Apple announces AirPods Pro 2

Apple Airpods
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's big Far Out event has already brought a lot for us to get excited about but the new AirPods Pro might have passed some buy. They really shouldn't though, because they're pretty great.

The existing AirPods Pro were already the best iPhone earbuds around, but now they're better than ever.

Changes abound

Those looking to get into a new pair of AirPods Pro will spend $249. Unfortunately, there are no new colors to choose from so it's white or nothing once more. We wish Apple would give us a nice black or red to choose from, like Apple Watch and iPads, but alas.

As for other improvements, there's a new H2 chip for "breakthrough audio experiences," with improved low distortion audio capabilities and more. Apple also promises improved active noise cancellation, too — twice as good, the company reckons. A new XS ear tip option might well help there, especially for those with smaller ears.

Beyond that, Apple has added new touch controls to the earbuds, allowing you to control them in a whole new way. On top of that, there's a new speaker on your AirPods Pro MagSafe Charging case for easier finding using the Find My network.

AirPods Pro battery life is good for six hours of listen time, while the charging case turns that into 30 hours of music fun.

Pre-orders for the new AirPods Pro 2 begin on September 9, with orders shipping on September 23 for those lucky enough to be picking a pair up.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.