My AirPods Pro Review
An honest review after having tried Jaybird x4, Jabra Elite Sport, Sennheiser, and others.
Intro
This is not a full review of the AirPods Pro. There are plenty of those online (see below, under resources). What this is, however, is my personal review and conclusions about them. So many people have asked my opinion that I thought I’d share my thoughts here.
Comfort & Fit
I’ve never liked in-ear headphones that create a seal. They’ve always felt uncomfortable to me and like there was added pressure in my ear. Some have even felt like they would fall out with basic use. I’ve tried a number of headphones like this: Jaybird x4, Jabra Elite Sport, Sennheiser, and others. Apparently the reason these are uncomfortable is that when you push the headphones into your ear you’re also pushing air in there. With the AirPods Pro Apple has added an awesome feature where the headphones automatically create an air pressure equilibrium between the inside ear and outside the headphones. The result of this is that the headphones feel incredibly comfortable. Unlike any of the other brands I mentioned, I don’t mind wearing these for long periods of time.
The old AirPods, by comparison, did not create a seal. Instead, they were just a piece of plastic that sat on your ear. That’s why they were so comfortable. The downside of this is that they let literally all outside noise in.
Another benefit of the new seal created by the AirPods Pro, and the 3 sizes of ear tips, is that they fit significantly better than the old AirPods. Those old ones were notorious for only fitting some people with specific ear shapes. Even for me, someone who the old AirPods fit pretty well, I would never run in them because they definitely would get loose and fall out easily. The new AirPods fit way better and I’ve run a number of times with them with no issue or fear of them falling out.
Sound Quality
I’m not an audio-expert by any means, but the new AirPods definitely sound better than the old ones. Especially with noise cancellation turned on, you hear a much richer sound and deeper bass. However, when you switch to transparency mode you’ll definitely notice that the sound quality drops a bit and sounds very similar to the old AirPods.
Noise Cancellation
It’s Good
I was a bit skeptical about the AirPods Pro’s ability to cancel noise. I use the Bose QuietComfort at work and on flights and those headphones are amazing. I once used them on an NYC subway platform and barely heard the loud train pull into the station. The Bose are considered the industry leader for noise cancellation.
The AirPods Pros are no slouch either. I was completely surprised by how well these work, especially for earbuds rather than over ear. I live in NYC and the streets are very loud, to say the least. With the old AirPods, I would often have to pause my podcast when a subway train was approaching, when a loud busker got on my subway car when I would walk by construction, when an ambulance or police car with a siren drove by, etc. These extremely loud sounds would completely drown out whatever I was listening to, even when I had the volume turned to max. That was definitely a frustration.
With the Pros and noise cancellation turned on I keep the volume around 50% and don’t even have to change it when I encounter loud noises. On the subway platform I can hear the train coming, but it’s definitely muffled and I still have no problem hearing my podcast over it. Same with construction, sirens, etc. In fact, just the other day I was unlucky enough to get on a subway train with a huge group of school kids who were screaming and yelling. Normally I’d have to pause my podcast because I wouldn’t be able to hear a single word over them. However, with the new AirPods Pro, I heard a slight muffle under my podcast.
Note: Read this for more info about how cool noise cancellation on these are. They do 200 calculations per second to measure outside noise and compensate inside your headphones.
But Be Careful
The noise cancellation is so good, in fact, it makes me a little worried when walking on the streets. You always have to be careful of cars that don’t pay attention to pedestrians, or bikes that go the wrong way or even on the sidewalk. With noise cancellation turned on it’s very possible you won’t hear someone shout, though I think you would still hear a car horn. It might be advisable to have transparency mode on while walking on the streets, but that would definitely remove a big benefit for me — blocking out the loud city around me. I am curious, however, if we’ll soon read reports about people getting hit by bikes or cars because they weren’t paying attention and didn’t hear a warning.
Transparency Mode vs Off
The AirPods have the ability to switch between noise cancellation mode, transparency mode, and off. Off is a waste — the audio quality is worse, but the outside world is still pretty muffled. Transparency mode is most like the old AirPods, where you can still hear what’s going on around you. It’s a little weird at first to get used to surrounding noise coming through your headphones, but you quickly get used to it. For now, I’ve only been turning it on when I go into stores or have to interact with people — I’ll pause the music and turn on transparency mode.
Conclusion
The AirPods Pro are definitely an upgrade over the old ones. They’re not revolutionary by any means — Apple didn’t create this product category, just like they didn’t create the category for the initial AirPods. However, what Apple does best is perfecting an existing category. For me, these are by far the best noise cancelling in-ear earbuds I’ve ever tried.
If you’ve tried the old AirPods and they just didn’t fit your ear, give these a shot. With the 3 ear-tip sizes and the way these create a seal I think they might work better for you.
If you just bought the new AirPods last year, you don’t have to upgrade. But if you’re willing to, these are better in every way.
If you have the original AirPods and notice the battery is starting to go and you’re thinking about a new pair, I’d definitely recommend these over the AirPods 2.
If you’re some kind of crazy person that hasn’t bought a pair of AirPods yet, what are you waiting for??? These are definitely the best earbuds I’ve ever used. I used my old AirPods literally every day, and the new AirPods Pro are my new go-to.
Resources
Recommended Reviews:
