They're honest about what they are. They don't pretend to be something they're not.
At a moment when the gap between affordable and premium audio continues to narrow, EarFun's Air Pro 4 Plus arrive as quiet evidence that the budget tier has grown up. Priced under $100, these earbuds carry features — advanced Bluetooth codecs, gaming latency reduction, emerging LE Audio support — that once belonged exclusively to a more expensive conversation. They are not without limits, but their honesty about those limits is itself a kind of integrity.
- Budget earbuds have long carried the stigma of compromise, but the Air Pro 4 Plus challenge that assumption by packing gaming modes and high-fidelity codec support into a sub-$100 package.
- The absence of a dedicated wireless dongle means competitive gamers will still feel the ceiling — latency improves dramatically in game mode, but precision audio for multiplayer remains out of reach.
- Noise cancellation, the feature many buyers will lean on hardest, turns out to be the product's most overcomplicated and least convincing chapter, with four modes that blur into one another and fail to silence a busy commute.
- Real-world battery life lands at six to eight hours — respectable, but a quiet correction to the 12-hour figure printed on the box.
- For casual gamers, home listeners, and anyone unwilling to spend three times the price for marginal gains, these earbuds land as a genuinely mature value proposition.
The EarFun Air Pro 4 Plus arrive at a moment when budget earbuds have stopped being afterthoughts. At under $100 — often discounted to $76 — they pack features that would have seemed absurd at this price point just a few years ago.
The most immediate appeal is the gaming mode. Bluetooth latency has long been the budget earbud's curse — that maddening delay between action and audio. Without game mode enabled, the lag is noticeable. Turn it on, and the gap collapses to near-imperceptibility. In Marathon, gunshots crack through almost instantaneously. It's not competitive-grade performance — the microphone is mediocre and directional audio imprecise — but for casual play in Fortnite or long single-player sessions on a Steam Deck, they work remarkably well. Cruising through GTA 5's open world, the layered ambient sound feels genuinely immersive.
Beyond gaming, the sound signature is vibrant and balanced. Bass hits hard without bloating. The default EQ leans warm, and while vocals can occasionally sink into dense mixes and sibilance can bite, the companion app's presets address both quickly. These aren't audiophile earbuds, and they don't pretend to be — they're trying to sound good, and they do.
The feature set is where the Air Pro 4 Plus genuinely surprise. Support for aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LDAC is rare at this price. So is the inclusion of LE Audio and Auracast — technologies still finding their footing, but present here as a form of honest future-proofing.
Physically, they're light and comfortable, disappearing in the ear during long sessions. The touch controls feel cramped, and the two-tone design is inoffensive but unremarkable. Battery life, in real-world conditions with game mode and ANC toggling, settles at six to eight hours — respectable, not exceptional.
Active noise cancellation is the weak point. It dampens ambient noise without eliminating it. Four ANC modes exist, but their differences are nearly impossible to articulate, and neither of the adaptive options produces meaningful automatic adjustment. The London Underground's screech cuts right through.
Whether these compromises matter depends entirely on how you live. For serious commuters or gym-goers who need genuine isolation, better options exist. For casual gamers, home listeners, and anyone seeking versatility without financial pain, the Air Pro 4 Plus make a compelling case — not because they're perfect, but because they're honest about what they are.
The EarFun Air Pro 4 Plus arrive at a moment when budget earbuds have stopped being afterthoughts. At under $100—often discounted to $76—these are the kind of wireless buds that make you wonder what the extra $200 is actually buying you elsewhere. They're not perfect, but they pack features that would have seemed absurd at this price point just a few years ago.
The most immediate appeal is the gaming mode, which is where these buds distinguish themselves from the crowd. Most budget earbuds suffer from Bluetooth latency—that maddening delay between the moment you fire a shot and the moment you hear it. The Air Pro 4 Plus can't eliminate this entirely; true low-latency gaming requires a dedicated wireless dongle, which they lack. But their game mode does something genuinely useful. Without it enabled, the lag is noticeable—you feel the disconnect between input and audio feedback. Turn it on, and that gap collapses to the point where you have to really listen for it to detect anything at all. In Marathon, gunshots crack through almost instantaneously after you click. It's not competitive-grade performance, and the earbuds' mediocre microphone and imprecise directional audio mean you won't be pinpointing enemy footsteps with surgical precision. But for casual multiplayer in Fortnite or extended single-player sessions on a Steam Deck or Switch, they work remarkably well. Cruising through GTA 5's open world, soaking in the layered ambient sound—the engine rumble, traffic horns, street chatter, radio stations—feels genuinely immersive.
