Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Generation) – with MagSafe Charging Case

To help secure the buds’ fit and get the best sound quality, experiment with Apple’s four pairs of silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L). I find that the medium size works best, and the ear tip fit test (iOS only) confirms this. Not only will this prevent the earbuds from falling out with vigorous movement, but it will also block out as much background noise as possible. Plus, it’s easier to squeeze the stem controls when the ear tips form a seal to your ear canals.

The main app for the AirPods Pro is the iOS/iPadOS Settings app, and you’ll need an Apple device to receive firmware updates. While Android device owners can connect to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and listen to music or make calls, they won’t be able to use the features detailed here.

You can access a handful of things from the Settings app, like the previously mentioned ear tip fit test. Once you confirm your selected ear tips, it’s time to rename your AirPods, select your listening mode (ANC on/off, Transparency on/off), and customize the tap-and-hold function of each earbud. You can even go so far as to dictate whether the left or right bud’s microphones are used for phone calls. We recommend leaving it set to “Automatically Switch AirPods.”

The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) also supports Audio Sharing from an iPhone. This means you can use your iPhone to stream audio to two separate Apple headsets. To do so, you need to open the Control Center and tap the media player to enlarge it. From there, you can choose to stream audio to your AirPods and a friend’s.

Bluetooth 5.3 keeps the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) connected to your device, and this should ensure LE Audio support when it rolls out. For now, you can choose from the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. When streaming AAC audio from an iOS device, you’ll enjoy reliable, high-quality and low-latency audio. While Android supports AAC, its performance is variable and hardware-dependent on Android. The H2 chip supports what Apple calls “high bandwidth connectivity,” suggesting that the sound quality is getting closer to lossless but isn’t quite there yet.

The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) standalone battery life is 5 hours, 43 minutes with ANC on, falling just short of Apple’s official 6-hour battery specification with ANC on. The charging case provides an extra 24 hours of listening time, or 19 hours, 30 minutes of talk time. When it’s time to recharge you have a few options. You can charge the case wirelessly atop a Qi, MagSafe, or Apple Watch charging mat, and you’ll need a Lightning cable for wired charging.

The first and second-generation AirPods Pro are nearly indistinguishable from one another. The main differences between the two generations lie under the hood. Noise-canceling is better on the newer headset, thanks to the H2 chip; the old model houses the older H1 chip. With the latest model, you get a new “high-excursion Apple driver” for improved sound quality. Charging cases differ between the two models: only the new case is water resistant and has a built-in speaker and U1 chip for locating.