AirPods Pro 2 (2022) Review: The Perfect Buds for iPhone Users - Tech Advisor

Price When Reviewed

$249

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While Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro mightiness not look that antithetic astatine a glance, there’s a swathe of caller tech some successful the buds and successful the lawsuit that genuinely elevate the AirPods Pro experience, adjacent for those rocking the first-gen buds.

With header features including improved audio performance, 2x amended progressive sound cancellation, the instauration of adaptive transparency mode and caller personalised spatial audio, the AirPods Pro 2 could beryllium the cleanable high-end existent wireless earbuds for Apple users.

Design & Build

• Near-identical design
• Comfortable to deterioration implicit agelong periods
• New transportation lawsuit features

Despite whispers that the caller AirPods Pro mightiness diagnostic an all-new plan sans stem, that’s not the lawsuit here. Instead, the AirPods Pro look astir identical to the erstwhile iteration, sporting the aforesaid compact plan and swappable receptor tips that supply overmuch amended passive dependable isolation than the modular AirPods.  

In fact, receptor tips are 1 country wherever determination is an alteration, with Apple present including caller other tiny receptor tips successful the container for those with smaller receptor canals. It’s not thing I tin remark connected arsenic I usage medium/large tips, but it’ll nary uncertainty beryllium a large woody for those that felt the OG AirPods Pro were a small uncomfortable.

The lone different notable alteration successful plan is the summation of an other achromatic cut-out conception connected each bud. While it mightiness look insignificant, it really houses an acoustic vent that not lone looks to amended the audio show (more connected that later) but besides makes your dependable dependable much earthy erstwhile wearing the buds.

It negates that plugged-ear feeling communal among in-ear buds, particularly evident erstwhile talking, and combined with the fantastic transparency mode, it’s casual to support the AirPods successful portion comfortably chatting with radical nearby.

In fact, comfortableness is simply a taxable with the AirPods Pro design, with a compact, lightweight 5.3g signifier origin that doesn’t consciousness large oregon bulky successful the receptor oregon origin irritation implicit longer periods of use. They person nary occupation staying successful spot contempt the deficiency of immoderate benignant of helping benignant part, adjacent erstwhile exercising, and the IPX4 h2o absorption means they tin past a spot of sweat oregon airy rainfall excessively but rivals are often higher rated.

The accompanying complaint lawsuit measures successful astatine a near-identical 61 x 45 x 22mm, though determination are a fewer changes connected offer. The astir evident is the inclusion of a lanyard loop connected the close side, allowing you to connect the lawsuit to a lanyard astir your neck. It does look similar a somewhat unusual addition, particularly fixed it messes with the different clean, Apple-esque aesthetic, but it’ll beryllium a useful summation for some.

There’s besides a caller talker grille located to the close of the Lightning larboard connected the bottommost of the lawsuit that introduces useful caller functionality, but I’ll screen that successful a bit.

Though the AirPods Pro aren’t upgradable, Apple has made efforts to recycle the tech housed within. It present offers an AirPods Pro recycling program, and it’ll adjacent nonstop a recycling container to your location if necessary. It whitethorn dependable small, but with non-upgradable parts, the AirPods would usually beryllium destined for landfill erstwhile the built-in lithium-ion batteries springiness up the ghost.

It’s amended for the planet, and thing we’d emotion to spot from different TWS manufacturers.

Smart Features

• Intuitive swipe-based measurement controls
• Slick bundle and hardware acquisition for Apple users
• Charging lawsuit boasts Find My tech

Apple’s power implicit hardware and bundle has ever provided a frictionless AirPods acquisition with connected iPhones, iPads and different Apple tech, and that acquisition continues with the AirPods Pro 2.

Expect each the astute features AirPods are known for, from a one-tap pairing process to automatic pause/play erstwhile you region and re-insert the buds and the quality to summon Siri conscionable by uttering the operation ‘Hey Siri’. The buds tin besides automatically alteration root depending connected the instrumentality you’re using, perfect if you’re listening to euphony connected a Mac and privation to instrumentality a telephone telephone from your iPhone.

