AirPods Pro 2 get better every year, and iOS 18 furthers that trend

AirPods Pro 2 have been one of my best Apple buys ever. It’s hard to think of another Apple product that has only gotten better since purchase.

iPhones, iPads, and Macs all get software updates each year, but their performance also tends to struggle a bit over time. New OS versions are designed to work best with the newest hardware. With AirPods Pro 2—a product I initially hesitated to buy—Apple has managed to only make them better and better each year. And that’s happening again with iOS 18.

Almost passing up on AirPods Pro 2

In the lead-up to AirPods Pro 2’s 2022 debut, I was confident I’d be saving my money on this latest Apple product. I was extremely happy with my first-gen AirPods Pro, and none of the rumored features were all that compelling to me.

Then I read Apple’s announcement press release, and quickly gave in.

Features like an upgraded noise cancellation, the new Adaptive Transparency mode, and better battery life made it hard to say no.

And in a pleasant surprise, Apple’s yearly feature upgrades since then have made the product better than ever. My purchase has only been proven more and more worthwhile over time.

Yearly feature upgrades, including with iOS 18

Last June when iOS 17 was introduced, Apple also showcased some powerful new features coming for AirPods—with most exclusive to AirPods Pro 2.

• Adaptive Audio brought the best of noise cancellation and transparency together in one mode
• Conversation Awareness made it easy to engage in the real world without needing to remove an AirPod every time I wanted to speak
• Automatic Switching got upgraded and finally worked seamlessly (for me at least)

All of these changes were unexpected when I first bought AirPods Pro 2, but they’ve made my experience with the device better.

And now, in iOS 18, Apple is bringing even more capabilities to my two-year-old AirPods Pro 2.

• Voice Isolation to improve calls in noisy environments
• Support for nodding or shaking your head to respond to Siri
• Upgrades to personalized spatial audio

None of these are features I was particularly pining for, but they’re all set to make the AirPods experience just a little bit better.

That’s the truly impressive thing Apple has done with AirPods Pro 2: at launch they delivered a product that was truly compelling, not deficient in any notable way. Yet for two years running they’ve managed to add features that make a great product even better.

Which leads to the question: what about AirPods Pro 3?

Who needs AirPods Pro 3?

Rumors indicate that, while this fall will bring new AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2, we’re not due for an AirPods Pro upgrade until 2025.

Remarkably though, Apple waiting 3+ years between new AirPods Pro models is not a problem at all.

The company has continued to make AirPods Pro 2 feel fresh and powerful through firmware updates, and it’s hard not to be satisfied with that.

AirPods Pro 2 are available on Amazon for $169 for Prime Day, down from the normal $250 price.

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