a slight wind noise. Background noise was transmitted, but your own voice remained in the foreground, so communication was possible even in a busy setting.

How good are the noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode?

The noise cancelling worked with low noise levels and performed extremely well, with the individual modes being quite similar to each other. While there were hardly any differences in the low-frequency range and there was a high level of efficiency, the static balance mode achieved the best results with background voices and reduced them significantly.

However, in the high-frequency range, the adaptive operating modes had slight advantages, even if it took a moment for the noise cancellation to optimise itself. We also noticed that playback in the bass and mid-range had more presence when ANC mode was active.

The transparency mode had a recognisable background noise but amplified the surroundings sufficiently well to improve external perception. When playback was paused, it was also possible to listen to announcements or hold conversations without having to remove the headphones from your ears.

The sound of the EarFun Air Pro 4

Like the previous model, the EarFun Air Pro 4 are tuned for fun, but they offer a higher playback quality that sounds more balanced, fresher and livelier. While the bass foundation continued to be rich and deep, it no longer seemed quite as forceful but was more controlled and still powerful.

In addition, the warm mid-range was reproduced with more precision, and the individual instruments were cleanly separated with many details brought to the fore. The vocal reproduction was appealingly clear, possessing energy and assertiveness without being too prominent. The well-realised treble reproduction had more verve, which expanded the energetic reproduction advantageously. Especially since the upper registers conveyed a harmonious impression and did not tend towards harshness.

Conclusion

The EarFun Air Pro 4 excelled with an astonishingly comprehensive range of features for a very attractive price. Even if everything was not running completely smoothly at the time of release, these versatile True Wireless in-ears impressed us with their successful, powerful sound reproduction and effective noise cancellation. The wide range of audio codecs was also extremely remarkable, and they left nothing to be desired.