The recent Apple launch event was a pretty exciting affair.

Four new iPhones were announced, including a whole new model; the iPhone 14 Plus; a large-screen version of the base-model iPhone 14.

It was quite the watch-o-rama, not just Series 8 Apple Watches but a next-generation Apple Watch SE and again, another entirely new device; the Apple Watch Ultra.

Make no mistake; I was utterly mesmerised by all of them and I've been fortunate enough to try several of these devices out over the last few weeks.

And yet, if I had to name a real surprise package out of the event, it was none of the above.

Full disclosure; I'm a bit of an AirPods noob - I've only really spent any real time using the AirPods (3rd generation). I say, "only" but they are a truly excellent set of buds and I said as much in my review. I also suggested they actually "out-featured" the Pro version at the time in a few areas - especially battery life.

Well, that's the first thing Apple took care of with the 2022 edition. Now you'll get up to six hours listening, with another 24 hours worth in the case. That's a significant increase from the original Pros - as much as a third more listening time.

The charging case itself has been modified significantly. It has a lanyard loop built into the side should you wish to attach it to your wrist, belt loop or whatever else. You can personalise the front with an engraving of your choice; text, numbers or even your own Memoji. I'm not a Memoji kind of a guy... but I get it. Like the 3rd-gen AirPods, the 2nd-gen Pros will now charge on an Apple Watch charger and are also MagSafe compatible, other than charging via Lightning cable or a standard Qi wireless pad.

You'll also notice a new speaker at the bottom of the case. This plays a little ding when you put it on to charge but the real bonus is when you're tracking the case with the Find My app. Although slightly wider than the standard AirPods case, it's still very small and slippery. If you're an absent-minded klutz like me, you'll know how easy it is to lose a case like that down the couch cushions, in the car door pocket or perhaps just under your pillow. Find My can track the case as far as the couch but that doesn't narrow down which part of the couch your AirPods are hiding in. Thanks to that little speaker, you can now fire off a pretty loud audible location alarm, leading you straight to your misplaced case.

The case itself is also sweat and water-resistant, giving you peace of mind when it's in your pocket at the gym or when you're out and about in the elements.

But let's get this case open and see what's in there.

What would you say if I told you there are a couple of billion transistors in there? Incredibly, that's what Apple's new H2 chip brings to the party. As hard as that may be to believe, there's certainly something pretty clever going on because these AirPods sound fabulous and the Active Noise Cancellation is mind-blowingly good.

Apple has really tweaked the guts of these buds, introducing a new, low-distortion driver which, combined with that magic chip, provides an impressively accurate response right across all frequencies, even on a potentially jangly, noisy track like "New World Man" by Rush. The bass is all over the place with guitars coming at you from all directions, yet everything punches through with crystal clarity.

The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) offer a new level of Spatial Audio, personalised just for you. For some reason, this involves a quick setup scanning your face and each ear, much like setting up Face ID on an iPhone. The result is well worth it, as you now have the option to fix it in place or activate head-tracking, to give the illusion the music is coming from in front of you, even if you turn your head to one side or another. This has obvious advantages when watching movies or playing games too.

"The Bubble" by the Black Seeds is a lazy yet menacing track with a place for every instrument and every instrument in its place. The horns and drums are mixed to sound very live and with the spatial effect on, it really sounds like you're listening to the band playing a concert on stage just for you.

But man oh man that ANC... when Apple suggested the H2 chip meant the level of noise cancellation had doubled, I cynically thought, "What does that mean? You now can't hear twice as many things? The background noise is now half as loud?" I found the claim a bit meaningless. However, now I've tried these AirPods, I'd suggest Apple is underselling things somewhat.

From the moment I first inserted the AirPods Pro, I experienced total, instant silence. This is in part due to the vastly improved fit; there are now four sizes of tips to ensure the perfect seal. Don't be alarmed if that makes you feel claustrophobic, there's plenty of venting going on to minimise any excess pressure and I find these earbuds to be as secure and as comfortable as any other I've tried. So that's the passive sound blocking and then that H2 chip introduces an unbelievable level of ANC - it's so good it's almost disorientating at first and it takes a bit of getting used to.

Of course, a long squeeze of the stem deactivates ANC, or initiates an equally effective Transparency mode to let the outside world back in. This long press can also be customised to activate Siri from either stem. Play/pause, skip and go-back controls are the usual single, double and triple squeezes and now (thank goodness) you can control volume by swiping up and down the stem. This is quite an intuitive gesture that I've found to be very reliable and accurate.

As for phone calls, the new AirPods Pro have now passed the "Mum Test" on multiple occasions with flying colours. That's when my elderly mother rings me while I'm out in the wind, walking the dog and she doesn't even realise I'm not talking directly on my handset. What more do you need to know?

Now you see why I consider the AirPods Pro the real stars of Apple's September launch. If you thought the phones and watches were good, imagine how great these are.

 

 

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation).