Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Wireless Earbuds, Up to 2X More Active Noise Cancelling, Adaptive Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio MagSafe Charging Case (Lightning) Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone
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Arrives
Sunday, Jun 7
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Features
- RICHER AUDIO EXPERIENCE The Apple-designed H2 chip pushes advanced audio performance even further, resulting in smarter noise cancellation and more immersive sound. The low-distortion, custom-built driver delivers crisp, clear high notes and deep, rich bass in stunning definition. So every sound is more vivid than ever..Note : If the size of the earbud tips does not match the size of your ear canals or the headset is not worn properly in your ears, you may not obtain the correct sound qualities or call performance. Change the earbud tips to ones that fit more snugly in your ear
- NEXT-LEVEL ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous AirPods Pro for dramatically less noise on your commute, or when you want to focus. Adaptive Transparency lets you comfortably hear the world around you, adjusting for intense noiselike sirens or constructionin real time.
- CUSTOMIZABLE FIT Now with four pairs of silicone tips (XS, S, M, L) to fit a wider range of ears and provide all-day comfort. The tips create an acoustic seal to help keep out noise and secure AirPods Pro in place.
- SOUND ALL AROUND Personalized Spatial Audio surrounds you in sound tuned just for you. It works with dynamic head tracking to immerse you deeper in music and movies.
- HIGHER LEVEL OF CONTROL Now you can swipe the stem to adjust volume. Press it to play and pause music or to answer and end a call, or hold it to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Adaptive Transparency.
- A LEAP IN BATTERY LIFE Up to 6 hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation enabled 33% more than AirPods Pro (1st generation). With the charging case, you can get 30 hours of total listening time with Active Noise Cancellation enabled 6 hours longer than AirPods Pro (1st generation).
- A MORE CAPABLE CASE Keep track of AirPods Pro with Precision Finding and a built-in speaker. A lanyard loop keeps your AirPods Pro close. Charge with an Apple Watch or MagSafe charger, or use the Lightning connector or a Qi-certified charger.
- MAGICAL EXPERIENCE Quick access to Siri by saying Hey Siri. Easy setup, in-ear detection, and automatic switching between devices. Audio Sharing lets you share a song or a show between two sets of AirPods on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV.
Specs & Other Info
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand Manufacturer | Apple Incorporated |
| Product Model | Pro version of AirPods |
| Available Color | Pure White |
| Design Style | Ear-fit shape |
| Type of Connectivity | Completely wireless |
Frequently asked questions
The 2nd Gen Apple AirPods Pro come with enhanced active noise cancellation with up to 2X higher performance. They also include personalized spatial audio and a MagSafe Charging Case for convenient, fast charging. The adaptive transparency mode allows you to adjust the level of noise cancellation according to your environment.
The MagSafe Charging Case is primarily designed for iPhone models which support MagSafe. It can still charge other iPhones or AirPods Pro but without the MagSafe advantage.
Personalized Spatial Audio in AirPods Pro gives you the experience of sound coming from all around you. It's akin to being in a room with a multi-speaker set-up, offering a more immersive music or audio experience.
Yes, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) offer an adaptive transparency mode. This feature allows you to hear the environment around you while you are listening to music, and it automatically adjusts to the level of noise in your surroundings.
Top Amazon Reviews
Read our review
5 Reasons Why the AirPods Pro Are the Only Earbuds You Need
š Abunda's Overview
This is our summary and key points to consider based on customer reviews.
The AirPods Pro 2 have been highly praised by customers, particularly for their advanced features and high-quality sound. Many compliments were focused on their Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which effectively mutes most external noises, making them great for office environments, industrial workplaces, or simply for personal enjoyment in noisy surroundings. The seamless integration with iPhone and the personalization of sound settings has also been highly regarded.
Pros
- šµ Impressive sound quality and immersive listening experience
- š Highly effective Active Noise Cancellation
- š± Seamless integration and advanced controls with iPhone
- āØ Natural soundstage that effectively blends audio content with surroundings
- š Satisfactory battery life and fast charging
Cons
- š§ Stock silicone tips may not stay secure during activities like biking or jogging
- š“ Noise cancellation feature may not work as well when user is lying down
- š§ Usage with Android phone lacks full functionality
Should I Buy It?
