AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) USB-C Review! Worth The Upgrade?

The new AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C brings a familiar design, with improvements under the hood like dust resistance, and supports Wireless Lossless Audio for the upcoming Apple Vision Pro. They sure feel like an AirPods Pro '2S'. So is it worth the upgrade?
0:00 Intro
0:25 Unboxing
2:41 New Features! Adaptive Audio
4:52 Conversational Awareness
6:09 Can You Sing with Conversational Awareness On?
6:32 Personalized Volume
7:17 What Makes Them Different from the Lightning One?
7:47 Apple Vision Pro + Apple AirPods 2 w/ USB-C = Lossless Audio
8:27 Can the Charging Case be used with my AirPods Pro 2 (Lightning)?
9:30 How Do They Sound in Comparison?
10:37 Who Does An Upgrade Make The Most Sense For?
Thanks for watching! You can support my independent content at / briantong THANK YOU!
LET'S BE FRIENDS!
/ briantong​​​​
/ nostratongus​​​​
/ briantongtech
#apple #airpodspro #iphone

[@user-el5bp6uj8o]

Man i remember in 2014 watching this dude show me how to jailbrake my iPhone 3GS lmao

[@GasGotti]

Lmfaooooo

[@spike17spiegel]

When you walk around in public with these make sure to stop random people and tell them it’s the UBS-C ones.

[@johnnyblaze5551]

I will do that 😂

[@dicey3322]

Thanks for testing out the APP2 lightning case and USBC case swap. Too bad about the current incompatibility. Hopefully it changes in the future.

[@bassclef283]

Just what I needed to hear. Thanks!

[@N3k0B0o]

Thank you for the description of how adaptive audio and conversation awareness works. I’ve been sensitive to loud noises since having corrective surgery for a congenital hearing problem in my left ear about twenty years ago. I have the MagSafe version of the airpods pro and I use them as protection against loud noise situations so I don’t get overwhelmed and affect my balance. Can’t wait to see how the new features will further enhance my experiences with loud noise situations when out and about with family and friends.

[@walkhawaii]

Thank you for all the details - could not find all this info anywhere else!

[@jeffhale1189]

Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your day!

[@Qfunkyfresh]

This is very helpful. Thanks.

[@HCoRE8]

Brian out here with the banging videos

[@TechOutAdam]

The fact AirPods Pro are getting Conversation Awareness is incredible with the iOS 17 update. And barely anyone will mention it. Thanks for doing so!

[@erik5645]

And adaptive mode

[@elperro3056]

Conversation awareness sound dope

[@imonlytellingthetruth]

Great feature. Trouble is i have an older iphone which doesnt go past o.s. 15. So...I either get a new phone or I stay with 2nd gen lightening

[@TechOutAdam]

I can't have headphones/earbuds without it. Soundcore, Sony and Apple now are onboard. Bose needs to hurry up and do this because I love Bose the most. Who knows if Sennheiser ever will.@@elperro3056

[@davechung]

So glad KZbin suggested your channel to me, Brian! Been a fan for years and excited that you’re doing your thing your way!

[@briantong]

I'm glad you found me again! Thanks for watching!

[@melissamoskau5667]

Hey Brian! I am a big fan of your Apple reviews and channel. I appreciate your honesty and suggestions. I have the AirPods Pro 2 w/ lighting and am so happy with the new features. No need for me to upgrade. Thanks for helping me see that.

[@jahanzebahhmed]

Love these regular uploads keep them coming..

[@briantong]

It's that time of the season, but I'm at the end of my rope, non stop near overnighters...

[@whitemailprivilege2830]

@@briantong-rope- *USB C cable

[@allseeingi]

Very well presented also useful guide to the new features, how to select the different options and the differences between the latest Air Pro 2 models . I have version 1 and haven’t even looked at the vision pro so am therefore more than satisfied with what iOS 17 has brought to to the table 😁👍🏾

[@Michaelm270]

Brian Tong, thank you for the informational vlog. I just watched and decided I wanted to buy since you mentioned the Best Buy deal of 50.00 off regular price! Preordered today. Thank you so much!

[@boneharvester_eth4021]

Great info and review. I went usb-c everything. 15 pro max, 1 terrabyte titan blue, ultra 2 blue ocean band, AirPods pro 2nd gen. I’m ready for the headset next 😎

[@scofies]

I think I might upgrade. I have the original Pros I got in 2020 and they are crackling. I didn’t upgrade to Gen2, but now is the time!

[@mofongo316]

Hey Brian, what is the band for the Apple Watch Ultra that you're using in this video? I'm interested in getting one just like that, but want to make sure it's of good quality.

[@Naviss]

I love my Airpod Pros (2), and it's awesome even they get new feature updates!

[@quentondaniels8536]

Waited on getting the lightning version of the AirPods Pro 2, luckily I did. Usbc version of them headed my way!

[@Gilfordd]

I still have my airpods pro 1st gen, and my iphone 13 Pro max (not planning on upgrading) those are the only two products of mine that don't use usbc, eventually when they die out then I'll upgrade to the newer usbc models such as airpods pro 3rd gen and the iphone 16 ultra going forward.

[@averageGoat_meh_eh_eh_eh]

One of the best things about them for me is that they lock to magcharger. I can also hear my own voice when talking and understand what I’m saying when I hear it in real time. If I laugh or sing along to a song though it will lower volume.

