Apple announces AirPods Pro with noise cancellation
Apple has just launched the rumored noise-canceling AirPods Pro – not with a product event in October, but via a press release. The premium earphones are slated for release on October 30 for $ 249. They are pre-ordered starting today. And yes, they still only come in white.
Apple has built-in microphones in AirPods Pro that detect external sound, and the earbuds then interrupt it. The system used here sounds very similar to the noise cancellation in the new Beats Solo Pro headphones, only miniaturized to a much smaller form factor. Apple says noise cancellation is adjusted up to 200 times per second.
AirPods Pro has a transparency mode that lets you hear your surroundings when you wear them. The headphones have a “power sensor” that you can use to control music playback and enable transparency mode.
The company promises fantastic sound quality from AirPods Pro for that price of $ 249. They have a feature called “Adaptive EQ” that “automatically tunes music to your ear.”
Unlike the current AirPods, these come with flexible ear tips for a safer, sealed in-ear fit. Three sizes of silicone tips are included in the box. Apple even says there is a software audio test that can tell you if you’ve chosen the right tip by “measuring the noise level in your ear and comparing it to what comes from the speaker driver.” This would reduce any guesses or confusion for customers.
Just like the second-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro supports wireless charging and hands-free “Hey Siri” voice commands. Apple says they get about 4.5 hours of battery life for continuous listening. (You can see that the active mute takes some of it off.) But as usual with AirPods, the case has enough battery power for about 24 hours total listening time, including those charges.
AirPods Pro is sweat- and water-resistant – get ready to start seeing these in gyms everywhere – and they include “an expanded network microphone port that improves call clarity in windy situations.”
They still charge via the Lightning connector, but they now come with a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box.
Apple’s new AirPods, just like noise cancellation – has long been a convenience offered by Bose, Sony, and others – have come to really wireless headphones. Sony’s noise-canceling 1000X M3 earphones cost $ 229. And Amazon’s Echo Buds, with Bose noise reduction (not full cancellation) technology, are hitting shelves for $ 129.99. AirPods have seen a meteoric rise in popularity since they were first released, so it’s safe to assume that Apple is about to get another hit here on its hands.