AirPods Pro review – Apple’s super-buds made even better with noise-cancellation and pounding bass
APPLE is gunning for your ears with a premium version of its iconic AirPods wireless earbuds – the AirPods Pro.
I've been trialling the new headphones, and testing their revamped design and noise-cancelling technology. Are they worth the £249 price? Easily.
The original Apple AirPods launched in December 2016, and were widely mocked.
But they're now a beloved (and strangely fashionable) gadget that has widely popularised wireless headphones.
Now Apple is hoping to have similar success by bringing noise-cancelling to more ears.
Noise-cancellation shuts out ambient sound. It's not new, but it's far from standard on modern headphones.
It's designed to make your audio clearer and easier to hear, by blocking the noise of an airplane, train or busy street.
Active Noise Cancellation
One of the problems with early AirPods was that they often struggled in noisy conditions – with their audio being overwhelmed by the surrounding din.
For the AirPods Pro, Apple is using two microphones that detect this unwanted background noise.
One of them is used to create equivalent anti-noise that cancels out annoying sounds before they reach your ear.
A second microphone listens towards the ear, cancelling out any remaining noise.
Apple says this noise-cancellation system continuously adapts the sound signal 200 times per second.
The effect is fantastic: the noise-cancellation works well even in very loud environments.
It doesn't block out all noise, but successfully muffles the noise of a train or chatty office.
Listening to music or hearing a podcast is infinitely improved in loud places. And even in the quiet, they still manage to shut out a general hum you probably didn't know was there.
In fact, the noise-cancelling is so useful that I've been wearing the AirPods Pro with no music on – just to keep London out of my lugs.
Transparency Mode
There are times when you do want to hear what's going on around you.
For those moments, Apple has added a Transparency Mode that feeds in external noise into the AirPods.
Maybe you're running and want to hear traffic. An actual life-saver.
I found it particularly useful for hearing train announcements. I'd get the info I needed, then flit back to Noise-Cancellation mode and return to my quiet bliss at rush-hour Waterloo Station.
Switching is easy – you just press a "force sensor" on the stem of either AirPod.
This button also works to play, pause or skip tracks, as well as answering and hanging up phone calls.
New AirPods design
There's also a new design! The AirPods Pro themselves are smaller, but come in a slightly wider case.
More importantly, each earbud comes with three differently-sized pairs of silicone ear tips.
When you set the AirPods up, there's an option to use noise to scan the shape of your ears – and make sure you're using the correct size for maximum seal and comfort.
The original AirPods fit me just fine, and the AirPods Pro were perfect with the middle-sized tips. I'm not sure if it's good Apple design, or I just have weirdly generic ears – but I'm happy either way.
The new AirPods Pro introduce that suction-y "pop" that all silicone tips produce, and it'll be jarring for people coming from original AirPods.
But Apple has helped the situation a little with a ventilation system that equalises pressure in your ear.
The new AirPods are also sweat- and water-resistant. Great fitness buffs, or anyone who likes...singing in the rain?
Improved sound
Apple has reconfigured the audio systems inside the AirPods for these ritzy in-ears.
There's an Adaptive EQ feature that automatically tunes the frequencies of the music to the shape of your ear.
In terms of raw audio, bass is where most of the improvements lie.
It won't match proper over-ear cans for bass of course, but it's fine for in-ears.
You'll struggle to get an intense "rumbling" that real bass-fiends adore, but you get plenty of the "pounding" bass sensation.
And bass significantly improves at higher volumes, as expected.
Detail is decent in the mid and treble, and the audio is warm and well-rounded generally.
But the biggest audio improvement (at least for me) is thanks to the noise-cancelling itself.
You can just focus on the sound more, which makes listening infinitely more enjoyable.
Boosted performance
The AirPods Pro come with a new processing package that includes the firm's own H1 chip.
This features 10 audio cores to power sound, noise-cancellation and Siri.
You get hands-free Siri requests (like the old AirPods), and the five-hour battery life has been retained too.
This dips to 4.5 hours with noise-cancelling switched on.
But additional charges from the case give you over 24 hours of listening time.
I never once ran out of charge, with regular use (including at work) throughout the morning, day and evening.
You can't wear them all day straight, but you won't find any portable wireless noise-cancelling headphones that manage that.
Apple AirPods Pro review – should you buy them?
The Apple AirPods were easy – to set up, to use and to love.
And the AirPods Pro don't lose any of that magic. They just tack on a bunch of handy extras (and £90).
Noise-cancelling is the big sell for AirPods Pro, and it works well. The effect is impressive and it's simple to activate.
Of course, not everyone needs noise-cancelling. If you live the quiet life somewhere lovely and peaceful, then you can save the £90 and spend it on a new pair of hiking boots.
As with all of Apple's Pro gadgets, they're just not for everyone. Hence the name.
Similarly, some real audiophiles will require proper over-ear headphones – and the AirPods Pro can never live up to real cans when it comes to sound quality.
But for their size, price and target buyer, they're largely perfect.
These are the "Pro" headphones that many can afford, and almost all can enjoy. They're a way to relatively cheaply step up your audio game.
The noise-cancelling alone is well worth the extra £90 if you lead a busy and loud lifestyle. The boosted sound just sweetens the deal.
I have zero complaints about the AirPods so far, except for the fact that I'm probably wearing them so much that people around me think I hate them.
But I don't care! I can't hear their complaints thanks to that sweet, sweet noise-cancellation. Ahh.
The Sun says: Apple's AirPods Pro lose none of the original model's brilliance. And you gain features (noise cancellation and improved sound) that you won't know how you lived without. The £90 premium is well-spent – your soothed ears and rested soul will thank you. 5/5
- Apple AirPods Pro at Amazon for £249 –
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In other news, check out our review of the brand new iPhone 11.
If you've got more money to burn, you'll want to read about the iPhone 11 Pro instead.
And Apple die-hards should also take a look at the impressive (and potentially life-saving) Apple Watch 5.
Are you tempted by the new AirPods Pro? Let us know in the comments!
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