Apple has announced the second-generation AirPods Pro at its “Far Out” event held today. The new AirPods Pro have a brand new chipset, better noise cancellation, more battery life, and improved sound quality. The 2022 AirPods Pro also have an updated case.
The new AirPods Pro are powered by Apple’s in-house designed H2 chip. With H2, Apple promises to deliver a more enriched sound while eliminating additional background noise. The company claims that the new AirPods Pro improve upon the ANC of the old AirPods by up to 2x. Furthermore, Transparency mode on the new AirPods Pro has also gotten a few updates the biggest of which is an “Adaptive Transparency” feature that selectively reduces loud environment sounds.
The second-generation Airpods Pro also promise to deliver better audio quality than the first-gen AirPods Pro with a new audio driver and custom amplifier. Spacial Audio also makes a return. You can now use the camera on your iPhones to take photos of your ear to customize the Spacial Audio for a more immersive experience.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the 2nd-gen AirPods Pro is the capacitive touch layer over the pressure-sensitive stems. In addition to all the usual functionality provided by the stems, you can now swipe over the touch layers to increase/decrease volume.
Next, the new AirPods Pro also last longer than the previous model. Apple claims that the earbuds can go non-stop for 6 hours with ANC enabled with the case providing additional juice for a total of 30 hours of run time. When it comes time to charge, you’ll be able to use a Lightning cable, a Qi wireless charger, a MagSafe charger, or even an Apple Watch charger to top up the case.
Finally, the second generation AirPods Pro come in an updated case that now has lanyard holes. The new case is not only compatible with Find My, but also has a built-in speaker to play sounds to help you locate it.
The new AirPods Pro will be available to preorder on September 9 for US$249. They’ll be ready to purchase on September 23.