The original AirPods Pro came out three years ago and, while Apple’s premium true wireless earbuds remain among the best in the category, it’s getting a little long in the tooth for a category where entries are constantly evolving. That’s why for 2022, the outfit is introducing the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro. And yes, they still look like the AirPods you know and love, stem and all.
If you’ve noticed, active noise cancellation has become the prime battleground for true wireless earbuds, with new models constantly touting ANC advancements compared to what’s in the market. It’s the same way for Apple’s new iteration of their premium earbuds, which promises to cancel twice as much noise compared to the previous iteration on top of changes in overall sound, function, and comfort.
The 2022 Apple AirPods Pro is equipped with the outfit’s upgrades H2 chip, which gives it the processing muscle to deliver improvements across multiple fronts. Chief among these is improved sound quality, with Adaptive EQ that can fine tune your music in real time to deliver what the outfit describes as “crisp, clean high notes and deep, rich bass in stunning clarity.” It also boasts the ability to cancel twice as much unwanted noise as its predecessor, ensuring you can listen without interruption even while in bustling public spaces.
Like most new earbuds in the category, it’s got the ability to let sound through via Adaptive Transparency for those times you need to engage in conversation or simply want to stay aware of your surroundings. For this iteration, though, it gets significant improvements, specifically the ability to lower the intensity of loud noises up to 48,000 times per second, so while you open up your hearing to ambient sounds, you’re spared from having to put up with unwanted ruckus like roaring engines, high-pitched shouting, and the seemingly relentless buzzing of large crowds.
The 2022 Apple AirPods Pro now comes with Personalized Spatial Audio that allows you to create a personalized three-dimensional sound profile for your ears. According to the outfit, this will tailor the listening experience by precisely placing sound elements at distinct points of origin, complete with head tracking, so it adjusts the directional sound along as your head moves. It uses dual beamforming microphones to pick up your voice during phone calls. The onboard battery allows for six hours of listening with ANC enabled, with up to 24 hours more available from the MagSafe charging case. Battery life, by the way, goes down to 5.5 hours with Personalized Spatial Audio running, so you lose about 30 minutes for that glorious 3D sound.
The new earbuds also get touch control on the stems, so you can control playback, adjust volume, and take calls just by swiping on those dangling ends, while the charging case comes with a the same Precision Finding tech found in AirTags, a built-in speaker (so it can make a sound for locating audibly), and Apple’s U1 chip. Other features include four sizes of flexible ear tips, IPX4 sweat resistance (both earbuds and charging case), and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
The 2022 Apple AirPods Pro comes out September 23rd, priced at $249.