Apple AirPods Pro 2  Headphones Review

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have an adaptive EQ that, when active, delivers a warm sound profile that follows the SoundGuys.com Headphone Preference Curve more closely than our own target. However, there are no built-in EQs or presets to help you tweak their sound. If you're an iOS user, you can access sound customization features in your settings via the 'Accessibility' tab.

When connected to an iOS device, these headphones can adjust their bass and treble amounts automatically to help mitigate the effects of the Fletcher-Munson curve, which shows that listeners perceive quieter audio to have less bass and treble. These headphones counter this phenomenon by increasing bass and treble at lower volumes to encourage people to listen at lower levels. You can see the change in frequency response when using an iOS device with ANC on and ANC off. This effect doesn't apply to PCs or Android devices. It's also worth noting that the frequency response changes slightly depending on whether you turn the ANC on/off.

Despite various reports of changes to the sound profile across new firmware updates, we've compared firmware 6F8, 7E93, 8A356, and most recently, 8A358, and they sound virtually identical. Any tiny variations in the response curves are due to expected and minor in-ear seal changes that result when placing the buds in the rig's ears.

We also chose to test these with the Comply TrueGrip (non-Max) in size medium and share the resulting sound profile compared to our target curve. Here's a raw frequency response comparison between the standard silicone ear tips (firmware 8A358) and the Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips, showing a warmer treble with the Comply.

The frequency response consistency is great. As long as you achieve a proper fit, you'll get consistent audio each time you use them. While the consistency plots show deviations in the high treble, they're due to the difference in frequency response between both drivers, rather than the seal being compromised, as the normalized value used to calculate consistency for in-ears is the averaged response of both drivers.

We also tested the frequency response consistency using the Comply TrueGrip ear tips (size medium) and observed an improvement in the results, particularly in the bass and treble ranges. With that said, the silicone ear tips included with the buds still do a great job by comparison.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2's sound signature matches our target curve outstandingly well in the bass range. Kick drums have plenty of thump without overpowering the mix, while basslines are warm and punchy. In songs like Lavender Haze by Taylor Swift, basslines feel satisfying and present without overwhelming the lead vocals. However, if you prefer more bass, you'll want to check out other in-ears, like the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

The mid-range target compliance is excellent. There's minor emphasis from the bass range bleeding into the low-mid, though you likely won't notice any clutter. Meanwhile, the mid-mid is very flat, so voices and instruments are present in the mix. The rest of the range is slightly reduced, so in vocal-centric songs like Vegas by Doja Cat, Doja's voice sounds cozy but a little distant.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have a recessed treble response compared to our target curve. This dip muffles vocals and instruments, taking the edge off of their articulation. Sibilants like hi-hats also lose their sharpness. That said, some listeners may prefer this smoother-sounding treble.

The peaks and dips performance is excellent. The headphones' response follows their warm sound profile well, especially in the bass and mids. The largest deviations occur in the treble range, where small peaks and dips can cause vocals and instruments to sound alternately slightly dull and sharp. Additionally, the bump in the mid-treble emphasizes high-pitched percussion, making cymbals or hi-hats relatively bright. While the peaks and dips past 15kHz are more dramatic, they won't be audible to everyone, as we lose sensitivity to high frequencies over time.

We measured the Apple AirPods Pro 2 when fitted with Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips, and the ear tips make a very small improvement to the already excellent performance. (The difference in the L/R results are due to stereo mismatch.)

The Apple's L/R drivers are amazingly well-matched. Their amplitude matching is superb, maintaining symmetry and preventing directional bias in the stereo image. The drivers are also closely aligned in terms of phase. The small deviations in the treble region are very hard to notice with regular content. You likely won't perceive positional inaccuracy of sound objects during typical listening. That said, driver matching reflects quality control, meaning performance can vary from unit to unit.

The group delay performance is excellent, falling below the audibility threshold. In content, the L/R drivers both reproduce tight bass and transparent treble.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 bypass your outer ear by design, which limits their ability to create a more immersive listening experience through pinna interaction.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have outstanding harmonic distortion performance. They reproduce vocals and instruments accurately and cleanly, even at high levels. Though there is slightly elevated distortion in the mids at 104 dB SPL, you likely won't be listening to anything this loud, as high levels at this range can be harmful to your hearing.

These earbuds aren't wired, so you won't need an amp to drive them.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 are compatible with Apple's Spatial Audio in the iOS interface. The feature scans your face from the front as you rotate it to capture all the angles of your face. Once complete, sound will follow your head movements. Some people find this creates a more immersive and multi-dimensional audio experience.

