Calvin Horn
Apple AirPods shook the market after their release. The clean design, durable construction, and high-tech components made this pair of earphones a great lure for many users. With years of refinement, Apple has released the third generation of AirPods.
But the earphone game changed when the big brother of the industry, the AirPods Pro, came to light. These earphones blew the mind of the users with a compact build, incredible wireless technology, active noise cancellation, and many more.
We thought to bring these earphones head-to-head and see who wins the battle to become the best earphones money can buy.
Technical specifications
What’s In the Box: AirPods Pro is ‘Three Ear Tips’ Richer than AirPods
We are about to unbox these earphones. Let’s take a closer look at what each box contains.
| AirPods | AirPods Pro 🏆 |
|---|---|
| You will find the 3rd generation AirPods inside the box along with the MagSafe charging case to power them up. The lightning to USB-C Cable is also there if you don’t use the MagSafe. Some paperwork is inside the box that contains all the documentation. That’s it. | The content of this box is quite similar to the previous one except for one thing. You get the AirPods Pro, the MagSafe charging case, the Lightning to USB-C cable, necessary documentation, and silicone ear tips of three different sizes. These tips ensure the earphones fit your ears correctly. This feature is not available in the AirPods. |
The packaging of the AirPods is pretty minimal. The AirPods Pro packaging looked more premium compared to the other one. And it contained those convenient ear tips to improve the fit of the earphones. So, AirPods Pro is the clear winner here.
Design and Dimensions: AirPods are Smaller, but AirPods Pro Have a Better Shape
Before we get to the features of these earphones, let’s explore their exterior in terms of design and dimensions.
| AirPods | AirPods Pro 🏆 |
|---|---|
| This pair has a very simple design with a long stem and a rounded earpiece. The earpiece has a universal fit, so it might not be as accurate as of the other one for your ears. Its shape isn’t contoured that much, so you might feel some gap inside your ear. The dimensions are smaller than the previous generation AirPods. The whole thing is only 1.21 inches long, which is pretty impressive. And the pair weighs only 4.28 grams. So, you can assume how lightweight those earpieces are. You might not even feel that you are wearing one. | The AirPods Pro is quite different than the AirPods in terms of exterior shape. It has a shorter stem with a contoured earpiece. Due to the silicone ear tips, the width of the AirPods Pro is higher than the AirPods. Its shape is designed to fit your ears snugly. As a result, you won’t feel any gap inside your ears with these earphones on. Silicone ear tips make sure the earphones stay inside even if you shake your head strongly. Due to added features, the weight of this pair has increased a bit. They will weigh about 5.4 grams, which is slightly higher than the AirPods. |
Though the AirPods are smaller and lighter, the AirPods Pro has a better shape and fit. So, they are the best choice in terms of the overall design.
Audio Technology: AirPods Pro Have Active Noise Cancellation, but AirPods Don’t
This is where the differences start taking shapes. These two earphones are quite different in terms of audio technology. Let’s find out how.
| AirPods | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|
| Though this generation of AirPods has the adaptive EQ feature, previous generations didn’t have it. Due to this feature, the earphones will tune the EQ based on the music you are listening to. A high-range dynamic amplifier paired with a high-excursion Apple driver works to generate great audio. It has dynamic head tracking with spatial audio to level up your listening experience. But AirPods don’t have any active noise cancellation or transparency mode. | This pair is the pinnacle of audio technology. With an improved high-range dynamic amplifier and high-excursion Apple driver, these earphones give extremely satisfying audio, no matter what you listen. It even has a vent system to balance the pressure inside and outside the ear to give you more comfort. The best thing is the active noise cancellation with transparency modes. In these earphones, you can choose from complete noise cancellation to partially transparent to completely transparent. So, you don’t need to take the earphones off when you want to communicate with someone in front of you. The adaptive EQ feature is also improved in the new AirPods Pro. |
Though both earphones have spatial audio with head tracking to give a virtual surround sound experience, the AirPods don’t have active noise cancellation. So, the big brother is the winner here.
Performance: Both Earphones Have the Same Chip
As you might have already seen in the comparison above, both earphones share the same H1 chip from Apple. This chip enables them to connect to compatible Apple devices and summon Siri quickly. Both earphones are quite similar in terms of performance.
The audio functionality in the AirPods is a lot better than the previous generations. But unfortunately, the experience on the AirPods Pro isn’t highly improved. You will get a similar type of audio with slightly improved clarity on these earphones. It can be a bit disappointing when you are spending so much on a pair of earphones.
