Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Apple AirPods Pro 2

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AirPods (2nd generation) compared with AirPods Pro 2

	AppleAirPods (2nd generation)	AppleAirPods Pro 2
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	September 2023
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	No	Yes
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	H1	H2
Drivers
Drivers	–	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier
Chip
Chip	–	H2 in each AirPod; U1 chip in the MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C)
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation; Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness
Audio features
Audio features	Automatic ear detection with dual optical sensors and a motion accelerometer; AAC Bluetooth audio; SBC support listed by What Hi-Fi?	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; Live Translation (with iOS 26 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone); lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro
Hearing health
Hearing health	–	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Loud Sound Reduction in the UK; active Hearing Protection is available only in selected regions, not the UK
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 6 hours
With the case
With the case	–	Up to 30 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	More than 24 hours of listening including case recharges, according to Apple; launch announcement claims up to 50% more talk time than first-generation AirPods	Up to 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking on; up to 4 hours of Lossless Audio listening with Apple Vision Pro
Charging case
Charging case	Lightning Charging Case charges by cable; Wireless Charging Case supports Qi-certified chargers and Lightning, with a front status LED; both measure 53.5 x 44.3 x 21.3 mm	MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My and lanyard loop; charges with MagSafe, Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers or a USB-C cable
Fast charging
Fast charging	15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4 g (better)	5.3 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IP54
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.3
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	No	–
Controls
Controls	Double-tap to play, skip forwards or answer a call; hands-free Hey Siri; double-tap actions can be assigned separately to each earbud	Touch control on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes; swipe up or down for volume); “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and speech-detecting accelerometer	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Fixed open-ear shape without interchangeable tips; each earbud measures 40.5 x 16.5 x 18.0 mm	Silicone ear tips in four sizes (XS, S, M, L)
Case weight
Case weight	38.2 g for either case, according to Apple's specifications	50.8 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	IP54 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods Pro and charging case
Works with
Works with	Full Apple features with compatible iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV software; standard Bluetooth audio with fewer features on non-Apple devices; Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods, chosen charging case, Lightning to USB-A cable and documentation	AirPods Pro 2, MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and lanyard loop, silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L), USB-C Charge Cable, documentation