Hardware

Published on September 8th, 2022 | by Adrian Gunning

Apple announces the next generation of AirPods Pro

Apple today announced the second generation of AirPods Pro, the most advanced AirPods ever. With the power of the new H2 chip, AirPods Pro unlock breakthrough audio performance — including major upgrades to Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode — while also offering a unique way to experience Spatial Audio that’s even more immersive. Now, customers can enjoy Touch control for media playback and volume adjustments directly from the stem, along with longer battery life, a brand-new charging case and an additional ear tip size for a better fit.

AirPods Pro (2nd generation) will be available to order online and in the Apple Store app starting Friday, 9 September, with availability in stores beginning Friday, 23 September.

“AirPods revolutionised the wireless headphone category with an innovative design and incredible sound quality. With the new AirPods Pro, Apple raises the bar once again,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new AirPods Pro deliver even better sound quality, a more immersive listening experience with Personalised Spatial Audio and transformative audio features like Adaptive Transparency. With up to double the noise-cancelling power of their predecessor, the world’s bestselling wireless headphones just got even better.”

Breakthrough Audio
Built into a lightweight and compact body, the power of the new H2 chip provides an exceptional acoustic experience and cancels up to twice as much noise over the previous generation AirPods Pro. With a new low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier, AirPods Pro now offer richer bass and crystal-clear sound across a wider range of frequencies. Since the best audio experience isn’t complete without a great in-ear fit, a new extra small ear tip is included so even more people can experience the magic of AirPods Pro.

Transparency mode makes it possible for listeners to stay connected to and aware of the world around them. Now, Adaptive Transparency takes this customer-loved feature even further. The powerful H2 chip enables on-device processing, which reduces loud environmental noise — like a passing vehicle siren, construction tools or even loud speakers at a concert — for more comfortable everyday listening.

Precise and Immersive Sound
With Personalised Spatial Audio, the AirPods listening experience is even more immersive. Users perceive sound individually, based on the size and shape of their head and ears. Using the TrueDepth camera on iPhone, users can create a personal profile for Spatial Audio that delivers a listening experience precisely tuned just for them. Users can enjoy Personalised Spatial Audio with music, movies and TV shows — with dynamic head tracking — across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.1

Convenient Features
The magical experience users have come to love from the AirPods family gets even better with the next generation of AirPods Pro. Instant pairing to all Apple devices makes setup effortless, while the new dedicated AirPods section in iOS Settings lets users easily access and control their AirPods features.Now, users can control media playback and turn up the volume without using another device. With Touch control on AirPods Pro, a light swipe up or down on the stem enables quick volume adjustments. Press the stem to change the music, answer phone calls and more, or say “Hey Siri” to make requests hands-free. The improved, built-in skin-detect sensor more accurately turns on or off playback, and delivers better battery life.

Extended Battery Life
AirPods Pro offer 1.5 hours of additional listening time over the first generation, for a total of up to six hours with Active Noise Cancellation.2 Using the case for four additional charges, users can enjoy up to 30 hours of total listening time with Active Noise Cancellation — a full six hours more than the previous generation.3

For more flexibility when travelling, customers can now charge AirPods Pro with an Apple Watch charger, in addition to a MagSafe charger, Qi-certified charging mat or the Lightning cable.

All-New Charging Case
AirPods Pro come with a newly designed charging case that is sweat- and water-resistant,4 and includes a lanyard loop,5 so it’s always within reach. With Precision Finding, users with a U1-enabled iPhone can locate their charging case with guided directions. The charging case also has a built-in speaker to deliver louder tones, so it’s even easier to locate.

Customers can now personalise the charging case with their individual Memoji, including custom-posed Memoji, Animoji and a curated list of stickers. To begin engraving, create and upload a Memoji in the Apple Store app.

AirPods and the Environment
AirPods Pro are designed with numerous materials and features to minimise their impact on the environment, including the use of 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and — for the first time — 100 per cent recycled gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards. The case also uses 100 per cent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board and 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the hinge. AirPods Pro are free of potentially harmful substances such as mercury, BFRs, PVC and beryllium. Redesigned packaging eliminates the outer plastic wrap, and 90 per cent or more of the packaging is made using fibre-based materials, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations and by 2030, plans to be 100 per cent carbon neutral across its entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through to recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.

Pricing and Availability

  • AirPods Pro (2nd generation) will be available to order for RRP A$399 inc. GST from apple.com/au/store and in the Apple Store app in Australia and more than 50 other countries and regions starting Friday, 9 September, with availability in stores beginning Friday, 23 September.
  • AirPods (3rd generation) with Lightning Charging Case are now available for RRP A$279 inc. GST. AirPods (3rd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case remain available for RRP A$289 inc. GST.
  • Customers now can add Memoji engraving to AirPods (2nd generation), AirPods (3rd generation) and AirPods Pro (2nd generation) cases for free, exclusively in the Apple Store app. For more information about Memoji engraving, utilise the Apple Store app.
  • New subscribers get six months of Apple Music on us with their AirPods Pro.6 See apple.com/au/promo for details.
  • For full feature functionality use AirPods Pro (2nd generation) paired with an Apple device running the latest operating system software. Personalised Spatial Audio profiles and Find My will be available with iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura in October.

 

  1. Spatial Audio works with compatible content in supported apps. iPhone with TrueDepth camera required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS (coming in October), macOS (coming in October) and tvOS.
  2. 5.5 hours of listening time with Spatial Audio enabled.
  3. Battery life varies by use. See apple.com/au/batteriesfor details.
  4. AirPods Pro and the charging case are sweat- and water-resistant for non-water sports and exercise, and they are IPX4-rated. Sweat and water resistance are not permanent conditions.
  5. Lanyard sold separately.
  6. New subscribers only. A$11.99 per month after trial. Offer available for a limited time to new subscribers who connect an eligible device to an Apple device running iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or later. Offer good for three months


About the Author

agun@impulsegamer.com'

Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.


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