Considering the overwhelmingly positive reviews, the AirPods Pro 2 are indeed worth the purchase. They provide superior sound quality and noise cancellation, seamless integration with iPhone, and appreciable versatility. Some downsides are noted, such as issues with earbuds falling out during movement and less-than-perfect noise cancellation in certain positions, but these minor issues are greatly overshadowed by the multitude of positive features.
I've had two sets of Gen1 Pros, have previously reviewed the Airpods MAX under the Blue ones, and I'll say that as expensive (and nice) as the MAX headphones are, Apple better have an upgrade path where swapping the internal logic for the H2 chip that's in the Gen2 Airpods Pro is an option (the rest of the MAX is perfectly fine the way it is), 'cause I'm not re-buying them. I'd like to, because the overall experience with the Gen2 Pros are so good with the packaging and driver diameter I'd be fascinated in what it can do with a real driver and closed-back design. But I digress; here's the breakdown for the Gen2 Airpods Pro: Sound Quality: It's hard to overstate (maybe not that hard) the degree to which sound is improved on the new earbuds. Previously they lacked real punch to the bass, and while midrange was okay, the treble ranges were much less responsive. You could really tell that Apple had given them a light Beats treatment to improve response at the bottom end. On the iPhone and iPad this was somewhat correctable with the Audio Accessibility settings, but not completely. It's not necessary with these; they have good response through the range, and have a similar roll-off up top to the Maxes and my Sony MDR-V6 wired cans, so at this point I'd have to say they fixed it. Again, the computational wizardry in these is stunning, and they can actually reproduce the final bass hit in my test track, something few buds can manage (I'm actually looking at you, Sennheiser, why can't you do this?). Suitably impressive for a driver so small that it makes me wonder what's done to achieve it. Magic gnomes, possibly. ANC: Noise Cancellation was one of the bigger features initially, but was rapidly caught by the rest of the direct competitors, and this once again puts Apple out front. Seriously improved: The H1 only sampled 200 times per second, while these sample 48,000 times per second, fast enough to compensate for frequencies all the way up the range. Previous work required good passive dampening for higher frequencies (not hard to do, but it's only passive) and the thin silicone of the tips didn't always meet that need especially if sealing was poor. I have one ear that the Large tips can't seal for, and even without it I didn't feel like the ANC was any less from one ear to the other. I even swapped to a pair of Foam Masters memory-foam tips, and while there may have been better sealing, they didn't seem to make a large difference in dampening, the ANC here is that good. Transparency: This. This is the feature of Apple's ANC headphones that absolutely destroys any and every single competitor in the space that's tried it. On all others it sounds thin and tinny, like you're listening to a phone call. Not here. The Gen1's (and MAX) versions prior had this feature (the MAX was especially impressive) and the Gen2 only improves on it. One, Transparency now works as well on the Pros as it does on the Gen1 MAX, and two (this is the best) they can actually live-cancel loud outside noises that would exceed the dB limit set by the device to which they're paired. I've tested this; first by clanking dishes and glasses together while putting them away, and second by walking up to a car wash vacuum head that ran the row of hoses. The first is loud enough usually I can tell it's above the limit, and the second might as well be an idling passenger jet engine, clearly operating in the "damage" range. In both cases, the Gen2 Pros were able to reduce those sounds so they never exceeded an apparent 85dB. You could probably wear these to a concert in Transparency and get the full experience without the hearing damage, and still hear clearly as well. Remember that 48,000 samples per second? Well, when your audio logic is this fast, you can do things like the Transparency mode here. Finally, the Apple Ecosystem: Apple's had for a while a feature for their devices called Handoff. It lets you share media and functionality between and across multiple devices. With the Beats and Airpods lines, it allows for seamless device-switching depending on use, listen to music on the Mac, and if you get a call, they'll switch to the phone once you answer. When done, they'll go back to the Mac once it restarts the audio stream. A useful feature, but the H1-driven devices were always a little slow to migrate, and sometimes just wouldn't. The improved performance of the H2 controller in the Gen2 Pros solves this. I've not once in two weeks of use had a situation where they failed to start and join upon being removed from the case, nor have they failed to switch to the phone. They boot fast. They join fast. They know what the goal is and will consistently pair with the intended target device. They really can just Do What I Mean. It's pretty much eliminated the biggest frustration I had with the Gen1 buds. Now they sound great, kill sound great (ha), and deliver on the promises made with prior versions of cross-device support. So that's pretty much it. Battery life is improved and I can confirm that Apple's sandbagging when they say "six hours of listening" as it's closer to seven, and seems likely to hit 10 if you turn of ANC and Transparency, as like all previous Airpods they include an "Off" setting that only outputs and relies on passive dampening only. Calls sound good and you'll sound better when using them, and reasonably get nearly three hours of talk on a single charge when new; past that and you'll have to do some ear-juggling to keep going. An absolute home run!