Apple has confirmed that some brand new AirPods are on the way. They’re called AirPods Pro and they’re going to be available in Australia very soon.
But they come with hefty price tag, so are they really worth the upgrade? We compared the incoming model with the second generation AirPods to see if they really deserve your money right now.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/10/airpods-pro-australian-price-release-date/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/airpods-pro-410×231.jpg” title=”When You Can Get AirPods Pro In Australia (And How Much They’ll Cost)” excerpt=”Surprise, Apple just announced its rumoured AirPods Pro earbuds. These bad boys have a slightly different design to what you’re used to, and we’re quite excited to see how they fare. They’re also arriving in Australia real soon. This is what you need to know and how much they’ll cost.”]
The new AirPods Pro earbuds will be available for Australians from October 30 for $399 with the wireless charging case included. That means while you’re paying a lot more for a pair of Apple’s illustrious pods, you’ll at least get that handy bonus included this time around.
The major differences, apart from the price tag, are the inclusion of noise-cancelling functionality, the wireless charging case and sweat and water resistance rating of IPX4, meaning it can take on water splashes but probably don’t go swimming with it.
But let’s delve into the specs comparison so you can see for yourself.
Specs comparison
| AirPods (2nd generation) | AirPods Pro | |
| Single earbud dimension | 40 x 16.5 x 18.0mm, Weight: 4g | 30.9 x 21.8 x 24.0mm, Weight: 5.4g |
| Noise-cancelling | Not available | Yes |
| CPU | H1 chip | H1 chip |
| Battery | Up to 4 hours listening time and up to 3 hours talking time. Around 24 hours of listening time with the charging case. | Without wireless case: Up to 4.5 hours listening time and up to 5 with noise-cancelling turned off. Up to 3.5 hours talking time. With wireless case: 24 hours of listening time, 18 hours of talking time. |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Water resistance | N/A | IPX4 (earbuds, not charging case) |
| Price | $249 RRP (standard charging case included) | $399 RRP (wireless charging case included) |
As far as a comparison between the two AirPods, there’s not a huge incentive to upgrade if you already own a pair. For that price tag, you’re getting noise-cancelling, a wireless charging case and the ability to sweat in your expensive pods but there are other options on the market with longer-lasting battery life if you don’t mind escaping the Apple ecosystem.
While Sony’s WF-1000XM3 aren’t sweat resistant, for the same price you’ll get one of the best-sounding noise-cancelling earbuds on the market right now. Jaybird Vista earbuds don’t give you that noise-cancelling serenity but they do give you the option of safely sweating it out without the risk of killing your earbuds. For $300, they’re not a bad option either.
Apple also offers the Powerbeats Pro for $349.95, which comes with sweat resistance but no noise-cancelling. The handy hook design also means that you have less worry about them falling out during exercise.
In terms of future proofing, the the AirPods Pro will be good for a few years thanks to the noise-cancelling, wireless charging and sweat resistance. But $399 is still a lot to ask, even if it is Apple.
If you already have a set of AirPods 2, it’s probably worth waiting until the Pros go on special. But if you aren’t simply upgrading from the previous gen pods (which only came out earlier this year) and love Apple’s earbuds, it might be an attractive buy.
We’ll let you know how they fare once we get a chance to test them.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/06/these-are-the-very-best-truly-wireless-earbuds/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/yeqpfatf5yn00hehtznh.png” title=”These Are The Very Best Truly Wireless Earbuds” excerpt=”Deciding which of the many sets of truly wireless earbuds to buy can feel like a daunting task. Unless you’re one of those people who believes the AirPods hype, in which case the decision might seem very easy. Don’t be that person.”]