AirPods Pro 2 review roundup: Better sound and ANC for the same price

AirPods Pro 2 offer better ANC and sound quality

Apple announced the updated AirPods Pro on September 7 during its Far Out event. They ship to customers on Friday, September 23.

The second-generation earbuds are simply referred to as AirPods Pro, and they have twice as much noise cancellation and a new Adaptive Transparency feature.

CNET calls the AirPods Pro 2 the best earbuds you can buy. They say the design needs an update, but all the features have been improved.

The longer battery life, significantly improved sound and ANC, and new charging case make these updated earbuds hard to beat. They aren't perfect, but they are more fully evolved compared to the first generation.

The Verge says the design makes some people wonder, "that's it?" when referring to the second-gen model. Everything else, however, is upgraded for the better.

Sound quality is better, ANC is improved, and the volume gesture is welcome. These features and the new charging case add up to a product fans have been waiting for.

However, these aren't best-in-class earbuds as fierce competition in the area has made AirPods Pro less of a standout. They aren't the best-sounding earbuds on the market and class-leading ANC belongs to Bose.

TechCrunch says you won't want to take the AirPods Pro 2 out of your ears. Owners of working first-generation AirPods Pro may not need to upgrade right away, but the range of updates and industry-leading sound quality make these a must-have for iPhone owners.

The noise cancellation strives to remove all noise from an environment, and it worked well on an airplane. Though some competitors may have the edge here.

The new Adaptive Transparency works great to remove loud noise while maintaining environmental awareness. This mode comes in handy when walking around New York.

Overall, the new AirPods Pro are excellent. The $249 price tag is steep, but these are earbuds you'll want with you for the long haul.

Engadget says the lack of a redesign may leave some people disappointed, but all the internal changes and same $249 price make them a worthwhile update. These AirPods Pro are vastly different from the previous generation.

The Adaptive Transparency Mode offers the most natural-sounding ambiance when compared to the competition. ANC is beaten out by the latest Bose QuietComfort, and Sennheiser offers best-in-class sound quality, but Apple has a wider feature set.

YouTube personality UrAVgConsumer unboxed the AirPods Pro and provided some live impressions of the earbud's sound quality. He found the new features impressive like ANC and sound quality.

When compared to the original AirPods Pro, he describes the ANC update as night and day. It definitely sounds like the noise cancellation has improved a lot, but it is difficult to determine if it beats the competition. They are at least on par with the latest Sony earbuds.

The overall sound is better and noticeably so. He describes it as a fuller sound with more bass.