AirPods Pro were released only a couple of days ago. The new wireless earphones feature active noise cancellation and a completely different design along with many other features.
First off, on the outside the design has changed quite a bit. The earphones now have a substantially shorter stem than before, and they rely on silicone eartips for proper fitting to your ears, different from the open-ear design of previous AirPods. The eartips do provide a better fit, but you can expect to find a lot more dirt on them then before.
On the inside, it’s also a whole new story. The circular battery on the new earphones is now glued directly next to the earpiece, instead of being in the stem. This doesn’t affect battery life in any way, with Apple claiming 5 hours of listening time on one charge, and 4.5 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation enabled, which is great for blocking out distractions around you for extended periods of time.
The case of the AirPods Pro has also changed. It’s now more of an oval shape, and only slightly bigger, so it’ll still fit into your jeans with ease. Getting into the case wasn’t easy at all, but with some serious prying, iFixit managed, and the results are startling.
The case now features a two-cell battery, with a capacity of 1.98 Wh, almost 25% bigger than the 1.52 capacity battery in the AirPods 2. The case still features a lightning connector for charging though, so no USB-C sadly. On the bright side, iFixit did find there to be a liquid-resistant coating in the case, so if you accidently leave these in your pants while they’re in the washing machine, you’ll have better chances of seeing them work again.
Even with some replaceable parts, iFixit gives the AirPods Pro a score of zero on their reparability test. Apple confirms that the new earphones aren’t any more repairable than previous versions. Repairing the AirPods Pro would be impractical and uneconomical as iFixit puts it.
All said if you’re interested in the AirPods Pro, you shouldn’t let their repairability score scare you. You can purchase the AirPods Pro for $249 in the US.
What are your thoughts on the new design of the AirPods Pro?