AirPods Pro are one of the most desired products by users, however, now with its two versions, there are many who doubt whether one is worth more than the other. Well, in this post we are going to tell you all the differences between them so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Technical specifications
Before going on to tell you what are the differential and similar points that these two Apple headphones have, the first thing we want to do is put their characteristics on the table, that is, the technical specifications that characterize both products. In this way you will be able to understand their differences much better and if they are really important depending on the use you are going to make of them.
| Characteristic | AirPods Pro 1 | AirPods Pro 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Active Noise Cancellation | Yes | Yes |
| ambient sound mode | Yes | yes, adaptive |
| Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | Yes |
| adaptive equalization | Yes | Yes |
| High Dynamic Range Custom Amplifier | Yes | Yes |
| Sweat and water resistance | Yes | Yes |
| Chip | H1 | H2 |
| connections | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| hey siri | Yes | Yes |
| Autonomy | – Up to 4.5 hours of audio playback on a charge. – More than 24 hours of audio playback with the charging case. |
– Up to 6 hours of audio playback on a charge. – More than 30 hours of audio playback with the charging case. |
| Automatic device change. | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe charging case | Yes | Yes |
| sensors | – Two optical sensors. – Accelerometer with motion detection. – Accelerometer with voice detection. – Pressure sensor. |
– Two optical sensors. – Accelerometer with motion detection. – Accelerometer with voice detection. – Pressure sensor. – Skin sensor |
| microphones | Two microphones with beamforming technology Inward-facing microphone |
Two microphones with beamforming technology Inward-facing microphone |
| Headphone dimensions and weight | – Height: 3.09 cm – Width: 2.18 cm – Thickness: 2.4cm – Weight: 5.4g |
– Height: 3.09 cm – Width: 2.18 cm – Thickness: 2.4cm – Weight: 5.3g |
| Dimensions and weight of the case | – Height: 4.52 cm – Width: 6.06 cm – Thickness: 2.17 cm – Weight: 45.6g |
– Height: 4.52 cm – Width: 6.06 cm – Thickness: 2.17 cm – Weight: 50.8g |
| Apple Price | Not available in the Apple Store | 299 euro |
Differences
Once you know what are the characteristics that both the first generation AirPods Pro and the second generation AirPods Pro have, it is time for us to tell you what their differences are and, above all, how they affect the experience that both headphones provide on a day-to-day basis to users.
Noise Cancellation
One of the features that have made AirPods Pro popular is their noise cancellation, and obviously, with the second version, Apple has evolved this feature so demanded by users. The first thing you have to take into account in this regard is that, in order to get these headphones to cancel external sound in such an optimal way, Apple has not only developed a system for this, but has also included the famous pads in them, of which we will talk later, especially in the comfort section
The first generation of AirPods Pro was already really good in this section, in fact, within its range of headphones, it could be considered one of the best exponents, offering a truly fantastic user experience. Well, with the second generation AirPods Pro this experience is even better . According to Apple, the cancellation offered by these is up to two times better than their predecessors, something difficult to measure, but what is clear is that they are one step above, which places the AirPods Pro 2 as one of the best headphones on the market. as far as noise cancellation is concerned.
Ambient mode
When it comes to talking about treating outside noise, the most common thing is to focus all the importance on noise cancellation, however, Apple introduced a function that is also very important and, above all, very useful on a day-to-day basis, which is ambient mode. This way of treating external sound consists of taking everything that happens around you and inserting it into your ear , so that you can hear everything as if you were not wearing anything.
Well, the operation with the first-generation AirPods Pro is fantastic, however, the Cupertino company has improved it in the second-generation AirPods Pro, so that now the shrill sounds do not bother the user , and so it can also keep hearing the rest clearly, Apple has called it adaptive ambient mode . On a day-to-day basis, it is not something that you will notice, however, at times when you are exposed to this type of noise, you will surely appreciate having it.
Sound quality
We have told you that the second-generation AirPods Pro have improved noise cancellation over the first-generation ones, also slightly in ambient mode, well, where there has been a big leap and that when you use them you will notice and appreciate it is in the sound quality it offers. Although the first generation AirPods Pro were already headphones that sounded very good, with the second generation the leap is very big.
Apple has managed to raise the level of these AirPods Pro 2, so much so that they are really close to what their older brothers, the AirPods Max, can offer . The nuances you can enjoy now are much greater, and overall, the listening experience is greatly improved, and that is that they have a custom high-excursion transducer, a custom high-dynamic range amplifier and, of course, they maintain compatibility with spatial audio and lossless audio from Apple Music. Finally, it should also be mentioned that this improvement in sound quality is caused, in large part, by the H2 chip that they have.
More gestures
One of the reasons why AirPods Pro are so comfortable to use on a day-to-day basis is because of the gestures that users can make to interact with them and, in this way, control the content that is played on them, as well as vary between the different ways of treating external sound. Well, in addition to having the same gestures that the first generation AirPods Pro already have, the second generation ones add one more option, and that is the possibility of raising and lowering the volume by making a simple gesture on the headphone pins. Then we leave you all the gestures.