As there is no clear indication of AirPods Pro being far better than the AirPods, we can’t declare a winner here. But in our opinion, the Pro one gave a bit better sound than the other.
Battery Backup: AirPods Have a Better Battery Backup
Despite the compact size of the AirPods, they have a longer battery backup than their elder siblings.
| AirPods | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|
| You will get about 6 hours of listening time from the AirPods on one single charge. If you turn on the spatial audio feature, the listening time will drop a bit. These earphones will last for about four hours when it comes to talking time. If you are using MagSafe, you can get about 30 hours of listening time. The talk-time will also increase drastically. | If you listen to songs at a stretch, the earphones will last for about 4.5 hours, which is much lower than the AirPods. You can extend the battery backup by turning the active noise cancellation and transparency modes off. But still, they can’t survive more than five hours. Talking time on one single charge is about 3.5 hours. If you use them with a MagSafe charging case, listening time will increase to 24 hours. The talk-time will also increase, but nothing reaches the backup of the AirPods. |
As you can clearly see, AirPods is the winner here because of its longer battery backup.
Sensors: Both Earphones Have Almost the Same Sensors
The AirPods have a skin detection sensor which isn’t available on the AirPods Pro. Instead, it has dual optical sensors. The motion detection sensor is the same on both earphones. Due to this sensor, both earphones can track head movement to provide spatial audio. It gives an immersive audio experience and makes you feel like being in a large movie theater.
A speech detection sensor is also present on both earphones. As a result, activating Siri is very easy on these earphones. The force sensor on the earphones works to enable different controls.
Though both earphones have almost the same sensors, the dual optical sensors on the AirPods pro are slightly better.
Microphones: Identical on Both Earphones
There is no difference between these two earphones in terms of microphones. Both of them have dual beamforming microphones. These microphones are inward-facing, so they will easily pick up your voice when you want to activate Siri or perform other controls.
Both perform almost the same in terms of picking your voice.
Price: AirPods Pro Is Going to Break Your Bank
Though the price is the last thing a user thinks of when buying earphones from Apple, you can’t simply ignore this factor. Now that the third generation of AirPods has come to light, the price of the second-generation AirPods has dropped drastically.
You can find a pair of second-generation AirPods for just $129. The third-generation AirPods will cost $179, which is much higher than the previous generation. But the AirPods Pro overtakes them all with an astonishing $249.
Spending so much money on a pair of in-ear headphones may look crazy. But when you look at the technology of the Pro version and feel its awesomeness, the price starts to seem justified.
You can get the second-generation AirPods at half the price of the AirPods Pro. So, this is the budget king in all terms.
Overall Comparison: Which One Is the Champion?
As you have already seen, the AirPods have got some makeovers in terms of shape and overall design. It is sleeker than the previous generations but not as much as the AirPods Pro. The latter one is more contoured to give a personalized fit. And extra silicone tips coming with that package are very helpful to get a snug and comfortable fit. It also reduces the chance of losing these lightweight earphones, which was a common cause in the first generation of AirPods.
The performance of these earphones is quite similar due to the same H1 chip. Touch responsiveness and pressure sensitivity are satisfactory. Active noise cancellation makes a big difference here. So, the AirPods Pro will be more appealing to use, especially when you are outside and want to listen to some music or podcasts.
MagSafe charging case comes with both earphones so that you can charge them wirelessly. The charging speed is similar, but the main difference is in the battery backup. The AirPods last more than the AirPods Pro, which is a big plus for budget users.
Sweat and water resistance is also the same on these earphones. Both have an IPX4 rating to prevent sweat and water splashes from damaging them. But if the devices are worn out or exposed to water for a long time, they may get damaged.
Though the AirPods is slenderer than the AirPods Pro, dimensions don’t make a big difference here. The most important differences between these two earphones are the fitment, noise cancellation, transparency mode, battery backup, easier controls, and price.
In our opinion, budget users can easily go for the latest generation AirPods as they are quite affordable and provide all standard features to make your listening experience better. But if you can afford the Pro one, we suggest you go for that because of the high-tech build, comfortable fit, mind-blowing audio experience, and great style.
Closure
As the latest generation AirPods look quite similar to the AirPods Pro, it is not easy to differentiate these earphones. While the latter one has a better overall look and feel, the first one is equipped with enough features and affordability.
Putting these earphones head-to-head shows their strength and weakness more prominently. It will help you choose the right earphones between AirPods vs. AirPods Pro, depending on what features you need and how much you can spend on a pair. This comparative discussion will also help you find the most viable device between these two.
