If you asked me what my favorite piece of tech was over the last year or so, I would have to reluctantly say the Airpods Pro, they slipped into my daily life. It’s so seamlessly and quickly. I didn’t even really realize I was using something new. And in a way that’s some of the best praise you can give a new piece of tech.
I say reluctantly because as good as they are, 234 US dollors is a huge amount of money to spend on earbuds with a limited lifespan. Airpods Pro is effectively now just another piece of consumable technology. Whereas a good pair of these kids lost you for years. Now I’m not trying to defend the headphone Jack or to Mar companies for coming up with these wireless solutions because I really, really enjoy using Airpods Pro.
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I just wish there was a way of replacing the batteries or if there was some sort of recycling program you could go on, because to be honest, I don’t really fancy spending $234 every couple of years, when these die. Annoyingly, Apple do make a really convincing case for me to do so.
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But is Airpods Pro still worth buying?
I must admit, I do prefer the look of the AirPods pro over the original. They’ve got smaller stalks and they certainly feel like less of a statement when you wear them, which is really great in my eyes. I also think the refresh charging case is better this time round too. It’s a different squat shape and while it’s slightly bigger side by side, there’s barely any difference at all.
This thing will still slip into any pockets, no problems. The Airpods pro should fit way more this time around. The rubber tip design is hot softball, so they can adapt to each user. And finding your fit is as simple as swapping between them. Apple has also included a software feature which tests your fit so you can be sure you’re getting the best seal between your ears and the AirPods.
I do consider myself lucky here though. I must have a really generic ear shape because the original AirPods fit my ears. No problem. So I knew going in, I wasn’t going to have a problem with these either.
However, thanks to those rubber tips. I do find the AirPods pro have a much more secure fit than before and what I didn’t have much fear of the normal ones falling out. That thought doesn’t even cross my mind with the AirPods pro.
Battery life is still excellent, just like new originals. I can get through an entire week between top-ups and the newer case now supports wireless charging, which is an excellent upgrade to have. Usually throwing these on a wireless charger for a couple of hours sorts me out for the following week with no issues.
Of course, the Apple magic is still very much alive in the Airpods Pro to pairing to an iPhone is as simple as ever. Switching between iOS devices is a simple menu click and the Bluetooth connection is completely rock solid.
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The headline feature of the pros is having active noise canceling built in and in short, it’s great and works really well. It’s not going to measure up to some over ear headphones because of the inner design, but it does a great job of filtering out unwanted noise.
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The best use case for this is constant and consistent noises, so think earplanes, trains, or car journeys. The AirPods pro can pretty much remove all of that sound and let you listen to your media in peace.
I usually get a train to work once a week and it’s excellent at removing the ambient train noises. I can only hear things if there’s an extra loud clunk or some other erratic noises. Apple has also implemented a transparency mode, which amplifies sound around you, so you can still hear important things like announcements or if you’re waiting to cross the road and need to hear the traffic.
It’s a great consideration for noise canceling earbuds and I like that it’s included in Airpods pro.
Sound wise, the Airpods Pro are a clear step up from the original AirPods. That’s a good thing as the original AirPods were, well just fine. The Airpods Pro sound way more refined and clear from the mid-range to the top and the bass is deep and tight.
Thanks in part to the better seal with your ears and the new drivers. To me, they’re pretty perfect mix, but I’m no audio file. If you’re streaming Spotify or Apple music, I don’t think you could really ask for loads more, but I’m sure if you’re using title and are used to top notch headphones, you’ll find a fault with them.
But for the average everyday listener, these sound great.
Control on the AirPods pro now implements a squeezing solution on the stalks of the buds. You can pause, play, skip, talk to Siri, enter transparency mode, turn noise canceling on or off, or answer a call. But for some reason, you still can’t change the volume this way unless you ask Siri, and I never want to ask Siri.
I don’t understand Apple’s resistance to that new change of volume like this. It’s an on-going omission in all of the AirPods, and I just don’t know why? It’s a better method of control than the original tap function though. But if I’m honest, I’ve never been a fan of controlling earbuds in this manner.
Generally speaking, I always just pull out my phone if I want to change anything other than skipping a track or answering a call.
Of all the things sold by having wireless earbuds, I still don’t think any company has nailed controlling them tactfully yet. It always feels weird or I don’t really get the desired outcome I’m after.
None of this stops me from enjoying the Airpods pro though, despite the issues I’ve mentioned and the price point. Yeah. I really can’t fault them. Apple has crafted a wonderful product that really lives up to the hype and once again, brings back that old company moniker of it just works.
For the money, you might be able to find better sounding air buds, sure but you won’t find a better wireless option for the iPhone.
So it’s no secret that I really, really like the AirPods pro, but the big question is, are they still worth getting?
So I’ll try and boil my answer down to this. Yes, if you have an iOS device, can swallow that massive price pill, value noise canceling, and what the best wireless headphone experience possible.
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But no, if you own an Android device, while the AirPods pro will still work absolutely fine on there, the wireless experience just isn’t as good. And I think that’s what makes the Airpods Pro so compelling. I also don’t want to act like the AirPods are the only choice out there because that’s far from the truth.
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There are companies that have been making great alternatives for a while now, and they’re actually really good too. The OnePlus Bullets Wireless are really, really good sounding and for the price, you can’t really go wrong as long as you don’t mind the tether here. Samsung makes the galaxy buds and the galaxy buds plus, which I haven’t tried, but I’ve heard really good things about Sony have a good range of noise canceling ones too.
And Urbanista have a good range of wireless buds as well. I’m quite a big fan of the Paris model, which looked pretty much just like AirPods and they’ve got decent battery life, wireless charging USB-C, and they come in around a hundred pounds, but they’re usually on sale all the time.
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