Apple AirPods Pro in 2021: Still going strong, proving why Apple leads the TWS market

The initial pairing with the iPhone took less than a minute. (Image: Bulbul Dhawan/Financial Express Online)

Apple AirPods Pro review: Finding myself unnecessarily tangled in earphone wires while performing along with my favourite songs, I thought maybe it was time to switch to TWS. I had heard several iPhone users raving about Apple AirPods Pro, so I decided to go for them. With AirPods Max having just been launched, I got my Airpods Pro at a discounted price, though it was still a pretty penny to shell out. But let’s just say, it was all worth it.

As an iPhone user, using the AirPods Pro has been a luxurious experience. While they may seem tad pretentious sometimes, the convenience they offer is par excellence.

The initial pairing with the iPhone took less than a minute, as seamless and effortless as actually plugging in the wired earphones. Apple really made sure that a customer wouldn’t have to go through any hassle just because they bought a TWS product. Subsequent usage is equally pleasurable, because the iPhone detects the AirPods Pro as soon as the charging case is opened. The phone also shows the battery levels of the charging case as well as each individual earbud.

One thing I did not appreciate, however, is that the in-box charging cord is a Type-C to lightning cable, which means I would need to plug the cord to a Type-C port to charge my charging case. I understand, however, that it has been designed keeping in mind the MacBooks, which have a Type-C port. Apple has always attempted to integrate all of its products, after all. There is an easy workaround for this for iPhone users, though – the charging case can be charged using the iPhone charger, so having a Type-C port is not necessary. Speaking of which, the AirPods Pro have rock solid battery life–possibly a result of Apple’s custom-tuned H1 chip that also brings hands-free Hey Siri support to these earbuds.

Also read | Apple launches AirPods Max, its first over-the-ear wireless headphones

Now coming to the sound quality. As someone who was already quite impressed with the wired earphones that come with iPhones for casually listening to music, I had high expectations from the AirPods Pro, and they delivered, indeed. The audio quality is brilliant, with the listener being able to identify the smallest of nuances in a music track. Apple’s AirPods Pro offer a balanced audio experience.

The thing I was most looking forward to, however, was the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). AirPods Pro have a great noise cancelling feature which is on by default. The best part is, it is activated by sensors and only works when both the earbuds are placed in the ear, which means I do not have to do anything to activate the ANC. The ANC feature can be disabled by long pressing the button on either of the earbuds.

The same goes for a song playing on the AirPods. If one earbud is removed, any song that is playing stops automatically, and then starts playing automatically when both the earbuds are in the ears again. In case I need to play the song with only one bud in, I can simply press the play button.

Apple’s ‘transparency’ mode is another notable feature that lets you stay aware of your surroundings, when it is needed. No other TWS in the market offers as ‘natural’ an experience as the AirPods Pro do in this regard. Spatial audio is one more one-of-its-kind feature that lets these TWS adapt to your movements to offer consistent sound that is particularly handy when watching a movie on the iPad or iPhone.

The AirPods Pro also come with three sizes of ear tips, to offer suitable fit to the customers. Simple things like these show that Apple really knows what it is doing and it is doing it well.

The TWS segment has been rapidly gaining popularity and taking over the audio industry. People are moving towards wireless headphones and earbuds more and more. However, people often forget that Apple virtually started the TWS industry with its first AirPods. Back then, it was trolled by users all over the social media as a seemingly “useless� product that no one would want. However, years later, not only has Apple released multiple new products in the line up, there are companies who took the idea from Cupertino and started creating similar products. And if that wasn’t enough, there are enough companies which are designing their TWS products eerily similar to AirPods Pro, because they have now become a revolution of their own.

Trolled as Apple may be for some of its products, Apple works with disruptive innovations and it works with them alright, eventually to start a trend. A year later, AirPods Pro are still going strong, proving why Apple leads the TWS market fair and square.