My PowerBeats 2 finally had it recently, so I broke down and upgraded to the AirPods Pro. I’ve had a chance to try them out for a bit. Here’s my review.
Setting Up and Connecting
Setting up AirPods Pro was a breeze. I opened the case and held them near my iPhone, and the pairing process went incredibly smoothly (due to the H1 chip). Apple sent me a support article on setting them up, but I had them setup before even reading the article. My AirPods Pro are all paired up with all of my devices signed into iCloud (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV). Switching between devices is generally a breeze as well. On the Mac, I have to click an extra “Connect” button to get my AirPods Pro to connect to my Mac, but overall, the setup, connecting, and switching between devices is far simpler than working with traditional Bluetooth headsets. I also like how in a call when I pop an AirPod Pro into my ear, the call automatically routes to the headset, and when I remove it, the call routes back to the phone. The overall experience is far smoother than traditional Bluetooth headsets.
Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode
When both AirPods Pro are in one’s ears, one can activate noise cancellation, which I have found works well and offers a solid audio experience. One can also toggle between noise cancellation mode and “transparency” mode (which allows background noise in) without needing to take out the AirPods Pro (there’s a toggle on the device software, or pressing and holding the stem of one of the AirPods Prs switches it). I wish Apple would offer a variant of noise cancellation when using a single AirPod Pro in one’s ear since that would be useful for phone calls.
Customizable Ear Tips and Ear Tip Fit Test
The AirPods Pro offers three silicone ear tips for a customizable fit, and replacing the ear tips is a simple process. There’s also an Ear Tip Fit Test to help find the recommended ear tip fit. I tried it, and it failed on all three ear tips for me. I must either have unique ears, or Apple needs to fine-tune this process. I ended up using the Medium tips since they seem comfortable and fit well. I may try more variants and see which tip I should use long-term. Overall the AirPods Pro are as comfortable or more comfortable than other wireless headsets I have worn.
Sound Quality
Overall sound quality has been excellent and an improvement over my Powerbeats 2 and other wireless headsets I have used. I’ll admit I have mainly used them for calls and meetings. I don’t heavily listen to music, so I haven’t really used them for music listening (as most owners have). The only sound issue I’ve had with them is I used them in a GoToWebinar meeting for a moment, and my colleague complained about choppy audio. They were having Internet issues though (I have as well), so I need to re-test when we have better audio to see if that issue persists or not. Apple does offer troubleshooting for sound issues as well, plus they have updated the firmware to them. There is a way to reset them as well. I do like the automatic firmware upgrades over my PowerBeats 2, which required me to plug them into my Mac to receive firmware upgrades.
Charging Case and Wireless Charging
The case is handy for storing them, and I like how the case also charges the AirPods Pro when not in use (my PowerBeats 2 didn’t offer this). I generally only use one at a time and alternate them between major calls and meetings so I am balancing out my use of them. The wireless charging of the case works well too. My PowerBeats 2 had to be plugged into my Mac to charge them (with a short cable). With AirPods Pro, I can easily lay the charging case on my wireless charger periodically (when I’m not charging my iPhone XS) to juice them up. I also did engraving on the case with my name which was a nice plus.
Hey Siri Support
AirPods Pro also supports “Hey Siri”, although I set the stems where I can also push and hold the stems on the AirPods Pro to invoke Siri, as when wearing them in my office, I’m around too many devices that can invoke “Hey Siri”. This would be useful when away from my office, plus it is neat that the AirPods Pro can also read incoming messages.
Other Tidbits
I do like the design of the AirPods Pro. They look less “dorky” than the AirPods (one reason I never purchased the AirPods, I flat couldn’t stand the way they looked on people) and are quite minimal (if I’m wearing one in a meeting on camera, most don’t even notice I’m wearing it). The only other “gripe” I have about them is when I attempt to rename them in my iOS Setting app, the rename isn’t taking and reverting back to the old name. That’s a small bug I wish Apple would resolve.
Bottom Line: Magical?
The bottom line is even with a few minor issues, I’m still glad I purchased the AirPods Pro. They are a solid upgrade from my PowerBeats 2 and are more comfortable, offer better sound quality (overall), and more seamless integration with my Apple devices than my PowerBeats 2 and previous wireless headsets. Overall, I am enjoying them, and they do have a “magical” feel when using them across various Apple devices. While I don’t listen to enough music to fully talk them up, they have been a good investment, and one I will continue to use until they like my previous PowerBeats bites the dust. I’m glad I went with the AirPods Pro versus the AirPods (the extra features and design are good enhancements), and I see myself getting plenty of use out of these for calls and meetings.
Nathan Parker
