For anyone who knows the headphone market they know how good the AirPods Pro are.
True wireless earphones have been very hit and miss, and one of the best thing Apple does with these headphones is to not drop the ball in any area.
Sound quality, fit, comfort, battery life, noise cancellation, microphone and quality, ease of use, water and sweat resistance, portability, and built quality are all good to excellent.
Most true wireless earphones are let down on one of these categories. These are one of the first true great all rounders, particular in the category of true wireless headphones that prioritise noise cancellation, call quality, connection and portability over other areas, noticeably sound quality (and, admittedly, price).
The AirPods Pro won’t blow you away with sound quality, although they will still sound good to most people who aren’t too discerning about audio quality. They aren’t for bass-heads, they prioritise clearer audio, particularly vocals and voices for calls, videos, podcasts and other things such as acoustic music, which they do very well with. If you want big sound and like bass heavy thump thump music, don’t get these.
So their good quality and all-rounded nature is why the have the price tag they do. Whether your prepared to pay for it depends on a) your budget and b) your intended usage.
If you want headphones to wear to make lots of business calls on (and especially if you have an iPhone) then these are fantastic for that.
If you want headPhones you can pop in and out of your ears as you’re travelling across the city, dampening some of those city noises and helping you listen to your podcasts, videos, and music to pass the time (without wanting to have a dedicated music listening session) then these are fantastic for that.
If you’re new to the world of wireless headphones, then these might be perfect for you if budget and the best sound quality aren’t big factors. You’ll enjoy a seamless experience. However if budget is a big factor, or you won’t be using them very often, then they’re probably not great value for money for you.
Again, if you want big bassy thump thump music don’t expect to get these in true wireless earphones. The best you’ll find is the Jabra elite also elite active) 75t. I own those too, and they’re a great alternative to the AirPods if you want to do more listening to music and are less concerned with active noise cancellation to help you block out daily sounds as you listen to your podcasts, audiobooks, videos etc.
Personally, I bought these because of the microphone quality, ease of connection with iPhone, noise cancellation, and comfort, I wanted a pair I could leave in for hours at a time whilst at work, reducing the sounds of the office with active noise cancellation and allowing me to play some soothing background music to help me focus, whilst also giving me the option to make and receive high quality business or personal phone calls with ease.
They’re also great if you just want to quickly put your earphones in to watch a video without distributing those around you - no fiddly wires to untangle, just grab them from your pocket, flip the case lid and pop them in. Boom, connected. Start watching.
It’s worth saying here there are other options beyond true wireless earphones too. One hybrid method for better sound quality, call quality, and also cheaper is to use wired headphones (either in ear or over ear depending on your preference) with a Wireless Bluetooth Receiver. I also own this option, using soundmagic E10s earphones (about £40) which have fantastic sound quality for in-ears with a FiiO Bluetooth headphones amplifier/adaptor (£30-50 depending on model). Simply plug your wired headphones into the Bluetooth receiver and then connect to the receiver with your phone like you would Bluetooth headphones. You don’t go truly wireless, but you cut the cord between your phone and the headphones, which for me is the most important thing because then you just pop the receiver in your pocket (and run the cable under your jumper if you like) and continue using your phone without any wires attached. It’s not the ‘true wireless’ experience but for £50-£100 you’ll have a better sounding, more durable, cheaper option (albeit without active noise cancellation, which is okay on true wireless earphones but not game changing).
Other people will prefer over ear headphones as you can get better sound quality and more effective noise cancelling for less money. Personally I find them too clunky.
I think I’ll do a hybrid approach. I’ll use the AirPods Pro for work, calls, and convenience. But I’ll use my hybrid semi-wireless option when I want better sound quality but still don’t want to disturb others (eg listening to music in my bedroom).
So, as mentioned in the title, what these little amazing pieces of technology do, they do very well. But I thoroughly urge you to consider why you’re buying headphones in the first place so you can identify the option that is best suited to you (as there are many) and that you don’t just get caught up in the AirPods hype. If on the other hand you don’t really care so much (in that case you’re probably not reading this review) and just want good quality wireless earphones and have a decent budget then buy these and forget about everything else.
There is a newer version of this item:
I was able to get a hold of a set of these on their release day on 31/10/2019Fitting: These are definately a better fit than previous Airpods. The stem is shorter and the new silicon tips are excellent at fitting nicely in the ear. Because of this they seem to be less intrusive and they certainly feel more secure in the gym. I have been to the gym for an hour every day since I got these and I have had no issues with sweat or them popping out and I tend to use the elliptical trainer so for me ... thats a big plus.Operation: Again one of the big tests for any bluetooth connectivity is walking through one of the main London train stations .... there are literally thousands of headphones, phone, computers and other gadgets swamping the bluetooth frequencies and a lot of even really good headsets break down causing unwanted pauses or gaps in music tracks ... not here ... perfect synch and no problems with interference.The new method of control on these is to squeeze the stems. Remember I said the stems were shorter? wel this is the first negative aspects I came across. The squeezing of the stems is a bit fiddly at first and that's standing still ... i'm going to be honest and say if you do anything active like rowing, cycling, jogging ... you're probably going to have to stop and make any adjustments.However one of the great new features of these Airpods is the new ear check sound feature. Basically on an app on your phone you send a bust of music to the airpods and they analyse the acoustics of your ear and then tell you if you have the best fit ... so you can change the silicon tips until you get no only what feels good to you but what the app says is the best fit. Now thats pretty slick ... but you'll probably only ever use it once ... after all your ear probably won't change shape.Features: Well the obvious goto is the Noise Cancelling .... Is it any good. Yes. Good enough at this price, probably not as good as some of the pricier headsets and buds by Bose but good enough. They also have that nice feature where you can squeeze the leg and the music drops so you can hear what people are saying to you without having to remove the Airpod. Battery life is good as well. 5 hours say Apple. Yup that's fair. 19 more from the case. Again I seem to get values similar to that. I think there are a number of earbuds (Cambridge ... Melomania?) that have longer play times but I can't see me needing more than 24 hours ... you have to sleep so re-charge them then.MUSIC QUALITY: So here's the big question ... Are they good enough at this price? Well I have to say YES. If you have read my other reviews you know I test B&W, M&G, B&O, Bose, Shure, even Grado. and these deserve their place right up there. That eartip test and the new improved chip from apple (according to the blurb) really do make these exceptional. The bass is really nice and smooth and not harsh and banging like you get from some earbuds that just try to overwhelm you using your ear duct. The detail is great as well... nothing is lost. These are just as good as a 2-300 quid pair of over the ear headphones.Verdict: I really do like these ... I'm a little bit nervous because they are lighter than most buds and you really do forget you're wearing them and although I know they are really secure after bouncing about all over the place they still make me nervous they'll fall out. I don't want to imagine losing a bud and having to replace these at this price. However as each day passes I enjoy them more and trust their fit. I think these are going to be a big hit and they are definately a mojor improvement
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