Six hours of listening with noise cancellation on, and 30 hours with the case: those are the battery figures Apple attached to the second-generation AirPods Pro when it announced them at its “Far Out” event in September 2022. The case figure is six hours more than the earlier model managed.
A new chip behind the changes
The earbuds run on Apple’s own H2 chip. Apple said it delivers richer sound with less background noise, and that active noise cancellation is up to 2x better than on the original AirPods Pro. ZDNet reported the same claim as double the cancellation of the previous model. Tim Cook called them “The most advanced AirPods yet.”
Two other audio changes sit alongside the chip. A new audio driver with a custom amplifier improves sound quality, and ZDNet said the driver brings low distortion with more bass and a wider frequency range. Transparency mode gains an Adaptive Transparency setting that cuts loud environmental noise, such as construction work or a passing siren, while letting other sound through.
Spatial Audio can now be personalised. The user scans their ears with the TrueDepth camera on an iPhone and builds a profile. Fit changes too, with a new extra-small ear tip.
Controls, case and charging
The stems now carry a touch layer, so a swipe raises or lowers the volume, on top of the pressure-sensitive controls from before. The case is where most of the other changes are. It has a built-in speaker that sounds an alert when the case is lost and when charging begins, support for Find My, Precision Finding for owners with a U1-enabled iPhone, and a lanyard loop. The case resists sweat and water, and Memoji personalisation comes at no extra cost.
It can be charged with a Lightning cable, a MagSafe charger, a Qi wireless charger or, new for the line, an Apple Watch charger.
Market backdrop and release dates
The launch came three years after the first AirPods Pro. ZDNet cited Canalys figures showing Apple held 31.8% of the wireless headphone market, with Samsung second on only 9.5%. The same study counted 68.2 million units shipped worldwide in the opening quarter of 2022, a 17% increase.
Apple also made environmental claims: magnets made from 100% recycled rare earth elements, a hinge in 100% recycled aluminum, and solder on the main logic board that uses 100% recycled tin. Pre-orders opened on September 9 at US$249, and the earbuds went on sale on September 23.
Sources
- Apple AirPods Pro 2: Price, release date, and features (ZDNet)
- Second-generation Apple AirPods Pro are official (NotebookCheck)
