What’s new with Apple’s AirPods Pro – 2nd Generation?
The new Apple AirPods Pro2 Gen is still some of the best truly wireless earbuds on the market, but they have a lot of improvements in how they work and sound. Apple’s goal was clearly to make some of the best audio experiences on the market.
Pros: The sound quality is much better, noise cancellation is much better, and the stem has volume control.
Cons: The design hasn’t changed, and the volume can be hard to control.
You might take it for granted that the new AirPods Pro 2 looks a lot like the first AirPods Pro, but any changes will make these genuinely wireless headphones a big hit with many people.
There are several reasons to upgrade from the previous AirPods Pro (2019) here, such as the new and much better noise cancellation, the extra speakers in the case that make it much harder to lose them, and the improved transparency mode for talking to your friends.
Even though they have the same official price as the previous AirPods Pro, the older model price has dropped significantly and will continue until all remaining stock is sold. If you buy them now, you’ll have to pay more for the fancier new features, so you’ll have to decide if you need them.
So you’ll probably want to know what we think of them, right? So let’s get into it.
Price and Launch
The fresh AirPods Pro will cost $249 if you want to buy them. AirPods Pro 2 are coming out on September 23, but you can order them now.
Except for the UK, where the price has increased by £10, the official pricing is the same as the previous model. However, as was previously said, the older model is currently on sale at retailers other than Apple. Thus even while both versions are offered, the newer model is more expensive.
In the current market, Apple’s decision to keep the official price the same is a more aggressive move than it seems since the prices of almost all other new flagship earbuds have gone up. Admittedly, they are expensive, but many other big players charge more.
Design of Apple Airpods Pro2
The AirPods Pro 2 haven’t changed much in how they look, which is surprising given how much better they work overall.
Earlier rumors said Apple’s wireless earbuds might not have stems but a straight “lozenge” shape in the ear. However, the stalks are still a big part of the headphone’s work.
Aside from a slight change to the microphones and other small black covers, the AirPods Pro 2 don’t look much different from their predecessors.
But even though the case is the same size as its predecessors, it has several significant changes.
First, there are four tiny dots at the bottom of the AirPods Pro 2 case, one to the right and three more to the left of the lightning charging port.
If you misplace your AirPods Pro 2, you can activate a “Find My” request from your phone to locate them because they include a speaker and an acoustic vent. It’s pretty loud when tested, and given that we once lost a case similar to this for about a week because we couldn’t hear it in the house, this is an intelligent choice.
The storage case features a tiny lanyard clasp on the side that you can put through a holder to hang the AirPods Pro 2 from a bag or strap. In addition, it is now IPX4 water resistant, which means it can handle mild rain and sweat.
We weren’t expecting Apple to offer this feature based on “user convenience,” but if you prefer to show off your AirPods Pro or want to wear the case around your neck, now you can.
Sound Quality of Apple Airpods Pro2
Apple significantly improved the sound quality of the AirPods Pro 2 by adding new drivers, amplifiers, and a much better active noise canceling system. The result is pretty shocking.
After using the AirPods Pro for a few years, it’s clear that the sound quality is amazingly superior to it used to be, especially the bass, which is much more lively.
The rest of the soundscape feels vast and open, but the best word to describe these new AirPods Pro 2 is “rich.” Unfortunately, even though there were rumors that they would support lossless audio, they don’t. However, the sound quality when watching a video or listening to Apple Music was significantly improved over the last model when we tested them.
The noise-canceling feature was the other thing that stood out. Even though it’s still very good on the original AirPods Pro, it’s been surpassed by other headphones in the three years since it came out. However, thanks to the H2 chip inside, you can barely hear things you don’t want to hear when ANC is on.
The effect is shocking. If someone is talking to you while you are listening to music, you’d usually be able to hear some of what they’re saying. Now, they’re almost inaudible. When tested with fake airplane noises, they were impossible to hear.
It makes the music feel so much more real, and Apple’s claim that it has made the noise canceling twice as good as before is completely true.
Adaptive Transparency
Transparency mode went through several changes, and now it lets you hear what’s going on outside when you hold down on one of the stalks for a long time.
Voice processing happens so naturally now that you could have a conversation without even realizing you’re wearing Apple’s new earbuds, though you might be rude. A lot of brands are adding this feature now. For example, Sony’s over-ear headphones do something similar on their own, but it works well here.
Apple also says that the H2 chip makes it possible to automatically offer “Adaptive Transparency.” So, if you are walking down the street and using Transparency and a car with a siren goes by, the Apple AirPods Pro2 will automatically turn down the sound without completely getting rid of it (in case you need to hear it as a warning).
That’s a big claim; to test it, we’d have to do it in real time, which we couldn’t do when we were testing.
The stems also have a new feature: you can now control the volume of your music from your AirPods Pro. When you slide a finger up or down the ridge as you hold the stalks. The new capacitive surface will pick up your touch.
Even though this is a small change, it was one of the most exciting features. However, as it turns out, it’s probably the weakest addition. This is because multiple “strokes” of the headphones are needed to make a big volume change. It would have been nice if longer strokes raised or lowered the volume faster or if you could stroke and hold for continuous raising and lowering.
Battery Of Apple Airpods Pro2
The last improvement to theApple AirPods Pro2 is that they last longer on a single charge. This is mostly because the H2 chip is more efficient than the H1 chip in the older AirPods, so the Pro 2 earbuds can last six hours with ANC and seven hours without it.
With 30 hours of use and five times, recharge capability through the case is a significant improvement.
And there’s a new way to charge the case: with an Apple Watch charger. This makes a lot of sense, especially since Apple wants people to think of the AirPods as an important part of having a Watch since you can easily listen to music and control it from the screen on your wrist.
Conclusion
Like their predecessors, the Apple AirPods Pro2 aren’t cheap, but what they offer is a big improvement. Most people would buy them just because they’re easy to connect to all their Apple devices, but the fact that you also get much better sound, noise cancellation, volume control, and more makes them a no-brainer if you can afford them.
If you’re thinking of getting the new AirPods Pro 2 for a loved one or saving up for a good upgrade to your current true wireless earbuds, they’re a “big present” at $249, £249, or AU$399.
But what’s on offer seems to be worth the money, thanks to improved features and sound quality. We’ll need more thorough testing to confirm what we saw and heard at the Apple launch event. These look like competitors to our list of the best earbuds blocking noise.
