Review: AirPods Pro
I’ve used the AirPods Pro for almost two weeks and here is my experience.
Let me start off by saying these two little white pods are an incredible piece of engineering. There is a TON of tech packed into these little white tips that fit snugly in your ears. Speaking of fitting snugly in your ears, Apple offers true hardware and software integration to ensure users have the best possible experience with AirPods Pro. After they are paired to your iPhone, navigate to Settings, Bluetooth, info icon on your AirPods Pro, and then select the “Apple Ear Tip Test”. It makes sure the AirPods Pro have a correct seal in your ear for optimal sound. This was a cool experience, and nothing like I’ve ever done with a pair of headphones in the past. That deserves a shout out to Apple for making something cool, futuristic, and also functional. 👏🏻👏🏻
Give it a watch and listen here to see what that experience is like. (Sound On) 🔈
Design of AirPods vs AirPods Pro
Next let’s continue with the design. If you compare the original AirPods and the new AirPods Pro, the Pros have stems that are shorter and more sleek. I really enjoyed the ascetic of the smaller design in my ears, but I will admit that the in-ear design is something I still can’t get behind. Some people have reported, including close friends, that the AirPods Pro are much more secure and will never fall out of your ears. I do agree they are very secure, but truth be told I’ve never had the original AirPods fall out of my ears. I have heard feedback from others though that the “one size fits all” approach of the original AirPods design doesn’t work for everyone. 🤷♂️
Now you'll notice near the bottom of the AirPods Pro stem that they have a bit of an indent cut out in them. This is for specific commands you can specify in the iOS Settings App for AirPods Pro such as the ability to play/pause a song, or answer/end a call. You can also double-squeeze to skip forward and triple-squeeze to skip back. A squeeze and hold will allow for switching audio types between transparency and noise cancelling. The most impressive part of this button is you can squeeze either one of the AirPods Pro to switch from noise cancelling to transparency audio without touching your iPhone.
The battery life was pretty on par with existing AirPods, but I will say something with a “pro” naming convention only getting 4.5 hours without a charge isn’t something to write home about. This is a bit concerning to me, as some flights are more than 4.5 hours and I’m sure you would want the noise cancelling feature to be enabled for the duration of the flight.
I totally understand the comment and statement made by Tim Cook that “AirPods Pro could be a complement to your current AirPods, not a replacement.” He’s totally right about this, because for me this product isn’t meant for a daily driver. The noise canceling feature is absolutely incredible, but do you really need to shut out the world like that on a daily basis? Like I said, for some people this product will be a game changer, but does the average AirPods owner need to spend an additional $249.00 + tax to have the option of both? Last year I wrote a review of AirPods stating how I truly believed they were the greatest thing to come out of Apple in the post Steve Jobs era. I made that statement on the grounds of price, flexibility, reliability, evolution of taking a product and making it increasingly better, and integration into the Apple ecosystem.
I still stand behind that blog post from 2018, and I’ll repost it here if you’re interested.
Opinion: If You Buy 1 Accessory - Make Sure It’s AirPods.
Now one feature that really stood out to me was the Transparency vs Noise Cancelling options. To activate this, navigate to control center, force touch into AirPod Pro audio slider, and there you’ll be presented with 3 options. Noise Cancellation — Off — Transparency. Start by listening to music or audio with Transparency which is a fine experience, nothing to really get too excited about, but the Noise Cancelling is where the product shines. ⭐️ It’s as though the entire noise of the surrounding world completely vanishes. The audio becomes that much more crystal clear in the noise cancelling mode, and you can get lost in what you’re doing as it truly is an immersive experience.
I even had the chance to test the noise cancelling feature in a very loud bar, and at a live Philadelphia Eagles football game. This is where the noise cancelling feature was super impressive. With a stadium full of cheering fans I really didn’t hear them when I was playing audio through my AirPods Pro around a mid range level.
AirPods Pro in use at Lincoln Financial Field
🏈 🦅
USB C to Lighting Cable
Next let’s chat about what comes in the box. Well the package is of course beautiful, and really gets you excited about the product before you even get to interact with it. Inside is the AirPods Pro wireless charging case with lighting charging port, both AirPods, 3 different sizes of ear tips to use based on the shape of your ears, and a lighting to USB C cable. Notice how I didn’t mention a USB C power brick here. During the unboxing I was a bit surprised to find that a charging brick had not been provided. Due to the act that this charging cable is USB C I would expect that a brick would be apart of the package, if for no other reason even the latest iPhones that these AirPods Pro will be paired to have not yet moved on to USB C charging. Apple expects for you to either:
1.) Own a Mac with a USB C port
2.) Own a iPad Pro with USB C Port
3.) Own the latest iPhone 11 Pro/ Pro Max (USB C power brick in box)
4.) Own a wireless charging pad
5.) Go out and buy a USB C charging brick
Apple is clearly making an assumption that anyone who purchases the $249.00 AirPods Pro will already have a USB C Mac or wireless charging pad in their home. Or perhaps this is their marketing team at work sending everyone a non-verbal message that if you bought AirPods Pro and don’t own any of these things, it would be a great opportunity to upgrade to any of the options above! Oh my wouldn’t this have been a great place for “AirPower”....yikes.
Let’s not forget the minimum requirements to use AirPods Pro. AirPods Pro require Apple devices running iOS 13.2 or later, iPadOS 13.2 or later, watchOS 6.1 or later, tvOS 13.2 or later, or macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later. This means if you want to purchase AirPods Pro to use with your work Mac, please be aware that at the time of writing this article, macOS Catalina’s 10.15.1 is VERY new and the majority of IT departments will be holding off for at least a few months to push macOS Catalina. On the flip side to this, the original AirPods and 2nd Gen AirPods with wireless charging case minimum requirements work with devices running iOS 10 or later, watchOS 3, and macOS Sierra 10.12.x or later. Because of their age, a much wider array of Apple devices continue to work with the standard “AirPods.”
Although the AirPods Pro offer a heck of a lot of benefits, features, and portability I personally couldn’t get over the feeling of having the tips in my ears. So perhaps an unpopular opinion here, but I ended up returning mine to the Apple store for a full refund. You guys know that Apple offers a 14 day return window with no questions asked for a full refund, right? Also during their Holiday shopping time which is coming up near the end of November, in the past they have had an extended return window starting the end of Nov to early January. Love them or hate them, the AirPods Pro are here to stay and will continue to gain traction with consumers, enterprise, and education.
Be well everyone, and happy listening! 🎶 🎼
PS. With my use of headphones throughout my life, I have NEVER liked the in-ear headphone. For anyones whose personal preference does not include using an in-ear headphones this product is not for you. But hey, with the 14 day return policy from Apple, it’s worth giving it a shot!
-Joe
