Apple AirPods Vs AirPods Pro: Differences You Should Know About

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 7, 2019


Looking for a comparison of the Apple AirPods vs AirPods Pro? You have come to the right place.

Apple’s AirPods have been some of the company’s best selling products. Apple released the second-generation AirPods (referred to as AirPods now rather than AirPods 2) in March 2019 and that was quickly followed by the release of the AirPods Pro in October 2019.

Both the AirPods and AirPods Pro are high-quality products, but it can be a challenge to decide whether to spend $100 extra for the Pro model. The best way to figure it out is by doing a comparison. Here are the AirPods and AirPods Pro differences you should know about:

Design

The second-generation and the first-generation Apple AirPods look nearly identical. However, the AirPods Pro has smaller stems than the AirPods. And the AirPods Pro comes with three silicon tips to ensure comfort.

Apple created an Ear Tip Fit Test to see which tips fit the best. And with a new vent system to equalize pressure, this ensures that the earbuds will be comfortable.

Durability

The AirPods Pro are IPX4-certified so it features sweat and water resistance. However, the AirPods do not have a water-resistance rating.

This does not mean that you should wear the AirPods Pro in a swimming pool or the shower. If it gets submerged in water, then it will no longer work.

Noise Cancellation

One of the biggest selling points of the AirPods Pro is the active noise cancellation feature for blocking out background noise. However, you can activate a Transparency mode so you can hear the background noise again. You can turn the Transparency mode on or off by squeezing the stems. The AirPods lack this feature.

Performance

The AirPods Pro sounds better than the AirPods when you have Active Noise Cancellation switched on. Otherwise, the headphones are about the same when it is switched off.

In terms of the processor, the AirPods Pro and AirPods 2 both have the H1 chip. This is an upgrade from the W1 chip in the first-generation AirPods. The H1 chip supports faster pairing and device switching. Plus the H1 chips also facilitate the “Hey Siri” feature, which gives it a hands-free way to activate the Siri digital assistant.

Adaptive EQ

The AirPods Pro have internal microphones for measuring volume, which is also necessary for noise cancellation. But it is also used for Adaptive EQ — which optimizes the sound based on your physiology. This feature automatically tunes the low- and mid- frequencies by using a custom high dynamic range amplifier. The non-Pro AirPods do not support this feature.

Wireless Charging Case

One of the advantages of the AirPods Pro case is that it supports wireless charging out of the box. The base price of the AirPods does not include a wireless charging case.

Battery Life

The AirPods Pro supports up to 4.5 hours of listening time when noise cancellation is switched on and up to 5 hours when noise cancellation is switched off on a single charge. And the AirPods has up to 5 hours of listening time on a single charge.

The charging case supports about 24 hours of listening time before it has to be recharged. And charging the headphones in the case for a few minutes gives a few hours of usage again.

Bluetooth

Both the AirPods and AirPods Pro support Bluetooth 5.0. This means that they both have quick pairing and can also play audio on two connected devices at the same time.

Size/Weight

The AirPods measure at 1.59 x 0.65 x 0.71-inches (40.5 x 16.5 x 18 mm) and weigh 0.14 oz (4 g)

And the AirPods Pro measure at 1.22 x 0.86 x 0.94-inches (30.9 x 21.8 x 24.0 mm) and weigh 0.19 oz (5.4g)

Price

The AirPods Pro has been priced at $249. And the non-Pro AirPods are priced at $159 with a standard case. With a wireless charging case, the AirPods is priced at $199.

Want To Buy The AirPods or AirPods Pro? Here Is Where To Buy Them:

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