Apple AirPods Pro vs AirPods: Here's what is new and different

Apple’s latest wireless earbuds, the AirPods Pro, come as an upgrade over the already-popular AirPods second generation. The iPhone-maker has added a bunch of features in the AirPods Pro that, at least on paper, make it look much better than the original AirPods. Here’s what is new and different on the AirPods Pro when compared to the AirPods second-generation.

Design 

Apple has made some significant tweaks in the design of the AirPods Pro, making it look different from the original AirPods. The ‘Pro’ earbuds now feature a smaller stem. AirPods Pro also features new silicone ear tips that not only offer better grip but also assist in testing the fit.

Apple offers three ear tips of different sizes with the AirPods Pro, namely Large, Medium, Small.

Weight-wise, AirPods Pro weighs 5.4 grams each, whereas the AirPods weighs 4 grams each.

The charging case, too, has changed in size. It is now broader and shorter with the dimensions being 45.22 x 60.6 x 21.7mm compared to 53.5mm x 44.3 x 21.3 mm of the original AirPods charging case.

AirPods Pro comes with USB Type-C to Lightning cable. It is also IPX4 certified for water and sweat resistance.

Features

The USP of AirPods Pro is the addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). For the uninitiated, ANC removes ambient noise, allowing the user to listen to music without any disturbance from the background. This is possible with the help of two microphones in the AirPods Pro that detect and analyse external noise and create an equivalent anti-noise that cancels out the background noise.

There’s also a Transparency mode that lets users be aware of the surrounding sound. Users can switch between ANC and Transparency Mode with the help of the new force sensor embedded inside the stem. 

Force sensors replace the tap mechanism that you find on the standard AirPods. To play, pause, or answer a phone call, press once. To skip a song, press twice and to skip back, press thrice. 

For switching between ANC and Transparency mode, press and hold the switch for a couple of seconds.

AirPods Pro also features Apple’s H1 chip that enables ‘Hey Siri’ to do things like play a song, make a call or read a message.

There’s also a feature called Adaptive EQ that automatically tunes the low and mid-frequencies of the music to the shape of the user’s ears for a rich, immersive listening experience with superior sound quality.

Battery Life

Apple claims that AirPods Pro offers the same amount of battery life as the original AirPods. This means users can expect up to five hours of juice on a single charge. The wireless charging case offers an additional juice of up to 24 hours.

With ANC, users can expect up to four and a half hours of music playback or three and a half hours of talk-time on the AirPods Pro.

Price

AirPods Pro has been priced in India at Rs 24,900. The AirPods second-get with wireless charging case is priced at Rs 18,900. The standard AirPods with charging case can be purchased for Rs 14,900.