Apple’s updated wireless earphones are the perfect fit for music lovers
I have been using Apple AirPods, on and off for the last few years and love using them. They’re a perfect fit for my ears and I never had any problems with them falling out or feeling uncomfortable.
Of course, the one size fits all, doesn’t work for everyone, but over the last year, I’ve never seen so many people using the iconic white in-ear headphone when out and about in my travels in this country and abroad.
Since the release of the original AirPods in 2016, the market has been flooded with truly wireless in-ear headphone, some of which have rivalled, whiles others have surpassed them. Earlier this year Apple released an updated version of the original AirPods that offered minor improvements over the originals, along with the option of a new wireless charging case, which is also compatible with old AirPods.
Finally, the AirPods Pro’s were released on October 30 and these are the upgrade that everyone has been waiting for.
In almost every way, the AirPods Pro are superior to the previous versions. The first and most obvious difference is the new design. The stems are much smaller now and although they’re still only available in white, there’s a distinctive black stripe — a passive vent on the outside of the stem.
I found them even more comfortable to wear, especially for long periods and thanks to a new removable silicone ear tip design, a greater number of users should also be able to wear them.
The new in-ear buds come with three tip sizes that conform to the contours of each ear allowing for the best seal and optimal sound quality. An innovation I’ve not seen in other in-ear buds is a vent system that equalises air pressure. This is something you will feel if you push in-ear buds with silicone tips into your ear as it makes a seal and the air is pushed into your ear canal.
Those who live active lives and like to use in-ear buds while their workout will love that the new AirPods Pro are IPX4 sweat and water-resistant. Touch controls have been replaced with force sensors on each stem. The force sensor makes it easy to play, pause or skip tracks, and answer or hang up phone calls. Users can also press on the volume slider in Control Centre on iPhone and iPad to control settings, or on Apple Watch by tapping on the AirPlay icon while music is playing. Voice-activated Siri uses the H1 chip to enable hands-free “Hey Siri” to play a song, increase the volume, make a call or get directions.
A good seal is essential for comfort, sound quality and noise isolation. There’s a new feature within the Bluetooth settings for the AirPods Pro that plays a short sound clip to test that you’ve got the correct ear tip. The result will say a “Good Seal,” or “Adjust or Try a different Ear Tip.” This is a nice feature but I’m confident most users will know after trying all three tips which one fits and seals the best for them. One final point on the ear tips is that they’re non-standard. This is good in that they’re incredibly easy to pop on and off, unlike normal ear tips.
The charging case now supports being wirelessly charged, but you can also charge it via a lightning cable. To go with the ‘Pro’ moniker, they come with a USB-C to Lightning adaptor. This is great if you have one of the iPhone 11 Pro models since they come with a USB-C charger. However, if you own any other iPhone model, you’ll have to use the standard USB to Lightning cable instead or use a wireless charging pad.
One of the most difficult features to pull off on in-ear buds is Active Noise Cancelling, but somehow Apple has managed it with finesse. I have tested over-ear headphones with ANC that aren’t as good as the AirPods Pro and that’s saying something. It does a great job of reducing ambient sounds around you, especially lower frequencies.
Just as impressive is the new Transparency Mode, which slightly amplifies the sounds around you by using the mics on the buds. ANC is fantastic for flights, daily commutes and just blocking out the sounds around you, but if you’re out and about on the streets, you need to be able to hear what’s going on.
Transparency Mode works by using the pressure-equalising vent system and advanced software that leaves just the right amount of noise cancellation active while still being able to hear what’s happening in your surroundings. Unlike other headphones, Transparency mode sounds natural and it’s easy to switch between modes with a long press on the stem. This also helps with phone calls because you can hear yourself without it sounding weird.
Most users would agree that the original AirPods sound good but aren’t exceptional. In my humble opinion, there’s a vast improvement in sound quality from the AirPods Pro and this is reason enough to warrant the upgrade. There’s a far broader dynamic range from a powerful rich bass with clear, clean mids and distinctive highs that aren’t harsh. The AirPods Pro’s are in my top three best-sounding in-ear headphones this year. Audio is such an individual thing, but I really enjoy using them to listen to music or even watch movies.
Latency is non-existent and I never had any audio sync issues while watching videos. Battery performance is five hours but using ANC will shorten your time between charges. With the charging case, your total time is up to 24 hours.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
