SoundPeats Air4 Lite Review with Pros and Cons

SoundPeats has introduced a range of great earbuds across various price segments, with the Air4 Lite as the most affordable option in their new Air4 lineup.

The question is: while previous SoundPeats earbuds are well-regarded for their sound quality, how does the Air4 Lite perform, especially with its half in-ear design?

Here’s our honest SoundPeats Air4 Lite review to give you all the insights you need about these earbuds.

Quick Summary: With its half in-ear design, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite offers excellent comfort for long listening sessions. The earbuds deliver clear vocals and crisp treble, while the bass is strong though less pronounced than in standard in-ear models.

Overall Rating: 4.0★

Key Features of the SoundPeats Air4 Lite

Box Content

• SoundPeats Air4 Lite Wireless Earbuds
• Charging Case
• User Manual
• USB Type-C Cable

Design and Build Quality

Upon unboxing the SoundPeats Air4 Lite, we immediately noticed that the charging case is one of the smallest in this price range. The pebble-shaped design of the case has a refined, premium appeal that stands out.

The earbuds feature a semi in-ear design, which is uncommon as most earbuds in this category use silicone tips. The rose gold metal rim around the USB Type-C port and the front grille of the earbuds add a stylish, premium touch to the overall aesthetic.

Additionally, the LED indicator is a small strip rather than a standard bulb, enhancing the earbuds’ modern look.

The charging case has a glossy finish, which is visually appealing but does attract fingerprints and smudges. However, the matte finish on the earbuds themselves prevents this issue, keeping them looking clean.

In terms of build quality, both the charging case and earbuds are made of plastic. Despite this, they don’t feel cheap. Unlike many earbuds at this price point that feel hollow or flimsy, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite offers a solid, well-built feel.

Overall, the design is sleek and contemporary, with a commendable build quality for earbuds in this price range.

Design and Build Quality: 4.1★

You might also check the Soundcore P40i review.

Comfort and Fit

One advantage of the semi in-ear design is that these earbuds rest just outside the ear canal, unlike earbuds with silicone tips that sit deeper in the ear. This design makes the earbuds feel almost weightless, providing a comfortable experience.

We wore the SoundPeats Air4 Lite for hours and hardly noticed them in place. Since they don’t seal off the ear canal, they allow for excellent comfort without causing ear fatigue.

Another benefit of this design is that it can fit smaller ears comfortably. If you typically find earbuds uncomfortable due to their size, these might offer a better fit.

While the comfort is excellent, the fit isn’t as secure. The lack of silicone tips means they don’t provide a snug seal inside the ear canal.

Although our SoundPeats Air4 Lite earbuds didn’t fall out during use, even with significant head movement, there’s always a slight concern as they come out more easily than silicone-tipped earbuds, which require a bit of force to remove.

Overall, this design has its pros and cons, but we experienced no issues with comfort or fit.

Comfort and Fit: 4.0★

Sound Quality

To be honest, we didn’t have high expectations for the sound quality, as semi in-ear designs aren’t typically known for delivering the best audio experience, and only a few earbuds with this style meet those standards.

However, when we used the SoundPeats Air4 Lite, we were genuinely impressed.

Many earbuds in this price range tend to sound hollow with narrow soundstages, even those with in-ear design. The Air4 Lite, however, delivers an open sound with a wider soundstage.

What stood out most was the sound clarity; the vocals are crisp and clear, and the trebles have a distinct sparkle that enhances the overall audio experience.

Initially, we were concerned about the bass, given the lack of silicone tips to create a seal, but we were pleasantly surprised. The earbuds deliver a decent bass experience, though the open-fit design does reduce the bass impact compared to in-ear models with silicone tips.

Despite this, there is a noticeable depth and richness to the bass, even if it isn’t as prominent as with fully in-ear designs. For an open-fit model, the bass response exceeded our expectations.

We used these earbuds across various scenarios, including watching movies, shows, and listening to genres like hip-hop, jazz, and country, and thoroughly enjoyed the audio quality. At no point did the sound feel muddy or bloated, even with the heavier bass.

An added benefit is LDAC audio codec support, which delivers clearer, richer, and more detailed sound than standard codecs. For those who value audio quality and listen to high-resolution or lossless music files, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite is a solid choice.

Overall, we found the sound quality of the SoundPeats Air4 Lite to be open and detailed. For the price and design, we have little to complain about regarding the audio experience.

Sound Quality: 4.0★

Microphone and Call Quality

The SoundPeats Air4 Lite features a total of six microphones, with three on each earbud, and includes AI noise reduction to enhance call quality. Overall, the calling experience has been good, especially for indoor use.

In a completely quiet room, call quality was good; the person on the other end could hear us clearly without any issues.

In a moderately noisy environment, the call quality remained acceptable, and the other person could hear us well, though we did need to speak slightly louder.

