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The AirPods Pro 2 will be officially available from Friday, September 23rd. Now selected media and YouTube channels have already published the first reviews of Apple's latest earbuds.
The second-generation AirPods Pro cost €299 and offer improved audio quality, longer battery life, and up to two times better noise cancellation than the original AirPods Pro. They also feature swipe-based volume control, an improved integrated skin-detection sensor that more precisely turns audio on and off, and a new XS ear tip option. Additionally, the latest generation of Pro earbuds feature an updated charging case with a built-in speaker and U1 chip for Find My support with Precise Search, a lanyard hole for convenient carrying, and IPX4 water and sweat resistance. In addition to Lightning and MagSafe, the case can now be charged with an Apple Watch charger.
AirPods Pro 2 in the test
Chris Welch of The Verge saysthat the active noise cancellation has been “significantly” improved:
Apple has made significant strides in active noise cancellation. The company says the new implementation is, on average, "up to" twice as effective as the original AirPods Pro. While I don't have scientific measurement tools, that claim doesn't seem unrealistic. In our office, I recently changed desks and now sit near a vent that emits a constant whirring sound. The original AirPods Pro leave a trace of this in noise-cancelling mode, but with the second-generation AirPods Pro, the noise is completely suppressed and unnoticeable. I can still hear my colleagues' conversations if they're right next to my desk, but most of the time, I have peace and quiet with the AirPods Pro. I've also noticed significant improvements while commuting on the subway. When I commute through Brooklyn every day, there's less street noise.
Welch also noticed an overall better sound quality. writes he:
Let's get straight to the sound quality. Apple has completely redesigned the amplifier and drivers in the AirPods Pro. The drivers are the same size (11 millimeters) as in the third generation AirPods, but they sound better and deliver the cleanest and most dynamic output of any AirPod to date.
Billy Steele of Engadget achieved the advertised battery life of about six hours:
In my testing, I managed six hours and fifteen minutes with a mix of noise cancellation, transparency mode, and calls. That's more than the previous generation (4.5 hours) and in line with what most competitors offer these days. Sure, some companies offer more than 10 hours on a charge, but the average for the noise-canceling products I've tested is five to seven hours. More battery life would always be nice, but the six or seven hours Apple offers are enough to get you through the workday if you take a quick break.
AirPods Pro 2: Charging case supports “Find My” search
Andrew Liszewski of Gizmodo says the new swipe volume control is a welcome improvement but can be a little clunky at times:
It's a welcome improvement but unfortunately one that I found a little difficult to use. Occasionally I had to swipe a few times before anything happened. Since I generally hate touching my earbuds while wearing them (they inevitably slip a little when I do), I think I'll continue to use Siri voice commands for volume control or skipping tracks (that's the only thing Siri does very well).
WIRED's Parker Hall discussed the charging case's integrated speaker. Hall writesthat it "rings quite loudly" to assist with location tracking. At the same time, he criticizes the lack of a USB-C port.
Want to find the case using Apple's Find My app? Now you can, and it rings pretty loudly. It also dings a little when it starts charging. Speaking of which, you can charge wirelessly as usual (the case also supports MagSafe), but it's a shame that Apple still relies on the Lightning connector instead of USB-C.
If you want the new plugs, you can order them from Apple for 299 euros. The charging case can be engraved free of charge - even with your own Memoji. (Image: Apple)
