Revisiting AirPods Pro
By: Paul Alvarez
Tags: Review, Gadgets, Headphones, Technology, Apple

When it comes to the areas that I like about the AirPods Pro, I am going to try and touch on three areas since I could ramble on and on about these headphones. The areas that I want to touch on in more detail are using the AirPods while working, exercising, and causally around the house. Not only have these been huge in all of these areas compared to my previous headphone setup, but a big part of that has to do with the new Transparency Mode.

Working

When it comes to working and wanting to focus intensely at my desk, I have utilized my QC25 headphones with Noise Cancellation turned on. This has been great for listening to music while blocking out the world to assist in my attempt at deep work. Before the AirPods Pro, I would have to grab my QC25, take off my AirPods, then turn on the noise cancellation, hoping that the battery is still good.

Now all I do is long-press one of the AirPod Pro stems and bam I am in noise cancellation mode. Most of my workday, I have transparency mode so that I can hear noises that might be happening while I am on a call or for me to listen to my wife when she calls for me. The fact that I can go into deep work mode and have Noise Cancellation turned on at any time and quickly has been huge for my workflow.

The Noise Cancellation was something I found very subtle at first. Compared to the QC25, I almost didn’t notice when I was in Noise Cancellation mode compared to off mode. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks of use until I finally got the hang of it and have since found Noise Cancellation on the AirPods Pro just as good as the QC25. If anything, it is better due to not having to worry about a AAA battery anymore.

My exercise gear: iPhone 11 Pro, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch.

Exercise

When it comes to exercise, Transparency Mode has been great. With the non-pro AirPods, I never really worried about not being able to hear a car while running around my neighborhood. Because the AirPods Pro provides more of a seal, even with Noise Cancellation off, I was concerned about not hearing cars when listening to music on a run due to the headphone style.

With Transparency Mode, all of these concerns went away immediately. I can almost say the Transparency Mode has been a more significant feature to me, surprisingly, than the Noise Cancellation. I first anticipated that the Transparency Mode would hurt the sound quality of the music or podcast that I am playing, but it doesn’t at all, and I can hear cars, people, and other noises while still listening to my music.

Casual Use

The other area that I will quickly mention is wearing my headphones for casual use around the house. Whether I am listening to a podcast while making coffee, cleaning the dishes, or watching a movie late at night on the AppleTV while my wife is asleep. In all of these situations, Transparency Mode has also provided a great listening experience while also allowing me to hear things around me that I don’t want to miss.

Many times when my wife would ask me something while I am listening to a podcast while washing dishes, I would have to pause the podcast and ask her to repeat herself. Now I can hear her loud and clear and respond without having to pause anything.