The AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) made its global debut along with new iPhones during the recently concluded Apple’s annual fall event.
The new AirPods Pro looks similar to the predecessor, but internally it comes with big upgrades such as the latest H2-series headphone chip, promising an improved ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) feature, enhanced audio delivery, and also longer battery life. Here are my thoughts on Apple
Design and build quality
As said earlier, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is identical to its predecessor. It has a short stem, but a very sensitive to touch inputs. It instantly responds to swipe gestures, which is new to this model. You can swipe up and down on the stem to control the volume of the music.
Also, for the first time, Apple has incorporated the XS (extra small) silicone tips with the retail box. There will be one pre-installed onto the AirPods earbuds and the other three sets in sizes– Large, Smal, and XS are in the compact box.
Though I like the black and white colour tone of the AirPods, the snowy earbud tips are prone to get stained soon, due to the earwax buildup inside the canal. You can either pull the earbud tips from the AirPods and wipe them with pure water and dry them completely and only then, put it back on the buds. For more information, Apple has a dedicated support page on how to clean those tips and the case without damaging them.
Apple’s TWS buds are very light and weigh just 5.3gms each. Even with the tropical climate here in India, I did not face any issues while playing music or watching videos for hours.
The case has a new design. Notable additions include a lanyard loop feature, which comes in handy for users to tag the case to a backpack or use it as key chain. And, inside, it comes with the Apple U1 chip and this will help iPhone user locate their lost AirPods Pro case with turn-by-turn Precision Finding, similar to the AirTags.
And, the case houses a bigger and better speaker and this ensures, it delivers a louder sound to help users can hear and locate the lost AirPods case even if it is under the crevices of the sofa better than ever before. And, yes, the case and AirPods Pro buds too, come with a sweat-and-water-resistant rating too.
And, like most Apple products, the new AirPods Pro(2nd Gen)’s earbuds, the case, and the retail box are also manufactured using environmentally friendly processes. Even the materials are responsibly sourced. Some of the critical components such as magnets are made 100 percent recycled rare earth elements, and for the first time — 100 per cent recycled gold is used in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards.
The case also comes with 100 per cent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the hinge. AirPods Pro is said to be free of potentially harmful substances such as mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium.
And, the redesigned packaging has no outer plastic wrap at all, and more than 90 per cent of the packaging is made using fiber-based materials.
Performance
Like all previous AirPods iterations, the new model too, is very easy to pair with Apple devices. Just open the case, and the AirPods Pro animation pops on Apple iPhone/Mac/iPad screen.
And users have to just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process which barely takes two minutes and once done, the AirPods Pro, when taken out from the case, always automatically connects with a companion device.
Also, AirPods Pro buds boast advanced sensitive skin-detect sensors and a motion-detecting accelerometer, which can sense if they are on the ears or not. If taken out from the ears, they pause the media playing on the companion device.
Also, the stem offers a tactile feel while performing single/double/triple squeeze gestures, produces a ticking sound to reassure the user the touch input is received, and works efficiently.
A single squeeze will pause the media or enable the user to answer calls. If you have enabled Announce Notifications feature, the AirPods will tell you who’s calling. And, you don’t have to pick the iPhone from your pocket to see who and respond. Just single-press the stem and start talking.
With two press gestures, you can skip the song to the next and by pressing thrice, you can go back to the previous song.
As said in the earlier design section, the touch sensor on top of the stem is very sensitive and can be used to control the music.
And, with a long press, you can switch between ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and Adaptive Transparency Mode.
Inside, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) houses the new H2 headphone chipset, which comes integrated with a custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier to deliver a really good listening experience be it answering calls or playing music. The audio delivery is great and even with just the acoustic-based tracks too, they come off delightful to the ears.
The new AirPods Pro also boasts personalised spatial audio with a dynamic head-tracking feature. Users have to enable them in the settings option and with the support of Apple iPhone’s front camera, they have to share the front, right and left sides of their face to deliver the best stereo sound is precise and people feel an immersive listening experience. Yes, it does live up to the hype.
The AirPods Pro buds feature a vent system for pressure equalisation to minimize discomfort when ANC is on. And, with H2 working in the background, the dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone, ensure answering calls is a pleasant experience; not just for the user but also, for the person on the other side of the call, as the latter can hear clear voice with minimal disturbance.
I have to note that if the volume is a little over 50 per cent, there is absolutely no noise obstruction from the surrounding environment, particularly when playing music. I recommend users switch from ANC to the Adaptive Transparency mode while navigating a busy street. Also, the latter comes in handy when you have to talk to a person without having to remove the AirPods from the ears.
And, AirPods Pro’s mics are very good at picking the user’s voice. I was able to summon Siri via AirPods Pro, at a busy bus shelter to make a phone call, just using voice commands without attracting attention from people around. This was a surprisingly great experience and never had to repeat the name in the contact list.
As far as the battery life is concerned, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is said to offer six hours of listening time and 4.5 hours of call talk time. And, with the case, they can last for up to 30 hours.
During the review period, I never had a chance to go on a long drive to test how long the device could last on a stretch; but, I did use them extensively for a whole week, answering phone calls from PRs pitching their stories for clients, attended product briefings and even listened to music during the long commute, almost three hours average between home and the office (to and fro) during office working days. And, at the end of the week, it had little less than 10 per cent. This is really good considering, how small the TWS earbuds are, and also, this tells how efficiently Apple H2 and algorithm work to ensure longer battery life compared to the predecessor, which has dimension.
Also, the deep integration with Apple devices will help users always know how much battery capacity is left in the AirPods and whenever it goes below 20 per cent, there will be notifications on the screen to alert you to charge the case; so that they don’t give up on you during an important virtual meeting or a call.
Besides the regular lighting-based USB cable or the MagSafe wireless charger (or any Qi-certified charging mat), users can also charge the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) case with an Apple Watch charger too.
Final thoughts
ANC, one of the major highlight features of the new AirPods Pro works great and lives up to the hype. Also, the deep integration with Apple devices and long battery life, makes it a more pleasant user experience.
Just open the case and the AirPods Pro buds flawlessly connect with the companion device. Also, the auto-switching between Apple devices is just so satisfyingly great. And, the volume control on the AirPods Pro stem is such great value addition over the first-generation model.
Overall, AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is a great upgrade over the predecessor and definitely the best TWS for an Apple device in the market.
Though AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) supports Android devices, users miss out on some crucial user experiences such as one-tap pairing and Find My, which help in locating the misplaced AirPods case in a quick time.
In India, AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) costs Rs 26,900. And, Apple is offering free engraving services on its official online store. Users can personalise the charging case with their individual Memoji, including custom-posed Memoji, Animoji, a curated list of stickers, and even support text in seven regional languages including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, and Gujarati in addition to English.
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