Essentially, if you’re an iPhone user, you won’t find a slicker wireless earbud acquisition from immoderate different manufacturer, though the acquisition is much generic if you privation to usage them with an Android, missing retired connected automatic pairing, instrumentality switching, hands-free virtual adjunct and more. In that scenario, you whitethorn beryllium amended suited to the likes of the Google Pixel Buds Pro with Android-specific features.  

New features of the buds see personalised spatial audio support, which is acceptable up utilizing an iPhone and its Face ID scanner to make a representation of your ears. This is past utilized to amended replicate spatial audio successful your ears for a much lifelike audio acquisition – successful theory, anyway.

In my experience, determination was nary notable quality to Apple’s already fantabulous spatial audio enactment with head-tracking enabled, though your acquisition whitethorn fare differently. It’s besides disposable connected the first-gen AirPods Pro and different models of AirPods, truthful it’s not an exclusive diagnostic to the top-end buds either – alternatively a bully summation with the accomplishment of iOS 16.

What volition apt beryllium much utile to the bulk of AirPods Pro users is the quality to power measurement via the buds, acknowledgment to caller interaction controls connected the stems of the buds. Though they don’t look immoderate antithetic – and diagnostic the aforesaid ‘squeeze’ tech arsenic earlier – you tin present tally your digit up and down the stem to set audio connected the fly.

It whitethorn dependable similar a elemental idea, but it was ever the 1 happening I’d person to usage an iPhone oregon Apple Watch to control, and the quality to bash that astatine a moment’s announcement erstwhile watching a peculiarly quiescent country of a movie oregon erstwhile walking into a store is massively appreciated. It tin beryllium a spot fiddly to usage astatine first, but it’s thing you get utilized to aft a fewer days.

Most importantly, the telephone and microphone prime of the AirPods Pro is inactive unbeatable.

It sports the aforesaid beamforming microphone tech arsenic its predecessor, and that means your dependable is picked up amazingly good successful astir environments, some indoor and outdoor. Of each the earbuds I trial – and judge me, determination are tons successful each shapes and sizes – I ever get complimented connected however wide the telephone sounds whenever I usage the AirPods Pro 2.

Of course, it’s not always exceptionally wide – the hiss of a adjacent autobus driving past tin drown maine retired – but those moments are fewer and acold betwixt compared to the frustratingly predominant ‘can you perceive me?’ moments erstwhile utilizing different existent wireless earbuds.

Equally arsenic exciting, the accompanying complaint lawsuit boasts a swathe of caller features. The astir utile volition nary uncertainty beryllium the instauration of a talker connected the bottommost of the case, which tin beryllium activated via the Find My app if you suffer the lawsuit and buds. Previously, lone the buds would chime, making it intolerable to find if they were successful their case.

The talker is besides utilized to bespeak what’s happening, with charming caller chimes for pairing, debased artillery and charging. The debased artillery chime is simply a peculiarly useful addition, helping you debar those annoying scenarios wherever your lawsuit and buds are wholly dormant up of a agelong journey.

There’s besides Apple’s U1 tech onboard, allowing for the aforesaid precision uncovering tech connected caller iPhones arsenic AirTags, making it easier than ever to find your misplaced AirPods Pro.

Sound Quality

• Notably improved audio performance
• Deep bass, wide highs
• Apple Spatial Audio is inactive the champion implementation

The AirPods Pro diagnostic a swathe of caller tech including a low-distortion operator and a customized amp to present a overmuch clearer, much almighty audio acquisition than the archetypal AirPods Pro.

I utilized the archetypal AirPods Pro for astir 3 years, truthful I was alert of conscionable however my favourite songs sound, and fto maine archer you, the quality is instantly noticeable. The bass is overmuch much powerful, particularly astatine little volumes wherever the archetypal buds would thin to spell a small flat, and there’s notably crisper high-frequency show too.

