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Apple AirPods Pro: Release date, specs, features and price

October 28, 2019

Apple announced the second generation of its wireless earphones, the AirPods, in March 2019 with a new chip, Hey Siri control, 50 per cent more talk time and an optional wireless charging case.

The second gen AirPods missed a couple of rumoured features, including noise cancelling, but fear not because the AirPods Pro were then announced on 28 October with a new design, active noise cancellation and a few other features.

Here's everything you need to know about Apple's latest AirPods.

AirPods Pro release date and price 

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The AirPods Pro are available from 28 October and they will begin shipping on 30 October.

They cost £249 in the UK, which is £90 more than the standard AirPods and £50 more than the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case.

Apple AirPod Pro specs

Here is a summary of the Apple AirPods Pro specifications. We will dive a little deeper into each feature further down.

  • Active Noise cancellation
  • Sweat and water resistance
  • Adaptive EQ
  • Transparency Mode
  • New controls through stem
  • Ear Tip Fit Test
  • Voice Activated Siri
  • Audio Sharing
  • Announce Messages

AirPod Pro features

The Apple AirPod Pro offer a number of features over the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case and the standard AirPods. Here is a breakdown of the main new features and what each offers.

Design 

The AirPods Pro offer a new design compared to the previous AirPods models. While the new model still shares the signature look of AirPods, they come with earbuds, each of which is offered with three sizes of silicone ear tips.

The new design appears to have a shorter stem too and there is also a vent system to equalise pressure. More importantly, the AirPods Pro are both sweat and water resistant - something previous AirPods lack. They have an IP rating of IPX4.

Active Noise Cancellation

The AirPods Pro feature Active Noise Cancellation - a feature that was rumoured for the second generation of AirPods that arrived in March 2019. Two microphones are built into the AirPods Pro design which are used in conjunction with advanced software to adapt to an individual ear and remove background noise. 

One microphone is outward-facing and is in charge of detecting external sounds, while the second microphone listens towards the ear. The AirPods Pro will create an equivalent anti-noise to cancel out the background noise before it hits the ear, while the second microphone helps detect any remaining noise. 

Adaptive EQ

The AirPods Pro have Adaptive EQ, which automatically tunes the low- and mid-frequencies of the music to the shape of an individual's ear. A custom high dynamic range amplifier is on board too and there is a custom speaker driver designed to optimise audio quality and remove background noise.

The driver is said to provide bass down to 20Hz and detailed mid- and high-frequency audio.

Transparency Mode

The AirPods Pro have a feature called Transparency Mode that allows users to simultaneously listen to music while still hearing the environment around them. The idea is that you'll still be able to hear the traffic around you or a train announcement, whilst listening to your favourite track.

You'll also be able to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode directly on AirPods Pro using a force sensor on the stem of the new AirPods.

New controls

The force sensor on the stem of the AirPods Pro also make it easy to play, pause or skip tracks, and answer or hang up phone calls.

You'll also be able to press on the volume slider in Control Centre on iPhone and iPad to control settings, or on Apple Watch by tapping on the AirPlay icon while music is playing.

Ear Tip Test

After you place the Apple AirPods in your ear, algorithms work with the microphones to measure the sound level in the ear and compare it to what is coming from the speaker driver. The algorithm will then detect whether the ear tip is the right size and has a good fit, or should be adjusted to create a better seal.

Voice-activated Siri

Like the AirPods 2, the AirPods Pro have voice activated Siri on board. Say "Hey Siri" followed by a command, like playing a song, increasing the volume, making a call or getting directions.

Audio Sharing

The AirPods Pro also have a feature called Audio Sharing. This allows users to listen to the same song or watch the same movie with a friend by bringing a second pair of AirPods close to your iPhone or iPad.

Announce Messages

Last but not least, the AirPods Pro will automatically speak incoming messages when they arrive. Don't worry though, when you're on a phone call or sharing media via Audio Sharing, Siri knows not to interrupt.

AirPods Pro hardware and battery life

The Apple AirPods Pro have the H1 chip inside, offering 10 audio cores. Battery life is claimed to be five hours of listening time or four and a half hours of listening time when in Active Noise Cancellation mode.

The Wireless Charging Case should allow for 24 hours of listening time, or 18 hours of talk time, it's claimed. Charging the case can be done via Lightning or when placed on a Qi wireless charging mat - like the standard AirPods with Wireless Charging Case.

Apple AirPod 3 rumours: What happened?

Here's everything that happened prior to the AirPods Pro being announced.

18 October 2019: Apple AirPods Pro tipped for launch in next two weeks

According to a report from China Economic Daily and its sources in the "supply chain", the AirPods 3 will be called AirPods Pro to match the iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro naming convention and they will launch by the end of October 2019.

The report says they will sport noise reduction technology, although it's not yet known at what extent it will work. 

7 October 2019: Renders of AirPods 3 appear

Ben Geskin has offered a render of what the Apple AirPods 3 might look like based on previous leaks. The render uses the greyscale image found in the iOS 13.2 beta, showing silicone tips and a shorter arm. 

