Comments
The iconic AirPods Pro get an upgrade, and I’ve been tuned in for a couple of weeks now. Read on to know whether Apple has pulled out all the stops in this new device
Design details
Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to design. You get the clean, minimal look of the predecessor — the all-white, stem-design. Only the case is wider, instead of taller, and has a built-in speaker now to ping and alert users to misplaced case. There’s an additional loop on one side of the case, but ironically, no lanyard.
User Experience
I’m finally able to swipe up or down on the stem to tweak volume — a feature that numerous other audio companies have already been integrating into their devices. But it’s not as smooth as it should be on the AirPods Pro — a full swipe-up increases the volume by one notch, and it doesn’t even do that very accurately every single time I try.
The media controls stay the same — a single press to receive incoming calls or to play and pause music, a double-press for the next track, and a triple-press for the previous track. A long press continues to let me toggle between the noise cancellation and transparency modes.
Transparency mode works as expected, letting in a fair bit of ambient noise to keep me alert. The ANC mode works impressively well. Remember that magic trick where someone waves a wand and the Taj Mahal disappears? Well, this is the aural equivalent. Click a button and the buzz of the world around you ceases to exist — or at worst, is reduced to a hum. Low bass frequencies, for example, the collective murmur in my office and the dull roar of a flight engine got muted out in an instant. However, loud booming voices at close quarters, like a particularly boisterous cabbie I was stuck with on a long commute, and high-pitched treble sounds, are at best subdued, not silenced. I’ve tried other earbuds that do ANC well, but I always feel a fair bit of pressure in my ears. The discomfort is a lot less on the Apple AirPods Pro.
The iPhone 14 prompted me to set up spatial audio on the AirPods Pro by letting the front camera capture my ears from a distance. The switch to surround sound was immediate and the overall sound quality was immersive.
Streaming some folk-pop by Noah Kahan, the vocals and the guitar strums are crisp across Someone Like You, Stick Season, and Part Of Me. The full-bodied heavy bass guitars are rendered well in Uriah Heep’s nostalgia rock numbers Gypsy and Lady In Black.The overall sound profile is truly well-balanced and ideal for people like me who aren’t too keen on earbuds that lean toward a heavier bass profile.
Now, in true Apple fashion, I can only use these features on Apple devices. Android users will also have no luck with seamless switching between devices either.
Verdict
Sometimes, devices need elaboration and details and nuanced verdicts — the good balancing out the not-so-good. With the AirPods, there’s no such great dilemma. The device is simply one of the best earbuds on the market right now— doing justice to design, sound quality, and noise cancellation. If I have to nitpick, I’d say the price is steep in the Indian market, and the newly embedded volume gestures need more refinement.
Price - INR 26,900
Pros - Excellent noise cancellation, well-balanced sound profile, decent battery life
Cons - No design upgrades, no customisable EQ settings, a bunch of features don’t work with Android devices
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.