To AirPods Pro or not to AirPods Pro?

By Syd, 24 November, 2020

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Who owns the airpods pro? I have the originals but have been thinking about the pros for a while. When I bought the originals was an Amazon black Friday so now might be the time.

Only reason I'm really thinking of upgrading is the awareness feature. I walk quite a lot and use maps and soundscape, usually with one ear in. Just wondering if anyone can tell me if the awareness feature is good enough that you could walk with both in and still be safe?
Thanks in advance.

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Comments

By KE8UPE on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Hi,
I have the AirPods Pro, & love them!

By Remy on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Honestly yes. I find the transparency mode extremely good. the difference between that mode and the active noise cancellation is night and day, but even when ANC is not on and you switch to transparency mode, the difference is huge. You can almost forget you're wearing them. There's a slight difference between when they're in with transparency mode and when they're out, but it's small. The only thing you'll want to be careful of is not touching the microphones when it's on. They will squeek with feedback if touched too much. It's not enough to hurt your ears or anything, but it's enough to be annoying. The only, only thing I don't like about the Airpods Pro is they fall out of my ears way easier than the original airpods (which I've never had a problem with). Doesn't matter which tips I put on them, they all fall out. I'm hoping that's a me problem, but it does make for some difficulties. The sound uality is quite good however, and many of the features are worth the asking price (if you can justify spending such a high price for earbuds inthe first place)

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Transparency mode is fantastic. It's good enough that I feel comfortable walking out and about with them in. Noise cancellation is a toss-up for me since it just makes me feel like my brain is being squished, but I appear to be in the minority there. The sound quality is... good enough. You can buy wired headphones for half the price that sound better, but the features are good enough that I don't really care.

A note on transparency mode. If you have long hair, you might get some crinkling coming through the mics. Just keep your hair behind your ears, and you should be fine. There are third-party eartips available. I've got some foam ones, so if the OEM tips don't fit, you do have options.

By Ishkabibble on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

I have AirPods Pro and they're great. Transparency mode is amazing, it actually amplifies outside sounds somewhat but still in a natural manner. There is pretty much no Bluetooth lag with iOS devices, even oder ones without Bluetooth 5. Noise canceling is also really good and the sound quality isn't anything to complain about. The battery is nice as well and the mic quality is great for earbuds. I got mine for $90 from Apple during the summer promotion which was a steal, but I'm not so sure you should buy them at full price; I do know of some good deals out there that lower the price of them by as much as $100.

By Holger Fiallo on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Like my but the only issue I am having is activating Siri. the only way I am able is by using phone or hay siri.

By Holger Fiallo on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

If you are not using the many features 4 or 5 hours. Case is longer. You can go all day using them and if you are not doing anything just put them in the case and will charge. It is nice.

By Jared on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

I love them for the noise canceling. I also like transparency since it's easier to hear if a family member is trying to talk to me. I would not walk around outside with transparency enabled though. I like them with a tighter fit so I still get some noise blocked out even with transperency.

By VivekP on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Hi,
I have AirPods Pro since two months. I am ordinarily not fond of in-ear headphones, I prefer my Bose 700s and QC35 IIS.
However, there are couple of interesting things going on on behalf of the AirPods Pro.
I am suffering from mild hearing loss and integration with Mimi hearing test with IOS and Airpods is a feature which sold me to go for them.
In short, while seting up your customised sound profile, you can use your audiogram as a basis for customised sounds which AirPods Pro will deliver without any problem.
This customisation works with:
Phone
Media
Transparency mode.
If you use customised sound profile for transparency mode (as I have to do due to my hearing loss), then the pros are a worthwhile buy.
Otherwise, as couple of others have suggested here, you might be better off buying something else, Sony WFM3 1000s or Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds. Preferably I would advise you to go for the Airpods Pros as the integration with IOS and Mac OS is phenomenal and will continue to be, perhaps better in future than what we have right now.
PS. If the purchase is not urgent, then I would advise you to wait till the Christmas season as couple of tech reports would have us believe that Apple has another surprise coming our way then.
Hope this helps,
Cheers!

By Syd on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

Thank you everyone these are all really useful comments! They definitely sound like a good buy, but what is this about another announcement? Updated airpods coming or...?

By Scruffy Ted 🧸 on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

If you are in the States, Walmart has AirPods Pro for $169 in its Black Friday offers.

You know Apple wants your money for Christmas and they may release a new one. Check Amazon for the Airpod pro on Friday. It probably would be close to $180 or $190. Nice price.

I'm in the UK sadly but I got my original airpods from amazon on a black Friday deal so I'm hoping they'll be offering something similar this week.

By Venkatesh Potluri on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

My primary usage scenarios for airpods are when outdoors while commuting (usually in a cab or public transport) and on foot (with microsoft soundscape), with occasional use of only one earbud. How suitable are the airpods pro for these situations? How is the spatial audio, and can it (spatial audio) be used with soundscape? also, is it possible to turn the ANC off entirely? given that I prefer to have awareness of my surroundings when I am outdoors. I currently use the AirPods 2 and am considering the upgrade with the black Friday sale going on.

By Remy on Sunday, November 22, 2020 - 13:27

I use my pros outside all the time while commuting. The transparencyworks well even when commuting. I haven't personally used it with soundscape, but I see no reason it wouldn't work just as well as any other earbud. You don't need spacial audio to enjoy eithertransparency mode or soundscape because transparency mode works great whether spacial audio is on or not - I notice no difference - and Soundscape alread uses binaural recording so as long as you have stereo earbuds you'll be able to benifit from it. As for spacial audio for watching things ... Well, since it's still not compatible with Netflix, I haven't used it a ton yet. But from what I have it's ... okay. It definetely makes you feel like you're watching it in a different space. If I turn my head, the source of the audio - particularly sound effects and dialogue - turns with it. But surround sound it is not, unless I simply haven't watched anything which takes advantage of that. (And I'd love for someone to point that out please.)

By Jim D on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 - 13:27

If the Apple rumor mill is to be believed, the new Airpods which will be released in the next couple of months are called Airpods Studio. Rather than being in-ear, these will be over the ear headphones, similar to the Bose NC35 II. These are all rumors, but I haven't seen anything talking about something to replace Airpods Pro coming out soon.
Hope that helps.
Jim