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AirPods Pro

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AirPods Pro are Apple’s in-ear headphones that were first introduced in October of 2019. AirPods Pro feature a more customizable design with high-end features, such as Active Noise Cancellation and more.

Design

The design of AirPods Pro is far more versatile than the “universal fit” of Apple’s regular AirPods. The AirPods Pro go in your ear, rather than resting on the edge of your ear. As such, Apple also includes three different sizes of customizable ear tips in the box with AirPods Pro.

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On the stems of AirPods Pro are force sensors, which allow you to control playback of what you’re listening to. The force sensor makes it easy to play, pause or skip tracks, and answer or hang up phone calls.

The AirPods Pro design is also sweat- and water-resistant and rated for IPX4, which Apple says makes them perfect for active lifestyles.

Features

The two primary features of AirPods Pro that set them apart from regular AirPods are Transparency mode and Active Noise Cancellation.

Transparency mode is a technology created by Apple that lets users simultaneously listen to music while still hearing the environment around them. Outward- and inward-facing microphones enable AirPods Pro to undo the sound-isolating effect of the silicone tips so things sound and feel natural, like when you’re talking to people around you.

Meanwhile, Active Noise Cancellation serves the opposite purpose. This feature will block out your environment so you can focus on what you’re listening to. Again, Apple uses two microphones to create this noise cancellation environment. Apple also says that the AirPods Pro will continually adapt to the geometry of your ear and the fit of the ear tips to ensure noise cancellation is as accurate as possible.

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Finally, AirPods Pro feature an Adaptive EQ functionality that Apple says “automatically tunes music to the shape of your ears for a rich, consistent listening experience” that offers “superior sound quality.”

All three of these features are exclusive to AirPods Pro, which means you won’t find them on the more affordable AirPods models.

Battery life and charging

AirPods Pro feature five hours of listening time per charge, but if you enable Active Noise Cancellation, that drops to four and a half hours. AirPods Pro also includes a charging case that delivers over 24 hours of listening time or 18 hours of talk time.

The AirPods Pro charging case can also be recharged via Qi wireless charging. This means you can just drop the case on a wireless charger to gain some added power.

AirPods Pro release date

AirPods Pro were announced by Apple on October 28, 2019, and subsequently began shipping on October 30th. They were widely sold out when first released, but Apple has now caught up with demand in most areas.

Pricing and where to buy

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AirPods Pro retail for $249, making them notably more expensive than regular AirPods. But again, you get a handful of exclusive features in exchange for that higher price.

You can find AirPods Pro on the Apple Store as well as from Amazon.

Best AirPods Pro accessories:

Best AirPods Pro cases

AirPods Pro review

We had quite a bit of praise for AirPods Pro in our full review:

I’ve been using the AirPods Pro for the last several days, and one thing is immediately clear: these are easily the best headphones that Apple sells, and as you’ll see in our AirPods Pro review, some of the best headphones that you can buy today.

AirPods Pro present an incredible mix of convenience, comfort, and features, making them well worth considering, even if you already own regular AirPods

Future upgrades

AirPods Pro 2 are expected to be released sometime in 2021. This update is currently rumored to bring a major redesign to the product. Bloomberg has reported that the second-generation AirPods Pro will feature a “more compact” design that removes the stem that current sticks out from the bottom of the AirPods Pro.

Bloomberg also reported that AirPods Pro will gain new fitness tracking capabilities. These features would come thanks to new motion sensors. The new AirPods Pro were reportedly scheduled for a release in 2021, but have been delayed until 2022. This means it is likely safe to buy AirPods Pro right now, knowing new updates are likely around a year away.

Here’s how the creator of the first USB-C iPhone future-proofed AirPods Pro [Video]

USB-C AirPods Pro mod

Robotics engineer Ken Pillonel was the first to transform iPhone to work with a USB-C port in 2021. Since then he created a way to do the same for the AirPods case and even open-sourced his process. Now Ken is back with the first USB-C AirPods Pro. Here’s how he did it and how you can too if you’re adventurous enough.

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AirPods Pro 2 sales see Apple grow its wireless headphone market share by 34%

AirPods Pro 3

Strong AirPods Pro 2 sales played a major role in Apple substantially increasing its share of the TWS (True Wireless Stereo) market, according to a new market intelligence report.

Apple substantially grew its already-strong lead over the rest of the market during Q3, as second-placed Samsung saw its Galaxy Buds shipments fall by 25% …

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Here’s why AirPods Pro 2 could be the most popular gift this holiday season

AirPods pro 2 christmas gift

AirPods Pro 2 were released back in September, and they’ve been universally praised by reviewers and consumers since then. With third-party retailers already offering aggressive discounts, AirPods Pro 2 are set to be one of the top-selling gifts of the holiday season. If they aren’t already at the top of your wishlist, here’s why I think they should be…

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AirPods Pro can act as affordable hearing aids, as good as far more expensive devices, shows study

Affordable hearing aids | AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro can serve as affordable hearing aids, with one study suggesting that they perform as well as dedicated devices costing four-figure sums.

Apple is believed to have hearing aid functionality as a medium-term goal for AirPods as part of its commitment to Accessibility, and has already made some moves in this direction …

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iPhone 15 is finally adding USB-C, but AirPods Pro 2 show why it’s going to be a mess

AirPods Pro with a USB-C cable

All signs point to Apple finally making the jump to USB-C with next year’s iPhone 15. The change is due in large part to new regulation in the European Union, but with the Lightning port celebrating its 10th birthday, it was time for a change regardless.

But while the iPhone 15 switching to USB-C will be celebrated, it’s going to be a messy transition … and Apple doesn’t seem to care.

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Adaptive Transparency isn’t actually coming to older AirPods despite iOS 16.1 beta setting

AirPods Pro 2 vs AirPods Pro AirPods 3 2

Last week, an odd story emerged on Reddit when original AirPods Pro users noticed that the latest iOS 16.1 beta had added Adaptive Transparency to the first-generation model. As we speculated at the time, this appears to be a bug and it seems like the next beta iOS 16.1 will remove the toggle from the Settings app altogether.

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AirPods Pro 2 scans reveal potential hidden purpose of new lanyard loop

AirPods pro lanyard

AirPods Pro 2 launched last Friday as Apple’s first new version since their original launch in 2019. Some of the biggest changes are for the accompanying charging case, with a new lanyard holster, Find My integration, and built-in speakers.

A new CT scanner look at the AirPods Pro 2 from Lumafield shows a look inside the AirPods Pro 2 charging case, and it looks like there might be more to that new lanyard holster than meets the eye.

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How AirPods Pro 2 could steal the show at tomorrow’s Apple event

AirPods features

AirPods Pro 2 are reportedly set to be one of many announcements we see at tomorrow’s Apple event. Three years after the original AirPods Pro were released, Apple is set to follow them up with a new generation. The changes aren’t dramatic, but I think AirPods Pro 2 could easily stand out as one of the biggest announcements tomorrow.

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Gurman: AirPods Pro 2 to be unveiled during iPhone 14 event

AirPods-pro-2-features bluetooth codec

AirPods Pro 2 will be unveiled at Apple’s September “Far Out” event. This news has been shared by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter. Originally, rumors said that the second-generation AirPods Pro were going to be introduced between September and November, but now the Bloomberg journalist said that these earbuds will be unveiled three days from now.

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