Apple AirPods Pro 2 Review

Our AirPods Pro 2 Experience

The Apple ecosystem is a user-friendly space where things work intuitively and effortlessly. Pairing is straightforward, and we appreciated the swiftness with iPhones.

The case is slick, shiny, smooth, and looks sharp. It is somewhat slippery, and its elongated shape might not fit in smaller pockets commonly found on women's clothing. The buds are slick plastic that can be harder to grip, but the stems give you purchase and prevent most accidental drops. It comes with a USB-C charging cord but no wall charger, and a silver landyard with a connection point on the case.

We love the four different-sized silicone tips, which are easy to remove and replace. The silicone is not as thin as some competitors', making them less fragile. It is easy to find a comfortable size, and they fit securely while allowing the ears to breathe. Even after several hours, the in-ear tips felt comfortable while working, working out, and even lying down.

They even impressed us in our review of the best workout headphones, passing our rigorous stability tests with flying colors, including headstands, jump boxes, and headbanging. With an IP54 rating for the earbuds and the case, you can dance your heart out.

The stems are a reasonable length with a shorter design than some competitors. We didn't get them snagged nearly as often as those with longer stems, and with care, we could get hoodies on and off without losing a bud. The stems include basic controls, so those with bigger fingers might find these challenging to operate. The controls include press/squeeze, swipe, and even “Hey Siri” when paired with an iPhone for voice control. They also include head movement gestures of nodding and shaking, and an automatic pause when you take them out.

The case has an easy flip-top lid you can operate with your thumb, and the buds fit well in their seats with a slight magnetic pull to keep them locked in and ready to charge. Keeping these buds close at hand and ready to use was no problem.

We were super impressed with the clarity of making and receiving phone calls. Not only could we hear the person we were talking to like they were right in front of us, but they could hear us loud and clear, no matter where we were or what was going on around us, including busy cafes and noisy airports.

Last, if your goal is fewer distractions and blocking out the world, we loved the Pro 2's ability to drown out the world, saturating us in only the sound we wanted to hear instead of metro announcements, coworkers, and thrumming HVAC. Whether hitting the gym or running errands, we had no trouble with competing noise.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

Our audio experts agree that these earbuds are an absolute treat. Their excellent sound profile made them a universal favorite in the group.

The Pro 2 delivers exceptional sound with a well-balanced and natural signature. The bass is robust, the mid-range is pleasing and well-proportioned, and the treble tones are smooth.

Folk rock classics like “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young sound fantastic. The mellow bass, percussive broom sweeps, and acoustic guitar are beautifully balanced. When the dreamy pedal steel guitar enters at 0:18, the textural contrast is stunning, showcasing each instrument without compromising cohesiveness. The treble range, remaining smooth and consistent, echoes the first-generation AirPods Pro. Young's voice is clear and moving, avoiding the thin or brassy tones that can sound piercing through lesser earbuds. Even the bright harmonica casts a soft, nostalgic hue, never slipping into sharp or keening notes.

The effect works equally well in rock classics like “Tumbling Dice” by the Rolling Stones and dreamy instrumentals like “Dreaming” by Jon McLaughlin. However, it doesn't ascend to the crystalline brilliance of the best buds.

The mid frequencies are comparable to those in the first-generation AirPods Pro, pleasing, balanced, and natural. The clean profile sounds great in mid-heavy classic pop like Fleetwood Mac's “Dreams” and 2Pac's “All About U.” Clarity can suffer at higher levels, like Stevie Nicks's higher-pitched vocals at the 2:19 mark of “Dreams,” but we didn't notice any significant compromises in sound quality like distortions or blowouts.

While the bass isn't the most robust, it is more powerful than previous versions. It's fleshed out and full-bodied in “All Eyez on Me” and “Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find” by 2Pac. In “Summer in the City” by Quincy Jones, the first 30 seconds before the first drum fill are so effortlessly cool. These earbuds clearly present the organ, keys, bass, and percussion in uncomplicated conversation and maintain clarity as the song grows in complexity.

The frequency response curve, measured against the curve of our GearLab House Curve, confirms our experience. While the bass is good, it lacks the boom of our favorite options, and the mids are higher in the mix, affecting the balance overall. The treble frequencies are where most earbuds fall short, and while there is some variation, the Pro 2 tracks our House Curve pretty faithfully from 5000 to 9000 Hz and sounds fantastic.

