AirPods Pro are wireless

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

in-ear headphones designed by

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

, initially released on October 30, 2019. They are Apple's mid-range wireless headphones, sold alongside the base-level

AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. The most recent model, AirPods (3rd generation ...

and highest-end

AirPods Max AirPods Max are wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones designed by Apple, and released on December 15, 2020. They are Apple’s highest-end option in the AirPods lineup, sold alongside the base model AirPods and mid-range AirPods Pro. The mai ...

. The first-generation AirPods Pro use the H1 chip found in second-generation

, but add

active noise cancellation Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation (NC), or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. The concept was first develop ...

, transparency mode, automated frequency profile setting, IPX4 water resistance, a charging case with

wireless charging Inductive charging (also known as wireless charging or cordless charging) is a type of wireless power transfer. It uses electromagnetic induction to provide electricity to portable devices. Inductive charging is also used in vehicles, power too ...

, and interchangeable silicone tips. The second-generation AirPods Pro were announced in September 2022, and feature the H2 chip, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, improved sound quality and noise cancellation, longer battery life, volume adjusting gestures,

Find My Find My is an asset tracking app and service provided by Apple Inc. that enables users to track the location of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS devices, AirPods, AirTags and a number of supported third-party accessories through a connected iCloud acc ...

tracking,

Apple Watch Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was rel ...

charger compatibility and extra-small sized ear tips.

Models

1st-generation

Apple announced AirPods Pro on October 28, 2019, and released them two days later on October 30, 2019. They include features of standard

, such as a microphone that filters out

background noise Background noise or ambient noise is any sound other than the sound being monitored (primary sound). Background noise is a form of noise pollution or interference. Background noise is an important concept in setting noise levels. Background n ...

accelerometers An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acce ...

and optical sensors that can detect presses on the stem and in-ear placement, and automatic pausing when they are taken out of the ears. Control by tapping is replaced by pressing a force sensor on the stems. They are rated IPX4 for water resistance. The AirPods Pro use the H1 chip also found in the second and third-generation AirPods, that supports hands-free "Hey

Siri Siri ( ) is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and audioOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer qu ...

". They have

, accomplished by microphones detecting outside sound and speakers producing precisely opposite "anti-noise". Active noise cancellation can be turned off or switched to "transparency mode" that helps users hear surroundings. Noise cancellation modes can also be switched in iOS or by pinching the stems of the AirPods using the force sensor. The H1 chip is embedded in a unique

system in a package A system in a package (SiP) or system-in-package is a number of integrated circuits enclosed in one or more chip carrier packages that may be stacked using package on package. The SiP performs all or most of the functions of an electronic syste ...

(SiP) module enclosing several other components, such as the

audio processor Audio signal processing is a subfield of signal processing that is concerned with the electronic manipulation of audio signals. Audio signals are electronic representations of sound waves—longitudinal waves which travel through air, consisting ...

and

accelerometer An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acc ...

s. Battery life is rated to be equal to the second-generation AirPods at five hours, but noise cancellation or transparency mode reduce it to 4.5 hours due to the extra processing. The charging case advertises the same 24 hours of total listening time as the standard AirPods case. It also features Qi standard wireless charging compatibility. In October 2021, Apple updated the bundled charging case with

MagSafe MagSafe is a series of proprietary magnetically attached power connectors developed by Apple Inc. for Mac laptops. MagSafe was introduced on January 10, 2006, in conjunction with the MacBook Pro, the first Intel-based Mac laptop, at the Ma ...

. Like AirPods, AirPods Pro have received criticism for their battery life. Apple airpods pro case

AirPods Pro come with three sizes of silicone tips. There is a software test in iOS called the Ear Tip Fit Test that " hecksthe fit of your AirPods ear tips to determine which size provides the best seal and acoustic performance" to ensure a correct fit, as well as a feature called "Adaptive EQ" which automatically adjusts the frequency contour, claimed to better match the wearer's ear shape. Starting in early 2020, Apple started selling tip replacements for AirPods Pro on their website. With

iOS 14 iOS 14 is the fourteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for their iPhone and iPod Touch lines. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020 as the successor to iOS 13 ...

and

iPadOS 14 iPadOS 14 is the second major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple for their iPad line of tablet computers. It was announced on June 22, 2020 at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) as the successor to i ...

, Apple added a

spatial audio Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to su ...

mode designed to simulate

5.1 surround sound 5.1 surround sound ("five-point one") is the common name for surround sound audio systems. 5.1 is the most commonly used layout in home theatres. It uses five full bandwidth channels and one low-frequency effects channel (the "point one"). Dol ...

. Supported apps include the

Apple TV app The Apple TV app (also known as Apple TV, TV, and the TV app) is a line of media player software programs developed by Apple Inc. for viewing television shows and films delivered by Apple to consumer electronic devices. It can stream content ...

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

. Spatial audio requires an iPhone or iPad with an

Apple A10 The Apple A10 Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus which were introduced on September 7, 2016, and is used in the sixth generation iP ...

processor or newer.

tvOS tvOS (formerly known as Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. Starting with the second-generation, ...

15 brought spatial audio to the Apple TV 4K. iOS 14 also added the ability to apply headphone accommodations to transparency mode, allowing the AirPods Pro to act as rudimentary

hearing aids A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...

. In October 2021, a new Conversation Boost mode was added as a customization of the regular Transparency mode. It boosts voices above background noise and music.

2nd-generation

The second-generation AirPods Pro were announced at an Apple media event on September 7, 2022, and were released on September 23, 2022. They use an updated H2 chip with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and feature improved sound quality and noise cancellation, and longer battery life. They also include extra-small sized ear tips, and AirPods support swiping up and down to adjust volume. Ear tips are physically compatible with first generation AirPods Pro as they use the same connector, but Apple notes the second generation ear tips use a less dense mesh and recommends against intermixing them for acoustical consistency. The charging case includes an

Apple U1 Apple silicon is a series of system on a chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) processors designed by Apple Inc., mainly using the ARM architecture. It is the basis of most new Mac computers as well as iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple T ...

chip that supports

tracking, and includes a speaker for locating and status updates. In addition to

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

, Qi and

chargers, it is also compatible with

chargers. A

lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lower ...

loop was also added to the side of the case.

Compatibility

Support for AirPods Pro was added in iOS 13.2,

watchOS watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only dev ...

6.1,

13.2, and

macOS Catalina macOS Catalina (version 10.15) is the sixteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. It is the successor to macOS Mojave and was announced at WWDC 2019 on June 3, 2019 and released to the publ ...

10.15.1. They are compatible with any device that supports

, including

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and Android devices, although certain features such as automatic switching between devices are only available on Apple devices using its

iCloud iCloud is a Personal cloud, cloud service from Apple Inc. launched on October 12, 2011 as a successor to MobileMe. , the service had an estimated 850 million users, up from 782 million users in 2016. iCloud enables users to sync their data to t ...

service.

References

External links