Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Friday, September 23. In advance, the first reviews of the wireless headphones have already been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels.
Priced at $249, the second-generation AirPods Pro offer improved audio quality, longer battery life, and up to 2x better noise cancellation compared to the original AirPods Pro. They also feature slide-based volume control, an improved built-in skin detection sensor that turns audio playback on or off more precisely, and a new XS ear tip option.
The new AirPods Pro feature an updated charging case with a built-in speaker and a U1 chip for Find My assistance with Precision Finding, an opening to attach a lanyard for added convenience, and water and dust resistance. sweat rated IPX4. In addition to Lightning and MagSafe, the case can now be charged with an Apple Watch charger.
We’ve gathered both written and video reviews of the new AirPods Pro below.
Written reviews
Chris Welch of The Verge said there are “substantial” improvements to active noise cancellation:
But Apple has made substantial gains with its active noise cancellation. The company says that, on average, the new implementation is “up to” twice as effective as the original AirPods Pro. And although I lack the tools of scientific measurement, this statement does not seem unrealistic. In our office, I recently moved desks and now sit near an air vent that emits a persistent hum. The original AirPods Pro leave a trace of this in noise-canceling mode, but it’s completely muted and unnoticeable with the second-generation pair. I can still hear co-workers chatting if they walk right by my desk, but most of the time, the AirPods Pro give me a lot of peace of mind. I’ve also noticed legitimate improvements when commuting on the subway, and less overall street noise when traversing Brooklyn on a day-to-day basis.
Welch also noted an improvement in overall sound quality:
Let’s dig right into the sound quality. Apple completely redesigned the amplifier and driver in the AirPods Pro, and while these drivers are the same 11mm size as the third-generation AirPods, they sound superior and offer the cleanest, most dynamic output of all the AirPods so far.
Engadget’s Billy Steele got about six hours of battery life as advertised:
During my tests, I managed six hours and fifteen minutes of use with a combination of noise cancellation, transparency mode and calls. That’s more than the previous generation (4.5 hours) and on par with most of the competition these days. Of course, some companies offer more than 10 hours on a charge, but the average is between five and seven for the noise-cancelling products I’ve tested. More battery life would always be nice, but Apple’s six to seven hours of meeting is enough to get you through the workday if you take a short break.
Gizmodo’s Andrew Liszewski said the new swipe-based volume control feature is a welcome update, but can be “a bit touchy” at times:
It’s a welcome update, but unfortunately one that I found a little finicky to run. Sometimes it took a couple of hits before anything happened.
As someone who generally hates having to touch my headphones while wearing them (it inevitably displaces them a bit), I’ll probably continue to use Siri’s voice commands to adjust the volume or skip tracks (the only thing Siri does really good) .
MobileSyrup’s Patrick O’Rourke said the swipe-based volume control is his favorite new AirPods Pro feature, offering a more comfortable listening experience:
In my experience, the new AirPods Pro volume touch controls are extremely responsive and work with subtle changes. If, for example, you just want to turn the volume down or up a notch or two, you can do so with a short swipe. The controls are also marked with a slight clicking noise, indicating that they are active and working. I didn’t encounter any accidental presses during my days with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation), even while long-pressing the stem to turn active noise cancellation on/off or double-pressing to skip between songs.
The on-device touch volume controls are by far my favorite new AirPods Pro feature. You really can’t understate the convenience and ease of use of being able to change volume levels directly on the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) without having to pull out my iPhone.
O’Rourke added that iOS 16’s custom spatial audio feature isn’t very noticeable:
In theory, I like the idea of the audio fitting specifically to the shape of the ear, but in practice, it doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s also worth noting that while I really enjoy spatial audio when watching movies or TV shows on platforms like Apple TV+, I find the music to be hit or miss, especially when a song isn’t playing originally recorded with technology in mind and has been remastered. .
WIRED’s Parker Hall said the charging case’s new built-in speaker “sounds pretty loud” to help with tracking my location, but he wishes the case had a USB-C port for wired charging instead of the regular Lightning connector:
Need to find the case using Apple’s Find My app? Now you can, and it sounds pretty loud. It also makes a little jingle when it starts charging. Speaking of which, you can charge wirelessly as usual (the case also supports MagSafe), but it’s a shame to see Apple still rely on the Lightning port instead of USB-C.