The original AirPods Pro were the right product at the right time. AirPods weren’t the first true wireless earbuds, but they were certainly the ones that popularized the category, and in 2019 the time was right for a beefed-up version. Combining active noise cancelling, decent sound quality, and Apple’s signature ease of use into a relatively affordable pair of earbuds was a slam dunk.
But times have changed. Three years later, the competition from Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Google is stiffer than ever. Everyone’s got little comfy earbuds, and most offer better sound quality, noise cancelling, or battery life. Even Apple’s instant pairing and other ease-of-use features aren’t so special anymore.
The second-generation AirPods Pro may not look like much of a change, but Apple has remade nearly everything about them other than their design. The improved AirPods Pro enter a far more mature and competitive market, but Apple has done everything necessary to make these easy to recommend for those invested in the Apple ecosystem.
