Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Headphones Review

The Apple AirPods Pro have a very similar style to the previous models, with some minor changes. The stems are now quite a bit shorter, but still retains the iconic AirPod look. They still have the same premium feel of previous models and look well-made.

The Apple AirPods Pro are quite comfortable for in-ear headphones. They come with three sizes of silicon tips, and don't enter too deep into the ear canal. They are very lightweight and put no pressure on your ears, meaning they are barely noticeable.

The controls on the Apple AirPods Pro aren't bad. They don't have physical buttons but have an indented force sensor on the stem of each earbud. While it doesn't make a tactile sound, there is audible feedback through the headphones. The controls allow you to play/pause or answer phone calls with one tap, skip track forward with two taps, and skip back to the previous track with three taps. By default, a long press will activate the ANC, though this can be configured on an iOS device to activate Siri instead. Unfortunately, the long press can be a little difficult to activate, though this may be by design to prevent accidental clicks. All controls work on Android devices, though a long press will only activate ANC and cannot be configured to trigger other virtual assistants.

Like most in-ear headphones, the Apple AirPods Pro don't trap heat inside your ears, which makes them a suitable option for sports. You won’t notice a difference in temperature when wearing them and won’t sweat more than usual.

These truly wireless headphones are very portable. The earbuds are smaller than previous models, and are very lightweight.

The case of these headphones is excellent. It's extremely small and portable, measuring only slightly larger than previous models. Like the Apple AirPods 2, it supports Qi wireless charging as well as a Lightning port. It should protect the headphones well against minor falls and scratches, but not against water damage.

The AirPods Pro have the same build quality as previous models. They have a premium feel thanks to their high-quality plastic finish and should be durable enough to withstand a few accidental drops or bumps without sustaining too much physical damage. Unlike the Apple AirPods 2 Truly Wireless 2019, Apple has rated these headphones IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, which should help them survive through tough workouts, though we don't test this.

These in-ear headphones have one of the most stable fits of any in-ears without stability fins that we've tested so far, and shouldn't fall out of your ears when working out or running. They don't move at all in your ears and don't break the seal, making them a good option for physical activity.

• Apple AirPods Pro headphones
• Charging Case
• USB C-to-lightning cable
• Three tip size options
• Manuals

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C54, we retested the headphones and our results showed some minor changes to their sound reproduction. This review reflects these changes.

The Apple AirPods Pro have a fairly neutral sound profile, although a bit on the brighter side as they lack a bit of bass, but not as much as the standard Airpods models which are open-backs. Note that the AirPods Pro don't have the best frequency response consistency, so users might hear this differently.

Update 01/10/2020: After retesting the headphones upon updating to Firmware 2C54, we found their frequency response consistency to be significantly better. This review reflects these changes.

The frequency response consistency of the AirPods Pro is just okay. There is some noticeable variation throughout the range, which means people might not hear the same thing when using the same headphones, with small differences in bass and treble.

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C54, we retested the headphones and our results showed a fairly significant improvement to bass accuracy. This review reflects these changes.

The bass accuracy of the AirPods Pro is excellent. Thanks to their closed-back design, they don't have low-bass issues like the Apple AirPods 1 Truly Wireless 2017 and Apple AirPods 2 Truly Wireless 2019. However, the response is still a bit under our target curve, meaning some people might feel like they are a little light on bass.

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C54, we retested the headphones and our results showed a very slight reduction in mid accuracy, though it's quite minor and could simply be due to testing. This review reflects these changes.

The AirPods Pro have a very accurate mid-range performance. The reproduction of vocals and lead instruments is fairly well-balanced, although a bit over our target, especially in low-mid. This might sound a bit cluttered and forward, but most people won't notice this.

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C54, we retested the headphones and our results showed a very slight reduction in treble accuracy, though overall the frequency range is a bit flatter, with fewer peaks. This review reflects these changes.

The treble on the AirPods Pro is extremely accurate and follows our curve well. Vocals, lead instruments, and sibilants will have the right amount of detail and brightness and will sound natural.

These headphones have a well-balanced response that doesn't have too many peaks and dips. The overemphasis in low-treble might clutter vocals a bit, but this won't be noticeable for most people.

