Janet Ingber

Despite having a perfectly good pair of the original Apple AirPods, after hearing lots of good things about the AirPods Pro, I decided to purchase a pair. I was very happy with the original AirPods from 2017, despite the fact that they would fall out occasionally. The new design addresses that problem and much more.

AirPods Pro: Specifications and Supported Devices

Visit this page for technical specifications, battery life, operating system requirements, supported devices, and more. All of the information is presented in a series of tables, and headings also are provided for easier navigation.

In the Box

AirPods Pro come in a box that is 3.9-inches square by 1.8-inches tall and weighs 8.44 ounces. On the top of the box is a tactile representation of the AirPods Pro. "AirPods Pro" is printed on the top and in smaller letters it says "Wireless Charging Case." Open the box by lifting the cover.

The first item in the box is a cardboard sleeve containing paperwork including a Getting Started Guide and warranty information.

Underneath the cardboard sleeve and paperwork in the shipping box, with some plastic wrapped around it, is the AirPods Pro case with the AirPods inside. This case is larger than previous AirPods cases:

  • Height: 1.78 inches (45.2 mm)
  • Width: 2.39 inches (60.6 mm)
  • Depth: 0.85 inch (21.7 mm)
  • Weight: 1.61 ounces (45.6 grams)

On the bottom of the case is a Lightning port for charging. The case also can be charged wirelessly with a Qi-certified charger. The case has a hinged lid for opening, similar to the lid on a dental floss container. On the back is a small button for pairing. On the inside of the case are two holes where the Pros are inserted. Both the holes and the lid are magnetic.

Open the case so the AirPods are directly in front of you. It may be a little difficult to remove them from their places. Try putting your index finger behind an AirPod, then gently push forward to get it to come out. I tend to keep my thumb on the front of the AirPod while pushing it with my index finger because the first time I tried to get the Pro out, it almost fell on the floor. Having the thumb in front gives more control when the AirPod comes out. The AirPod for the right ear is on the right and the left one is on the left.

AirPods Pro have silicone ear tips that help them fit better in the ear. The top part of the AirPod is larger and this is where the ear tips are. As in previous versions, there is a stem coming out and down from the AirPod. The stem is shorter than in previous versions.

Each AirPod Pro measures:

  • Height: 1.22 inches (30.9 mm)
  • Width: 0.86 inch (21.8 mm)
  • Depth: 0.94 inch (24.0 mm)
  • Weight: 0.19 ounce (5.4 grams)

The next item in the box, underneath the hard plastic that held the charging case, is a small fold-up container with more ear tips. The AirPods ship with the medium ear tips already installed. The ear-tips container holds a small and a large pair. Each ear tip has a round connector that fits onto the AirPod. The ear tips pull off the AirPods.

The final item in the box is the Lightning-to-USB3 cable. You can also use a Lightning-to-USB cable, which is not included. An AC adaptor is also not included.

Pairing AirPods Pro with your iPhone

  1. Make sure both AirPods are in the charging case and you are on your iPhone’s home screen.
  2. Bring the case next to your iPhone.
  3. Open the case’s lid.
  4. A dialogue box will come up asking if you want to pair the AirPods. Make your selection. Information about AirPods Pro gestures will be on the screen. The gestures will be discussed below.

Once your AirPods are paired, they will show up in the Bluetooth list in Settings. Go to Settings/Bluetooth and flick right until you hear “AirPods Pro.” If nothing happens when you bring your AirPods case near your iPhone, first check to make sure the case is charged.

The first time I started to pair my new AirPods Pro, I opened the case near my iPhone, and a dialogue box came up telling me the charge level on the AirPods and the case. I checked under Settings/Bluetooth, and found my AirPods Pro had automatically been paired. They were labeled, “Janet’s AirPods Pro.” If you are using iCloud and have other devices on the same Apple ID, the AirPods Pro will automatically be in these devices’ Bluetooth section. For example, my AirPods Pro were listed in the Bluetooth section of my Apple Watch and Mac.

The first time I put the AirPods Pro in my ears, I got the one-note tone that indicated they were connected, but they were not. I checked the Bluetooth setting and was told they were connected. I tried disconnecting and reconnecting, but that did not help. Then I rebooted my phone and that fixed the problem.

Checking Battery Level

Bring the AirPods Pro case, with the AirPods Pro in it, next to the iPhone. Open the lid. The screen will indicate the charges of the AirPods Pro and the case. With the AirPods in your ears, you can ask Siri to tell you the battery level of your AirPods.

More Info

Just below the name of your AirPods in the Bluetooth section of Settings is a More Info button. In order to make changes and selections to your AirPods from the More Info section, the AirPods must be in your ears. Otherwise, you will not have access to all options.

Ear Tip Fit Test

Once your AirPods Pro have been paired, it's a good idea to check if you are using the correct size of ear tips for your ears. Go to Settings/Bluetooth and find your AirPods. Flick again to More Info and select it. Flick right until you hear “Ear Tip Fit Test” and select the button.

