First Listen: Tuning Out Noise With the AirPods Pro 2

The biggest news coming from Cupertino might be the iPhone 14 lineup, but Apple also updated its AirPods Pro with a second-generation replacement for the 2019 originals. The first AirPods Pro represented a huge step forward not only for Apple’s personal audio products—they implemented an in-canal design that created a seal for optimal audio performance—but also for true wireless earbuds in general, as they delivered reliable, impressive ANC (active noise cancellation) to the relatively new form factor. Within a few short years, ANC of a reasonable quality level is now ubiquitous, and several models have surpassed the 2019 AirPods Pro. The $249 second-gen AirPods Pro need to step it up, and from what we experienced in out time with them at Apple's launch event, our outlook is promising.

Hands On With the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)

New In-Ear Design, Featuring Volume Swipe

They're subtle, but the new AirPods Pro feature a few physical changes. A newly designed, inward-facing mic allows for better call clarity, and the new swipe up/down on-ear controls are a welcome addition to the somewhat spartan on-ear control options the AirPods previously offered.

On the show floor, I had trouble finding the sweet spot to adjust the volume at first; an on-screen volume icon appeared and adjusted in real time with my motions. In practice, one ear was hard to adjust, while the other instantly and seamlessly raised and lowered the volume. Most likely, it was my clumsy fingers. It’ll be interesting to see how the volume swipe function performs when we get a pair in for review.

More Powerful Noise Cancellation

It’s hard to say how much better the new AirPods Pro are without putting them through some real tests, but on the noisy showfloor, I was impressed. Enabling the ANC immediately took out a wide swath of noise—and that room, with lots of reflective surfaces and people speaking loudly, was very noisy. I was unable to do an A-B comparison between the new and old models, but I believe Apple when its claim the ANC is improved; it did a great job onsite, at least. Two times as good? We'll see.

Also cool: The ANC integration with the Apple Watch. You can now see how the level of noise is being dialed back in dBs, and the watch display also tells you what noise levels are like even when ANC isn’t on. Again, it’s a first impression, but the ANC sounded like it was a significant improvment. We were unable to evaluate adaptive transparency on the floor (what, no jackhammers for effect, Apple?), but that will be a fun feature to test at some point at home in Brooklyn, where there’s plenty of noise all the time.

A New Case

There are some changes to the case’s design. For example, a speaker on the bottom allows for Find My functionality beeps to help you locate your misplaced AirPods. Apple also includes a lanyard loop, though interestingly, I didn't see any on the showfloor.

The 2019 case supported wireless charging, and in 2021, the case was upgraded to support MagSafe wireless charging. The new model works with MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers, as well as Qi wireless charging and of course cables. Beyond that, the shape and size are similar to the 2019 model. And yes, you can personalize the case with engravings and emoji.

Personalized Spatial Audio and New Chip

The upgraded H2 chip enables the new feature set, from Find My functionality for the earphones and the case, to a newly enhanced spin on spatial audio. You can now use the TrueDepth camera on your iPhone to take images of your “head’s geometry,” and with this info, Apple adjusts spatial audio to further match to your ears perfectly.

There was no demo of this on the showfloor, but we’re looking forward to checking it out.

In-Ear Feel

The in-ear feel here is very similar to the original AirPods Pro. Any thought that Apple was going to bulk these up (to create a more secure fit like many of the fitness-focused true wireless models we test) is out the window. But they felt secure in the brief amount of time I wore them at the show. Of course, I wasn't jogging or exercising, but they seemed like they’d stay in place.

New Drivers

It was very hard to get a sense of what kind of audio performance the new drivers here will deliver while standing on the showfloor, but I can say there was a decent, seemingly improved sense of bass depth, and the mix sounded balanced and crisp. Of course, I was listening to a playlist Apple chose to highlight the AirPods, not my own test tracks, so we’ll have to wait and see what the new models really sound like.

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What We Still Want from the Second-Gen AirPods Pro

I’ll admit I am surprised that there was no announcement of a new audio codec that would rise to the level of lossless or near lossless/hi-res playback. We’ve tested other in-ears this year that not only offer hi-res codec support, but can stream Apple Music’s lossless audio in hi-res. Guess what can’t do this? Any AirPods. Maybe there's a development in the making that might be announced at a later point, but for now, it seems it’s just AAC and SBC—and for the company that runs one of the best lossless streaming services, it’s a head-scratcher.

I also expected some sort of surprise high IP rating. Maybe the case would now be waterproof? Maybe at least the earpieces would be? In the last year, we’ve tested two ANC true wireless pairs from Jabra and one from JBL that are fully waterproof, so we know it’s possible. (Apple can make an iPhone IP68, but not earphones?) IPX4 feels a little outdated in 2022, at least for an industry leader.

Finally, the battery life improvements here aren't terribly impressive. They’re not bad! But six hours per charge is pretty standard for 2022. Of course, powerful ANC and spatial audio will drain any battery quickly.

Pre-orders for the second-gen AirPods Pro begin Friday, Sept. 9, and they hit store shelves on Sept. 23. We look forward to putting them to the test for a full review, so make sure to check back to find out whether we think it's worth upgrading from the originals.

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