Apple AirPods Pro Review: The ‘Hearable’ at Its Best

For years, I have found AirPods to be as convenient as they are useful. When Apple introduced airpods in 2016, it popularized wireless earphones with a special chip that connected them to an iPhone. When I popped them in my ears, they seamlessly connected with my device. And when I put them back in their case, their batteries replenished.

Now the AirPods are getting smarter aa well as costlier. The earlier-generation AirPods cost around $150. The latest model of airpods pro is more expensive at $249.

The noise - cancelling airpods use microphones to listen for ambient sound and to generate the opposite sound in your ears to reduce noise, like the roaring engines of an airplane and background chatter in an office.

The AirPods Pro have a new feature known as transparency mode, which you activate by holding down a button on an earbud stem. The earphones uses their microphones to amplify the sounds on the surroundings. You can hear around more clearly while listening to a music. This turned out to be my favorite new feature.

How good are the new AirPods for that money? Comparing with other advanced headphones, the AirPods aren’t the best at canceling noise. Yet they are competent with good overall value, and so far, no one can beat the convenience of their compact design.

Comparing with AirPods Pro with Bose headphones and a pair of older AirPods in different situations , including my international flight. Here’s how that went.

On a Plane

For me, noise-canceling headphones are most useful on a plane. The noises from the engines combined with the conversations of loquacious seat neighbors make it difficult to sleep.

I wore the new AirPods on a recent 14-hours flight. I found several downsides. For one, the noise-canceling somewhat muffled the noise of the plane engines, but not enough to allow me to sleep. As,the AirPods are wireless, I couldn’t plug them into the screen in front of my seat to watch movies.

On the flight, I preferred Bose’s $350 , quiet comfort which are large wireless headphones worn over the ears. They significantly cut down on the engine noise, and they have a cord that could be plugged in to my seat’s audio jack to watch in-flight entertainment. The Bose headphones are bulkier, though they have always fit fine in my carry-on bag.

For the older AirPods, I never felt they were enough to hear music or podcasts amid the engine noise. I used to left AirPods at home whenever I traveled.

On the Streets

The new AirPods were great to use outdoors. By turning on transparency mode, I was able to listen for cars while crossing the street and remain attentive while walking around less safe neighborhoods.

On the Phone

After some time doing experiment, I learned that transparency mode was the best for taking phone conversations on the new AirPods. People’s voices sounded loud and clear in the earphones, but just as important, I was able to hear myself better, which helped me be more mindful about enunciating words and made me feel more confident over all.

Whenever I took calls on the Bose headphones, I could hear the person I was calling very clearly, but I sounded muffled to myself, which was jarring.

I enjoyed taking calls on older AirPods, partly because they connected with my phone quickly when a call came in. Being able to hear myself better in transparency mode on the Airpod pro made a big difference.

Bottom Line

While there are bulkier headphones on the market that do a better job at noise-canceling, the AirPods Pro are adequate in most situations, and their compact size makes them more convenient. They are a major improvement. I recommend the new version as they are far superior than the old model.

Apple have confirmed the batteries could also not be replaced on the AirPods Pro. Because, In some part their design involves embedding the batteries, circuit boards, microphones and antennas directly into a tightly sealed tiny package.