Apple Music subscribers can also play selected tracks in Dolby Atmos, allowing for a three-dimensional, virtualized listening experience. You'll have to ensure that Dolby Atmos playback is set to 'Automatic' or 'Always On' in your iOS settings for it to work. You should also bear in mind that this feature isn't available in every region.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration. All tests and measurements were taken over Audio Precision with the Airpods Pro 2 connected to an iPhone.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2have nearly the same design as their predecessor, the Apple AirPods Pro. In typical Apple fashion, they only come in a white colorway. They have a sleek cylindrical stem design with flattened sections to improve the ergonomics of pinch controls. They also have white silicone tips and a metal charging contact that serves as an accent.

These in-ears are comfortable and lightweight. Unlike their predecessor, Apple has included an extra small pair of ear tips, raising the total number of pairs of included ear tips to four. Their fit doesn't apply pressure to your ear and won't be pushed further into your ear if you're trying to register commands. However, like the previous generation, the earbuds can wiggle out of your ear over time. While this doesn't affect all users, some people have solved this issue by purchasing foam ear tips, which mold to your ear. On the other hand, if you prefer a deeper in-ear fit or foam, it's worth comparing the AirPods Pro 2 with the Pro 3.

These buds have very good controls. Compared to the first gen, the manufacturer has improved the 'Force Sensor' controls, and there's click feedback for the amount of clicks you make on the stem. There are different chimes when cycling between ANC modes and touch volume chimes when adjusting the volume and reaching the min/max volume. Overall, the controls are easy to use and responsive. If you're on iOS 17 or later, you can also pinch the stems to mute and unmute the mic during calls.

On either stems' force sensor:

• Single press: Plays or pauses audio. Accepts call or mutes and unmutes.
• Double press: Skips the track forward. Ends call.
• Triple press: Skips the track backward.
• Press and hold: Cycles between ANC on, off, and transparency mode, which allows you to hear your surroundings without turning off your audio.
• Say 'Hey Siri': Activates Siri voice assistant. This command only works on iOS devices, though.

These lightweight buds are very portable. You can easily put them into most pockets or bags without an issue. They also come with a carrying case that's small enough to take with you on-the-go.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2's carrying case is great. It has the same plastic design and finish as the previous generation. It supports MagSafe charging and has a lanyard loop if you want to attach it to something. It's also certified IPX4 for resistance against dust and water splashes and has a U1 chip that lets you easily find the case if you lose it using the 'Find My' app. The original version of this case uses a Lightning port, but Apple offers a carrying case with a USB-C port, which has an updated IP54 certification.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have a great build quality, like other products from this manufacturer. They're mostly made of plastic with silicone ear tips. They're also certified IPX4 for resistance against water splashes, which is good if you want to wear them to the gym. Newer versions of these earbuds (USB-C) are certified IP54 to handle dust as well. Despite the resistance to water and dust, you'll want to know how to clean your AirPods occasionally to keep them in top shape.

These in-ears have a stable fit. Some users may find that the buds wiggle out of their ears over time, but once you achieve a good fit, they'll stay in place even with moderate head movements, so you can wear them during a light workout or stretch. However, the earbuds may fall out of your ears if you want to use them while running.

• Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2 headphones
• Charging case
• USB-C to Lightning cable
• 4x tip size options
• Manuals

The Apple AirPods Pro 2's full-range noise isolation performance is incredible. They block out a wide array of noise very well. This includes the low rumble of buses, ambient chatter, and the high-pitched hums of an AC unit. As a result, these buds are a solid choice if you're looking for something to use during busy commutes or noisy days at the office. There are also some handy features like Adaptive Audio and Conversational Awareness that automatically adapt the headphones' performance based on the noise around you. These features are only available on iOS 17 (or later).

We compared the isolation of the older 7B21 firmware with the more recent 8A358 firmware and found that their overall performance is essentially the same.

We also purchased and tested the aftermarket Comply TrueGrip (standard version) ear tips in size medium to assess the impact of the foam design on noise isolation performance and found that it improves attenuation, particularly in the treble, and surprisingly, the bass as well. We compared these passive isolation results to those obtained with the silicone ear tips and the Apple AirPods Pro 3; the results show that the Comply foam ear tips passively isolate the treble better than the standard ear tips on the AirPods Pro 2 and achieve comparable passive isolation to those of the AirPods Pro 3. With ANC enabled (as you can see in this comparison), the Comply ear tips contribute to more effective full-range noise filtering than the silicone ear tips, and the Comply ear tips results are close to (but not quite as good as) the Apple AirPods Pro 3's ANC with their standard hybrid foam-and-silicone ear tips. Please note that this isn't an endorsed investigation; we had no contact with either manufacturer and purchased these products independently.