- One press to play audio, pause it or answer a call.
- Two presses to skip to the next song.
- Three presses to go back to the previous song.
- Press and hold to switch between active noise cancellation and adaptive ambient sound mode.
- Slide your finger up or down to increase or decrease the volume.
- In addition, you can also use the famous Hey Siri command to ask your AirPods Pro for whatever you want by voice.
Battery and charging case
In wireless headphones, having a good autonomy is key, and although the AirPods Pro 1 did not have a bad battery life, on the contrary, the AirPods Pro 2 far exceed it. According to the Cupertino company, the first generation could offer up to 4 and a half hours of content playback, while the second generation amounts to 6 hours of playback on a single charge . Now, both reach 30 hours with the charges provided by the case.
One of the novelties of these second generation AirPods Pro in relation to the battery is the way that users will be able to charge them. The case can no longer only be charged via the Lightning port , with wireless charging or MagSafe , but is now also compatible with the Apple Watch charger . With this, what Apple is looking for is that users can charge their headphones with any of the chargers they use for other Apple devices.
Since we are talking about the charging case, this has also undergone different modifications beyond the design that now has a slot to be able to anchor it to different accessories. This new charging case for the second generation AirPods Pro has a speaker that will allow users to find the AirPods Pro much easier through the Search app, since the sound they emit through them is quite loud.
Comfort
When we talked about noise cancellation, we mentioned the comfort section, obviously fostered by the presence of the popular pads . Well, these have caused many users to not be able to use these headphones because, either they were not entirely comfortable for them, or even because they fell out of their ears because they did not adapt well to them.
To do this, Apple has tried to find a solution and for this reason, now the second generation AirPods Pro include up to 4 different types of pads, which are XS, S, M and L. In fact, many users who previously found the first generation AirPods Pro to fall out of their ears can now use these headphones with the XS ear tips and have no such problem. Therefore, if you have doubts as to whether they are really going to be comfortable for you, our advice is to buy them, try them and if you are not finally convinced, you can return them within 14 days at Apple, and within 30 days at Amazon, at depending on where you bought them.
What hasn’t changed
We’ve talked about many things where the second-generation AirPods Pro are new from the first-generation AirPods Pro. However, despite the fact that the differences are key when opting for one option or another, similar aspects must also be taken into account, since they will mark the user experience with these devices.
Design
The first thing that stands out that has not changed from one device to another is the design of the headphones. Fortunately, Apple has maintained a style that of course is already a hallmark of the company itself. In fact, if you put the first generation next to the second, it will be very difficult to guess which is which.
However, although these AirPods Pro certainly have a lot of personality thanks to the design, perhaps Apple should give the range of colors it offers a spin. At the moment, they are only available in white, both the first and second generation. However, it would be interesting if, just like the AirPods Max have a wide range of colors, these AirPods Pro have at least one version in black. We will have to wait for it.
Microphone
The reality is that, so far, all the points we have talked about have turned out to be good news and opinions about the AirPods Pro, both the first generation and the second generation. However, there is one aspect where Apple has a lot of work to do, and it is the microphone that they have, both for each other.
According to the Cupertino company, the second generation has improved its performance, however, in practice the reality is that it is still the same as the users of the first generation AirPods Pro already had. It is true that under controlled conditions, the results are acceptable, however, as soon as you go out with them and there is some noise or wind, the results are really poor, both in 1 and 2.
Price
We reach the final point of the comparison, and it is the price that both headphones have. Well, the first thing you have to keep in mind is that the first generation AirPods Pro are no longer sold through the official Apple website . Even so, they are still available in stores like Amazon, at a price well below what they cost before. These are available from 220 euros more or less, and their price may vary.
On the other hand, the second generation AirPods Pro have raised their cost somewhat compared to the first generation, since they can be purchased through the Apple Store for 299 euros , that is, an increase of 20 euros compared to what What did the first generation cost before these came out? It will have to be each user who decides if it is really worth paying the difference between the two to have the news that the second generation brings, or on the contrary, it is more than enough with the first ones.
My experience
Finally, I want to end this post by telling you about my personal experience with the change made from the first generation AirPods Pro to the second generation. The reality is that, three years after acquiring the first generation, they continued to work perfectly, something that must be taken into account and, of course, congratulate Apple for the good work done.
The experience with them could not have been better , they are used for everything and both in noise cancellation and in sound quality they offer very good features. However, when you put on the second generation, especially in the sound quality section , you notice the jump to the second of listening to a song. Noise cancellation is also superior and you can feel it, but the big change is really in the sound of these headphones.
That said, if you currently have first-generation AirPods Pro and everything works perfectly for you, I really believe that the change is not completely necessary, although I also believe that if you give it up, you will not regret it. On the other hand, if you are considering buying a new one, my advice is to go for the second generation AirPods Pro.
