On October 28, Apple unveiled the new specs for AirPods Pro (available starting October 30). At $249.00, the price point is a significant increase from the 2nd generation AirPods, which was released earlier this year and has a price of $199.00.

AirPods Pro Key Features

Sweat and water-resistant

Outward-facing and inward-facing microphones

Adaptive EQ

Noise cancellation

Hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ functionality

Up to 4.5 hours of play time on one charge with ANC or Transparency mode activated/ 5 hours without them. 3.5 hours of talk time

Works on many Apple devices running iOS 13.2 or later

The Fall Out

Just as you would imagine, AirPods have a tendency to easily fall out… so much so that people have written DIY tips and tricks to prevent this from happening. Waterproof tape, specialized covers, ear hooks, and grips are all suggestions. Unfortunately, these options don’t come standard.

Noise Cancellation and Charge Time Comparison

While AirPods Pro allows for active noise cancellation, this seems like a feature that should have already been available in previous versions. It’s hard to imagine how effective noise cancellation could be compared to other headphone manufacturers that offer on-ear or around-ear headphones. Bose, for example, has around-ear headphones that cost only $229 and provides up to 15 hours of play time.

Conclusion

As with any Apple product release, it’s likely that Apple AirPods Pro will gain a lot of media attention. Rumors surrounding the so-called ‘Apple StudioPod’ (over-ear headphones) abound. This at least appears to be a more appealing product, yet there is no official confirmation from Apple that these headphones even exist. It seems that Apple will likely have to wait until at least 2020 before it can truly step up its game in the headphones space.