Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro will begin arriving to customers and will launch in stores on Friday, September 23. In advance, the first reviews of the wireless headphones have now been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels.
Priced at $249, the second-generation AirPods Pro feature improved audio quality, longer battery life, and up to 2x more noise cancellation than the original AirPods Pro. They feature swipe-based volume control, an improved built-in skin-detect sensor that more accurately turns audio playback on or off, and a new XS ear tip option.
The new AirPods Pro have an updated charging case with a built-in speaker and the U1 chip that supports Find My with precision finding, an opening for attaching a lanyard for convenient carrying, and IPX4-rated water and sweat resistance. In addition to Lightning and MagSafe, the case can now be charged with the Apple Watch charger.
We’ve collected both written and video reviews of the new AirPods Pro below.
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The VergeIts Chris Welch says there are “answerable” improvements to active word cancellation:
But Apple has made considerable gains with its active noise cancellation. The company says, on average, the new app is “up to” twice as effective as the original AirPods Pro. And although I lack any scientific measuring equipment, that claim doesn’t seem unrealistic. In our office, I recently moved desks and now sit near an air vent that emits a constant vortex. The original AirPods Pro leave a mark on it in noise-canceling mode, but it’s completely quiet and invisible with the second-gen pair. I can still hear colleagues chatting when they walk right by my desk, but most of the time, the AirPods Pro give me plenty of peace. I’ve also noticed a legitimate improvement when commuting on the subway, and the overall street noise is less when commuting through Brooklyn each day.
Welch also noted the overall improved sound quality:
Let’s dig right into its sound quality. Apple completely redesigned the amplifier and drivers in AirPods Pro, and while those drivers are the same 11-millimeter size as third-gen AirPods, they sound louder and deliver the clearest, most dynamic output of any AirPods to date.
EngadgetIts Billy Steele achieved nearly six hours of battery life as advertised:
During my testing, I managed six hours and fifteen minutes of use with a mix of noise cancellation, transparency mode and calls. That’s longer than the previous generation (4.5 hours) and is on par with most of the competition these days. Sure, some companies offer 10-plus hours on a charge, but the noise-cancelling products I’ve tested average around five to seven. More battery life would always be nice, but six or seven hours of Apple Masters is enough to get you through the workday if you take a short break.
GizmodoIts Andrew Liszewski says the new swipe-based volume control feature is a welcome upgrade, but can be “a little finicky” on occasion:
It’s a welcome upgrade, but unfortunately one that I found a little finicky to operate. It sometimes requires a few swipes before anything happens.
As I generally dislike touching my earbuds while wearing them (it inevitably moves them a bit), I’ll probably continue to use Siri voice commands for volume adjustments or track skipping (something Siri does very well).
Mobile syrupIts Patrick O’Rourke says the swipe-based volume control is his favorite new AirPods Pro feature, offering a more convenient listening experience:
In my experience, the new AirPods Pro volume touch controls are very responsive and work with subtle changes. If you, for example, want to turn the volume up or down just a notch or two, you can do so with a short swipe. The controls are also marked with a slight clicking sound, indicating that they are active and working. In my several days with the AirPods Pro (2nd-Gen) I didn’t run into any accidental presses, even long-pressing the stem to toggle active noise cancellation on/off or double-pressing it to jump between songs.
On-device touch volume control is by far my favorite new AirPods Pro feature. The convenience and ease of use of changing the volume level directly on the AirPods Pro (2nd-Gen) without needing to take out my iPhone, really can’t be understated.
O’Rourke added that iOS 16’s personalized spatial audio feature isn’t very noticeable:
In theory, I like the idea of tuning the audio specifically to the shape of your ears, but in practice, it doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s also worth noting that while I really like spatial audio when watching movies or TV shows on a platform like Apple TV+, I find it hit or miss with music, especially when a track wasn’t originally recorded and remastered with the technology in mind.
wiredIts Parker Hall says the charging case’s new built-in speaker “plays pretty loud” to help with Find My Location tracking, but he wishes the case had a USB-C port for wired charging instead of the usual Lightning connector:
Need to locate the case through Apple’s Find My app? Now you can, and it rings pretty loud. It makes a little jingle as it starts charging. Speaking of which, you can charge wirelessly as usual (the case also supports MagSafe), but it’s a shame that Apple is still relying on the Lightning port instead of USB-C.
