Apple AirPods Pro - Detailed review
Apple AirPods Pro is the most advanced upgraded version of Apple's AirPods wireless headset line. With many notable improvements, AirPods Pro promises to bring a better music and call listening experience than ever. Let's find out the remarkable features and advantages of this product.
Design: AirPods Pro has an in-ear design with replaceable earpads for better comfort and fit. With built-in noise cancellation, these headphones isolate sounds from your surroundings, providing a high-quality listening experience without distractions.
Sound quality: AirPods Pro features technology to improve bass and sound that automatically adjusts to the shape of the user's ear. With deeper bass and clear mids and treble, these headphones deliver a balanced and high-quality audio experience.
Noise cancellation mode and Transparency mode: AirPods Pro can switch between noise cancellation mode and Transparency mode to suit your needs. Noise cancellation mode eliminates ambient sound, while Transparency mode allows users to hear sounds from the outside environment, helping to increase the feeling of nature when using headphones.
Connect and work: AirPods Pro connect easily to Apple devices via Bluetooth. These headphones are water and sweat resistant, making them perfect for use during workouts or in wet weather conditions. Besides, AirPods Pro also supports Siri, making it easy for users to perform operations using only voice.
Battery and charging: AirPods Pro provide good battery life, allowing about 4.5 hours of continuous music playback and more than 24 hours when used with the charging case. This charging case is capable of fast charging via Lightning port or wireless charging via Qi technology.
To sum up, Apple AirPods Pro is a great choice for those who love music and often use Apple devices. With good sound quality, noise cancellation and flexible Transparency mode, AirPods Pro provide a great listening and calling experience.
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Here are the specs for the Apple AirPods Pro as provided by Apple:
- Active Noise Cancellation
- Custom high-excursion Apple driver
- Custom high dynamic range amplifier
- Dual beamforming microphones
- Wireless: H1-based System in Package
- Charging: Case charges by Lightning connector or Qi-certified wireless charger
- Battery: 4.5 hours per charge, 24 hours with charging case
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
- Height (each): 1.22 inches (30.9 mm)
- Width (each): 0.86 inch (21.8 mm)
- Depth (each): 0.94 inch (24.0 mm)
- Weight (each): 0.19 ounce (5.4 grams)
- Height (case): 1.78 inches (45.2 mm)
- Width (case): 2.39 inches (60.6 mm)
- Depth (case): 0.85 inch (21.7 mm)
- Weight (case): 1.61 ounces (45.6 grams)
The AirPods Pro are true wireless earbuds, which means each earbud operates independently of the other, with no wires connecting them. This means that each earbud has its own driver, battery, microphone, and all the wireless connectivity to communicate with your source device and each other.
Unlike conventional wireless headphones, true wireless headphones nearly all charge by using a "charging case" which is just a case that houses another battery and is where the headphones will—you guessed it—charge when not in use. The downside to this design is that you have to charge them more frequently, and there are more components that could fail. This usually gives us pause, but Apple AirPods don't seem to be plagued with the same high failure rate we see with other wireless earbuds, so this is less of a concern for us.
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What We Like
The battery life is good, and they charge fast
With true wireless earbuds, battery life is always at a premium. The AirPods Pro are rated for about 5 hours of listening time, though it's less if you are using them to talk and have noise cancellation active. I was able to squeeze a little less than 6 hours of use out of them during my work day with noise-cancellation active and a few breaks here and there.
Though five hours isn't much, the charging case holds another battery with enough juice to stretch that to 24 hours. It takes just five minutes to get about an hour-long charge and the charging case is pretty much the only good place to keep them when they're not in your ears. The case itself can be recharged wirelessly with a Qi-certified charger or the included USB-C to Lightning cable.
The noise cancellation works incredibly well
Noise cancellation is an awesome feature, able to listen to the world around you and play a sound that counteracts it. Most earbuds are noise isolating which means they just block sound out by being, well, earbuds. It's the difference between sitting in a cold room and getting a space heater instead of a sweater.
One important point: noise cancellation on earbuds is not as important as it is on larger over-ear headphones. In-ear headphones are already effective at blocking outside noise, especially while you're playing music. The cancellation on the AirPods Pro is actually most useful for listening to phone calls, podcasts, or nothing at all where there's not a constant stream of music helping to drown out ambient sounds.
And it truly is excellent. In our lab tests we found that the AirPods Pro were able to reduce ambient noise by 23dB(a) with active noise cancellation on, compared to just 15dB(a) without activating the ANC. That's an impressive result, and is borne out in our real world tests. I don't find noise-cancelling earbuds to be as enjoyable as noise-cancelling over-ear headphones (since you still have earbuds jammed in your ears), but they are equally effective in most situations.
