Apple Announces the Noise-Cancelling $250 AirPods Pro
Apple Announces the Noise-Cancelling $250 AirPods Pro
Apple's AirPods Pro will be noise-cancelling and water-resistant. They'll cost $249 for a pair, and will be on sale this Wednesday, Oct 30. Here are the specs to know.
Written By
Updated on
October 29, 2019
Apple’s AirPods Pro will be noise-cancelling and water-resistant. They’ll cost $249 for a pair, and will be on sale this Wednesday, Oct 30.
The just-announced devices are Apple’s buzziest wearable tech yet. And, as of today, Apple has released all the products specs and data we’ve been waiting for.
Apple AirPods Pro – Everything You Need to Know
Here’s what we know so far about the abilities and specs from the new AirPods Pro.
Active Noise Cancellation mode
Adaptive EQ
H1 chip
Includes Siri
1.22 inches high
0.19 ounce (each)
Sweat and water resistant
Expanded mesh microphone port
Easy connect to iPhone and Apple Watch
Audio Sharing
Customizable with large, medium, and small sizes of flexible silicone tips to fit all ears
Built-in vents to equalize ear pressure
Dual beam-forming microphones
Inward-facing microphone
Dual optical sensors
Motion-detecting and Speech-detecting accelerometers
Force sensor
Wireless Charging Case, compatible with Qi-standard wireless chargers
Case includes free optional personalized engraving, only available online
The long-rumored Active Noise Cancellation mode is the big selling point for the AirPods Pro. Since it’s active, it’ll function in real-time to generate anti-noise that cancels out background noise. But Apple is also leaning into adaptive technology in another big way with Adaptive EQ, which automatically tunes music to fit your ears for better sound.
Apple is bringing a few features familiar to AirPod users to the AirPods Pro. First, there’s the Audio Sharing feature, which allows one AirPods Pro user to broadcast their audio stream to another AirPods Pro user. Also familar: The flexible ear tips, designed to fit a wide range of ears.
Noise Cancelling on AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro uses “active” noise cancelling, which means that each AirPod Pro contains its own microphone, designed to pick up background noise and near-instantaneously generates an opposing “anti-noise” sound wave so that nothing reaches your ear drums.
It’s pretty futuristic sounding stuff: The noise cancelling technology is “continuously adjusted at 200 times per second,” according to Apple.
The Active Noise Cancellation mode can be toggled off, too, for a Transparency mode that lets users continue to hear the outside world. A user can turn noise cancellation on and off by pinching and holding a force sensor on the AirPod Pro’s stem.
AirPods Pro Battery Life
There’s one big battery life claim that most users will care about: You should expect up to four and a half hours of listening time on one charge, according to Apple, thanks to a “super-efficient high dynamic range amplifier” that extends battery life.
Apple claims you’ll get “around” one hour after just five minutes of charging the AirPods Pro in their Wireless Charging Case.
Apple also includes the claim that you’ll get “more than 24 hours of listening time with multiple additional charges in the case,” which doesn’t sound that impressive. Can you really call it 24 hours of use if you needed to stop using it to charge it multiple times during that period? This sounds like Apple’s way of saying their battery life on the AirPods Pro isn’t great.
AirPods Pro FAQs
Here are the fast facts to know about Apple’s latest and buzziest product debut.
How much are the AirPods Pro?
They’ll cost you $249 for one pair.
An additional $29 lets you add AppleCare+ for Headphones for two years of accidental damage coverage and tech support. Out of warranty, a single repair will cost $89 for an AirPod Pro, which is twenty bucks more than a normal AirPod.
How much does it cost to replace a lost AirPods Pro?
A single lost AirPod Pro device will cost $89 for Apple to replace, which is a $20 bump up from the cost for a single normal AirPod replacement.
Keep track of your charging case, too: The cost for replacing an AirPod Pro Wireless Charging Case is $99, which is $20 more than the $79 cost to replace a non-Pro Wireless Charging Case.
Are the AirPods Pro waterproof?
They’re billed as “water resistant,” but not waterproof. In other words, you should be fine when sweating at the gym, but don’t forget to make sure you take them off before diving into the pool.
How long is the AirPods Pro battery life?
It’s about 4.5 hours on a full charge, and around one hour on a five-minute charge. That’s not great for many headphones, but is great for a tiny earbud that comes with noise-cancellation.
Do you get the charging case with the AirPods Pro?
Yes, a Wireless Charging Case is included with every purchase of AirPods Pro.
The box will also include three sizes of silicone ear tips, documentation, and a Lightning to USB-C Cable.
How do I manually control the AirPods Pro?
The AirPods Pro come with four different ways to interact with the force sensors in their stems, as well as the standard Siri voice-activation command. Here’s the full list:
Press once to play/pause, or to answer a phone call
Press twice to skip forward
Press three times to skip back
Press and hold to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode
Say “Hey Siri” to activation Siri
Apple’s AirPods are already a hit, and it looks like their AirPods Pro is a winner, too. Orders are available today, and if you order now, you’ll get yours before the month is up.
Adam has written at Tech.co for ten years, currently as Fleet & Logistics Editor. He also worked at logistics newletter Inside Lane and was a Forbes Contributor on the publishing industry, for which he was named a Digital Book World 2018 award finalist. His work has appeared in publications including Popular Mechanics and IDG Connect, and his art history book on 1970s sci-fi, ‘Worlds Beyond Time,’ was a 2024 Locus Awards finalist. When not working on his next art collection (out September 2027), he’s tracking the latest news on dash cams, fuel cards, and the future of fleet.
