AirPods Pro 2nd Generation: a Review and a Rant

A couple of days ago, my impulse buying habit kicked in and I bought the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation. I’ve been using it for a few days now, and I have some thoughts about it.

The Good

Spatial Audio

The spatial audio feature is, shockingly, amazing. It feels like the sound is coming from all around you—like having a home theater crammed into your ears. I listened to “Ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine (Dolby Atmos) on Apple Music, and it was an immersive experience. Instruments actually feel like they’re coming from the ceiling (pun painfully intended), especially with the head-tracking feature turned on.

Transparency Mode

The transparency mode is a game-changer. It’s so natural that sometimes I forget I’m wearing the AirPods. With the transparency volume cranked up in the accessibility settings, it’s like having super hearing. I can hear even the faintest sound around me. Perfect for eavesdropping on people (just kidding… sort of).

Seamless Integration

I constantly switch between my phone and my laptop, and the AirPods make it so easy. For example, if I’m listening music on my laptop and then decide to watch a cat video on my phone, the AirPods automatically switch to my phone. It’s like magic. No more fiddling around with settings. It just works. (p.s. I hate saying iPhone and MacBook, so I’m just going to say phone and laptop)

Case with Speaker

Being the clumsy person that I am, I constantly misplace things. The case having a speaker is a godsend. I can just play a sound from the FindMy app, and the case will make a noise. It’s saved me from tearing the house apart on more than one occasion.

Adaptive Sound

Apple has pulled off some black magic fuckery with their adaptive sound feature. The AirPods automatically adjust—wait for it—SPECIFIC SOUND VOLUME. I was at a friend’s place, and he was blasting music like it was the end of the world. I turned on adaptive sound, and his music’s volume magically lowered, but I could still hear my friends talking.

The Bad

Glossy Case

The case is glossy, and it’s an absolute nightmare. It’s a fingerprint magnet. It’s a scratch magnet. I hate it. I wish it was matte. I wish it was anything but glossy white. It’s as if Apple wants me to suffer by showcasing every single scratches.

No Precision Finding

Apple disabled the Precision Finding feature in Indonesia. I can’t use the FindMy app to locate my AirPods with augmented reality. I paid a fortune for a phone with a U2 chip and AirPods with a U1 chip only to find out ultra-wideband is not available in my beloved country, Indonesia 🇮🇩. Thanks, Apple, for keeping my expectations high and then shattering them.

The Ugly

The Price

The price is absurd. I shelled out $220 for these. I could’ve bought a decent pair of headphones for that amount. But of course, I bought them anyway because I’m a sheep. I follow the trends. I’m a slave to Apple. I’m a fool.

Conclusion

If you have multiple Apple devices and some cash to burn, the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation is a no-brainer. The seamless integration alone is worth the price. If you don’t have multiple Apple devices, don’t bother. There are better options out there for less money. But if you’re like me and can’t resist the Apple ecosystem, welcome to the club of financially irresponsible fools.