Double the Active Noise Cancelling: that's what the new AirPods Pro are.

Apple presents the second generation of AirPods Pro at the September keynote. Nothing has changed in the design compared to the three-year-old predecessors. The new earphones still have stems and are in-ears, so they come with a silicone top.

In the inner workings of the AirPods Pro 2, however, Apple has changed a few points. In particular, Apple claims to have significantly improved Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), which blocks out ambient noise by means of counter-sound. In addition, the battery life is said to have been extended by 1.5 hours. The earphones will now run for 6 hours and with the extra battery from the case, you'll have a total of 30 hours of music.

Double Active Noise Cancelling and new Spatial Audio features

Thanks to the newly installed H2 chip, noise cancellation (ANC) should be twice as good as its predecessor, Apple says. Tests will show whether this is true - for in-ear headphones, Apple's noise cancelling was already pretty good even with the previous version, so doubling it would be impressive. The new chip is also supposed to provide even clearer and more detailed sound.

Apple also claims to have improved Transparency Mode, i.e. the opposite mode of ANC in which all ambient noise is audible. The mode is now adaptive, i.e. it adjusts to the volume in the environment. This is how sirens or construction sites are supposed to sound quieter.

Also, Apple has revamped Spatial Audio. With Spatial Audio, you hear the sound three-dimensionally around you, so to speak. The feature can be personalised in the new version, meaning your head and ear shape are scanned and analysed by the iPhone, and the sound is said to be customised for you that way.

And there's also a new control that lets you hear the sound around you in three dimensions.

And the controls on the AirPods Pro stems have received a minor upgrade: On the second generation, you can adjust the volume by swiping up and down. Previously, you could only press them to pause the music, skip to the next song or adjust the noise cancellation.
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Case with search function, but without USB-C

The case of the earphones has received a major update. It can now be located using the "Find My" function in the app of the same name. In addition, the case plays a sound so that you can find it more easily if you have misplaced it. Like the earphones, the case is also sweat and water resistant (IPX4 certified). Thanks to a cut-out, you can attach a lanyard to the case.

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The case again comes with Apple's proprietary Lightning charging port. Leaks that Apple would install USB-C proved to be false. Instead, the case can now also be charged with the Apple Watch's charger.

The new AirPort case is now available with Apple's proprietary Lightning charging port.

The new AirPods Pro will be available for order from 9 September and delivery will start on 23 September. The price is 259 Swiss francs in Switzerland and 299 euros in Germany. As soon as the new AirPods Pro 2 are available, we'll take a closer look at them.

In addition to the new AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, Apple also showed new iPhone 14 and three new Apple Watches.