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023 by Daniel Shiderly
These are perfect in every way possible. The sound, noise canceling, quality, battery life, everything. I originally had the airpods pro (1st gen) and the sony wf 1000 xm4. I liked everything about the sonys but I needed up using the airpods pro more even though the noise canceling, sound, and battery life was better on the sonysā¦ except for the comfort. The new airpods pro 2 though are everything I liked about the sonys but now way more practical, so much more comfortable. In the review, Iāll mention the sony WF 1000 XM4, as those were the best of the best, cost me $280 My thoughts on the Apple Airpods pro 2 Impressions- Excellent quality. Same build as the first gen pros. The case has a speaker now and a place to attach a lanyard. Same unboxing as other airpods. Comes with usb c to lightning cable and 3 eartips- XS, S, L. No xl, the m is on the buds by default. The case feels nice really solid, lid is rock solid and doesnāt wobble. (one of my issues with my sonys was that the case didnāt feel worth the high price it was) Noise Canceling Great, like true noise canceling. Not noise reduction, like you canāt hear anything. Kind of magical. Seriously be careful with how powerful it can be, Iāll be running with these in transparency. Neck and neck with my old sonys. Those were amazing to begin with, but with foam tips. Iād be interested to see if the noise canceling is better with foam tips on the airpods pro 2. Is it 2x better than the gen 1 pros? I donāt think itās THAT much better but itās for sure noticeably stronger. The fit of the buds is great, while still being comfortable. Transparency mode Sounds like real life. Since they are so light, it adds to the experience. Have yet to test the adaptivity of it, but sounds great to me. Microphone Slightly better than gen 1 pros. Sounds like an airpods mic. (not a bad thing) Clear and blocks out background noise, good for at home or work. Sound These sound fantastic. More clear at lower volumes now. Bass is also improved. The surround sound feature is cool, but I like how stereo sounds because not all special audio songs are mastered perfectly. Battery life Have yet to run the battery to zero. They are rated for 30 hours in the case and 6 hour earbud battery life. 6 hours is more than enough for almost all people. Itās nice that I can charge it with my apple watch charger now. Magsafe and qi also works. And of course so does lightning. All and all, these are the best of the best. I have used the best of the best, but these I will use more than my old sonys and gen 1 pros because of how perfect they are. Apple hit every box this time around, and I was really impressed. Easy reccomendation for anyone, especially those already in the apple eco system.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022 Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022 by Marshal H
AirPods Pro REVIEW 4 months later Noise canceling: This is a review more with noise cancelling in mind rather than audio quality. I work in a noisy environment with machinery, chatter, & tools being used, anywhere from 8-10 hours per day. While earplugs are available at work, the noise is still discomforting for me. The AirPods Pro 2 gen on the other hand cancel out more noise while erasing most of the discomfort. The AirPods Pro are not going to mute the world around you(unless youāre in a quiet place), but they will either reduce the lesser noise to being almost non-existent, or make most of the louder noise manageable/more comforting. The noises that are still annoying are any higher pitched ones. Btw, you can still hear people speaking to you if youāre up close. I have removed my AirPods Pro while at work & the noise around me does blast my ears & reveal how well the AirPods are canceling noise around me. Briefly speaking about the noise canceling while at home & around my neighborhood. At home in my room, they do a really great job in making everything quiet, even for the neighbors blasting music during summer parties. They were ok for fireworks this recent 4th of July though. One small quirk I discovered is that they donāt really work well in noise canceling mode when laying down in bed for loud noises. I donāt know if itās some acoustic physics, but when the neighbors are blasting music through summer nights, the AirPods Pro canāt really cancel the noise when Iām laying in bed trying to sleep. Like itās