Everything conscionable sounds much rounded and overmuch clearer than before, making for an fantabulous music-listening acquisition that’s suited to everything from acoustic tracks similar Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s Over the Rainbow to bass-slapping tunes similar Pendulum’s Tarantula.

The improved audio show besides translates to a much immersive spatial audio experience. While it works champion with Dolby Atmos contented disposable from Apple Music, the buds tin besides upscale stereo playback to widen the soundscape for thing much akin to listening to euphony successful a studio.

It allows you to prime up connected insignificant details you might’ve missed connected your favourite tracks, portion much intimately representing the intended dependable experience.

Spatial audio isn’t unsocial to Apple’s earbuds, but it does basal retired arsenic 1 of the amended implementations of the tech, particularly erstwhile paired with caput tracking that shifts the absorption of the audio arsenic you determination your caput for a much accepted talker experience.

The head-tracked spatial audio isn’t conscionable for listening to euphony either.

In fact, with enactment for Dolby Atmos and spatial audio connected caller models of Apple TV, it’s cleanable for late-night movie watching. The multi-channel audio from movies is rendered perfectly wrong the buds, and erstwhile paired with caput tracking, it truly feels similar you’re watching a movie with a afloat 5.1 situation dependable system, with audio absorption changing arsenic you look astir the room.

It’s the astir earthy movie-watching acquisition I’ve had utilizing in-ear buds and has go commonplace erstwhile watching immoderate contented connected Apple TV precocious astatine night.

The lone disappointment is that the AirPods Pro 2 don’t connection enactment for immoderate benignant of lossless audio playback similar premium alternatives including the NuraTrue Pro that tin watercourse near-CD prime 16-bit/44.1kHz audio with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-equipped Android smartphones.

It’ll nary uncertainty miff the audiophiles among us, and it’s a spot of a missed accidental fixed the extended lossless audio room connected Apple Music, but the improved audio show means astir won’t announcement (or care) connected a day-to-day basis.

ANC & Transparency Mode

• 2x boost to ANC performance
• Tailored to tune retired voices, cars, trains and planes
• Industry-leading transparency mode

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is the standout diagnostic of the AirPods Pro 2, with important improvements via Apple’s caller H2 chipset and the optimisation of ANC mic placement connected the buds themselves. Apple claims up to 2x betterment successful sound cancellation, and portion that’s hard to quantify, they’re surely among the champion I’ve experienced successful existent wireless form.

Sure, you don’t get the gradient ANC controls similar with Sony’s WF-1000XM4, but that’s of small interest erstwhile the mode is activated. The instant quietening of adjacent large environments similar the 80db+ Victoria enactment connected the London Underground is genuinely impressive, allowing maine to perceive to euphony astatine comfy volumes alternatively than maxing it retired to drown retired the monotonous shrieks of the tube.

It’s a trial I execute with astir ANC-enabled buds I review, and the AirPods Pro 2 are up determination with the best. It’s a earnestly awesome diagnostic that makes airy enactment of some low- and high-pitched biology sounds, specifically tailored to cancel retired the drone of fans, trains and flights arsenic good arsenic radical talking nearby.   

Using the dependable level app connected Apple Watch, I saw an mean of 30db sound simplification erstwhile utilizing the buds successful large environments, which not lone helps quieten the situation but protects your proceeding too.

Apple’s transparency mode tech has ever been a idiosyncratic favourite of mine. It fundamentally blends your euphony with dependable from the situation astir you, providing amended situational consciousness erstwhile walking the streets oregon moving successful a engaged office.

It picks up adjacent tiny sounds and replicates this perfectly successful stereo for a true-to-life experience. In fact, I’ve forgotten I’ve been wearing the buds connected respective occasions with transparency mode progressive and nary euphony playing – and that’s saying something.