They connect to your devices easily and stay that way
One of the biggest complaints about Bluetooth earbuds for years has been spotty connectivity. The original AirPods ushered in a new era of simple connectivity and sent everyone else rushing to catch up.The AirPods Pro continue that, with an updated "H1" wireless chip, which is specifically designed to pair quickly and easily with nearby Apple devices.
Even with non-Apple devices I had no issues pairing the Pros. Once paired, all I have to do is open the case and the headphones were connected by the time I put them in my ears. The range is stunning as well; when our photographer opened the case to shoot photos for this article they paired instantly to my Android phone, even though he was on a different floor.
The eartip design will fit way more people's ears
The major knock against Apple AirPods is that they just don't fit many people's ears. Apple's earbuds have just been simple molded plastic for years, and either they fit or they don't. The AirPod Pro earbuds, however, use silicone ear tips to better block ambient noise. The headphones come with multiple sizes, making it easier to find one that will fit your ears.
I'm loathe to give Apple too much credit for fixing something that should've been fixed long ago, but at least Apple finally came around. If the loose fit held you back from getting the previous AirPods, then these may finally work for you.
What We Don't Like
The sound quality is fine, but not great
The AirPods Pro sound much better than the vanilla AirPods, most notably thanks to the improved bass. This is largely due to the tighter fit, which allows less air to escape while also isolating your music better from the world around you.
It's a simple formula, but it works. If you're coming from similar earbuds like those from Sony, Bose, or Jabra then you likely won't be wowed by the AirPods Pro, but for people who have only used the non-Pro AirPods, these will be a big upgrade. The differences were most notable to me on songs that have a prominent bass drop, like this song from A Tribe Called Red or Kendrick Lamar's "DNA."
That said, there are still issues here. The mids feel a bit muffled and there's less clarity and separation than you'd get on most over-ear headphones, though highs don't have that sibilant whistling that makes some earbuds unbearable. The active noise cancellation doesn't help here, making everything sound slightly like you're underwater at times.
The batteries aren't replaceable, so there is an expiration date
Rechargeable batteries don't last forever, and after so many times being charged and depleted they just don't last as long. That isn't a huge problem on most devices, because the batteries can be replaced. The AirPods are mostly held together with glue, so replacing the battery just isn't feasible.
You can get a replacement AirPod Pro if the battery drops below 80% of its charging capacity and you shell out the $29 for two years of AppleCare+. I would highly recommend that, since that cost also covers you for two incidents of accidental damage from handling, though you have to pay a $29 fee per incident to get them repaired or replaced. That's still much better than buying a replacement without coverage, which costs $89 each for the two earbuds and the case.
Yes, if you value convenience over battery life
The AirPods Pro are, without a doubt, the best earbuds that Apple has ever made. They offer best-in-class connectivity, portability, a design that will work for just about anyone, and they sound better than the original AirPods by a country mile. There are better-sounding earbuds, for sure, but you're no longer sacrificing sound quality to get everything else that makes the AirPods such a standout choice.
They are particularly excellent if you use Apple devices, where the tighter integration with software shines through. Not only is connecting as simple as opening the case and hitting a button on your phone, but you can share tracks between multiple sets of AirPods and use Siri right from the headphones. I tested the AirPods Pro on a Windows laptop and Android phone, though, and still found they offered the most reliable connectivity and range of any true wireless headphones I've tested.
With an MSRP of $249, you're paying a hefty premium over the original AirPods, but it's unquestionably worth it to me. They offer proper IPX4 splash-resistance, eartips that keep them in place if you want to use them while working out, and active noise cancellation that works exceptionally well according to our lab tests. We highly recommend picking up the $29 AppleCare+ plan to go with them, since it covers the battery for two years and lets you get cheap repairs and/or replacements if you drop them and they get damaged.
Are they the best wireless earbuds that we've tested? That depends on your needs. If you're buying wireless earbuds because you want great sound quality, we'd recommend other earbuds like the Jabra Elite Active 65t or the Sony WF-1000XM3. But if you're like most people, you probably care just as much about the convenience and this is where the AirPods Pro distance themselves from the field.
They offer everything we love about the AirPods but in a package that is just better in nearly every way. They don't solve the fundamental issue that these headphones aren't going to be fixable if they die after a couple of years, but if you can get past that then these are a slam dunk.
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