Despite launching in 2019, it's easy to understand why Apple's AirPods Pro remain so popular. These wireless earbuds pair quickly, sound pretty good, and mostly stay out of the way. You don't even look that weird wearing them anymore because it feels like nearly everyone is walking around with (the uglier) AirPods these days.
After three years, you might have been expecting a bigger visual update with the new second-generation AirPods Pro, but I'm not surprised to see Apple barely changing the design. Why reshape such a well-identifiable wheel? Instead, Apple’s focus was aimed at the inner workings, where the musical rubber meets the road.
You get a much-needed battery life increase, significantly better sound quality (improving on the already-good sound they had), and even better noise-canceling tech. How good are the second-gen AirPods Pro compared to the originals? I’d go so far as to say these are the best in-ear headphones I’ve ever used with an iPhone.
The biggest physical change over its predecessor is in the case. The rounded rectangle now comes with three circular perforations on the bottom right for a new, built-in speaker. Need to find the case via Apple's Find My app? Now you can, and it rings quite loudly. It also makes a little jingle when it starts charging. Speaking of, you can wireless charge as usual (the case supports MagSafe too), but it's a shame to see Apple still relying on the Lightning port instead of USB-C.
Pop open the magnetic clasp on the lid, and the two peanut-shaped buds stare back at you. Their new skin detection sensors—a replacement for the IR sensors on the old models—are the only touch of black on otherwise white buds. (These sensors help detect when you take the buds out of your ears to play or pause music.)
You’ll notice a slight flat spot on the side of the trunk on each bud—it's a new touch sensor that allows you to (finally!) adjust the volume via a swipe up and down. The previous, squeeze-based controls are still at play here, so you don’t lose any functionality that you’re already used to. One squeeze will play or pause, two squeezes will skip tracks, and a long press will activate active noise canceling or Transparency mode.
These new buds are aesthetically so similar to the previous version that I had to keep checking which I was looking at when I had them both out of their cases side-by-side. A bit of key sculpting makes the second-generation a hair more comfortable and stable in my average-sized ears during workouts and longer listening sessions. Mine came fitted with medium-size silicone ear tips (there are smaller and larger pairs in the box as well), and they seemed to provide a better seal than before. This makes sense because Apple has moved some of the vents on these earbuds to deliver better bass.