AirPods Pro 2 Review: Almost Perfect
A product that keeps getting better with time.
I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time. I’ve been an AirPods owner since the very first set back in 2016. I’m a tech enthusiast as much as I am a music junkie. The best thing about owning the first two generations of AirPods is that I regularly called them my, "podcasts, phone calls, and audiobooks" headphones.
At that point, I was still using wired over-ear headphones for serious listening. In hindsight, I was fighting the inevitable. The wireless future was coming and the longer I fought it, the more cumbersome it was going to be.
Anyways, skip a few years and I eventually moved onto the first generation AirPods Pro. I loved those, but they had a permanent hardware failure that meant I was replacing them at least once a year with how much I was using them. (See: repair program for AirPods Pro 1st generation.)
You bet your butt that I replaced them with AirPods Pro 2 as soon as those were released. And that’s where we stand today. Other than switching from the lightning variation to the updated USB-C model (ugh), AirPods Pro 2 have been my daily driver for a few years now.
So, how do I like them?
The Original Promise
Better noise cancelling and proper volume controls on the stems. That’s what sold me. It sounds silly today, but before AirPods Pro 2, Apple’s AirPods line never featured a way to control the volume on the buds themselves. You always had to control it via your Apple Watch, iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, etc. Being able to control volume by just using the stems was huge at the time for AirPods users.
Better noise cancellation is always appreciated. I never felt like AirPods Pro 1’s active noise cancellation (ANC) was bad. But over-ear headphones were always a notable step up. With the 2nd gen AirPods Pro, that’s changed. Now, when I want really good ANC, I always pick up my AirPods. It’s not even a question and I don’t really have the desire to find over-ear headphones with great ANC anymore. You can’t beat the portability of AirPods and convenience of AirPods.
While I wouldn’t classify the AirPods Pro 2 as having great sound quality, it’s pretty good. You’re still beholden to AAC Bluetooth compression and all of its quirks. That includes a relatively small soundstage and pretty average detail retrieval.
The good news is that the frequency response is pretty consistent and neutral. That means they at least sound good enough in a pinch. And honestly, that’s the best way to describe it. With the standard non-Pro AirPods, I never wanted to listen to music on them at any cost. With the AirPods Pro (both generations) I’m happy to report that I’ll listen to music with them if I don’t have anything else with me. I’ve tried standard AirPods and to me, it hasn’t crossed that threshold yet.
The Updates
You should never buy a product based on future promises. I certainly didn’t. But AirPods Pro 2 seems to be a product that unexpectedly keeps getting better with time.
I understand it’s a super stupid thing to do, but the only reason I purchased AirPods Pro 2 was to solve AirPods Pro 1’s hardware issue. If it did that, I was happy.
Conversation Awareness and Adaptive Transparency are what keep me locked in nowadays. Those both came a year or two after AirPods Pro 2 were initially released. Neither are inherently unique and other ANC earbuds have them. But the implementation details is why I love my AirPods.
I’d say the two work best together. Conversation Awareness allows me to just start talking. It’ll lower the volume of what I’m playing, and kick on transparency mode. However in this case, it’ll kick into Adaptive Transparency. And when I’m done speaking, it’ll wait a few seconds and kick back into ANC.
Adaptive Transparency does wonders for me as an auDHD person. It lets me hear the important stuff while simultaneously still suppressing noises such as engines, fans, etc. This feature got even better with iOS 18 as you’re now able to adjust how much noise you want. I find the default behavior works best for me. It sounds most natural to my ears.
As an auDHD person, Adaptive Transparency was an absolute game changer for me. I’m able to navigate the world without constantly feeling overwhelmed. I’m able to keep a conversation with people in public while still feeling comfortable.
And most recently, Apple added the ability to do a hearing test and AirPods Pro 2 are now FDA-approved to be used as hearing aids. I might not need these features, but I will never be against companies making their products more accessible.
The last thing I want to touch on—and it’s last because it applies to the smallest number of people—is official support for Apple Vision Pro. It’s nice having everything integrated. I’m not gonna pretend like lossless audio on AirPods Pro is a game changer, it’s not. But having access to low-latency, spatial audio on such a device is essential. The last thing you need is to get motion sick because the audio is delayed from what you’re seeing.
Conclusion
Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be falling off of the AirPods Pro train any time soon. I love how the Pros sound and the earbuds work well both within and outside of the not-really-a-secret ecosystem. The walls are high, but for AirPods, they still function exceptionally well beyond the garden.
It checks every box I’ve been wanting. It’s comfortable, I can wear them for long stretches of time, I can charge the case with the same charger as my iPhone or Apple Watch, and they automatically pair to all of my devices and I can control them from the buds themselves without having to reach for my phone for playback or volume controls.
I basically use them everyday. It helps me stay focused at my desk, writing. And out and about? It helps me manage the environment around me. I charge the case every 3-4 days, if you want an idea of how much I use them. The case is supposed to get me 24 hours. And the AirPods on a full charge give you 6 hours of use, totaling 30 hours total.
The upgrade from AirPods Pro 1 to AirPods Pro 2 was pretty straightforward for me. But will I upgrade from AirPods Pro 2 to AirPods Pro 3 (whenever that releases)? I’m not sure. The 2nd gen AirPods Pro are just that good.