weird Iām laying in bed with loud music blasting my ears, but if I sit upright, the music mostly disappears, I lay back down, & bam! Iām not sure if maybe another of the earbud sizes will work better. Like I did switch out the earbuds that originally came on the AirPods Pro to the āsmallā size(Iām not sure if I ever did try out the āXSā & āLā sizes but the small does fit me well), I think the ones I removed are considered the medium size. This terrible quirk made me start to research for better noise canceling headphones for use at home, Iām debating getting the Bose quietcomfort earbuds II or the Bose quietcomfort 45. When Iām walking around in the neighborhood in the morning, I turn on noise cancelling mode & listen to music or some twitch stream, & the world does go quiet. If any cars pass by they are audible up close but the noise quickly lessen as they leave. Again, machinery(i.e. people mowing their lawns/construction workers fixing roads) is still audible but reduced to comfort levels. Even birds, grasshoppers, & cicadas are still audible with their higher pitch noises but theyāre not annoying. Also, walking near any busy street with cars passing by on all directions does make the noise more comforting, like enough to regularly pass through those streets. When Iām bike riding I switch to transparency mode to hear for vehicles behind or nearby. I want to be safe while riding my bicycle on the streets so I donāt really use noise canceling since they do reduce car noises, especially quieter ones, & might put me in danger. Using transparency mode while riding my bike outside does require me to raise my volume a bit higher to hear any music Iām listening to or any twitch/YouTube streamer Iām watching. Passing cars are not as annoying during these times, since noise does get a little drown out with music or twitch/YouTube streamers. When I get stuck in any intersection waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, I quickly switch to noise canceling mode & the noise levels become comforting, only trucks are still kinda loud. The one negative during these times is that holding the airpodās stem to switch to noise canceling mode does take about 3 seconds activate & silence traffic. Random fyi: when you turn off both transparency & noise canceling mode the regular earbud mode does also block out some noise, but not anywhere near with noise canceling mode on. Also, if youāre not listening to anything with noise canceling on, you can hear like white noise, I think maybe itās the microphones that usually cancel out the noise? Quirky android observations: These are still usable on android phones, I have an s23 ultra that I usually take with me to work(while my iPhone 13 pro max & 13 mini are for personal use). As many others have mentioned, you canāt: use google assist, see your battery levels(apparently thereās an app you can download which does show battery levels, if I remember correctly) , use them with both transparency & noise canceling off, I believe. CLEANLINESS:(TMI, sorry) They do get dirty while working, so earwax builds up, but theyāre easily cleanable, both the earplugs and the charging case. AUDIO QULAITY: I use my sennheiser hd 560s with the dac dongle for lossless quality on Apple Music, but I still like the AirPods Pro 2 & are also better than my regular AirPods 2. The sennheiserās have more detail, but the AirPods Pro are still good. I actually use my AirPods Pro 2 more than my sennheisers since earbuds are just more convenient than using over the ears headphones with a like 6ft wire. CHARGING: Lastly, since I work for 8-10 hrs, I recharge my AirPods Pro 2 while Iām on break. I get a couple 15 & 20 minute breaks & the charging case is pretty fast & will keep them charged throughout the day. But if I do end up working 10hrs Iāll get the low battery warning, I think when they hit 20% & 10% respectively. Also the battery case holds enough charge to keep the AirPods charged for two back to back days working about 8-10 hours a day before you need to charge the case itself. Iāve had them for about 4 months now & the AirPods battery have hold up well despite working like 4 days per week and charging them a couple times per week and draining the AirPods regularly. I was also worry about the constant noise work ruining the noise canceling of the AirPods but they still seem to block out noise since like day one. I did buy AppleCare+ for two years to probably replace them if either the AirPodās battery or the charging case battery deteriorate in the long run.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2023 by sofi