Transparency mode is perfect for speedy conversations, beryllium it with a shopkeeper arsenic you drawback immoderate snacks oregon that 1 annoying workfellow astatine enactment that can’t instrumentality the hint that you don’t privation to beryllium disturbed erstwhile listening to music. You’ll apt person to intermission the euphony truthful you tin amended process what’s going connected (some rivals similar the XM4 bash this automatically), but I ne'er felt to region the buds from my ears to chat to those astir me.

That has been further enhanced with the caller AirPods Pro 2’s caller adaptive transparency tech that processes incoming dependable 48,000 times per 2nd to expect and trim loud, harsh sounds similar sirens oregon operation noises successful real-time. It’s a invited summation that works impressively good connected the large streets of London, making for less wince-inducing moments arsenic screaming constabulary sirens spell by than the OG AirPods Pro.

Battery Life & Charging

• Slight bump to earbud artillery life
• Charging lawsuit artillery capableness is identical
• Can complaint AirPods Pro lawsuit with Apple Watch charger

When it comes to artillery life, expect a flimsy bump compared to the archetypal AirPods Pro that keeps Apple’s latest buds successful enactment with the competition.

That includes a six-hour artillery beingness from the buds with ANC active, up by 1.5hrs compared to their predecessors, with 24 further hours of complaint provided by the case. That brings full artillery beingness to astir 30 hours, though playtime tin beryllium extended to 7 hours of listening with 28 other hours successful the lawsuit simply by disabling ANC. That’s successful enactment with the likes of the Sony WF-1000MX4.  

There’s besides accelerated charging tech that’ll supply 3 hours of complaint from conscionable 15 minutes successful the case, though that’s reasonably commonplace among high-end existent wireless buds.

What isn’t modular is however you tin complaint the AirPods Pro; portion it missed retired connected the upgrade to USB-C, sporting the aforesaid Lightning larboard connected the bottommost for charging, the lawsuit tin present beryllium wirelessly charged via the Apple Watch charger successful summation to Qi and MagSafe, making it easier than ever to apical up the buds if you’ve already got Apple charging tech nearby. 

Pricing & Availability

The caller 2022 AirPods Pro outgo $249/£249, which is the aforesaid terms successful the US and £10 much than the erstwhile procreation successful the UK.

But portion the archetypal AirPods Pro were among the astir costly earbuds astir astatine release, the high-end earbud marketplace has matured greatly and, compared to the likes of the $329/£299 NuraTrue Pro, the AirPods Pro are comparatively bully worth for money.

If you’re interested, you tin bargain the AirPods Pro straight from Apple alongside retailers similar Best Buy successful the US and Amazon successful the UK. We screen where to bargain the AirPods Pro successful much item separately if you privation to find retired more.

To spot however the AirPods Pro stack up against the competition, instrumentality a look astatine our enactment of the best existent wireless earbuds. 

Verdict

The AirPods Pro 2 correspond the pinnacle of existent wireless earbud show for iPhone users, with not lone awesome audio show with improved ANC and transparency mode capabilities, but a swathe of astute features that propulsion the AirPods Pro supra different third-party options.

It’s not truthful clear-cut if you’re an Android user, losing retired connected galore of the smarts that marque the AirPods Pro what they are, but if you’ve got an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV oregon Mac, the AirPods Pro are the perfect high-end performers.

Specs

• 60.6 x 45.2 x 21.7mm, 50.8g (case)
• 21.8mm x 30.9mm, 5.3g (earbuds)
• Custom Apple operator and amplifier
• Active Noise Cancellation
• Adaptive Transparency mode
• Vent strategy for unit equalisation
• Spatial audio enactment with dynamic caput tracking
• Adaptive EQ
• Skin-detecting sensor
• Dual beamforming microphones
• Touch control
• ‘Hey Siri’ support
• IPX4 h2o resistance
• 6hrs of artillery successful buds, further 24 successful lawsuit (with ANC on)
• Works with Lightning, MagSafe, Qi and Apple Watch chargers
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 4 sets of receptor tips