AirPods Pro Review
“I’ve been waitin’ for this one!”
Lyrics from the song Tempo (feat. Missy Elliott) by Lizzo
This is the first thought when I saw the AirPods Pro announcement. I have been waiting for this since the introduction of the original AirPods.
AirPods have been a huge success for Apple. As an Apple user who is enjoying the Apple ecosystem, buying a pair of AirPods should be a no brainer. Everything works seamlessly, once you pop up the case cover for the first time, your iDevice near it will automatically prompt you to pair it with a nice animation UI. Thanks to the W1/H1 chip, it connects to all Apple devices under the same Apple ID. It is the most convenient wireless earbuds to date if you are using Apple devices. (If you are on Android, I do not see any reason to buy AirPods, because you will lose all the advantages of them.)
3 Reasons of not buying the non-pro AirPods
While the seamless experience is so tempting, however, I was still not convinced of purchasing the AirPods. There are three reasons holding me back:
- The universal fit design. This is the main reason that holds me back. I do not like on-ear earphones, they make me feel so insecure and anxious that I will drop one of those easily, like a bunch of New York subway passengers do. Also, in-ear headphones passively block noises. Naturally you will turn up the music volume if you are constantly staying at a noisy environment, which will gradually hurt your hearing.
- No noise cancellation. I have a pair of Sony MDR-1000x, A wireless over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones, first generation of the widely praised WH-1000XM3. Once I have tried the noise cancellation technology, I could never go back. You do not need to hear any noise or BS when commuting. If not because of the ongoing rumours about a noise cancelling AirPods, I would have bought the Sony WF-1000XM3 already. (Sony’s naming scheme sucks so much IMO.)
- The sound quality. Seriously, nobody puts sound quality as the priority when considering AirPods. The sound quality is not bad, but not as good as other wireless earbuds, and it becomes worse when you are in a noisy environment because of the on-ear design. If Apple is “courage” enough to label this AirPods as “Pro”. I would expect it to have a way better sound quality than the normal AirPods.
However, AirPods Pro clears all my hesitations over the normal AirPods, and that is why I pre-ordered it immediately after the announcement.
Unboxing
It comes with a USB-C to Lightning charging cable. Finally, no more USB-A. I personally do not mind using Lightning, I just don’t want USB-A. Both Lightning and USB-C are reversible while USB-A doesn’t. But of course, USB-C to USB-C would be perfect.
Key Specifications
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
According to Apple, noise cancellation is continuously adjusted at 200 times per second. - Transparency mode
The exact opposite of noise cancellation, which will let you hear the environment clearly. - Adaptive EQ
Apple claims that it is used to automatically tune music to the shape of your ears. - Force sensors
It is for controlling music, answering phone calls, switching between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode, and summoning Siri. - H1 Chip
Same chip can be found in non-pro AirPods. It ensures better wireless experience and controls the noise cancellation. - Charging Case
It has qi technology by default, so you do not need to pay extra money to buy a wireless charging case. The size is almost the same as the non-pro AirPods, but with a different orientation. - Battery
Great technology comes with great power consumption. Apple claims they have up to 4.5 hours of listening time with a single charge with with Active Noise Cancellation or Transparency on (or up to 5 hours when all modes off), and more than 24 hours on-the-go with wireless charging case. Since I just received my AirPods Pro this is the only thing I could not test yet.
If you have purchased AppleCare+ for them, you can change the battery for free if it is defected or the capacity has dropped to 80% or less.
Nevertheless, to use AirPods Pro, your Apple devices must be using iOS 13.2, iPadOS 13.2, watchOS 6.1, or macOS Catalina10.15.1.
Pairing the AirPods Pro
Just like the original AirPods, the pairing process is extremely simple. If you are using iPhone or iPad, all you have to do is pop up the case lid and the prompt will show up. After pressing the connect button, there is a short animated tutorial to teach you how to use them. After that, the AirPods Pro will sync with iCloud, then you can easily switch the connection to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, best summarises this.
“There is literally no way for another headphone company to compete with the advantages Apple gives itself.” Nilay Patel, The Verge
Only Apple is capable to pull this off, for it manufactures and controls all aspects and products of the ecosystem.
The Design
When AirPods were first announced, the internet was full of memes about how they look like toothbrushes. When AirPods Pro announced, same thing happened. This time they look like hair dryers and Pokemon.
All I care about is if they can fit my ears at all. The answer is yes. In-ear design is the correct approach. I do not need to worry about if they will drop ever again. What more can I say?
If you do not know which size of the tips you should wear, just run the Ear Tip Fit Test inside the Bluetooth page in Settings. AirPods will play a snippet of music to determine if the tips you have chosen are suitable.
Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode
ANC, the headlining feature of AirPods Pro. The moment I wore them, I was like “now that is what I am expecting”. Comparing with my Sony MDR-1000X, AirPods Pro definitely match Sony’s level of noise cancellation. My neighbour downstairs is currently renovating, it produces disturbing noise from drilling the walls. AirPods Pro helped cancelling out most of the noise. I could not even hear it when I was playing dynamic songs such as rock, hip-hop, and electronic. Apple nailed it once again.
Transparency mode is for those who do not want to take their earbuds off while listening (or eavesdropping) to others. It is like Sony’s ambient sound mode, but AirPods Pro still cancel out some noises, while Sony is like you can hear everything. For me, I will keep ANC on forever.
Sound Quality
Giving Apple’s sound tuning ability on the HomePod, I was having a high expectation on the sound quality of AirPods Pro. Thanks to the ANC technology, I can finally hear the true sound quality of them. The sound is crisp and clear, you can almost hear every small detail of the songs. I do not even realise Billie Eilish is humming in the intro of her song “Bad Guy”. However, heavy bass lovers will not be satisfied by its bass sound. Its bass is punchy enough for average listeners, but not enough for anyone who likes music with muffled beats, 808, or genres like trap.
Talk quality is great. Again, because of ANC, I can hear the voice clearly even in noisy environments. The one I called replied that she could hear my voice clearly and she felt like I was holding my phone.
[Update: ]Battery
After two days of usage. It’s safe to say the battery usage of AirPods Pro is a little bit better than what Apple claims (4.5 hours). I got 5 hours and they still got less than 5% left with noise cancellation on. (Using Apple Music and volume was set to 50%)
The Verdict
AirPods Pro can satisfy any average person in the Apple ecosystem.
If you have more than one Apple device and cares about ANC, AirPods Pro are the best choice.
If you care about ANC and the only Apple device you have is an iPhone, there are still many choices to choose, especially the Sony WF-1000XM3.
If you have multiple Apple devices and do not care about ANC. Powerbeats Pro will be a better choice because it has way longer battery life, which is also AirPods Pro greatest weakness.
What Can Be Improved in the Next Generation
- Longer Battery Life
- More Colours
- Volume Control
- USB-C (I don’t mind using Lightning but USB-C is definitely welcoming.)