Soundstage

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer an immersive soundstage that creates a truly awe-inspiring acoustic experience. These earbuds have an expansive surround sound feel that puts you in the middle of the music. Apple's personalized spatial audio system (a feature only for iOS users) also tracks your head movements, making it feel like the music moves with you rather than staying stationary.

The Pro 2's enveloping audio and well-balanced mix create mesmerizing soundscapes. Lush, ethereal music like “Ready” by Emotional Oranges truly shines. Our music expert notes, “Pop songs like Taylor Swift's 'Lavender Haze' swirl around you during the climax at the 0:51 mark, clearly articulating each element from low beats to high notes.”

Comfort and Fit

The AirPods are some of the most comfortable in the group. The buds are small, and the stems are unobtrusive. They are lightweight, and the silicone tips are soft and fit snugly without being stuffy.

The Pro 2 are more comfortable than the average pair and were one of our favorite in-ear buds. We could wear them for up to 8 hours, and they stayed put non matter how hard we tried to shake them loose.

Noise Cancellation

The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds offer excellent passive noise isolation and active noise cancelling. We discovered new levels of peace at the climbing gym, a respite from background conversation, and a break from the space heater whir. Reducing the need to crank up the volume, few earbuds do noise cancellation better than these.

Noise isolation and cancellation significantly enhance the listening experience. Noise isolation blocks physically, while active noise cancellation (ANC) counteracts ambient noise with opposing sound waves. As demonstrated in our diner test, inserting the earbuds diminishes auditory chaos. Turning on the ANC dampens it further.

High-frequency sounds with shorter wavelengths are often effectively blocked by passive noise isolation. These earbuds dampen the treble range by 20 to 27 decibels and knock the mid-tones down a notch. The long waves of low-frequency bass notes work past the earbuds themselves. That's where ANC comes in, blocking between 20 and 30 decibels across all frequencies. The combination creates a more peaceful listening experience with fewer distractions.

App Features

The usability of the AirPods Pro 2 hinges on the device you pair it with. If you use Apple products, it's a dream.

These buds offer all the usual features for Apple users: an ear fit test to optimize sound quality and noise cancellation, a location feature to help you find lost buds, touch controls for audio playback, and Siri access. They also offer some pretty cool high-tech features that could be your next favorite thing in earbuds.

The Pro 2 features noise cancellation and transparency modes, allowing you to isolate or integrate ambient sounds. There is even an “adaptive audio” function that attempts to identify and transmit ambient noises it believes you should hear, although we couldn't determine if this feature was working. They include “conversation awareness,” turning the music down when you start talking, and “personalized volume” that uses AI to adapt your volume preferences to your environment. They'll also customize the sound profile to your ear and head shape with the iPhone's “TrueDepth” camera. The process was frustrating, and we didn't notice much difference in sound quality. Apple boasts “personalized spatial audio” that tracks head movements to provide a surround-sound sensation.

These earbuds lack a manual equalizer and rely instead on “adaptive EQ.” This feature records the music inside your ears and adjusts it in real time to account for the earbuds' position and fit. We missed the ability to manually change settings.

Battery Life

While the AirPods Pro 2 don't have the longest battery life, the 8.5 hours we measured are enough for most needs and exceed the six hours that Apple claims. We played music at 75% volume until the earbuds stopped. With extra features enabled, the battery will drain more quickly.

The charging case holds four charges, extending entertainment to 34 hours before you need a full recharge. A quick 5-minute recharge will give you another hour. While it might not be enough to get you through a transatlantic flight, we suspect it is plenty for a commute, workday, and workout before heading home.

Call Quality

The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are the best for crystal-clear phone calls, even with significant background noise. They deliver excellent voice clarity across a range of environments.

We were blown away by how well we could understand the recordings over Subway sounds. Despite the challenging environment, the voices remain clear, and the surrounding chaos fades to the background, demonstrating their ability to manage and isolate sound. The AirPods Pro 2 stood out in filtering office noise, suppressing background typing and chatter while making voices more precise and distinct.