Alongside the new iPhone 14 range and trio of smart watches unveiled at its ‘Far Out’ event overnight, Apple has finally announced the second generation of their high-end earbuds – the AirPods Pro 2.
With the original pair launched in 2019, there has been a considerable period between releases, and as a result, whilst sporting the same appearance, the internal upgrades are rather considerable.
The AirPods Pro 2 now sport Apple’s H2 chipset, replacing the H1 in the original AirPods Pro. Apple say that the new chip will deliver improved active noise cancelling (ANC) with a two times performance boost and a dynamic transparency mode that is capable of cancelling out loud, high-frequency sounds such as sirens and alarms, whilst still letting voices in.
It also adds support for “high bandwidth connectivity”, for even greater detail in your favorite content.
The new and improved AirPods Pro also now offer customizable Spatial Audio, allowing users to personalize the spatial audio experience. For those unaware, Spatial Audio is a feature found in Apple products that uses head tracking to create a cinema like sound experience. The new personalization feature, which can be tuned based on ear size, head size and more, helps to deliver what Apple call the “most immersive listening experience”.
The new earbuds now sport improved Touch Control, now allowing users to swipe to adjust volume alongside pausing, playing and answering phone calls.
For those prone to losing their earbuds, as I am, the AirPods Pro 2 are now even easier to keep track of with Apple’s My Find service. The case now features precision finding, as well as an in-case speaker, making it easier to track them down quickly before leaving the house.
Battery life sits at 6 hours, and is bumped up to 30 hours with the included charging case, 6 hours more than the previous model.
As a tiny cherry on top, users can also have their AirPods case customized with a name, favorite emoji, initials and a range of numbers and symbols, all for free at Apple stores.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 will be available to pre-order from the 9th of September and will be available for instore purchase from the 23rd. They will cost $399.
