Lol to the "noise cancelling is 2x better than first Gen",
I have both. It is more like 10-20% better MAX.
Don't drink the coolaid
The Sony WF-1000XM4 (which I also own) is probably 2x better noise cancelling though
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Hands-On With the New AirPods Pro 2
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I have both. It is more like 10-20% better MAX.
Don't drink the coolaid
The Sony WF-1000XM4 (which I also own) is probably 2x better noise cancelling though
Should I upgrade the one they give me in the box with my 7+ ? 🤣
After a three-year wait, the second-generation AirPods Pro earbuds are finally here, arriving in the hands of customers as of today. We picked up a the AirPods Pro 2 and thought we'd check them out to give MacRumors readers an overview of all the new features.
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Design wise, the AirPods Pro look almost identical to the original AirPods Pro, but there are some changes with the charging case that you'll notice. It's got a little hole for a lanyard, but note that Apple isn't selling its own lanyard - you'll need a third party solution from a company like Incase.
The MagSafe Charging Case also has speakers at the bottom to play a sound when lost, and it integrates with the Find My app so you can find the case AND the AirPods individually. There's a U1 chip for Precision Finding too, in case it's lost close by and you need to track it down.
You can charge the AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning or with MagSafe chargers, and as a bonus, Apple even added support for the Apple Watch charger. So you can basically charge with whatever you've got lying around.
Apple redesigned the internals of the AirPods Pro and there's a new H2 chip and all new audio components. Fit is about the same and still just as comfortable, but you now have XS tips to choose from in addition to S, M, and L.
With the H2 chip, Apple says the AirPods Pro can cancel up to twice as much noise. It's not super noticeable right off the bat, but get into some noisy environments with heavy traffic, construction, or the hum of an airplane, and you'll hear an improvement.
Adaptive Transparency builds on the original Transparency Mode and is also enabled by the H2 chip. It cuts down on loud noises like sirens or power tools while leaving everything else around audible, and it works well. Apple has always had the edge on Transparency Mode compared to other earbud manufacturers, and that's still true.
Apple added a new driver and amplifier to the AirPods Pro for richer bass and clear sound even at high volume levels. We didn't notice a huge difference between the original AirPods Pro and the new model, but the sound is warmer, and there's definitely improved range at the low-end with more bass.
You can still use all the same button presses you used with the prior AirPods Pro for swapping songs, but Apple also added a touch control for adjusting volume without having to access your device, which is a useful addition.
Battery life is also improved with up to six hours of listening time and 30 hours total with the case. We haven't had time to do a lot of testing with battery life, but that's what Apple's estimates put it at thanks to the H2 chip.
So are these worth the upgrade? The answer is yes if your 2019 model is starting to show signs of issues with battery life or if you want to get access to improved ANC. AirPods Pro continue to be some of the best earbuds on the market and are worth picking up.
Article Link: Hands-On With the New AirPods Pro 2
This year I upgrade all my stuff 🤘🏽
I think this is why Apple advertised being able to charge the case with the Apple Watch charger. The Apple Watch isn’t going to charge via direct USB-C anytime soon.
Welcome to not owning anything. Want the heated seats you paid for in your $80K truck to work? That’ll be $9.99/mo!
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I'm curious how these new APP2's compared to the APP1. I had to have one of my earpieces replaced on the APP1 due to the ticking noise, and the second started going the other day when I updated to iOS16. I have an appointment on Monday with the Genius Bar to have it looked at, and even if they fix it I'm getting fed up with this problem. Fortunately it failed 3 weeks before the 3 year extended replacement hit. Have they changed anything materially about this design in APP2 that's going to prevent this stupid ticking in my ear? I hope so.
I would judge the APP2 to be at the very least 50%+ better than my APP1 which are fairly new warranty replacements.
Dramatically quieter in the same old diesel car I got a lift in this morning, much less ambient noise when I was at work.
I tested them alongside my over ear WH-XM4s, they compared very favourably, whereas the WH-XM4s absolutely smoked my APP1s. I’m even considering not taking my XM4s next time I’m going to work, which would create precious space in my packed-too-full work bag.
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I would say that as much as the APP2 are better than the APP1 in ANC, the XM4s are the same amount better than the APP2.