The stereo imaging of the AirPods Pro is great. The group delay graph shows it's under the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and treble reproduction. The L/R drivers of our unit were also well-matched, with a slight mismatch in amplitude, but most people wouldn't notice it with real-life content as it's very minor. Note that these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

The soundstage of the AirPods Pro is bad. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because these headphones have a closed-back enclosure, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods 2 Truly Wireless 2019.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance of the AirPods Pro is great. This results in a clean and pure audio reproduction, and the bump in the treble range shouldn't be audible for most people. There's also no big jump under heavier loads, which is good.

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C54, we retested the headphones and our results showed a fairly significant drop in isolation performance, primarily in the bass-range. This means that with ANC turned on, these headphones won't do nearly as good a job blocking out the low engine rumbles of planes or buses as they did before this update. This review reflects these changes.

Update 12/04/2019: After receiving multiple reports of the ANC being worse than before after the 2B588 firmware update, we retested the Apple AirPods Pro's noise isolation performance and didn't get noticeable test result differences. Apple might have tweaked the ANC, but not enough to noticeably impact the overall performance.

The noise isolation of these headphones is impressive. They do a good job isolating the low rumble of bus or plane engines, making them good for commuting. Their mid-range performance is also great, making them excellent for blocking out ambient chatter. Their weakest isolation performance is in the treble range, though this is the least important for most situations and they still do a decent job.

The leakage performance of these headphones is very good, and much better than previous models due to their in-ear design. They leak the most sound in the treble range, meaning the leaking will be thin-sounding. It's unlikely that these headphones will bother those around you.

The microphone on the Apple AirPods Pro is unremarkable. Speech recorded with the microphone will sound very thin and muffled. The microphone performs best in quiet environments like conference rooms or on quieter streets. In louder environments, like busy streets or on the subway, the microphone will have a tough time separating speech from background noise.

The recording quality of the Apple AirPods Pro's microphone is passable. Speech recorded sounds very thin and muffled, though you should still be able to make out what's being said.

The noise handling of the Apple AirPods Pro's microphone is mediocre. In quiet environments you should have no problem, but in noisier situations like on busy streets or on the subway, it will likely have a hard time separating your voice from background noise.

The battery life of the Apple AirPods Pro is decent at just over five hours with ANC turned on. This is about an hour longer than previous models, even with the addition of ANC and a smaller form factor. The case will also give you an additional 5 charges and lets you charge one earbud while you use the other, which is convenient. Unfortunately, they take longer to fully charge, though they're still quite fast at just over one hour. On the upside, the battery charged to around 70% in only 20 minutes, meaning a quick charge should get you around 3-4 hours of playback. When not in use, these headphones enter a standby mode which will help conserve battery a bit, but not completely as they still stay on.

The Apple AirPods Pro don't really have a companion app, just a settings screen on iOS devices. They have slightly more customization options than the Apple AirPods 2 Truly Wireless 2019, with ANC and transparency mode toggle, and the ability to change long-press on each earbud to either ANC control or Siri activation. The app also allows you to do a Fit Tip Test to help find which size tips give the best fit, though we had mixed results from this. There are no customization options for Android devices. However, if you do prefer having a bit of customization, check out the Amazon Echo Buds and their 3-band EQ or the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 with their 20 available presets.

These are Bluetooth-compatible truly wireless headphones. They use the H1 chip for Apple Devices which helps with pairing, connection strength and latency. Unfortunately, our testing dongle doesn't support Bluetooth 5.0 or interact with the H1 chip so you may experience better overall performance when paired to an Apple device. If you want more gaming-oriented truly wireless headphones for non-iOS devices, check out the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless.

These headphones are only Bluetooth compatible.

These headphones can't be used wired, which is expected with truly wireless headphones. They charge via the included USB-C to Lightning cable, but don't include a charging power brick.

These headphones are compatible with PC via Bluetooth if your PC is Bluetooth-compatible or you have the correct USB dongle. They aren't compatible with PS4.

These headphones are Bluetooth only and are not compatible with Xbox One.

The charging case for these headphones is very premium feeling and is rather small considering its battery capacity. It charges via Apple's Lightning port or any wireless Qi charging pad.