Yesterday, Apple officially announced the new generation of AirPods Pro. Are you considering to preorder the new in-ear AirPods? Whether your AirPods are basically stuck to your ear or are considering buying your first AirPods, Here we illustrate all the news things of the new brand and the comparison with the AirPods 2 for your reference before booking.
What should you do? If you're on the fence about the AirPods Pro, then wait. There's no shame in learning whether the quality of their speakers, or the prowess of their noise-cancelling capabilities, are worth the price—especially since there are so many options out there if noise-cancelling is your top priority.
If you know you want to get the AirPods Pro and need a little extra confirmation, then order them; you'll have 14 days to return them if you don't like them, or if future reviews say they aren't very good after all. Make sure you've kept everything—the box, the cables, etc.—and I would recommend not getting your AirPods Pro engraved in any way. Engraved or "personalized" items aren't eligible for exchanges, per Apple's policy, and I wouldn't want to risk it by having Apple carve your name into your preordered wireless charging case.
2. Three different silicon ear tips that you can use to get the perfect fit for your new ‘Pods—and an essential part of blocking out sound, too
3. Slightly shorter "sticks" coming out of your ears (1.22 inches in height versus 1.59 inches)
4. A Lightning to USB-C cable in the box, rather than a Lightning to USB cable. (Slowly, but surely, the march to USB-C continues. The wireless charging case itself still connects with Lightning; it's the other end of the cable that's different.)
5. An "Adaptive EQ" feature that automatically "tunes the low- and mid-frequencies of the music to the shape of an individual's ear”
6. A new "force sensor" that you can press and hold to switch between the AirPods Pro’s noise-cancelling and "Transparency Mode," which lets you listen to music, or podcasts, or whatever and still hear your outside environment
7. A new "Ear Tip Fit Test" that, according to Apple, uses the AirPods' microphones (and accompanying software) to “measure the sound level in the ear and compare it to what is coming from the speaker driver." In doing so, you'll be able to figure out—if you couldn’t already—whether the ear tip you've selected is the best for the size and shape of your ear, acoustically.
8. Sweat and water resistance (IPX4). Don't go swimming with them, but don't freak out if they get a gentle misting as you walk by someone doing a spit take.
9. A slightly higher price tag to repair out of warranty ($89), not the $69 of their slightly less tech-savvy siblings. The wireless charging case, slightly more svelte with the AirPods Pro, will also cost you an extra $20 to repair out of warranty.
10. Slightly less compatibility. According to Apple's site, the AirPods Pro are not compatible with an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus; the sixth-generation iPod Touch; the first-generation iPad Air; or the iPad Mini 2 and 3. It's possible that Apple is cutting super-old devices from the list and that the AirPods Pro will still work with them, but I wouldn't risk it if you're looking to pair the ancient with the new.
Part 1. Are the AirPods Pro any good?
We don’t know. Nobody has reviewed them as of when we published this article, and Apple likes to play these things close to the vest. With the release date all of two days away (October 30), it's unclear if you'll see any big reviews before the AirPods Pro officially drop. While I'm always of the opinion that preordering devices (and games) sight unseen is stupid, I would also be annoyed if I had to wait an extra week (or weeks, or a month) because everyone else preordered something that I eventually convinced myself to buy.What should you do? If you're on the fence about the AirPods Pro, then wait. There's no shame in learning whether the quality of their speakers, or the prowess of their noise-cancelling capabilities, are worth the price—especially since there are so many options out there if noise-cancelling is your top priority.
If you know you want to get the AirPods Pro and need a little extra confirmation, then order them; you'll have 14 days to return them if you don't like them, or if future reviews say they aren't very good after all. Make sure you've kept everything—the box, the cables, etc.—and I would recommend not getting your AirPods Pro engraved in any way. Engraved or "personalized" items aren't eligible for exchanges, per Apple's policy, and I wouldn't want to risk it by having Apple carve your name into your preordered wireless charging case.
Part 2. All the New Features of the AirPods Pro
1. A bonus microphone! As Apple describes:"A second inward-facing microphone listens toward the ear, and AirPods Pro cancel remaining noise detected by the microphone.”2. Three different silicon ear tips that you can use to get the perfect fit for your new ‘Pods—and an essential part of blocking out sound, too
3. Slightly shorter "sticks" coming out of your ears (1.22 inches in height versus 1.59 inches)
4. A Lightning to USB-C cable in the box, rather than a Lightning to USB cable. (Slowly, but surely, the march to USB-C continues. The wireless charging case itself still connects with Lightning; it's the other end of the cable that's different.)
5. An "Adaptive EQ" feature that automatically "tunes the low- and mid-frequencies of the music to the shape of an individual's ear”
6. A new "force sensor" that you can press and hold to switch between the AirPods Pro’s noise-cancelling and "Transparency Mode," which lets you listen to music, or podcasts, or whatever and still hear your outside environment
7. A new "Ear Tip Fit Test" that, according to Apple, uses the AirPods' microphones (and accompanying software) to “measure the sound level in the ear and compare it to what is coming from the speaker driver." In doing so, you'll be able to figure out—if you couldn’t already—whether the ear tip you've selected is the best for the size and shape of your ear, acoustically.
8. Sweat and water resistance (IPX4). Don't go swimming with them, but don't freak out if they get a gentle misting as you walk by someone doing a spit take.
9. A slightly higher price tag to repair out of warranty ($89), not the $69 of their slightly less tech-savvy siblings. The wireless charging case, slightly more svelte with the AirPods Pro, will also cost you an extra $20 to repair out of warranty.
10. Slightly less compatibility. According to Apple's site, the AirPods Pro are not compatible with an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus; the sixth-generation iPod Touch; the first-generation iPad Air; or the iPad Mini 2 and 3. It's possible that Apple is cutting super-old devices from the list and that the AirPods Pro will still work with them, but I wouldn't risk it if you're looking to pair the ancient with the new.
Part 3. What Makes the AirPods Pro Not that Different from a Pair of AirPods?
- You can get a wireless charging case for both—worry not. (The AirPods Pro will cost you an extra $50 compared to the regular AirPods and wireless charging case combination.)
- The chip—still an H1, like the second-generation AirPods.
- Still uses a Lightning cable to charge if you’re not going wireless (Sorry, USB-C fans).
- Same battery life-ish. You get five hours on both the AirPods and AirPods Pro if you aren’t using the latter’s fancier features. Flip on the AirPods Pro’s noise cancellation and transparency features, and your battery life will drop a little faster—4.5 hours, indicates Apple’s specs
- You still get "more than" a day's worth of listening time when you use your AirPods or AirPods Pro with a fully charged wireless charging case. (The AirPods only get "up to 18 hours of talk time" in this setup, whereas the AirPods Pro get "more than 18 hours of talk time.")
- Probably the same charging capabilities. Apple has messed with the math on this one, describing the AirPods' charging capabilities as: "15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours listening time or up to 2 hours talk time.” For the AirPods Pro, Apple says that, "5 minutes in the case provides around 1 hour of listening time or around 1 hour of talk time.”
- Same colors. No crazy color variants for the AirPods Pro (for now), regardless of rumors
- No discounts. Sorry, educational store shoppers—the AirPods and AirPods Pro both cost the same regardless of whether you're shopping the "student" site for deals or the main Apple online store
- You still can't replace the battery in the AirPods or AirPods Pro
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