Apple AirPods Pro 2 Indian Retail Unit unboxing, hands-on

The OG AirPods Pro when launched three years ago in 2019 was quite ahead in the TWS game with excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) and Spatial Audio (3D Audio), in 2022 however, the competition has caught up and in some cases moved slightly ahead as well. Apple launched the AirPods Pro Gen 2 during the September 7, Far Out event with availability starting from September 23rd.

So to find out more about how the new Apple AirPods Pro 2 Gen matches up with other high-end TWSs we had to get our hands on the latest earbuds from Apple. It was not easy though, just like the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max the AirPods Pro 2 Gen are out of stock in most shops. However, we could manage to grab a unit from Vijay Sales on the launch day itself.

Not much to write here, as the new 2nd generation AirPods Pro are identical to the OG version. The only visible changes are on the case, the MagSafe case now sports a tiny speaker grille and lanyard hook. The AirPods Pro themselves have no noticeable changes unless you look very closely the top mic grille is slightly recessed, which acts like a vent system for releasing pressure and that's about it.

The New 2nd Gen AirPods Pro get a host of upgrade internally, an improved battery, a new H2 chip, the same size but upgraded drivers and amp, and Bluetooth 5.3. Being tiny, it's easy to lose them, this is now taken care of as each of the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds can now play a sound when you go looking for them. Now volume can be controlled by sliding your fingertip on the earbuds stick, earlier this was only possible using the phone or the Apple Watch. The 2nd Gen AirPods Pro case gets a bunch of upgrades as well, the case now gets a U1 chip from AirTags and speakers and can play audio when you locate it through the 'Find My' App. The case also is connected to your iPhone and displays the battery percentage even when not connected.

Both the earbuds and the case are IPX4 rated for sweat and water resistance. In terms of security AirPods Gen 2 case supports the same U1 chip seen on the Apple AirTags, so they are tied to your Apple Account and thieves can not undo this. Moreover, the U1 chip allows visual tracking of the case through the Find My app, with arrows pointing towards the direction they are, exactly as seen with AirTags.

Battery life has been upgraded too, The Gen 2 AirPods Pro can now provide 6 hours of ANC activated listening, 5.5 hours if Spatial Audio is added as well. The thing to note here is ANC is a battery hog and you will get even higher battery life if ANC is switched off. You can also talk for 4-4.5 hours before the AirPods Pro 2 will run out of juice, and then 5-mins of charging will give you 60mins of listening or talk time. The Case can give an additional 30 hours of battery life or 24 hours of talk time.

After using the OG AirPods Pro for quite some time, and being exposed to multiple TWSs from every large and small manufacturer, I was a bit skeptical about statements like '2X ANC Improvement' that Apple made during the "Far out" event. However, popping the AirPods Pro 2 in my ears, the experience has been impressive.

First thing first, the ANC on AirPods Pro 2 is better now, is it 2X better? This will need a bit of testing. The sound quality has moved a couple of notches above the already good AirPods Pro. The upgraded drivers now push out very full and rich-sounding notes, and its bass is decent too. It is not head-thumping bass, but it's there and you can feel it. Unfortunately for audiophiles there is no loss-less codec support, AAC is still present and works well, however, Bluetooth 5.3 is there and maybe they could add loss-less support later.

The best part of the initial experience was the 'Transparency mode', most of the ANC TWSs have this and it's nothing new, however, the Transparency mode is at another level on these AirPods Pro 2. The volume of your voice in transparency mode is exactly the way you hear it when you are not wearing the AirPods, it is so natural that it was unbelievable at first. Sudden loud noises like construction workers in the background or loud horns or similar now get suppressed to a level that won't startle you. In transparency mode on most TWS, the external mics pick up the ambient sound and push it back into your ears, it can either be really muffled or really loud while sounding digitally processed.

Phone calls have always been a problem for all TWS, they pick up ambient sounds along with your voice and the listener gets to hear everything. AirPods Pro was good with phone calls and the 2nd generation AirPods Pro is even better, I tried calling on WhatsApp, Facetime, and GSM, and all the times the person on the other end could not tell that I speaking through the AirPods and not the phone. This, however, needs more testing, especially in noisy environments.

Overall initial experience with AirPods Pro 2 has been excellent, they sound much better than before, ANC seems to be top-notch, the transparency mode is a game changer, and phone calls sound very natural. Priced at INR 26,900 the AirPods Pro 2 are expensive and in this price range, BOSE and Sony offer equally competent products. The security features and Apple Care+ should give peace of mind, which is something that can not be matched by the competition. If you are an Apple ecosystem user it's a no-brainer just because the AirPods Pro 2 integrate so well with iPhones, if you are an Android user you should look at the products from Samsung (BUDS2 Pro), Sony(WF-1000XM4), and BOSE.