Apple AirPods Pro: the double review

Apple has finally equipped the AirPods Pro with active noise cancelling. And they’re no longer earbuds, but in-ear models. And there’s a new transparency mode. Aurel and Livia put the AirPods Pro to a test – Aurel used them with the iPhone 11 Pro; Livia with the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.

Headphones

Apple AirPods Pro (1st Gen.)

ANC, 5 h, Wireless

8272

Headphones

Apple AirPods Pro (1st Gen.)

ANC, 5 h, Wireless

8272

Setting them up

Aurel: What is there to say? As an iPhone user, you can't get the setup wrong.

• Step 1: switch on Bluetooth.
• Step 2: open the AirPods Pro case next to the iPhone.

.. click «Connect» on your iPhone. That's it. It couldn't be easier. Good job, Apple.

Livia: Just like any other Bluetooth device, the AirPods connect to an Android phone, too. However, there are a few points you should keep in mind – otherwise it will drive you up the walls. This is how it will work:

• Step 1: switch on Bluetooth.
• Step 2: open the case, but leave the AirPods in it.
• Step 3: press the button on the back of the case until the light at the front flashes.
• Step 4: find and select AirPods Pro in the Bluetooth menu on your phone under «available devices».
• Step 5: Select «Pair».
• Step 6 (optional): adjust the Bluetooth codec in the settings to AAC (works with most newer Android phones).

Now you can listen to music with the AirPods. However, just as their predecessors, the AirPods Pro produce much lower sound levels with an Android device than with the iPhone. If you want more volume, that's what you need to do:

You'll first need to unlock the developer options: find the build number of your phone in the settings under «My device». Then click on it about seven times in a row – once you've clicked enough, you'll get a pop-up that tells you the option has been unlocked. Go back to the main settings and open the menu item «additional settings». The developer options are at the very bottom. Search for the item «Disable absolute volume» and uncheck it. Then restart the phone. Now the volume of your AirPods is as loud as with the iPhone.

Comfort

Aurel: In my opinion, the greatest advantage of the AirPods Pro is how comfortable they are. They're light as a feather (5.4 g) and come with three different sized tips, giving them a good fit. After the AKG 701, the AirPods are the second earphones that were so comfortable I forgot I was wearing them after a while. This is an incredibly important with headphones – and I'm amazed it's possible with in-ears.

**Livia: Yes, the AirPods are comfortable. They're more comfortable than the Sony WF-1000XM3 – to be honest, they're more comfortable than any true wireless headphones I've ever had in my ears. And they’re so light that I can't feel them in my ear even after wearing them for a long time. And: the AirPods Pro stay in place even if I have to run to catch a bus. They don’t even move. There’s no denying Apple did a good job making them fit in our ears.

The AirPods come with three silicone tips. The middle one fits me perfectly. That’s lucky, because if none of these tips fits, you've got a problem. Buying your own and attaching them isn’t an option – Apple's tips are proprietary and no others than these three fit on the AirPods.

What about sound quality?

Aurel: I bought the first generation AirPods and I was very happy with them. I was excited about this product from the very start: it's a perfect match for the Apple ecosystem and it's very well thought out. Their sound was and still is good, very good even. I wrote that in my review a few years ago. And I got a real roasting for saying that.

The point is: I know you can get more sound for less money. No in-ear headphones and certainly no earbuds stand a chance against good over-ear headphones in the same price range. Especially not against models with cables. Creating good wireless in-ear headphones is a much more difficult technical task. And Apple has solved it well.

The AirPods Pro are no longer earbuds but in-ears and sound even better in direct comparison with their predecessor. They sound great. There’s nothing more to say. To find out if you like the sound, ask someone who owns them if you may give them a try.

Livia: When I first heard the sound of the AirPods Pro after I paired them with my Android phone, I almost got scared. I don't like the sound. I like headphones that produce round, full and warm sound. The music from the AirPods sounds flat and is lacking depth. I can hear bass, but I don't like the way it sounds. But: I can well imagine that the AirPods just don't sound as good with an Android phone as they do with an iPhone. iPhones are probably better at tuning the sound than the Android system is.

To verify this, I tested the AirPods with an iPhone, too, and they sounded slightly better. But they can't compete with Sony’s WF-1000XM3.

Is the noise cancelling any good?

Aurel: The AirPods Pro noise cancelling is easy to understand, as there are only three modes: on, off, transparency mode. The modes are changed by squeezing the indented force sensor area of each earbud or in the iOS Settings, Control Center. You’ll find more details on this in the paragraph «Handling».

I made a mistake in the article I wrote about the AirPods: I described the transparency mode as airport or railway station mode, as known from other headphones. That's not correct. The transparency mode isn't intended for such noisy environments, but is designed for quiet situations. Otherwise, it's enough for me to simply turn off the noise cancelling.

