Crystal Cox/Business Insider
- Apple's new AirPods Pro offer meaningful upgrades compared to the standard version, particularly the ability to switch between noise-cancellation mode and transparency mode.
- I've only spent a couple of hours with the new AirPods, but I already came away impressed with the quality of the noise cancellation and the comfortable fit.
- Apple's regular AirPods have proven to be popular, but features like noise cancellation and sweat resistance are a must now that the industry has become more competitive.
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Apple's AirPods may have popularized the wireless earbud category, spawning competing products from Amazon, Microsoft, and Samsung (and a slew of AirPods-themed memes) following their 2016 release.
But there have been a few ways in which Apple's AirPods lagged behind their rivals. Apple's $160 AirPods, for example, don't offer any features for blocking out or reducing noise from your surroundings and aren't sweat-resistant. They also don't come with tips in varying sizes to accommodate different preferences.
That all changes with the AirPods Pro, the company's newest wireless headphones that launch in stores on Wednesday and cost $250. The upgraded AirPods now support noise cancellation, using outward and inward-facing microphones to cancel out sound before you hear it. There's also an option to switch to transparency mode, which lets you hear sound from the world around you along with whatever content you may be listening to through the AirPods. And they're now sweat resistant, so you should be able to wear them during a workout or in light rainy conditions without worrying.
With the AirPods Pro, Apple is closing the gap between its popular earbuds and the competition, especially as the space continues to get even more crowded with newcomers like Amazon and Microsoft. By launching a pair of high-end headphones alongside its regular AirPods, Apple is also following a strategy its pursued with other products in recent years, like the iPhone and iPad.
Overall, Apple's new AirPods offer meaningful improvements over the regular version that will make a bigger difference for most people than the jump between Apple's first- and second-generation AirPods. I'd have to spend more time using them before I can make a judgment call, but this feels like the upgrade that owners who purchased AirPods back in 2016 have been waiting for.
Here's a brief look at my first impressions after spending just a couple of hours with the AirPods Pro.