Beyond gaming, the sound signature is vibrant and balanced. The three guitars in Oasis' "Some Might Say" remain distinct from one another. Bass hits hard without feeling bloated; Dave's "100M" and Busta Rhymes' "Break Ya Neck" punch through with weight. The default EQ leans warm rather than clinical. There are rough edges—vocals occasionally disappear into dense, layered tracks like The Strokes' "12:51," and sibilant sounds can get harsh. But the app includes presets that fix these issues instantly, and for the vast majority of songs, you won't need them. These aren't audiophile-grade earbuds, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. But they're not trying to be. They're trying to sound good, and they do.
What's genuinely impressive is the feature set. The Air Pro 4 Plus support aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LDAC—high-quality Bluetooth codecs that theoretically let you stream at the highest possible fidelity. You won't get truly lossless audio over Bluetooth (that requires a wire), but having the hardware to support it is rare at this price. They also include LE Audio and Auracast support, emerging technologies that enable low-energy connections and multi-device broadcasting. Neither is widespread yet—LE Audio requires Android, and Auracast is still finding its footing—but the fact that these buds are ready for them feels like genuine future-proofing.
Physically, they're light and comfortable. At just over 5 grams each, they disappear in your ears during long gaming sessions or train commutes. The simple design and rubber tips work well. The two-tone aesthetic—all black except for a greyish-purple stem—is inoffensive but uninspired. The touch controls are cramped, making volume adjustments feel fiddly. The case is compact and sturdy, snapping shut with confidence. Battery life is where reality diverges from spec sheets. EarFun claims 12 hours with noise cancelling off, plus 42 additional hours from the case. In practice, with game mode, ANC, and dual device connection toggling on and off, you'll see six to eight hours per charge. That's respectable but not exceptional.
Active noise cancellation is the weak point. It dampens ambient noise but doesn't eliminate it. You can work in a cafe without nearby conversations intruding, but the gym's weight clinks still bleed through. The London Underground's screech of the Victoria Line cuts right past the ANC. Making it worse, the implementation is overcomplicated. Four different noise cancelling modes exist—AI Ear Adaptive ANC, AI Environment Adaptive ANC, Manual mode with a slider, and Wind Noise Cancelling—but the differences between the first two are impossible to articulate, and neither produces meaningful automatic adjustments. Ambient sound mode works adequately for hearing traffic while walking but can't clearly amplify someone speaking across the room.
Whether these compromises matter depends on your life. If you're commuting on crowded transit or working out in a loud gym and need serious noise isolation, look elsewhere. If you're gaming casually, listening to music at home, or want a versatile earbud that doesn't break the bank, the Air Pro 4 Plus make a compelling case. They're the kind of product that reminds you that the budget tier has genuinely matured—not because they're perfect, but because they're honest about what they are and deliver on it.
Citações Notáveis
Without game mode I could feel the long delay between inputs and audio. With it, that delay virtually disappeared.— Reviewer's experience testing game mode in Marathon
For 95% of songs, the default EQ is warm and vibrant.— Reviewer's assessment of audio quality across music library
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
So the game mode actually works? That's surprising for Bluetooth earbuds.
It does, but with a caveat. You're still using Bluetooth, which has inherent latency. What the game mode does is compress that delay to the point where your brain stops noticing it for casual play. In GTA 5, you don't care. In a competitive shooter where you're trying to pinpoint enemy positions by sound alone, you'll feel the difference.
What about the noise cancelling? That seems like the real letdown.
It is. It's not bad—it'll handle a cafe conversation—but it's not going to save you on the Underground or in a gym. And then they've made it worse by burying the functionality under four different modes that don't seem to do anything different from each other.
Why include all those modes if they don't work?
That's the question. It feels like feature bloat for the sake of it. The app is intuitive, so at least you're not lost, but you'll probably just pick one and stick with it.
The battery life seems off. Twelve hours versus six to eight in real use is a big gap.
It is. That's what happens when you turn on multiple power-hungry features at once. Game mode, ANC, dual device connection—they all drain the battery faster than the spec sheet assumes. Six to eight hours is still solid, but it's not the marathon they advertise.
So who should actually buy these?
Someone who games casually, doesn't need serious noise isolation, and wants a versatile earbud that sounds good without spending $300. They're honest about what they are. They don't pretend to be something they're not.