AirPods Pro

I was extremely skeptical and vocally critical of the AirPods Pro when they were first announced, but after testing them for twenty-four hours, I’ve completely changed my mind.

I’ve never had a terrific experience with noise canceling headphones, and I’ve never really found the foam/rubber tipped, in-ear style headphones to be comfortable, so those were my two primary concerns with AirPods Pro. I’m pleased to report that those are both non-issues.

The silicone tips have been designed in such a way that they snap onto the AirPods, rather than enveloping a metal or plastic barrel with a cylindrical tube of rubber or foam on the inside of the tips, as has been the case with every other pair of rubber or foam tipped headphones I’ve used. This design change allows the tips to provide a more natural seal, and they’re much more comfortable because they omit the hard metal or plastic at the center of the tip.

In regards to the noise cancellation, Apple offers two, equally impressive modes: noise cancellation, and transparency. The noise cancellation mode works extremely well, blocking out almost all of the noise in a crowded Starbucks. The transparency mode is more interesting, because it uses the microphones to transmit some of the sounds from your environment through to your ears, while blocking other sounds, so that I couldn’t hear the noise from fans in the gym, but I could clearly hear the guys clanking beside me. Transparency mode is great for listening to music in cases where you still want to be aware of your surroundings, like crossing the street or in a busy gym with lots of heavy objects moving about. The noise cancellation mode is great when you want to really get in the zone or want to relax a bit. The work they’ve done here is remarkable, and as John Gruber quips on Daring Fireball, it really is audio AR.

The force sensor on the stem of the AirPod is also far more responsive and easier to use than the previous generation’s double tap option for controlling Siri and music playback. It’s a very Apple-y feature.

I’m giving these new AirPods Pro a 9/10, because $250 is a bit expensive, but I was very impressed by the functionality and fit.

UPDATE: 11/4/19, 12:50;

Time seems to agree with me. They make some really good points in their review, and even remark that the AirPods Pro are Apple’s best product since the iPad.