AirPods Pro vs AirPods Pro 2: these are the main differences

Are you planning to get new earphones, but are you unsure between the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Pro 2? These are the main differences!

AirPods Pro vs AirPods Pro 2

It has been five years since Apple released the first generation of the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro 2, the latest generation of earbuds, were released in 2022. In recent years, Apple has expanded the AirPods Pro 2 with new features, making the differences with the first version of the AirPods Pro increasingly greater. Curious what those differences are? We put them together for you!

1. New processor

While the first generation of the AirPods Pro is equipped with the H1 chip, the AirPods Pro 2 has the H2 chip. This processor provides the most important improvement in the AirPods Pro 2, because the noise cancellation is much better in the second generation of the earphones. This means that annoying background noises are better blocked, so that you hear ambient noise only very softly.

According to Apple, the AirPods Pro 2 block out twice as much background noise as the first generation AirPods. In addition, noise control is more advanced with the AirPods Pro 2, because the earphones have the adaptive transparency mode. This feature adjusts the noise control to the environment, so that more sound is blocked in a noisy environment. The AirPods Pro has to make do without an adaptive transparency mode.

2.Design

Apple has barely adjusted the design of the AirPods Pro 2. The sensors are placed in different places on the AirPods Pro 2, but the average user will not notice this. The easiest way to distinguish between the first and second generation AirPods is to look at the charging case. On the AirPods Pro 2, this has a notch for putting a string through, but on the first generation AirPods Pro the case does not have this notch.

We see another improvement with the charging case, because for the first time it has speakers with the AirPods Pro 2. These are especially useful if you cannot find the earphones, in which case the charging case can play sound via the Find My app. In addition, the box of the AirPods Pro 2 makes noise when you put the earphones in or when you place the charging case on the charger. Would you rather not? You can also turn off the sound in the settings of the AirPods Pro 2.

3. Features of iOS 18

The differences between the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Pro 2 are becoming increasingly greater, because Apple has brought new features to the second generation of the earphones with iOS 18. For example, you can operate the AirPods Pro 2 from iOS 18 via head gestures and the earphones have support for the new Game mode. That’s not all, as Apple is also bringing a range of health features to the second generation of the AirPods Pro.

It is now possible to take a hearing test with the AirPods Pro 2 and use the earphones as a hearing aid. Are you going to a concert or festival? It will then soon also be possible to use the earphones as hearing protection. It is expected that Apple will bring many more functions to the earphones with later iOS updates, which you will have to miss with the first generation of the AirPods Pro.

4. Operation much easier

Another improvement with the AirPods Pro 2 is the stems of the earphones. Apple has made the AirPods Pro 2 touch sensitive, allowing you to control the volume of the audio through the earphones. All you have to do is swipe up or down on the stems of the AirPods Pro 2. This is not possible with the AirPods Pro, so you have to grab your iPhone or iPad to adjust the volume.

In addition, the AirPods Pro 2 support Bluetooth 5.3 and the earphones’ battery lasts longer. With the AirPods Pro you can use up to 24 hours, with the AirPods Pro 2 it is thirty hours. Charging is done with the second generation of the AirPods Pro via a USB-C port, while with the AirPods Pro you still need a Lightning cable. These are small differences that make the second generation of the AirPods Pro better.

5. Price

The differences between the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Pro 2 are increasing due to all the new features, but we do not see this reflected in the price. After the release of the AirPods Pro 2, Apple stopped selling the first generation of the earphones. The official starting price of the AirPods Pro 2 is 279 euros, although you often get the earphones at a much lower price from other providers.

The lowest price of the second generation AirPods Pro is currently €219. The first version of the earphones is difficult to obtain because Apple no longer produces them. Moreover, the price difference between the first and second generation AirPods Pro is often small. We therefore recommend choosing the AirPods Pro 2, so that you can continue to update for the latest functions in the coming years. View the lowest prices of the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Pro 2 here: