I test all kinds of audio gear around the year, and every time someone asks me about AirPods, I religiously suggest a few alternatives. It’s not because the AirPods are bad. Far from it, actually. It’s just that they are a little too pricey for what they offer, especially when it comes to the Pro model.
While they excel at noise cancellation and transparency, they can’t quite deliver the kind of rich audio when pitted against the likes of Sony’s WF-1000 and Sennheiser’s Momentum series earbuds. The margin, I’ll add, is very small. Plus, terms like “price cut,” “discounts,” and “deals” don’t often play well with Apple’s premium reputation, so you rarely see them at a bargain point.
Today, I wholeheartedly recommend the second-gen AirPods Pro.
As part of the ongoing Prime Day sales, Amazon has slashed a healthy $100 off the asking price, bringing the total bill value down to $149 for the second-gen AirPods Pro. That’s an absurdly good price for Apple’s flagship earbuds and puts them far ahead of the competition.
Why pick them?
Well, I’ll start with the obvious Apple ecosystem benefits such as seamless detection and pairing, support for Find My tracking, and their ability to double as hearing aid devices. Wireless charging support is another underrated perk, and so is the built-in speaker on the charging case and its IPX4-level ingress protection.
Yet, those are not the standout perks that dictate purchase decisions. If we adhere strictly to the merits, the AirPods Pro 2 consistently rank among the best wireless earbuds out there. Period. On the second-gen iteration, Apple made some internal changes that truly lifted the sound quality.
“The AirPods Pro 2 sound so good, I can’t help wondering how much better they could sound if Apple actually supported higher quality codecs like Sony’s LDAC or Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive,” Digital Trends’ audio expert, Simon Cohen, wrote after testing the Apple earbuds.
It’s true that Apple doesn’t dig as deep into the audiophile territory as Sony, Technics, or Astell & Kern. But if the AirPods Pro 2 are plugged into your ear canal, you won’t run into any glaring audio quality hiccups. On the contrary, they offer the most balanced listening experience compared to any other earbuds I’ve tried so far.
Another underrated aspect that is often ignored is the mic quality. The mics on the AirPods Pro 2 are excellent. I am not sure just how much it can be pinned on the stem design, but compared to stemless earbuds, the call quality is noticeably better on the Apple device.
What they do exceedingly well
Whatever little the AirPods Pro 2 lacks in terms of sheer audiophile excellence, they make up for it in other departments. If noise cancellation (or ANC) transparency is of utmost importance to you, you can’t go wrong with the Apple earbuds.
On these two metrics, I think both the AirPods Pro 2 and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are great. But if I had to pick, I’d say the AirPods Pro are better. Based on the time I’ve spent with top-of-the-line earbuds by Sony and Samsung, I can confidently say that the Apple earbuds are among the Mount Rushmore faces for the ANC and transparency.
My favorite element is the lack of a hissing sound when noise cancellation kicks into action. On the AirPods Pro, it’s just audio silence. Getting that convenience for $149 is simply breathtaking to witness, not just as a tech journalist, but also as a potential buyer. But that’s not the end of the story.
Apple’s implementation of head-tracked spatial audio with personalization is also excellent. As far as battery life goes, my mileage is usually around five hours of continuous listening with ANC enabled, which is impressive.
And let’s not forget the health and wellness perks. Apple classifies them as clinical-grade hearing aids. With Live Listen, you can amplify the ambient sound signals picked up by the mics on your phone, or use Conversation Boost to achieve the same effect with the onboard mics on the earbuds.
Furthermore, you can enable head gestures to handle calls and notifications, and even set custom actions using the Shortcuts app. When Digital Trends tested the AirPods Pro 2, we ended up calling them a “total no-brainer.” At $149, they are simply the best audio deal you can find out there by a long shot.
