Apple AirPods Pro Review

In many ways, the original AirPods (and their ever-so-slight 2019 refresh) were "good enough". They worked flawlessly, but their sound quality was only okay, their fit was problematic for some, and they were awful at noise isolation. The seamless connectivity and ease-of-use was more than enough to make up for this - for the most part - but there was clear room for improvement.

With the AirPods Pro, Apple has addressed all these issues. The new buds sound great, come with more options in terms of fit, and they're noise-cancelling. Best of all, they're still reliable as hell.

Bring the noise

The AirPods Pro's headlining feature is easily noise-cancellation, and it's genuinely good. It's not on par with what you'd get from a pair of over-ear headphones, but really impressive for earbuds. They can cancel out the bustle of an office, mute the awful playlist at your gym, and make walking through a city a little more relaxing.

They're even great on public transport and planes. You can hear a whisper of announcements, but not much else. AirPods Pro aren't going to replace your Sony WH-1000XM3s or Bose NC 700s for a long-haul flight, but they'll make that crying child just a little bit more bearable. They're much better than you'd expect, given the tiny form factor. It is almost a little bit like magic.

Even if you don't have noise-cancelling switched on, the AirPods Pro do a much better job at making the world a bit quieter than their predecessors, thanks a redesign. The AirPods Pro are a bit smaller than a standard pair of AirPods, and also have an in-ear fit. You'll find three tip sizes in the box. If you're not sure which is right for you, there's a test that will tell if you should move up or down a size. You'll find this in your iPhone's Bluetooth settings.

I've found the new design lends itself to a pretty secure fit, one that should hopefully work with more ear types than standard AirPods. The AirPods Pro can feel a tad loose if you're working out and getting sweaty (they're sweat-resistant), but they haven't fallen out for me yet. I have however had to give them a gentle nudge at times. 

Crank it

The combination of noise-cancelling tech and an in-ear design means you don't have to crank the volume just to hear your music, at least when compared to standard AirPods. You're never fighting against the environment, and hey, it's probably good for your hearing.

It also means the AirPods Pro sound better. While the original AirPods were "good enough", the AirPods Pro are genuinely good. They won't trick you into thinking you're wearing cans, but AirPods Pro are consistently pleasant to listen to, no matter what the genre. The tuning comes across as balanced, and they're rich, clear, and detailed.

Despite the addition of noise-cancelling, the AirPods Pro still have a decent battery life. You should get around four-and-a-half hours of music playback per charge, which is only half an hour less than what you'd get with standard AirPods. While it's not really enough to get you through an entire long-haul flight, I've found it more than enough for day-to-day listening. With the included charging case, you should be able to get as much as 24 hours of playback before you need to juice up the case too.

AirPods Pro naturally work best with other Apple products, which isn't too surprising. They'll pair with any iOS device instantly. They support hands-free Siri. They can seamlessly reconnect to any device tied with your Apple ID. After you've got your AirPods Pro paired with an iPhone, you'll see them available as an audio option for your Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch. It's a welcome time-saver over manually pairing headphones whenever you change device, especially if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem.

If you're trying to use AirPods Pro on Android, you'll miss on all of this functionality - they become pretty standard Bluetooth headphones without the extra smarts. You won't even get a battery life indicator. Noise cancelling and the transparency mode still work, however.

Apple AirPods Pro - Final Thoughts

If you're after a pair of wire-free buds, the AirPods Pro are a great all-round option that are hard to fault. Noise-cancellation is surprisingly excellent, sound quality is great, battery life is solid, and they're comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. It's hard to want more.

This isn't to say the AirPods Pro are perfect, but they feel like a more polished overall product when compared to competitors. Any compromises have a much smaller impact on your day-to-day experience. For example, the Sony WF-1000XM3s sound better - they're some of the best sounding earbuds around - but the AirPods Pro are lighter and much more comfortable to wear. The Powerbeats Pro have a longer battery life, but the charging case is much bulkier and they don't cancel noise.

Of course, $399 is a lot to spend on a pair of earbuds. You can get an excellent pair of noise-cancelling cans, like Sony's WH-1000XM3s for the same price, or when on sale, even cheaper. But if you can justify dropping the cash, the AirPods Pro won't disappoint.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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