They look the same, but the new AirPods Pro 2 use USB-C and will support Vision Pro.
Early reviewers say Apple’s new AirPods Pro 2 are great now, but they’ll really shine when the Vision Pro launches in 2024.
Although Apple included AirPods Pro in its iPhone 15 launch event, it was enough to mention that they now use a USB-C connector instead of Lightning. This is true, but every reviewer probably saw that there was more to it.
A little more – at the moment Apple has just improved the dust resistance. But when Apple Vision Pro comes out, these AirPods Pro will support it, and reviewers can’t wait.
“The new AirPods Pro 2 feature lossless audio specifically designed for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset,” reports the Irish Independent. “[But they do] “Also take advantage of the audio feature updates coming to all AirPods Pro (and to a lesser extent regular AirPods) in the iOS 17 update for iPhone.”
“The AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C were actually newer than Apple claimed,” says Stuff. “Both the AirPods and the case have been updated to IP54, an upgrade from IPX4.”
“Rather than making them more waterproof,” continues Stuff, “this change in rating actually means they’re dustproof or ‘dust-resistant.’
“They also have lossless audio with ultra-low latency,” the publication reports. “It will transmit 20-bit lossless audio at 48 kHz. [for the Vision Pro]… [however,]I must say that the quality is worse than Apple Music – 24 bit/192 kHz.”
Ahead of the Vision Pro’s release, Verge is a little more cautious in its praise, putting quotation marks around the words “revolutionary” and “revolutionary new format” before examining the audio quality.
Great now, great later
YouTube iJustine is absolutely thrilled with the new version, saying she’s only recently started enjoying AirPods and welcomes both the USB-C port and the device’s promise for Apple’s future.
“[This] The port is pretty interesting because it will allow you to charge USB-C to USB-C on your new iPhone 15,” she says. “And another new feature is lossless sound. We’ll be able to use that with the Vision Pro that’s coming out someday, and I can’t wait to try it.”
“Obviously, if you’re looking to purchase a Vision Pro,” she continues, “then upgrading to a USB-C enclosure may be for you, so you can fully experience lag-free, lossless audio from your Vision Pro.”
No one seems to point out that after paying $3,500 for the Vision Pro, you’re better off paying another $229 for great sound. But iJustine believes that bringing lossless audio to the Vision Pro is of great importance because of what else it could mean.
“It’s kind of big news that Apple has unlocked lossless audio in its ecosystem because you might see it elsewhere with the H2 chip,” she says. “For now it will only be with Vision Pro, but who knows what the future holds?”
Software updates
The existing AirPods Pro 2 will also receive some of the features introduced in the new version.
“The main addition is Adaptive Audio,” says Engadget’s review, “a tool that automatically and ‘dynamically’ combines transparency mode and active noise cancellation (ANC) based on your surroundings.”
“Apple says it will continually change noise control settings throughout the day,” Engadget continues, “making necessary adjustments as you move through different settings.”
“Conversation Awareness is by far the best addition to the AirPods Pro,” Yahoo Finance says in a review titled “The Best Gets Better.”
“It automatically lowers the volume of what you’re listening to and increases the volume of the people in front of you when you start speaking,” explains Yahoo Finance. “It’s almost surprising how well this feature works.”
“Whether I was in a crowded airport or in a hotel room, Conversation Awareness automatically turned on when I started talking to someone,” the publication continues. “What’s more, it won’t activate if you’re muttering to yourself like I was while waiting for your plane.”
Another thing that all reviewers at least point to is that, with the exception of the USB-C charging point, the new AirPods Pro are visually indistinguishable from the previous version.