Apple today announced AirPods Pro, an exciting addition to the AirPods family that features Active Noise Cancellation and superior, immersive sound in an all-new lightweight, in-ear design. AirPods Pro are available to order on apple.com and the Apple Store app starting today and in stores beginning Wednesday, October 30.
“AirPods are the best-selling headphones in the world. The one-tap setup experience, incredible sound and iconic design have made them a beloved Apple product, and with AirPods Pro, we’re taking the magic even further,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new in-ear AirPods Pro sound amazing with Adaptive EQ, fit comfortably with flexible ear tips and have innovative Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. We think customers are going to love this new addition to the AirPods family.”
At $249, the new AirPods Pro are more expensive than standard AirPods, which remain on sale and are unchanged. Battery life on the new, smaller, AirPods Pro is the same as the regular ones, at five hours. If active noise cancellation is on, it will knock off 30 minutes of battery life.
Like before, they just come in white, despite rumors they would come in four colors.
I do not like active noise cancellation, so I’m glad to see it can be disabled via “Transparency Mode.” I am hoping I can leave it off for good.
The new AirPods come with a “Force Sensor” for controlling media playback:
The are also sweat and water resistant, which is great, and of course, come with three different tip sizes for a better fit. The standard AirPods fit me pretty well, but I’m looking forward to seeing if these would fit even better. It seems that the AirPods will suggest changing tip sizes, if they think you’d gain a better fit with a different pair.
The AirPods Pro will require Apple devices running iOS 13.2 or later, iPadOS 13.2 or later, watchOS 6.1 or later, tvOS 13.2 or later, or macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later, and start shipping this week, on October 30. So, uh, I guess some software updates are coming soon.