I have walked inside and outside house and car and ambient music/kids with both AB testing back and forth and the APP2 "muffle" sounds where the XM4 will "bury/hide" the same sounds
Microphone noise reduction:
I just did a back to back sound test of the APP1 and APP2 microphones with background noise. I used background TV audio, water running in a sink and crumpling a chip(crisp) bag as tests. Tests done using the voice memo app.
The APP2 (software version 5A377) completely blocked background TV noise. Water running in the sink was reduced to a trickle. The rustling chip bag was inaudible.
The APP1 (software version 4E71) transmitted all three sounds, though they were reduced from their ambient levels.
All in all, I would say that the ANC on the microphone is much improved.
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I just got both of my original AirPod pros replaced by Apple today.
Had them 2 years almost. They qualified for the replacement program.
Honestly feels like I got the AirPods Pro 2，because the sound is much richer, better bass, double noise canceling 😂. And now my battery is brand new.
What a difference brand new of the same thing does. I was on the fence about AirPods Pro 2, but after getting my originals replaced for free. I think I’m good
Had them 2 years almost. They qualified for the replacement program.
Honestly feels like I got the AirPods Pro 2，because the sound is much richer, better bass, double noise canceling 😂. And now my battery is brand new.
What a difference brand new of the same thing does. I was on the fence about AirPods Pro 2, but after getting my originals replaced for free. I think I’m good
I actually love my Beats Pro Fit - because they don't fall out and the bass (was) superior to the 1st gen APP.
Unless the case is different, you got APP1. Apple isn't as stark as LG OLED TV's - i.e. the C1 mid-year was refreshed with the neo panel (i.e. OLED65C1AUB and OLED65C1PUB vs. AUA and PUA).
But there might be slight differences... or the microphones are clean...
The APP1 vs APP2 is very different, I've found. We have one set of the original, one with the revised CASE (which, yes, sounds better than the original originals), and one set of the APP2.
4E71 should be under investigation. If you were to compare an earlier version (i.e. 4E65), it blocked more noise.
Full stop.
Lol. Dude. Don’t read too much into it.
I’m very well aware I got the *original* AirPods Pro as a replacement. It’s very well known that pretty much every feature degrades after a long period of time. Battery, transparency, noise cancellation, sound quality all go down. It’s well documented.
I question some of these AirPods Pro 2 reviews now, did they compare it to their one year old sweaty clogged APP? Or a brand new one like I got, which sound night and day compared to the ‘old’ one that just got replaced.
Also, there is slight design difference from the original APP to the ones they gave out it the replacement program. These buds have slightly recessed grills.
I saved money and I got all the “features” off APP 2(better battery, better sound, better NC/transparency), minus the case and volume control.
Your logic is interesting. So if you had the original AirPods and Apple gave you original AirPod Pro's as a warranty replacement, you'd still claim you got the "features" of APP2 because you got better everything and there would be no benefits of buying APP2?
Had something of an epiphany reading this thread, transpires my ‘98 Audi A4 is indistinguishable from a ‘22 Audi R8 Coupe in that both are quicker than walking.
Oh wait 9to5Mac now claiming 4E71 broke the Max. WTF? Months late…
AirPods Max users complain about ANC worsening after update
AirPods Max launched almost two years ago. While these headphones have been praised for its finish, superb sound quality, and...
9to5mac.com
Interesting to see so many people that use the APP and XM4 concurrently. I always thought I was the only weirdo using two sets of in-ears (actually four, still got some semi-wired Beo & Jaybirds). The XM4 are superior for music despite lacking spatial audio with AM — and Apple could fix this by finally giving users real EQ. Not the pre-configured profiles but a solid solution that gives me the ability to fine-tune and edit the sound, save my own profiles (as Jaybird does) etc. This would be a bigger improvement to audio than not-noticeable lossless. Almost all speakers sound a bit muffled out of the box and equalization really opens up the sound.
Be that as it may, APP 2 have different internals. The SoC is different, the physical arrangement of the mics is different, etc.
If by "all" you mean "none", sure.
The difference between APP 1 and 2 are already small. Biggest would have been better noise canceling, but even that isn’t a huge improvement according to reviews.
I think the bigger difference, which I’m pointing out, (no need to get defensive), is the fact that dirty used AirPods Pro preform much worse than new ones. The difference here would be comparable to jumping from APP 1 to APP 2, sound wise, maybe even more.
But I welcome all to enjoy their $249 for 10% improvement, which will degrade overtime anyways as they get dirty. I got my improvement for free.
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