The transparency mode is brilliant for me when I've put the kids to bed and am watching a movie or listening to music on the sofa. Nobody hears my headphones, but I hear every sound the kids make.

When I'm in a train station and don't want to miss any announcements, I deactivate noise cancelling. The in-eats reduce ambient noise a tiny bit, but I can still hear loud loudspeaker announcements.

What about active noise cancelling? It really knocked my socks off; it's really good. In public transport, the noise level is reduced considerably and I can enjoy my music much more. As a pleasant side effect, I lowered the volume automatically, making the hair cells in my inner ear happy and prolonging their life by years.

Livia: With Android, I didn't know at first which noise cancelling mode I was in and how to change it. There's no app to set all this up and see what you're doing. Because the modes can't be set on the phone, Android only lets me switch between two modes by squeezing the ear buds: noise cancelling on and transparency mode are available. When I connected the AirPods Pro to an iPhone, I could select the third mode, noise cancelling off mode. When I switched back to Android, the mode remained. But I never had more than two modes available.

The active noise cancelling isn't bad – it reduced background noise pretty well. However, I'm not satisfied with its ability to reduce loud background noises such as the rattling of a mechanical keyboard in the office. But this is also due to the design of in-ear headphones: of course, these little buds can't compete with the noise cancelling of over-ear headphones.

In my opinion, the transparency mode of the AirPods is less than ideal – it makes the background noise sound louder than it actually is. I tried this mode on my bike because I like to hear any trams approaching. But there was such a loud rushing sound because of the wind that I couldn't hear any music at all. When I want to have a chat with someone and remain in transparency mode, I always speak much too loudly – and my own voice sounds as if I were listening to myself on the phone.

What about handling?

Aurel: The AirPods Pro are simple to use. The old tap gestures of the AirBuds have been replaced by squeezing the force sensor on the lower part of the buds. It doesn't matter if you press the left or the right earbud.

• a quick squeeze: play/pause
• squeeze twice: skip a track
• squeeze three times: go back
• hold down: switch between noise cancellation and transparency modes. You can select which modes you want to switch between in the settings on your iPhone.

Unfortunately, there’s no gesture control for the volume. The volume is either adjusted Siri voice commands («Siri, volume to 50 percent») or as usual on your phone. If you have an Apple Watch, that’s also a way to adjust the volume.

In my opinion, Apple missed an opportunity: I would have found it much more useful if the left and right buds were configured differently. This would have allowed Apple to integrate a simple volume control directly on the AirPods, as Sennheiser did with the Momentum True Wireless.

Livia: The handling is similar with Android as it is with an iPhone. Squeezing the earbuds works well to transmit your commands to an Android phone. The only thing that doesn't work with Android is that the music doesn't pause when you remove an earbud from your ear. This works well with an iPhone, but with an Android device, your music just keeps playing.

If you want to change the operation; to define a different noise cancelling mode, for example, you first need to configure this on an iOS device.

To see the battery status of the AirPods, I downloaded the App MaterialPods.

Our verdict

Aurel: 279 francs is a hefty price. That's a lot of money. But comparable competitors (true wireless with noise cancelling) are rare and equally expensive. The AirPods Pro are sure to be a popular Christmas present. Even those who own the first and second generation AirPods will be tempted to get an upgrade, because the overall package is attractive for Apple users: good sound with a compact case and unbeatably simple handling. And now also with good noise cancelling.

What’s a shame is that Apple didn’t manage to improve the battery life. The runtime of up to five hours without and about 4.5 hours with noise cancelling isn’t great. Given the low weight, I accept the compromise. Especially as charging the AirPods Pro for five minutes gives you an hour of battery life.

A great product. Would I recommend it to iPhone owners? Absolutely!

Livia: Using the AirPods Pro with an Android phone works surprisingly well. But some important features, the automatic pausing, for instance, don’t work. That’s a real shame. The sound quality of the AirPods Pro isn't great, the noise cancelling not better than the competition and for their price, they offer a rather low battery life.

For iPhone users, these flaws are concealed or even eliminated by how convenient the AirPods Pro are: they’re comfortable, simple and convenient to use. With Android, all you get is comfortable in-ear headphones. Using other true wireless headphones such as the Sony WF-1000XM3 is easier and you'll have more features.

Compared to their predecessor model, the AirPods Pro have improved a lot – but they're not worth buying if you have an Android phone.

The specs

• Battery time: 4.5 hours
• Case: 24 hour playback, quick charge function, wireless charging (Qi)
• Weight per earbud: 5.4 grams
• Active noise cancelling
• Colour: available only in white
• Headphone type: in ear, true wireless
• Protection class: IPX4 (splash-proof)
• Charging input: Lightning
• Transmission: Bluetooth 5.0