Apple AirPod Pros outweigh the cons

THEY’RE COSTLY, BUT YOUR NEW BEST BUDS ARE PROOF QUALITY ALWAYS COMES AT A PRICE

IKNOW what you’re thinking – £250? For some earbuds? Well, bear with me, because the short version of this review of Apple’s new AirPods goes like this: They’re pricey. They’re worth it.

To me, anyway. Your mileage, as they say, will vary. And if they’re not worth it to you, I’ve got good news – two very serviceable and much cheaper alternatives are suggested here, too.

But the AirPods Pro are essentials if you have an iPhone.

What’s so great about them?

SET UP IS A CINCH

UNLOCK your phone, open the charging case, press connect. And you’re done. Not only that, but the link is stored in iCloud, meaning if you have paired your AirPods Pro with one of your Apple devices, you have paired them with them all.

FIT LIKE A GLOVE

THE original AirPods are a onesize-fits-all affair – if they’re not comfortable for you, bad luck. The Pros come with three sizes of silicone tips, which mean they’ll be good for many more people.

If you go to the Bluetooth section of the Settings app and tap on the little letter ‘i’ in a circle next to “AirPods Pro”, as long as they’re connected, you’ll see a range of options. One of the most useful is the “Ear Tip Fit Test”, which will play a little tune in the AirPods and use its mics and sensors to determine if you have a good fit, and suggest adjustments if needed.

THEY SOUND GREAT

THE most important thing, obviously, is that the AirPods Pro sound great. Music is the most important thing, and I have no complaints there.

Although I cannot honestly claim to be an audiophile, the bass is deep and punchy and I can hear everything all the way up the scale clearly and without distortion, even at high volumes.

Calls come through well, too.

Each AirPod has a little flat section on the front of its stem, a button with which to control various elements of playback – actually, it’s not really a button, but when you press it you hear a little click.

Pressing it allows you to answer calls, pause music, skip tracks, or go back a track. If you press and hold you can set up Siri.

BEAUTIFUL ISOLATION

THE active noise cancellation mode is very impressive indeed. Once you have a good fit in your ear, with it turned on, silence descends – almost all continuous ambient sounds are filtered out.

You can still hear isolated loud noises, but even these are muffled – and it works even when not listening to music, so you might stick them in just to get a bit of peace and quiet on the bus.

Switch to Transparency mode, and outside noise is let in, a setting that is perhaps wise when negotiating a busy street…

So there you have it… all the best things about the AirPods Pro which make them worth their somewhat eye-watering price.