Test & Review: Differences Between AirPods Pro and AirPods 2

Now that Apple has finally admitted to manufacturing issues with their AirPods Pro and offered replacements, AirPods Pro can finally compete with AirPods 2. As you know, there are different types of AirPods and the packaging is so similar that it’s hard to know which to choose. In fact, since we spend all day on Zoom and Meets, I bought both models:

I’ve already compared AirPods 1 (old version) vs. AirPods 2 here. Today, we’re going to compare AirPods Pro with AirPods 2, which are indeed different products, but they’re both wireless earbuds. So I think they deserve to be compared anyway.

Now, let’s look at the technical differences:

The Pros of AirPods Pro (compared to AirPods 2)

• AirPods Pro comes standard with a wireless charging case. With AirPods 2, you have to pay extra to get the wireless charging case. Note: the case is wireless, but Apple doesn’t include the wireless charger lol
• AirPods Pro offers noise cancellation
• You can turn noise cancellation on/off via a button or on your iPhone
• AirPods Pro is sweat and water resistant
• AirPods Pro comes with 3 different sizes of silicone ear tips. If you connect the earbuds to your iPhone, for example, the iPhone can run a diagnostic to tell you which size ear tips fit you best.

The Cons of AirPods Pro (compared to AirPods 2)

• AirPods Pro: heavier and bulkier
• Battery: 4.5 hours max vs. 5 hours for AirPods 2
• The ear tips (essential for noise cancellation) make them less comfortable than the classic AirPods, in my opinion.
• AirPods Pro uses a Lightning to USB-C cable, not a Lightning to USB cable => if your charger or computer doesn’t have a USB-C port, you’ll need to buy a Lightning to USB cable
• You can no longer control them by tapping on the earbud; you have to press a specific spot: less convenient. But once you get the hang of it, it’s fine.

My opinion

The notable difference between AirPods Pro & AirPods 2 is noise cancellation:

• AirPods 2 does not have noise cancellation
• AirPods Pro offers noise cancellation

In terms of sound quality, they’re on par. In a quiet environment, the sound quality is the same for both models.
Well, of course, in a noisy environment (air conditioning or airplane), AirPods Pro minimizes the noise. You just hear a faint background hum.

Before October 2020, AirPods Pro had a manufacturing flaw: even at maximum volume, it wasn’t loud enough when used outdoors, but Apple acknowledged the issue and now all new AirPods Pro have been fixed. Older AirPods Pro with the flaw can be exchanged for new ones.

Note that while AirPods Pro reduce outside noise for YOU, your colleagues on Zoom will still hear your kids screaming. So those interested in AirPods Pro will buy them to create a zen environment, to minimize construction noise, neighbors… or for those who travel a lot (plane, train…). If you don’t want to listen to music, you can wear these earbuds just for noise cancellation. They turn into luxury earplugs, basically.

Ease of pairing with devices (Mac, Windows, smartphones) is the same for both models: fast, easy.

The AirPods Pro are sweat and water resistant, but in practice, I never thought, “oh thank goodness it’s water resistant”! I don’t jog and I don’t run in the rain.

With noise cancellation to handle on top of that, Airpods Pro are heavier (5.4g) and bulkier than Airpods 2 (4g).

At first, I bought Airpods Pro for myself, because I didn’t have noise-cancelling earbuds yet, unlike JB who has his Bose headphones. I’m always jealous of him when we fly, because I have to endure the noise the whole trip, while he’s in quiet mode thanks to his headphones. Unfortunately, Airpods Pro are heavier and bulkier than Airpods 2, which means I can’t stand them after 2 hours (vs. 4 hours for Airpods 2). You’ll tell me, the difference is only 1.4g per earbud. But it’s mainly the size that bothers me. Airpods 2 don’t have silicone tips, while Airpods Pro do (essential for noise cancellation). Sure, they come in 3 different sizes, and even having opted for the smallest size, you can see they’re still slightly bigger than Airpods 2. I think this difference is noticeable for women, who have small ears like me. JB doesn’t see any difference 😀

However, having silicone tips, which are by definition disposable and replaceable, makes the earbuds cleaner. Let me explain: standard Airpods tend to get dirty, especially around the black part and the plastic part. I always clean them before putting them back in the case. With silicone tips, it’s harder to clean them, but since you can easily replace them (for €7), cleaning is no longer essential.

The control button is tricky to master at first, but once you’ve learned the gesture, you can do quite a lot. I prefer using this little button than tapping on the earbuds (and hurting myself) on the standard Airpods. As usual, the gestures and their meanings are fully customizable via iPhone settings (I can’t say for Android, I don’t have one sorry).

For more technical info, you can read the comparison below:

AirPods 2nd generation – Standard case	Airpods Pro
Model number: A2032, A2031 Release year: 2019 Case model number: A1602	Model number: A2084, A2083 Release year: 2019
Price: €140 (Amazon link) or €179 (Fnac link)	Price: €213 (Amazon link) or €279 (Fnac link)
H1 chip, ensuring extremely low audio latency	H1 chip, ensuring extremely low audio latency
Status light to indicate whether the case is low on battery or not Standard charging case: the status light is located between the slots for your AirPods.	Status light to indicate whether the case is low on battery or not Wireless charging case: the status light is on the front of the case.
	Dynamic noise cancellation Water and sweat resistance
Up to 5 hours of listening time (on a single charge)	Up to 4.5 hours of listening time (on a single charge)
More than 24 hours of listening time (with standard charging case)	More than 24 hours of listening time (with wireless charging case)
15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening time	5 minutes in the case provides about 1 hour of listening time
Standard charging case	Wireless charging case
Weight AirPods (each): 4 g Charging case: 38 g Dimensions AirPods (each): 16.5 mm x 18 mm x 40.5 mm Charging case: 44.3 mm x 21.3 mm x 53.5 mm	AirPods Pro (each) Height: 30.9 mm Width: 21.8 mm Thickness: 24 mm Weight: 5.4 g Wireless charging case Height: 45.2 mm Width: 60.6 mm Thickness: 21.7 mm Weight: 45.6 g
What’s in the box: AirPods Charging case Lightning to USB cable	What’s in the box: AirPods Pro Wireless charging case Silicone ear tips (three sizes) Lightning to USB-C cable Documentation