But with the AirPods Pro 2, Apple offers in-ear headphones that (nearly) meet all of the requirements. The AirPods Pro 2 really shine thanks to their better audio quality, longer battery life, greater feature set, and superior noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro 2nd Gen offer genuinely amazing noise reduction in addition to a significant improvement in the depth and richness of their audio. And they’re at the top of the earphones game with a redesigned case that is considerably tougher to lose while maintaining the same light weight and comfy shape. Even while there are some features that are still far better for iPhone users than Android users, we’d still like to see them, they won’t really matter when you’re engrossed in your music.
Design
When compared side by side, the two AirPods Pro models are virtually identical. The vents and microphones have been moved a little, but the bud and stem layout is still the same. Now that there are four ear tips in the box, one of them is a smaller XS size, providing you additional alternatives for finding the ideal fit and seal. The additional advice can be useful if you’ve had trouble with the AirPods’ fit in the past. To make sure you have the optimal seal for sound quality, we recommend using the simple ear tip fit test. We discovered a good seal with more than one ear tip size. Due to their lightweight construction, which you don’t have to push into your ear holes, they are also comfortable to wear. The absence of on-device volume settings, a standard feature of any wireless earbuds, was one item that the original Pro were criticised for. With a touch-capacitive coating on the stems that you can swipe up or down (on both buds) to control volume, Apple has finally seen sense and fixed this. While it takes some getting accustomed to, the haptic sensation when you swipe is comforting, and it responds every time we use it. Pinching the stems is still required to pause, skip, and answer calls. A long press toggles between the various noise-cancelling settings. Everything works, but we don’t think touching on the earphones’ body, as with Sony or Bose’s competitors, is quite as natural. On the other hand, when you rub against the AirPods, there is no possibility of an unintentional track change. The charging case has undergone the most significant design changes; it now includes a lanyard loop and a built-in speaker. Tones are emitted by the speaker to signal charging, low battery, and to assist you in locating it if you misplace it. The case itself is still compact and carry-friendly; it fits effortlessly in a pocket, bag, or the palm of your hand.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 review: Comfort
The AirPods Pro 2 are incredibly comfortable in compared to first- or second-generation standard AirPods, which is one of the main reasons you should upgrade to them. The AirPods Pro 2 maintains the soft silicon tips of its predecessor in place of the plastic shell design of the original AirPods, making them more comfortable. The silicon tips vary in that they gently adhere to the ear canal as opposed to forcing it to open wider to accommodate the hard plastic casing. In actuality, this means you can keep the earphones in for a lot longer before having to pull them out, making them comfortable enough to wear all day. As was already noted, it’s important to get the fitting just perfect, so take your time using the supplied ear tips to get the best seal. Even though we wouldn’t recommend using them while playing sports, they are safe to bring to the gym and are some of the best running earbuds and exercise headphones. They might not feel quite as secure in your ear when you’re engaging in more strenuous physical activity. To test how well the AirPods Pro 2 would hold up while running, we gave it a try. Overall, these earbuds will still feel unpleasant after a few hours of use because they are in-ear. Simply put, obstructions in the ear canal should not be present for long periods of time. However, compared to other in-ear headphones, these are comfier.
Connectivity
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) remain linked to your device through Bluetooth 5.3, which should guarantee LE Audio functionality when it becomes available. You can currently choose between the Bluetooth codecs SBC and AAC. From an iOS device, you may stream AAC audio and get dependable, high-quality, low-latency audio. Android does support AAC, although its performance varies and is hardware reliant. Apple describes the H2 chip’s “high bandwidth connection” functionality as indicating that the sound quality is approaching lossless but not quite there. also, you can check our article on Apple AirPods Pro 2 review.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 review: Noise cancelling
The highlight feature of the AirPods Pro 2 is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which has been much improved thanks to Apple’s new H2 chipset and optimised ANC mic positioning on the buds themselves. Although it’s difficult to evaluate Apple’s claim of a 2x boost in noise cancellation, these headphones are unquestionably among of the best we’ve used in true wireless form. It’s true that you lack the gradient ANC controls found on Sony’s WF-1000XM4, but once the mode is engaged, this is hardly a problem. Even loud places, like the 80 dB+ Victoria line on the London Underground, instantly go quiet. This allows me to listen to music at reasonable volume levels rather of cranking it up to drown out the incessant tube screams. We put most of the ANC-enabled earbuds we review through this test, and the AirPods Pro 2 rank among the best. It’s a truly excellent function designed to block out neighbouring conversations as well as the drone of fans, trains, and aeroplanes, and it easily handles both low- and high-pitched environmental noises.