A while back I was looking for a set of noise cancelling headphones because I was going to take an international flight. I bought a couple pairs, including the 1st generation Airpods Pro. The second generation came out at almost the same time so I returned the 1st gen and spent the extra money to get these. And wow, what a difference. They fit great, these are the only earbuds that ever have fit me (including the 1st generation airpods pro). They come with multiple ear tips too, and I've been able to find a combination that suits me. The gimmicky features aren't that interesting to me, like the spatial audio and taking a scan of your ear or whatever. These are also supposed to auto switch between devices, that's never worked right (but really I prefer to switch manually anyway). I don't have a device with a u1 "find stuff" chip, so I haven't tried that. Fortunately I haven't needed to either. What I like is the sound quality, which is very good, it has a rich range of highs and even somehow manages to get some pretty good bass in the lows. I also like the portability, and (compared to the first gen) I love the silly lanyard hole so I can put a strap on the case so I don't drop it. But what really shines is the noise canceling. I find better than all of the over the ear ANC headphones I've tried, including some of the very expensive Bose and Sony headphones. And even in the case where it might not be quite as good, the fact that they are tiny and portable makes the utility so much higher. I've used these when using power tools, on airplanes, on trains, the freeway, or sometimes when my kids are talking (kidding (sort of)). The noise canceling is actually good enough that if someone is standing right in front of you and talking at a normal level, you almost can't hear them at all. And in extremely loud environments like airplanes, these cut the noise down better than some of the noise-cancelling headsets made for pilots and crew that I've used. The transparency mode is also extremely good, way better than the first gen. And, it's a great deal more comfortable wearing these with transparency mode on (it makes my ears feel less "plugged"). Making calls is good too. Other people say that they didn't know that I was on headphones. These also don't get "warm" in my ears either, something that I've noticed with other earbuds and over-the-ear cans. The battery life is also fine. The specs say 4-5 hours or something, but that's plenty. Even on a long flight I usually won't be wearing them the for more than a couple hours at a time. Tip: If you have an Apple Watch, you can charge the Airpods' case using the Apple Watch charger. I recently discovered this by accident. If I had a complaint, it's that sometimes I'd prefer that they had a physical connection to a wire that was around my neck, so I could take them out for a sec without worrying about dropping them. That and they are quite expensive if all you want to do is listen to music. But if you don't mind the price tag and want an extremely nice set of earbuds, these are it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2023 by Seth
Got these for Christmas in 2022. They have been my favorite piece of tech in the last few years and Iāve probably used them more than anything else Iāve purchased. I use them pretty much daily anywhere from an hour or two to six hours + and theyāre still working just fine. Other than a minor glitch here and there Iāve had no major issues. I find the sound quality and features to be excellent. Noise cancellation could be a little bit better but still pretty impressive for buds. Iām curious how much better the pro threes are going to be it itās hard to believe thereās a ton of room for improvement. Battery life is pretty good but could also use improvement. I find them to be very comfortable. My best friend has Samsungās newest competitor version and in my opinion, they donāt even come close. Apple really outdid themselves with the quality product here. Walking around the house in transparency mode with spatial audio and head tracking activated makes it seem like you have theme music playing in your life. It really tripped me out the first time I experienced. It sounded like there were speakers hidden in the walls. Iāve gotten used to it overtime, but itās quite the experience if youāre used to regular buds or over the ear headphones and then you upgrade to something like this. On a totally different level. Something about noise cancellation can sometimes make me feel uneasy or even nauseous. I canāt really explain it. Especially when training at the gym. So transparency mode has been an absolute game changer for me. Being able to answer or deny calls or notifications by simply nodding or shaking your head is awesome. When you actually open up all of the features on your iPhone, itās kind of crazy the amount of tweaking and stuff you can do. This is an elite piece of audio technology that pairs perfectly with your Apple device. If Iām on my iPhone and I open my iPad and start using that the headphones switch from my phone to my iPad and then back without me having to do anything at all. I love using them with the Apple TV at night when my girlfriend is sleeping. It allows me to enjoy an action movie without having to sacrifice audio. In the past, I was always trying to turn it down during an action scene and then turn it back up during a regular dialogue. With these no need to worry about that. Thereās a lot more I could say. But Iāll end the review here. I would definitely recommend them. And if youāre on a budget, the price point for the pro twos is probably really good right nowā¦
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Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2025 by Mr. Spice Cakes
