POCKET PLEASURES
Apple AirPods Pro
Audio Technica ATH-CKS5TW
Creative Outlier Gold
JBL Reflect Flow
Klipsch T5 True Wireless
Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
Padmate PaMu Slide
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 5100
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Sony WF-1000XM3
APPLE AIRPODS PRO
AT A GLANCE
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
-
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 hours
WEIGHT
5.4g
PRICE
$379
The AirPods Pro from Apple have a brand new design that gives the option of replaceable ear tips for the very first time. Its stems have been shortened rather significantly so they now measure only 30.9mm in height compared to the 40.5mm of the regular AirPods. This results in a more compact carrying case, so the overall package is much smaller.
We like that you can now use different sized ear tips to get a better fit as this really affects your listening experience. In line with that is a test feature for iOS that will play a short tune and analyse the quality of the seal based on the size of tips you’ve chosen and the shape of your ears. That’s a feature we really like, as it helps you better find the right fit quickly. We just wish it was easier to find.
Unlike other brands with dedicated apps for their earbuds, Apple built the features and options into iOS, so you have to go into Bluetooth settings and tap on the paired AirPods Pro. This also means that you won’t get certain features like Fit Test and battery level indication with Android, so hopefully Apple plays nice by releasing a companion app sometime in the future.
That aside, the AirPods Pro are the first AirPods to boast of active noise-cancelling, and we must say this works extremely well. They’re about on par with the level of noise-cancelling you get with Sony’s WF-1000XM3; no mean feat. You also get a transparency mode that lets ambient noise in so you can have a conversation without having to take your earbuds out.
We started our testing with a recording of Pharrell’s Happy, and we thought the AirPods Pro did a fairly good job of keeping up the pace of this fast piece. There’s a segment where you have people clapping to the beat in this track, and the AirPods Pro demonstrated good naturalness on this.
Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer gave the AirPods Pro a chance to show off how hard it rocks, and here they fell a little short of the competition. The drums in particular didn’t hit
