Apple reveals $249 AirPods Pro with noise cancellation
They're finally here.
Apple has finally revealed its new, high-end AirPods Pro: $249 wireless earbuds that come with active noice cancellation, water resistance, and up to five hours of battery life. They're available now for pre-order and will be in stores Oct. 30.
AirPods Pro not only take on a new name, becoming the latest Apple gadget to get the "Pro" label, they look noticeably different than previous generations of AirPods. Because they come with noise cancellation, they have flexible, silicone tips that are meant to make a more complete seal inside the ear. The charging case, which charges wirelessly, gives you an additional 18 to 24 hours of battery life, looks shorter and wider than the case for previous versions of AirPods.
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Besides the new design, the biggest change is the long-rumored addition of active noise cancellation, which sounds like it will work similarly to noise cancellation in Beats Solo Pro. "Active Noise Cancellation on AirPods Pro uses two microphones combined with advanced software to continuously adapt to each individual ear and headphone fit," Apple writes.
And, like the latest Beats headphones, AirPods Pro come with a "transparency" mode, which will let you amplify ambient noise around you so you can listen to what's going on in your surroundings without removing the earbuds.
Noise cancellation will affect the battery life a bit, though. When noise cancellation is enabled, battery life is between three and a half and four and a half hours, compared with five hours when it's disabled. Noise cancellation settings can be adjusted using Control Center on your iPhone or iPad.
Another notable change: AirPods Pro are the first AirPods to come with water resistance. Apple notes they aren't fully waterproof, so you still can't go for a swim while wearing them, but it sounds like they'll stand up to most wet weather and sweat.
AirPods Pro are powered by the same H1 chip that's in Apple's second-gen AirPods, so you can seamlessly pair them with any of your iOS devices. AirPods Pro can also take advantage of audio sharing and Siri's ability to read messages aloud, thank to updates in iOS 13.
You can empty out your wallet for a new pair right here.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
