Apple now sells not one, but THREE versions of its uber-popular AirPods. There’s now the AirPods and the AirPods Pro. The basic AirPods line accounts for two of those three models–one you can buy with a wireless charging case and one without.
But just how do the AirPods compare against Apple’s newest AirPods Pro? Let’s take a look to find out.
Apple’s AirPods vs AirPods Pro – Quick Comparison
Design
- AirPods – Apple’s AirPods are made to be as tiny and fashion-conscious as possible. It’s a minimalist device that doesn’t even have any physical buttons. And their white body is virtually iconic by now.
- AirPods Pro – The AirPods Pro, however, improves on the AirPods’ iconic design by having both a shorter stem (total size is 30.9mm for the Pros vs 40.5mm for the basic models) and they also include three rubber tips to give users a better fit. The AirPods Pro are also sweat and water-resistant.
Winner? AirPods Pro – They are both smaller and have a more customizable fit than the basic AirPods.
>>> Best Deal: Amazon – $249.99
Audio & Connectivity
- AirPods – The AirPods include dual beam-forming microphones, dual optical sensors, a motion-detecting accelerometer, and a speech-detecting accelerometer. They also connect over both Bluetooth and Apple’s H1 chip, which makes connecting them to an iPhone effortless.
- AirPods Pro – The AirPods Pro also includes dual beam-forming microphones, dual optical sensors, a motion-detecting accelerometer, and a speech-detecting accelerometer. They also connect over both Bluetooth and Apple’s H1 chip, which makes connecting them to an iPhone effortless. However, they have a MAJOR leg up on the AirPods because they support active noise cancellation.
Winner? AirPods Pro – The AirPods Pro have active noise cancellation. Because of that, it’s not even a contest.
Battery & Charging
- AirPods – The AirPods come in a wired charging case and wireless charging case option. One charge gets you five hours of use and a full case charge gets you over 24 hours of use.
- AirPods Pro – The AirPods Pro gets you 4.5 hours of use when active noise cancellation is engaged. When active noise cancellation is turned off, you’ll get the same 5 hours of use as regular AirPods. The AirPods Pro also comes with a wireless charging case as standard, which gets you over 24 hours of use.
Winner? AirPods – They technically have a better battery life, however when you turn off the AirPods Pro active noise cancellation, their battery life is exactly the same.
>>> Best Deal: Amazon – $249.99
Voice Assistant
- AirPods – The AirPods support hands-free “Hey Siri” commands as well as giving you full access to all of Siri’s capabilities.
- AirPods Pro – The AirPods Pro also support hands-free “Hey Siri” commands as well as giving you full access to all of Siri’s capabilities.
Winner? Draw – There’s no difference between the two here.
Cost
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Verdict?
If you want the very best sound quality, no doubt about it, the AirPods Pro are the way to go – as long as you don’t mind paying $249.99 for them. They also support the better design and chances are they’ll fit better in a larger variety of people’s ears as they have three interchangeable tips. They also include the wireless charging case as standard.
However, if you’re looking for a cheaper option for wireless earbuds that fit nicely into Apple’s ecosystem, the basic AirPods with the wired charging case are for you. They’re $90 cheaper than the Pros.
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Apple’s AirPods vs AirPods Pro: Full Specs
Here are the specs for the AirPods:
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, H1 chip
- Wireless charging: Optional
- Battery Life: 5 hours AirPod use, 24+ hours with charging case
- Sensors: Dual beam-forming microphones, Dual optical sensors, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer
- Voice assistant support: Siri
- Noise Cancellation: No
- Sweat and water-resistant: No
And here are the specs for the AirPods Pro:
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, H1 chip
- Wireless charging: Yes
- Battery Life: 4.5 hours AirPod use, 24+ hours with charging case
- Sensors: Dual beam-forming microphones, Dual optical sensors, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor
- Voice assistant support: Siri
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Sweat and water-resistant: Yes