UPDATE (2024): The early issues below appear to have been worked out. After more than a year, no complaints. Rating updated from 1 start to 5 stars. ----------- SUMMARY: The audio quality of the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) is fantastic, but it's a shame that they experience persistent and frequent connectivity issues that make them practically unusable, as reported elsewhere. No settings, firmware updates, or diagnostics remedy the issues. While Apple provides free diagnostic support (even if they returned my apparently defective product unchanged and missing ear tips), the product and support quality here fall far short of that expected from a premium product. Apple makes many well-designed, reliable productsāas of now, this isn't one of them. BUYER BEWARE. ----------- I've owned the first generation AirPods Pro for several years and use them daily without issue, so when I saw strong initial reviews for second generation ones, I purchased them on launch day. And the hardware does indeed live up to the hypeāthe noise cancellation, sound quality, and battery life are all fantastic. It's a shame, then, that connectivity issues make them practicallyāheck, literallyāunusable. I've experienced continuous audio dropping, intermittent disconnects, and issues with only the left or right AirPod connecting. In the short time I've been writing this review, I've experienced no fewer than a dozen drops and disconnects. And I'm definitely not done writing. Yet, if I simply swap out my brand spanking new AirPods Pro for the first-generation ones, all these problems go away. It's night and day. Now, I know I'm not alone. Based on online forum discussions, it's apparent that many users have and continue to experience similar issues. MacRumors has reported on them (in an article titled "AirPods Pro 2 Users Report Issues With Connection Randomly Dropping") and discussion threads on the issue can be found on the official Apple Support Community. For some, the issues are apparently resolved by changing particular settingsāturning off spatial audio or disabling automatic ear detection, for example. Sadly, none of these fixes have helped me. Since I purchased them on launch day, I figured I'd give Apple the benefit of the doubt and wait to see if there was a firmware patch that might resolve the issues. To date, more than a month later, there have been none. If the issues are as widespread as reporting suggests, this gives me pause. Come on Apple, there are dozens of usādozens! Assuming then that it might then be a hardware problem, I trekked to my local Apple Store this past week with a Genius Bar appointment and AirPods in hand. While the Specialist didn't find any issues with them, I arranged to have them packed up and shipped them to a repair facility for technicians to run complementary diagnostic tests. Disappointingly, I received them back today (though without the ear tips sent along with them, naturally), still experiencing the same issuesāevident after just seconds of use. At least I have a brand-new note indicating that the "complete" set of diagnostics performed on them indicate that they're working correctly. If this is a product functioning correctly, I'd hate to see incorrect.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022 Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022 by Reid Johnson
My use case for these is as daily wear headphones, particularly while working in an office. I have AirPods Gen 1 and I'm quite fond of them, but I'm also a fan of active noise cancelation. I am a pilot and I've used headsets with active noise cancelation (mostly Lightspeeds) for about 15 years now (I was an early adopter) and I also use electronic hearing protection while shooting. The AirPods Pro 2 are significantly cheaper than aviation headsets but roughly in the price range of shooting headsets so I thought I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into with these - i.e. ear buds that offered an active noise cancelation that was not necessarily useful for hearing protection (they have no rating) but offered something like the active noise cancelation I'm used to from my Lightspeed aviation headset (in noise canceling mode) and something like the noise reduction with voice passthrough that I'm used to from my Sordin shooting headset when in transparent mode. Noise reduction mode delivers shockingly well. It does a very good job of shutting out ambient noise. Someone watching TV in the background? Significantly muted. HVAC/fan/PC noise? Gone. They're good enough that I'm probably going to wear them in my car since my Apple Watch informs me that my car is a loud enough environment that I'm vulnerable to long term hearing damage (it's a convertible, the exhaust is quiet but there's a lot of wind noise and the top doesn't do much to quiet other people's exhausts) and despite lacking a rating the rubber earpieces offer some passive noise reduction and the active may well be enough to take the edge off the poorly muffled motorcycles that seem to love to pace me right next to my left ear for miles on end. Update: Not sure whether theyāve quietly updated their algorithms or just adjusted the default tuning in the background, but transparency mode is now usable. It still ought to support volume control, like active electronic hearing protection does. /Update Transparency mode, on the other hand, is a massive disappointment. The idea behind transparency mode is, essentially, a not-rated-for-hearing-protection version of what you get with a pair of Sordins except instead of passive noise reduction with ambient noise passthrough (with processing to filter out sharp sounds, normalization, and clipping and filtering of loud sounds) and a volume control, so that ambient non-noise sound can be anywhere from significantly muted to amplified enough to cut through a pair of passive ear plugs worn under the electronic muffs. You sort of get a version of that. The AirPods Pro 2 add active noise reduction on top of it. Unfortunately, it's tuned very poorly. The default transparency mode plus "active transparency" perform something like what a pair of Sordins does in terms of clipping maximum volume but there's no volume control. You get a volume level that is basically slightly louder than ambient but with maybe some reduction of low range sounds and, crucially, a significant boost to mid and particularly high range sounds. HVAC noise is actually worse in transparency than it is when you're not wearing the AirPods at all. It also has an extremely unfortunate effect on keyboard sounds. A typical keypress is sort of a dull, low, clack. The default transparency settings turn it into a louder, shriller, sharper click. My keyboard, which I never really thought about before, is actually quite unpleasant in transparency mode. In general, the default transparency mode is probably something one would only use for very short periods such as a temporary interaction with someone (e.g. long enough to order coffee). For longer term use it's unpleasant enough that you would simply pull the AirPod out rather than switch modes. This is unfortunate as it largely undermines the entire sales pitch for the AirPods Pro. They aren't something you could put in and leave in with transparency enabled while on a walk with a friend and carry on a conversation with someone while preventing your ears from being hurt by a passing vehicle that's had its exhaust system compromised or wear in the office listening to music and switch to transparency mode to have a conversation with some coworkers. It amplifies background noise (again, keyboards become particularly unpleasant) enough that you're much better off simply taking them out, exactly as you would have with the old first gen airpods. There are custom adjustments for transparency (inexplicably buried a couple layers deep in accessibility settings rather than in the AirPod configuration menus) and they... help. Sort of. It's possible, with some fiddling (the best settings I found were maximum ambient noise reduction, zero amplification, and darkest sound settings, conversation boost disabled) to configure transparency such that it actually does a much better job of muting unwanted ambient sounds (you can get rid of the HVAC again) and retaining clear voice passthrough and even acceptable music passthrough, but even after spending an hour or so playing with all of the available configuration options I cannot find one that allows me to leave transparency enabled while typing. It just makes keypresses to shrill, sharp, and loud. There's a pretty significant amount of processing power built into these for their tiny size, though, so hopefully Apple will be able to update their algorithm such that you can wear them while using a computer. Honestly, given that Apple sells computers, it's kind of shocking that they were released in this state, but here we are. (It's worth noting that part of my disappointment comes from the Sordins I have being totally usable in similar situations (but lacking bluetooth and also obviously being industrial hearing protection) and I also have a set of Walker's digital hearing protection that does have Bluetooth and is much better at ambient sound passthrough (at half the price) but having disappointing sound if you want to listen to music on them. tl;dr Buy them if you have an iPhone and want good active noise cancelation in a very compact package with good battery life, and decent sound for music. If you're buying them as something you could wear to get, essentially, some background noise reduction and loud noise reduction in an office setting while still being able to talk to coworkers with them in - their weird tendency to actually amplify certain unpleasant frequency ranges in transparency mode makes them poorly suited for this application. Update: See Above
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Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2022 by John Cuyle
These AirPods Pro are amazing! The sound quality is super clear, and the noise cancellation really blocks out everything around me. They fit comfortably in my ears and donāt fall out, even when Iām moving around. Battery life is great, and connecting to my phone is quick and easy. Calls sound clear too. Definitely worth the money ā I use them every day!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2026 Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2026 by Naika