Apple’s “Far Out” event on Wednesday introduced a number of devices to Apple’s existing product lineup, including the iPhone 14, a rugged Apple Watch and an updated version of the AirPods Pro. The second-generation AirPods Pro will be released on September 23 for $249.99 and are available for pre-order now. Apple will continue to sell the base AirPods at their original price of $179; however, it appears that Apple is discontinuing the original AirPods Pro with the release of the second-generation model.
Not much has changed aesthetically from the previous iteration of the AirPods Pro, with the new model sporting the same pearly white exterior as the original 2019 model. The noise-canceling earbuds also retain the MagSafe-compatible charging case that Apple introduced last year. But Apple has made some interesting changes to the hardware that make the second-generation AirPods Pro the company’s most impressive headphones yet.
Starting with battery life, Apple claims the new AirPods Pro can support up to six hours of continuous playback with noise canceling enabled, or an additional 30 with the included charging case. The 2022 model also features an updated H2 chip that allows for an improved adaptive transparency mode, better noise cancellation, and stick-sliding controls to control playback. Both the headphones and Apple’s new Find My-ready charging case also come equipped with built-in speakers to let you know where they are if you’ve lost them.
We haven’t had a chance to fully test Apple’s new AirPods Pro, but you can check out our initial hands-on impressions of the new headphones here.
How to pre-order second-generation AirPods Pro
The second-generation AirPods Pro buds are now available for pre-order for $249.99. The original AirPods Pro were priced at $249 at launch, but have now been replaced by their second-generation counterparts on Apple’s website. However, other retailers are still selling the previous model for $179.99, including Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy.
If you’re considering upgrading to the new AirPods Pro before they officially launch on September 23rd, you can pre-order them directly from Apple right now. Apple is currently the only retailer willing to open pre-orders for the new pair of headphones, but we’ll update this post if Amazon, Best Buy, or any other retailer starts offering the headphones before the release date.