AirPods Pro 1st Generation with Wireless Charging Case

The AirPods Pro cost $249 and were the first AirPods designed to seal inside the ear rather than sit loosely in it. Three sizes of soft silicone tip came in the box, so the fit could be matched to the ear rather than hoped for.

Active noise cancellation was the reason for the change in shape, because a seal is what makes it work. Two microphones do the job. One faces outwards and listens to the world, generating an opposing sound to cancel it, while a second faces inwards and listens for whatever is still getting through. The system adjusts 200 times a second. Transparency mode does the reverse, letting outside sound in so a conversation can be had without taking anything out of the ear.

Sealing the ear brings its own problem, which is the blocked, pushed-in feeling that in-ear headphones have always caused. Apple fitted a vent to equalise the pressure between the inside of the ear and the outside. Adaptive EQ was introduced at the same time, tuning the low and middle frequencies to the shape of the ear it finds itself in.

The H1 chip ran the AirPods Pro, with ten audio cores handling sound, Siri and the noise cancellation together. They were rated IPX4 for sweat and rain, though the case was not. Battery life was four and a half hours of listening with noise cancellation on, or five hours with it off, and more than 24 hours in total with the case.

There was no launch event. Apple announced them in a press release on 28 October 2019 and took orders the same day, while they were released to shops two days later on 30 October, priced at $249.

Check out the AirPods Pro 3, three generations further on.