Apple AirPods Pro Review: Still The Best Earbuds From Apple

The Apple AirPods Pro was originally released way back in late 2019. But up to this day, these pair of earbuds still remain to be the best earphones Apple has to offer. When compared to its predecessor, the OG AirPods, the Pro now offers active noise cancellation as well as an overall improvement in its design. In addition to that, the AirPods Pro has also met other upgrades this year that just make the experience a lot better. So without further ado, let’s dive into our review of the AirPods Pro.

See Where The Apple AirPods Pro Ranks In Our List Of The Best Headphones For Your iPhone This 2021.

Overview Of The AirPods Pro

Not many people were surprised to learn that the AirPods Pro is one of the best earbuds for iPhone users, as well as one of the finest-sounding headphones available in the market in general. The AirPods Pro, of course, are the best headphones to use with your iPhone thanks to its H1 chip that enables you to easily pair the earphones with other Apple devices seamlessly.

They also come with an iOS-only settings UI that supports ANC navigation and button mapping. Apart from that, despite the AirPods Pro being released a few years ago, this device still gets plenty of upgrades from Apple. This means your user experience is only getting better and better. Since the iOS 15 update last September, the earphones have received a flood of additional features.

Such features include Conversation Boost, which helps you hear face-to-face conversations a lot more clearly, the option to announce notifications with Siri, integration with Apple’s Find My App, and a whole lot more.

Apple also updated the software on the AirPods Pro. They now feature Spatial Audio, which is Apple’s own version of Dolby’s Atmos technology. However, unlike traditional surround which requires multiple speakers, Atmos places sound in 3D. In turn, this allows you to get the same sound quality with just a pair of headphones.

When it comes to fit and comfortability, these premium earbuds’ comfortable and lightweight design is also stable enough for mild to moderate physical activities.

As for sound quality, the lack of bass in the AirPods Pro doesn’t make this any less great. It might not be enough for hardcore bass enthusiasts, but the overall audio quality is still top-notch and is well-suited for a variety of audio content. It will definitely satisfy the majority of its users.

Features & Specifications

What’s in the box?

• AirPods Pro
• MagSafe Charging Case
• Silicone ear tips (three sizes)
• Lightning to USB-C Cable
• Documentation

Check Out Apple’s Preview Of The AirPods Pro Below.

Want To Check Out Other Headphones That Are Compatible With Your iPhone? Read Our Top Recommendations Here.

What We Love About The Apple AirPods Pro

Design & Fit

When the first iteration of the AirPods was released years ago, many users complained about the uncomfortable fit and the overall design. Thankfully, you no longer have to worry about that with the AirPods Pro. The new design of the Pro variant makes them significantly less likely to fall out from your ears than their predecessors.

Not to mention, the Pro version’s additional microphones now provide effective noise cancellation which you’ll notice a lot more when you’re commuting or in busier and noisier environments. But if you still prefer to be aware of your surroundings, the handy Transparency mode lets you hear external sounds to an ideal degree.

Aside from the redesign, the AirPods Pro is incredibly light. They’re so lightweight that it’s difficult to know they’re there once they’ve been inserted into the ears. Personally, this is a huge plus in terms of comfort. If you often experience fatigue around your ears from wearing earbuds for too long, you are less likely to encounter that with wearing the AirPods Pro.

Furthermore, the stems of the Pro variant are substantially much shorter than the ones on the original AirPods. While you were able to tap the body of the regular AirPods to skip music or activate Siri, the Pro’s new fit makes this a less comfortable experience for you.

Each AirPods Pro also has a ‘capacitive force sensor’ in the stem, where tapping this area activates noise-canceling and Transparency mode, as well as navigating your music playlist. If you have been previously using the regular AirPods, you might take a bit of time getting used to this new function, so keep that in mind.

IPX4 Rating

One of the best things about the AirPods Pro is its IPX4 rating. This means that if you ever get caught in the rain while you’re outdoors, you won’t have to worry about these earbuds getting ruined. Of course, you can’t fully drench these earphones in water or go swimming with them, but they can certainly survive a good amount of sweat whenever you’re working out or the occasional accidental splashes of water.

Sound Quality & ANC

Aside from the improvements in design, the first thing you’ll notice about the AirPods Pro once you put them on is that they have greater bass than the original AirPods. Their new noise-isolating design and new drivers are largely responsible for their increased bass.

When the first AirPods came out, they sounded well in quiet environments, but they struggled a lot when exposed to noisier environments due to their open design. Because of this, the bass frequencies get drowned out among the external noise.

Fortunately for you, the AirPods Pro has addressed this problem and has now a more efficient noise cancellation thanks to its secure ear tips. As a result, the combination of the tips’ seal and active noise cancellation features make the overall sound quality considerably better when you’re in busier areas like the city streets.

The AirPods Pro also has two microphones, enabling for both internal and external sound analysis. One uses an algorithm to evaluate the audio quality in your ear to see if the music you’re listening to is sounding as it should. While the other eliminates background noise. This results in a significantly better listening experience.

Also, the active noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro is also quite noticeable once you turn them on. But keep in mind that it won’t completely block out all other sounds around you. For example, if you’re in an area with music playing in the background, a small amount may still get through you might still hear the external music. However, when strolling down the street, the AirPods Pro was pretty effective in blocking out any noises from vehicles rushing by.

Spatial Audio

One of my favorite things about the AirPods Pro is that it now comes with Spatial Audio. This particular firmware update now allows Dolby Atmos’ immersive audio to these premium pair of earbuds. The Spatial Audio feature works in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos, which places sound all around you within a virtual sphere.

To put it simply, this means that if you’re watching a Dolby Atmos film that shows a plane flying overhead, it will sound as if the plane is actually passing above you. Not to mention, the built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes inside Apple’s earbuds and headphones are used by Spatial Audio to track the position of your head as well as the position of your Apple device.

A streaming provider that supports 5.1, 7.1, or Atmos, as well as an Apple device running iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, is required. Stereo content can also be converted to Spatial Audio if the streaming service has a stereo spatialization plugin installed.

Our Least Favorite Things

No Sound Customization Capabilities

Aside from the obvious high-end price the AirPods Pro is asking for, one of the biggest drawbacks I found with these earbuds is that there are no sound modification capabilities, such as an EQ or presets of any kind. This kind of feature would have allowed you to tailor the sound of the headphones to your preferences.

It may not be a huge deal-breaker for some of you, but I just personally find it pretty disappointing especially when you’re paying this kind of premium price for a pair of headphones.

In A Nutshell

Now that we have discussed the things we liked and disliked about the AirPods Pro, here is the narrowed-down list of the good and the bad with these earbuds.

Our Final Verdict

Overall, the Apple AirPods Pro is a pretty expensive pair of earbuds. However, they’re amazingly well-built with excellent ANC capabilities as well as better-than-average sound quality. They also have little yet significant design modifications that really upgrade your user experiences when compared to the regular AirPods and other true wireless headphones out there.

Fans of Apple products will surely be satisfied with the quality and the seamless compatibility with other Apple devices. But whether they’re worth the splurge is completely up to you.

Do you already own the Apple AirPods Pro? Was our review helpful? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any questions, suggestions, or insights to share. I would love to hear all your thoughts.

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