However, in very noisy environments, the call quality was average. While the earbuds attempt to reduce background noise through compression, this also slightly compresses your voice.

Overall, these earbuds are well-suited for indoor calls, but if you frequently make calls in very noisy settings, you may find the call quality less than ideal. We found that the call quality on these earbuds is not outstanding but is better than many other options in this price range.

Microphone and Call Quality: 3.9★

Battery Life

The company claims up to 7 hours of music playback on the earbuds alone in standard mode and 4.5 hours with LDAC, totaling 30 hours with the charging case.

However, in real-world testing, our results varied.

• In standard mode at 80% volume, we achieved about 4 hours and 45 minutes of playtime. With LDAC enabled at the same volume, we got close to 3 hours of playtime.

• Using the charging case, the total battery life was around 19 hours in standard mode and about 12 hours with LDAC.

The earbuds feature a 35mAh battery each, while the case has a 330mAh battery capacity. Many earbuds in this price range offer a 45mAh battery per earbud, so there is some room for improvement.

Although the battery life could be better, achieving nearly 5 hours of playtime at 80% volume is quite decent. Nonetheless, extended battery life would be a welcome enhancement.

Battery Life: 3.9★

You might also like the Soundcore V20i review.

Connectivity and Features

The earbuds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, providing generally stable connectivity. However, we did experience a few issues.

When we enabled dual connection mode in the SoundPeats app, we noticed that audio played smoothly through the right earbud, but the left earbud kept turning on and off intermittently. After placing the earbuds back in the case for about 20 seconds and then using them again, the issue resolved itself.

Additionally, when streaming YouTube videos on a laptop, the earbuds seamlessly switched to the phone when a call came in, but the video on the laptop did not pause automatically.

These aren’t major issues but are worth noting.

Additional features include:

• LDAC and High-Res Audio: These significantly improve the audio experience and are rare for earbuds at this price point.
• 80ms Low Latency Mode: This latency is suitable for casual gaming, though it may not be ideal for intense gaming sessions.
• IPX4 Rating: The earbuds are resistant to minor splashes and light rain.
• Fast Pairing: The earbuds connect instantly to the last paired device upon removal from the case.
• Touch Controls: Touch controls are responsive and well-placed, though there is some risk of accidental touches.

Overall, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite meets expectations for connectivity and features. While minor connectivity issues may arise, they’re generally easy to resolve.

Connectivity and Features: 4.1★

App Support

As mentioned, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite offers app support, which we find to be a valuable feature. However, the app could use some improvements, as it’s currently one of the weaker points of these earbuds.

The app provides essential functions such as displaying battery levels for both earbuds, offering different EQ modes (including custom EQ and adaptive EQ), enabling or disabling game mode and dual connection, and turning off touch controls entirely. However, a few bugs affected the experience.

For instance, while adjusting the EQ settings, the app suddenly displayed the left earbud at 76% battery and the right at 0%. After closing and reopening the app, the battery levels appeared mostly correct at 76% for the left earbud and 74% for the right.

Additionally, requiring an account to use the app may be off-putting for some users. If account creation is mandatory, the app should ideally offer more advanced features, such as customizable touch controls and a battery indicator for the charging case, to enhance its value and justify the need for the app.

Overall, the app has room for improvement as it feels somewhat basic and has a few bugs.

App Support: 3.8★

Also Read: Kurdene wireless earbuds pairing guide.

Pricing and Value for Money

At the time of writing, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite are priced at $45, with an additional 20% coupon available, effectively lowering the price to $36. At this price point, these earbuds offer excellent value.

Falling squarely into the budget category, the Air4 Lite stands out with features such as High-Res Audio, LDAC support, dual connection capability, a durable build, and great sound quality—qualities that make them truly worth the investment.

If you’re able to purchase these earbuds for $36, they undeniably represent a solid value-for-money choice.

Pricing and Value for Money: 4.2★

Customer Reviews and Feedback

We carefully analyzed user reviews and found that most users are pleased with their purchase. However, some have reported concerns, particularly around call quality and app performance, which could use improvement.

Still, with an average rating of 4.2 stars, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite shows high user satisfaction overall.

You might also like the SoundPeats Air4 Pro review.

Final Verdict and Pros & Cons

Frankly, not all semi in-ear earbuds manage to offer a solid combination of sound quality and features, especially in the budget range, but the SoundPeats Air4 Lite certainly delivers.

If you’re not seeking intense, heavy bass and prefer earbuds that rest comfortably in your ear, the SoundPeats Air4 Lite is undoubtedly a strong choice.

As long as you have realistic expectations for this style of earbuds, they’re unlikely to disappoint.

Overall Rating: 4.0★

FAQs

That concludes our SoundPeats Air4 Lite review. If you still have any doubts, feel free to ask us in the comment section.

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