Hot off the heels of its Beats Solo refresh, Apple has announced a new set of AirPods with noise-cancelling tech: the AirPods Pro. The wire-free buds use microphones that can detect external sound and then cancel it out. Apple says noise cancellation "adapts the sound signal 200 times per second". The AirPods Pro also have a Transparency mode that lets you filter environmental noise into the headphones.
Apple is promising "superior sound quality" with automatic tuning that adjusts low and-mid range frequencies. We'll be keen to test this out, as the standard AirPods sound fine, but a little basic.
Unlike Apple's current AirPods, the AirPods Pro have silicone tips and an in-ear style design, which should offer a more secure fit and improved noise isolation, even when you've got noise-cancelling switched off.
The AirPods Pro have the same H1 chip you'll find inside the second generation AirPods and the Powerbeats Pro.
This chip allows the AirPods Pro to seamlessly pair and sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, and allows hands-free access to Siri. While these features are clearly designed for those deep in the Apple ecosystem, AirPods Pro will still work with Android smartphones (and other non-Apple devices) - you'll just miss out on a few features. You will also have to keep a Lightning cable around to recharge the buds. Or a wireless charger, if you'd prefer.
Apple says AirPods Pro will last up to four-and-a-half hours per charge with noise-cancelling on, or five hours with it switched off. With the included charging case, you should be able to get as much as 24 hours of playback.
You can order AirPods Pro from today for $399 ahead of the pair hitting stores tomorrow. That's the same price as Sony's wire-free noise-cancelling buds, the WF-1000XM3s. For comparison, Apple's second-generation AirPods - with no noise-cancelling tech - will set you back $249 for a standard pair, or $329 with a wireless charging case.
Alex Choros
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