Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Curious for those with small ear canals: I've never been able to comfortably wear AirPods or Pros, or really any Apple earbud since their first redesign.

Are you also a little hopeful these might actually be comfy?
Tried AirPods 4 and they still hurt after an hour. Hope these can be as fit my ear like the 2nd generation airpods.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IJustWannaTalk
When I tried AirPods Pro before, they caused painful air pressure in my ears. I had to return them and go back to AirPods 2 (this was a while ago). I’m curious if these new ones will be any better on this front.
 
I'll be very interested to try these. I've used both previous AirPods Pro revisions extensively but have had to buy foam tips from a 3rd party because the Apple silicon ones weirdly irritate my ears. They're not even uncomfortable, but for some reason after wearing them for a few hours my ears get really irritated and the skin will even start peeling a bit.

Not sure if it's because of the lack of breathability of the silicone, something chemical (although I never had issues with silicone earbuds in the past), or some kind of friction thing (seems really unlikely). Whichever, maybe this new material won't do it to my ears. I sure hope not, I'd love to not have to bother with 3rd party tips.

I'm also really interested to see the new fit. My significant other has been trying to use some AirPods Pro to do a hearing thing, but they cause a lot of ear pain after a while, and after looking closely it seems the problem isn't that the tips don't fit, but that when seated correctly the back side of the AirPod presses against the cartilage on the rear of the ear. With my ear shape the back side is nowhere near any skin, and I'm guessing this isn't a common problem, but if the new design either puts the body of the AirPod at a different angle or is just shallower, it might end up being much more comfortable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: noraa
I've used the CharJenPro Airfoam tips for years and they're the most comfortable tips I've ever had. They also offer free lifetime replacements.
I use the CharJenPro Ultrafoamz and rather like them, in particular that they don't have a silicone cover so it's only the memory foam in contact with your ear--I was having weird skin reactions with silicone tips.

The tips are great, although the company's marketing scheme put me off them a bit--they kinda ripped me off on what was supposed to be a promo deal.
 
How do we charge then?
Provide your own cable, or Qi charging? I’m not sure about you, but I’m inundated with usb-c cables and chargers, and Apple including one in the box is just a waste.

With that being said, it sure would be nice if Apple lowered the prices a bit as a result. But as the old saying goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”
 
I ordered a pair because all AirPods I've tried to date cause discomfort in my right ear only. I've dealt with it on my pair of APP2 but really hoping the new design helps.
 
With that being said, it sure would be nice if Apple lowered the prices a bit as a result. But as the old saying goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”
Depending on how you look at it, Apple has lowered the price. The 1st gen AirPods Pro debuted in 2019 at $249. Since then significant US consumer inflation has made that $249 worth the equivalent of $315 today, and that's even before the whole tariff thing is factored in. That the price of the newest model, which hasn't sacrificed anything other than the packed in cable, is the same $249 means that in real money they are about 20% cheaper.

That's kind of an interesting thing about Apple's cheapest computer--since the iMac G3 350 back in 1999 hit $999, Apple has generally had that as the price floor of their popular consumer model (aside from some occasional budget models) all the way through to today's MacBook Air. In real-world terms, that 1999 iMac cost about $2000 in today's money, but Apple has used the combination of technological advancement, manufacturing efficiencies, and scale production to keep the absolute price about the same for over 25 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CasinoOwl
So this adds to help bring it up to 2x noise cancellation I presume and not just technology advancements?
It specifically claims 2x better active noise cancellation, plugging your ears with better fitting tips would be passive, not active. If they are counting this then it feels like a very misleading claim.
 
Same but not likely. The black piece in the AirPod looks different compared to the 2s 😞
Ugh, I really hope they are backward compatible with the AP2's. I rarely use mine because after 5 minutes or so of listening, they start to work their way out of my ears, regardless of what tip size I use. So, I end up using my beats fit pro which never do that.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.