Apple to launch pro version of AirPods on Oct 30 at pro-level price of $379

As much as Apple’s AirPods work like absolute magic when it comes to pairing with iPhones and Mac devices, it’s hard to argue against the fact that the earphones are painfully meh when it comes to actual audio quality. 

The tech giant aims to fix that with their upcoming AirPods Pro, the pro-grade version of their wireless earbuds that comes with a pro-grade price: $379. Yikes.

For that price, Apple promises it’ll be “magic like you’ve never heard,” according to their marketing spiel. The redesigned earbuds will offer a more comfortable fit with customisable silicone tips, as well as other long-requested features. 

But in all honesty, you probably have heard about the features if you have some sense of other truly wireless earphones available in the market. 

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Apple is touting things like Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro, which is a great upgrade from the vanilla AirPods, but nothing exactly new or exciting. Brands such as Sony, Jabra, and many more have had those features on their own wireless earbuds for years. 

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Even Sony’s top-shelf WF-1000XM3 — arguably the best wireless earbuds money can buy right now — costs about $30 lesser than the AirPods Pro. 

Still, price won’t be much of an obstacle to Apple fans who already love the convenience of AirPods thanks to the proprietary H1 Chip that enables fast, fuss-free pairing with Apple devices. Fans will appreciate the upgrades too, especially in the realm of sound quality — no longer will they have to endure uncomfortable fit or sound leaks. A feature called Adaptive EQ will apparently help tune the frequencies of the music according to the shape of the user’s ear. 

Folks who work out with their AirPods will also like the fact that the Pro versions will let them hear the environment around them via Transparency mode, and should be better at repelling sweat. Surprisingly, despite the “Pro” tag, battery life will stay the same (five hours listening time and 24 hours of charge within the charging case), and the duration goes down even further with noise cancellation mode turned on. 

The AirPods Pro will be available for purchase from Apple Store Singapore from Oct 30 onwards. 

ilyas@asiaone.com