The next screen will give information about the benefits of using the correct ear tips. Activate the Continue button at the bottom of the screen. The next screen will have a Play button. You will hear some music and a new screen will load with your results. Under your results it says, “You should use the air tips that are most comfortable in each ear.”

I tried the small and medium sizes and according to the test, I was not getting good results for either. I did not try the large because they fell out of my ears easily. The small tips felt better and more secure so I am using them. If I physically pressed the small ear tips into my ears and held them there during the test, my test result indicated a good fit. I’m using the small ear tips without pressing them into my ears and the AirPods work very well.

Renaming Your AirPods Pro

If you want to change the name that Apple has given to your AirPods Pro, go to Settings > Bluetooth and find your AirPods in the list of devices. Flick right to More Info. Flick right, past the heading to the word “name” and the name of your AirPods. This is right under the Disconnect option. Double tap and an edit box will open and you can enter a new name.

Listening with Your AirPods

AirPods have three listening modes, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Off. When in Active Noise Cancellation mode, external noise is blocked by one external and one internal microphone. The external microphone blocks background noise before it reaches your ears. The internal microphone blocks any remaining noise. According to Apple, the signal is adapted 200 times per second.

In Transparency mode, you will hear what your AirPods are playing plus external sounds. AirPods use the vent system described above that allows external noise and internal sounds to be heard simultaneously.

The Off option means neither Active Noise Cancellation nor Transparency are in use. In other words, the AirPods are like regular Bluetooth wireless headphones.

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth, and locate the More Info section below your AirPod’s name. Then flick right to Noise Control. Below this heading are the three options: Noise Cancellation, Off, and Transparency. Spend some time experimenting with these options. Remember, Noise Control uses more battery power.

AirPods Controls

You can control playback and listening mode directly on your AirPods. With the AirPods in your ears, run your fingers along the front facing part of the AirPods stems. Feel for an indentation on each stem. This is where you will press to control various functions on the AirPods. You will only need to press one stem at a time.

Setting Controls

Go to Settings > Bluetooth and go back to the dialogue box you were in. Under Bluetooth, find the name of your AirPods Pro and flick right to More Info. Move down the dialogue box until your hear “Press and Hold AirPods.” Flick right once more and you will hear “Left” plus whatever the left AirPod is set to. In My case, VoiceOver said, “Noise Control.” Flicking right once more will give you information for the right AirPod. My right AirPod also said, “Noise Control.” With the AirPods set this way, I can easily switch between Noise Cancellation and Transparency. Do this by pressing and holding one of the stems. When the AirPods go from Noise Cancellation to Transparency, you will hear a higher pitched tone. When you go from Transparency to Noise Cancellation, you will hear a lower pitch.

In addition to the three modes describe above, you can set your AirPod to summon Siri. Double tap on either AirPod Pro in the dialogue box and you will have several choices. Make a selection and then use the button in the upper left of the screen to get back to the dialogue box.

Siri

You can summon Siri by setting up one of your AirPods to do it, or you can just say “Hey Siri.” You will not hear the usual chime sound when Siri is listening, but audio will be ducked. If you do not say anything for a couple of seconds, Siri will let you know that it is listening.

Siri can perform many functions including switching between modes, playing audio content, changing volume, answering questions and much more. In particular, Siri works extremely well with Apple Music.

Playing Music and Answering Phone Calls

The following actions can be taken using the AirPods:

  • Play/Pause: This control is a toggle. Press and release either stem once and you will hear a click.
  • Go to next track: Press twice to perform this gesture.
  • Go to beginning of track or previous track: Press three times to go back to the beginning of a track, Repeat again to go to previous track.

If you are having difficulty with pressing the stems, go to Settings>Accessibility>AirPods where you can adjust the rate required to press the AirPods two or three times. The next control in this section is for duration of the press and hold command. The final option in this section is for allowing Noise Cancellation to be active when only wearing one AirPod. By default, this is not selected.

If wearing both AirPods Pro, removing one will pause audio. Reinserting it will cause audio to start playing again. Taking both out will cause audio to stop playing.

If listening with only one AirPod pro, removing it will pause audio. Inserting it back into your ear within 15 seconds will start audio playing.

If you have an incoming phone call, you can press the AirPods once to answer. Press again to end the call.

Using Find My

If you have misplaced your AirPods Pro, the Find My app can be used to locate them as long as the AirPods are charged and outside of their case.

Open the Find My app and select the Devices tab. Select your AirPods Pro and then select Play Sound. If your AirPods are nearby, you will hear a chirping sound. If they are in the case, Find My will show where they were last connected.

Conclusion

The difference between the AirPods Pro and the original AirPods is very noticeable. The sound of the AirPods Pro is significantly better and noise cancellation works very well. Transparency mode is a great feature and the AirPods Pro are much more comfortable than the original AirPods. For me, the improvements were well worth the additional cost.

Product Information

Product: Apple AirPods Pro

Manufacturer: Apple

Price: $249

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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April 2020 Table of Contents

Author
Janet Ingber
Article Topic
Product Evaluations and Guides