Geskin also points a silicone cover for the third generation headphones, available on Amazon already.

2 October 2019: Previous leak of AirPods 3 could be spot on

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has tweeted saying: "Looks like the AirPods 3/Pro leak from a few months ago was dead on." The image below his tweet shows the prototype model spotted by 52audio.com.

2 October 2019: This is what Apple's AirPods 3 look like

An image has appeared in the iOS 13.2 beta that shows a greyscale design of what could be the AirPods 3. Spotted by 9to5Mac, the image shows a shorter stem and ear tips.

The site also spotted a "Focus Mode" that can be toggled on or off. It is not currently clear what this is but it could be referring to the noise cancelling feature expected on the AirPods 3.

12 September 2019: AirPods 3 prototype supposedly spotted in the wild after Apple event

An apparent prototype model of the next-generations of AirPods was spotted in the wild by Leakspinner showing what appears to be a smaller, slightly different shaped AirPods case sitting on the back of a phone.

We'd take the leak with a big pinch of salt for now though, especially given the number of replica AirPods out there, there's nothing to suggest these are the real deal at all.

10 September 2019: Apple iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Watch launched, no sign of new AirPods

Apple unveiled several devices during its September "Special Event", including the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 5 and a new 10.2-inch entry-level iPad. However, there was no sign of the AirPods 3.

That doesn't mean they definitely won't appear in 2019, with the company also traditionally holding an October event each year, but that'll be more likely dedicated to MacBook and/or iPad Pro business.

22 August 2019: Apple iPhone 11 'Pro', Watch Series 5 and AirPods 3 details revealed in new report

A report on Bloomberg claimed people familiar with the matter revealed that Apple is working on the next generation of AirPods and it was said they could arrive before the end of the year.

Gurman says in the same report that water resistance and noise cancellation features are both expected - something he has said will be coming to the next AirPods before.

9 July 2019: Analysts predict AirPods 3 will arrive by end of 2019 with waterproofing

Analysts from Wedbush claim Apple is planning to release the third generation of AirPods before the end of 2019. It's claimed they will offer design enhancements in terms of waterproofing but they will also see a price increase.

5 June 2019: Apple announces some new AirPods enhancements that'll arrive with iOS 13

With (presumably any) AirPods, Apple says that if you upgrade to the upcoming iOS 13 then Siri will be able to read incoming messages through your earphones as soon as they arrive, from Messages or any SiriKit-enabled messaging app (so yes, that includes WhatsApp). 

There will also be a new audio sharing feature that means you can watch a movie or share a song with a friend by simply bringing a second pair of AirPods close to iPhone or iPad. We don't know if this feature will be exclusive to AirPods or whether it will work with other Bluetooth devices. 

24 April 2019: AirPods 3 with noise cancellation to arrive before end of year

Digitimes reported that a third generation of Apple AirPods would arrive before the end of the year with noise cancellation.

Meanwhile, a separate report saw Ming-Chi Kuo predict we would see two new AirPods models ship at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020. One of the models will apparently have a new design, as has been claimed before. The other model is predicted to offer the same design as the current model.

20 March 2019: Apple working on future AirPods, due 2020

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman tweeted that the second Apple AirPods were due to go on sale last year, and that Apple is working on a future version with noise cancellation and water resistance.

Gurman claimed the next Apple AirPods were originally due to be announced later this year, though he now expects them to arrive in 2020.

3 December 2018: Apple AirPods 3 to get new design

Renowned Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo said the 2020 Apple AirPods will come with an "all-new design".

He didn't offer any further details, but Kuo was right about the AirPods 2 offering a new chip, wireless charging case and Bluetooth 5.0.

25 June 2018: More evidence appears for noise cancellation

Bloomberg claimed the AirPods in 2019 would bring noise cancelling, citing sources familiar with the matter. Supporting this, a Barclays report claimed Apple would use physical analogue methods, as opposed to active noise cancellation.

Water resistance was also claimed by Bloomberg, though for sweatproofing rather than swimproofing and the publication also suggested Apple is looking for ways to add a heart rate monitor, as well as increase the range of the AirPods.

7 July 2017: Further patents suggest fitness tracking tech for AirPods

Patently Apple reported on another patent specifically showing a in-ear AirPod with a biometric sensor. The site also found reference to the addition of EKG sensors, impedance cardiography sensors, and more fitness-tracking technology into the wireless earphones.

20 March 2017: Apple files patents for earbuds with biometric sensing

Apple filed three patents for three different headphones, with references to "earbuds with biometric sensing". A note in the patent suggests built-in biometric sensors would make contact with the small bit on the inside of your ear, allowing them to collect heart rate, temperature and VO2 information via a photoplethysmogram sensor (PPG).

The patents also suggest noise cancelling thanks to microphones that can block external sounds. Varying levels of noise cancellation were suggested, meaning the headphones could let some external noise in, useful in situations like riding a bike in traffic. 



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