You can expect outstanding noise isolation performance in common scenarios. The ANC can effectively block out plane engines, street noise, and the chit-chat of a busy office environment. Comparing the older 7B21 firmware with the newer 8A358, we see that ANC works nearly the same over the lifespan of the earbuds so far.

We also invested in Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips and found a roughly 2 dB improvement in overall noise isolation across all Common Scenarios testing. While still not quite as good as the Apple AirPods Pro 3's results, the foam ear tips certainly get you closer to comparable noise isolation, as detailed in this Reddit post.

Unlike other noise sources, wind directly interacts directly with the ANC microphones. However, this sound doesn't really reach your ear. As the ANC system tries to cancel out this sound, it creates loud, unwanted noise. For the Apple AirPods Pro 2, this noise is quite loud. Because they're earbuds, the amount of wind noise can vary depending on the angle due to their small size and shape. For example, there's more wind noise reduction at 90 degrees than at other angles. Unfortunately, they lack a dedicated wind reduction feature to tackle these sounds better.

The leakage performance is great. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the mid to treble range and sounds pretty thin. Your audio won't disturb others around you, even if you like to listen at high volume.

The integrated mic has disappointing recording quality. Your voice sounds thin and somewhat muffled, making it harder to understand. If you often find yourself in remote meetings or taking calls, check out the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2, which has a much better microphone performance

The integrated mic performs poorly in handling noise. In a moderately noisy environment like a busy office, background noise can obscure or even drown out your voice during calls. It's best to take calls from quieter spaces like an empty meeting room.

If you're using these earbuds within the Apple ecosystem and are on iOS 16.4 or later, you can use the Voice Isolation feature to reduce noise on phone calls and in certain apps.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have a decent battery performance. Apple advertises a continuous battery life of six hours, which aligns with our measurements. It's worth mentioning that battery life varies depending on usage, such as what features are enabled and your listening volume. If you're low on battery, you can pop them into their carrying case, which holds four additional charges. The buds also enter standby mode when not in use to conserve battery life further. However, for a longer continuous battery life, consider the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

The headphones don't have a dedicated app; however, you can access their interface when connected via iOS. On iOS 17 or later, you can access features like Adaptive Audio, which balances the AirPods Pro 2's ANC and transparency based on your environment. Personalized Volume also adjusts playback volume based on external noise. Conversation Awareness reduces your content's volume and switches the headphones to transparency mode, making it easier to hear your conversation. It also seems to boost the mid-range, improving your ability to hear yourself and voices near you. If the feature detects the conversation has stopped, it exits transparency mode and restores your media volume. Lastly, there's Automatic Switching: when you play audio from one device, the earbuds will seamlessly switch playback to that device. It's useful if you've paired your headphones to your MacBook and iPhone, as you can easily switch between audio sources.

In addition to the iOS 17 features mentioned above, the iOS interface allows you to check the battery life of both the headphones and the case, switch between ANC modes, and remap the press and hold control. You can also use the 'Find My' feature to track the case if you misplace it. While there isn't any EQ available, you can access some sound customization features via your iOS device's 'Accessibility' tab.

In iOS 18, the earbuds have access to Automatic Mic Mode, which uses the connected Apple device to process audio in Voice Isolation or Wide Spectrum modes. This feature also works with other headphones, though, and isn't exclusive to the AirPods Pro 2

With firmware update 7B19, Apple introduced a suite of hearing-related features, including a hearing loss test, hearing assistance, and hearing protection. While the hearing protection function is available in most regions, the other hearing-related features are limited based on your country of residence. We were only able to test the hearing protection feature, which reduces loud sound exposure when using Transparency, Adaptive, and ANC modes.

Since our model's carrying case has a Lightning port, these headphones come with a Lightning to USB-C cable for recharging. However, you can't use this cable for audio delivery. If you have the carrying case with a USB-C port, Apple provides a USB-C cable in the box.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation have great Bluetooth connectivity. They have an H2 chip for seamless switching between devices in your Apple ecosystem, and you can connect them simultaneously to two different Apple devices. However, multi-device pairing won't work on non-Apple devices. If you're looking for earbuds with seamless device-switching and multi-device pairing compatible with Android devices, check out the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The headphones also support AAC codec, offering better audio quality than SBC. That said, their SBC latency is high and can result in lip sync mismatch on video, depending on your app and device. It's also worth mentioning that these buds don't support any codecs designed for high-quality audio, like the LDAC codec supported by the Technics EAH-AZ80. This can be disappointing if you want to listen to Hi-Res audio via services like Tidal or Apple Music.

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility.

The carrying case supports wireless charging and has a lightning port for wired charging. You can also purchase this model with a case that has a USB-C port instead.