What you need to know
- Apple has announced its new AirPods Pro!
- The new headphones will feature Active Noise Cancellation, adjusting your sound 200 times per second.
- Available October 30 for $249.
Apple has announced its brand new AirPods, the Airpods Pro! The new wireless headphones will be launched on October 30, at the price of $249. They feature Active Noise Cancellation which will adjust your sound over 200 times a second.
The press release states:
Cupertino, California — Apple today announced AirPods Pro, an exciting addition to the AirPods family that features Active Noise Cancellation and superior, immersive sound in an all-new lightweight, in-ear design. AirPods Pro are available to order on apple.com and the Apple Store app starting today and in stores beginning Wednesday, October 30. "AirPods are the best-selling headphones in the world. The one-tap setup experience, incredible sound and iconic design have made them a beloved Apple product, and with AirPods Pro, we're taking the magic even further," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The new in-ear AirPods Pro sound amazing with Adaptive EQ, fit comfortably with flexible ear tips and have innovative Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. We think customers are going to love this new addition to the AirPods family."
The new earbuds will come with 3 different sizes of soft, silicone tips to fit individual ears and provide a comfortable fit/seal. They also have a ventilation system to equalize pressure. They're also sweat and water resistant so can be used for exercise!
1 AirPods Pro are sweat- and water- resistant for non-water sports and exercise and have a rating of IPX4 under IEC standard 60529.
The headline is of course Active Noise Cancellation. The AirPods Pro will use two microphones combined with software to adapt to each individual ear and headphone fit, removing background noise to provide custom noise cancellation. One microphone faces outwards to detect external sound, measuring environmental noise and creating anti-noise to cancel out background noise before it reaches your ear. A second microphone listens towards your ear to catch any remaining noise. Apple's noise cancellation can adapt the sound signal 200 times per second!
The AirPods Pro also have adaptive EQ to automatically tune low and mid frequencies to the shape of your ear. A high dynamic range amplifier will produce clear sound whilst managing battery life, pushing out bass down to 20Hz.
Transparency mode will allow users to switch off the Active Noise Cancellation, allowing you to listen to music whilst hearing the environment, for when you need the cross the road and such like. A new force sensor on the stem of the AirPods Pro makes it easy to switch between the two. This sensor will also help you play, pause and skip tracks as well as starting and ending calls.
Battery life is listed as up to 5 hours of listening time. With Active Noise Cancellation, that drops to 4 and a half hours of listening time, or 3 and a half hours talk time on a single charge. Factor in additional charge from the Wireless Charging Case and the AirProds Pro will deliver 24 hours of listening time, or 18 hours of talk time.
As noted, they are available for $249 from Apple or from the Apple Store app in the US and 25 other countries. They'll begin shipping Wednesday October 30 and arrive in stores later this week. You'll need to be running iOS 13.2 or later on iPhone or iPad to use them. For watchOS its 6.1, tvOS 13.2 and maOS Catalina 10.15.1.
