Apple AirPods Pro 2 Review

Design & Build Quality

Shell

Visually, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 look almost identical to the first gen. You really have to put them head to head to spot the sole difference between the two: the ambient mic is now located on the upper side, instead of the lower side. A tiny, but mighty difference as we’ll see.

Apart from that, you get the usual sleek futuristic white unit, made popular by the first EarPods back in the day. A black microphone is located at the outer part of the ear, and a proximity sensor is at the inner side, hidden from foreign viewers.

The lower part exhibits a shiny metallic ting, used for charging when the AirPods Pro 2 are stored in their box. Perfect integration made possible by a squad of highly qualified, top-of-the-line engineers based in California. Yes I know, those are still produced in China by low-salary workers, but it’s still a beautiful piece of work.

That said, once more, the plastic remains underwhelmingly cheaper in hand than any of the other TWS we previewed or reviewed. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless has the rugged touch, the Devialet Gemini has those incredibly robust shells, and the AirPods Pro 2 only give you plain, uncool plastic. For a $30 EarPods, that was not an issue (more a statement) but for a $299 earphone, we could expect better options. Even more, if you own an iPhone.

The charging box feels the same. It’s a beautiful design, all-around and shiny, but it feels downright disappointing compared to the grey, fabric-covered one provided with the Devialet Gemini for example.

Build quality

As I said, the AirPods Pro 2 feels cheap in the hand. Yet, they are way more sturdy than it looks.

I lost them quite a few times while removing them from my ears and, surprisingly, they survived the concrete, the wood, the tiles, and even the mud. With an IPX4 certification, you can wash them, but not immerse them. And, as you’d expect they will immediately break if you stomp them, but all acrylic/plastic IEMs will.

Bonus point for Apple in that regard, as the brand still offers the usual Apple Care + protection, which now allows you to replace any broken set, for a marginal cost, as many time as you need during the extended warranty period. 

The charging box is practiced the same too, at least aesthetically speaking. It will not endure the test of time as the box is very prone to scratch (see my pics). By chance or design, the white colors will stay hidden from the naked eye, until you confront them with grazing light.

It’s sturdy enough to protect the AirPods Pro from light falls and commuting and the magnet is amazingly well-dosed, with just the right force when you open/close the box. Two cool additions though are:

•  the lanyard loop that will help you attach the case to your bag, neck or whenever you want without the need of an additional case.
• a small speaker that chimes when you charge/pick-up/lose your AirPods (surprisingly handy once again)

The charging port is neither USB Type-C or micro-USB, no-no-no. It’s an 8-Pin Lightning Port. So yeah, if you own an iPhone, you will be able to charge them easily, but if you have an Android one or even the latest iPad… that’s another story.

To be fair, there are nicer options out there for less money, but none that will feel as tightly integrated. I mean, take any other TWS out there, none will give you the same feeling of confidence when you open/close, take in/out your ears. Period.

Bundle and Accessories

Inside the box

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 bundle is made of :

• the Apple AirPods Pro 2
• four sets of silicons (extra Small / Small/ Medium / Large)
• a USB-C to Lightning cable

So yeah, a (very) poor bundle, but that was expected from Apple…

Sure the box is neat, but that’s not an excuse!

Additional accessories

The only accessories you can add with your AirPods Pro will be :

• – an iPhone/iPad, to get the best experience
• – an Apple Care to get a new pair (for 29€) if you break them.

And, since the silicon tips are proprietary too, that’s all you have. For your information: in case you lose your tips, Apple will give you a new set free of charge, if you subscribed to Apple Care. For the rest of you, that will be 3 bucks which is… not that expensive.

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