Audio performance
And they do have a fantastic sound. We’ve always been impressed by Apple’s gadgets’ audio quality, which is clear and tonally neutral and has a lovely way with voices. All of that is included in the AirPods Pro 2, but now with more weight, detail, and dynamic nuance. A new proprietary low-distortion, high-excursion audio driver, transducer, and high dynamic range amplifier are housed inside each earbud, and when paired with the H2 chip’s cutting-edge audio algorithms, the result is a sound that is superior to the original Pro in every way. From the moment we begin to listen, the performance is interesting and fascinating. Every music played has a pleasing degree of solidity and weight; it is a richer, more robust sound. The muscularity of the strong guitar riffs and drum beats in Slipknot’s The Dying Song is unheard of in AirPods, yet there is still a clear, organised, and comprehensive presentation that makes sure you’re not just hearing a crazy chaos of sound. A great sense of drive is present. The AirPods Pro 2 are rhythmically quick and agile, allowing songs to flow effortlessly and convey both upbeat and meditative music with ease. In contrast to Macklemore’s Thrift Shop, which sounds fast, sleek, and full with cheeky attitude, Chilly Gonzales’ Whist’s sparse piano notes are delicate and have plenty of space surrounding them.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 review: Call performance
We were hoping to see some improvement in call quality, but we weren’t able to find much. Calls made using the AirPods Pro 2 sounded a little bit muted when compared to calls made on speakerphone. Sadly, this meant that customers still preferred us to use the phone’s built-in speaker instead of the AirPods, and after hearing a voicemail left using the AirPods, we can understand why. Because Apple hasn’t made many changes to the microphone array inside the earbuds themselves, we haven’t noticed many changes, if any. The H2 chip could be able to perform some audio processing to reduce extra background noise, but the AirPods are constrained by the microphones in terms of actual vocal clarity. Not that the AirPods have the worst call quality of any earbuds we’ve tried; they don’t; rather, the call quality is very subpar for what is otherwise a very high-end product.
Battery and charging
The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) standalone battery life, according to our battery testing, is 5 hours, 43 minutes with ANC on, only falling short of Apple’s advertised 6-hour battery specification with ANC on. An additional 24 hours of listening time or 19 hours, 30 minutes of conversation time are provided by the charging case. You have a few options for recharging when the time comes. A Qi, MagSafe, or Apple Watch charging mat can be used to wirelessly charge the case. A Lightning cable is required for wired charging. you can read our article on Apple AirPods Pro 2 review. Remember that battery cells deteriorate over time even though this is very typical battery performance for true wireless headphones. The iPhone will learn your listening preferences and only charge the earphones to 80%, hitting 100% just before it expects you’ll use them. This is part of Apple’s effort to slow down battery death. Although this is a positive step, using your AirPods frequently will shorten their lifespan. The life of Li-ion battery cells is reduced with each charge and discharge cycle, and wireless charging hastens battery deterioration even more. You’ll need a set of environmentally friendly headphones because no set of wireless earphones is really sustainable.
Price
Conclusion
Rich, warm audio with a large soundstage and just the appropriate amount of bass. The additional vocal clarity adds a pleasant touch of immersiveness to all genres. These flowers are excellent in other ways as well. The ANC performance is excellent, the seamless connectivity with iOS continues to be the best available, and the case has learned a few helpful tips. The AirPods Pro 2 are the greatest all-around earphones available if you use an iPhone, even though their deep ties to the iOS and macOS ecosystems make them more difficult to recommend to Android users.