[@Kevin6t8]

I work in a wood shop and dust resistance is very important. Now that USB C AirPods Pro 2 have this, I finally bought my 1st ever AirPods at the 🇺🇸 $199 price on Amazon. Best Buy has them at this price as well.

[@jkjoness]

Do you think they will come out with Beats Fit Pro 2?… I love the fit of them, as they don’t come out while working out, but lacking a lot of features that the AirPod Pro 2s have.

[@lunarlanding82]

Sticking with my AirPod Pro 2 lightning

[@iraAlbucher]

Hi Brian- I own the Airpod Pro2 with Lightning and iPhone 13Pro. I dont believe it will make any difference with the Airpod Pro2 USB-C??

[@kaychinn8357]

Hi Brian! You always have great video reviews. I just picked these up for my wife. I would like to know the best way to show my wife in chinese about how to use these and the different options.

[@CDAtheCPA]

Do the old cases fit the new ones?

[@tgchavi6012]

anyone knows if the usb c case fits in the older airpods pro 2nd gen lightning protective cases? mainly worried about the cutouts for the charging port

[@shamako4ever718]

Brian always on top of the game with the review

[@chesdigital]

Which band do you have it on your apple watch ultra ?

[@jaribuaruba6949]

Thanks for sharing this video. I loved it. I like all of your videos. You tell it like it is and I like that. I will not be purchasing the airpods pro 2 USC-c. I purchased the airpods pro 2 lightning a few months ago and I will keep these until there is another big change. I have lots of lightning cables and when I want to update the earbuds and the case, I lay it on my charging station and I am good to go. I seem to buy items at the wrong time. So, I will be waiting for a minute. Thanks again for your time making this great video. Have a great rest of your week.😊👍

[@JoveroIV]

My launch day AirPods Pro Gen 1 set is having the cracking/popping issue when using noise cancelation. It’s time.

[@aleklilleskare9172]

Bro how did you get your watch ultra titanium to look like stainless steel?!

[@DaveDFX]

I was doing construction around the home. I was power hammer drilling concrete walls and used my airpod pros to adaptive cancel the incredibly loud drill volume and still hear my surroundings . Really awesome . The drill was less than 12 inches from my ear.

[@estusflask982]

Airpods do not prevent hearing damage, even with the noise canceling feature turned on.

[@keithklimczak6245]

@@estusflask982 what are you talking about, no one said anything about that lol

[@pvdgucht]

I feel like these new AirPods can probably do lossless easily with the new iPhone 15 and Apple Watch 9/2 but they just want to wait for the new ones to make this a new feature and keep it only for the headset idk 🤷🏼‍♂️ maybe they will add it in a few months who knows. I was disappointed when I bought them that I couldn’t chose USB-C

[@blythemajors9193]

Hey bro. Where is that strap for your Applewatch from? Looks great. 👍🏻

[@votdfak]

The biggest issue here is that you cannot add Airpods to your Apple ID account if you don't own iPhone or iPad, owning Macbook doesn’t enable you to pair Airpods to your Apple ID. Crazy.

[@arkabhowmik7832]

All the other devices you’re talking about have Apple Silicon in them. There are still quite a large number of active (support the latest OS) MacBooks which don’t have Apple Silicon Although I have an Apple Silicon MacBook, it doesn’t automatically switch to the MacBook That’s probably the reason I suppose

[@delkor007]

No 😂 thats not the reason! Apple wants you to join the entire ecosystem in order to use their product Apple!

[@votdfak]

I do have M1 Macbook Pro@@arkabhowmik7832

[@votdfak]

This way I cannot use Find My at all and I had to disable Find My on APP2 to stop annoying sounds every time I lift APP2 case@@delkor007

[@appleforever6664]

I had no idea. Wow!

[@WestUCoog]

Heck yea I'm upgrading.

[@newfnshow031]

will the left one break in 4 months like they usually do?

[@codylutes9655]

I have a pair of Sennheiser CX + but I’m really tempted by these. The biggest thing for me is the wireless charging and the smaller case.

[@dalokz]

Are they air pad compatible? Is the air pad on the box?🤨

[@viijan28]

Do you recommend upgrading from pro gen1?

[@DarkEnv2]

I just ordered my wife and I each a pair with the Best Buy deal. Saw that earlier this morning and decided to take advantage of it

[@imonlytellingthetruth]

Hey Brian. Does the Airpod Pro 2nd Gen case beep or earpods beep when you misplace them?

[@iDeker]

I have iPhone 13 mini and an iPad. I just bought the lightning version of the pro 2 because it’ll throw a scanner in the works otherwise if there’s one device using usbc.

[@lamar310]

I thought the new audio modes were Apple hype and big words but I was wrong. I own AirPods 2 with lightning and Adaptive Audio with Conversation mode is my new default setting. It's upgraded my overall user experience by taking what were great earbuds and making them better

[@TomWolfTW]

I got Pro 2 with lightning already and see no reason to upgrade. Best airbuds on the market for sure!

[@Tropical-]

Yea basically nothing different just a new case and Vision Pro features

[@fayenotfaye]

If you have Apple care + you can always commit insurance fraud!

[@JLummin]

same, only way I'd upgrade is if they offered a trade in

[@Ivan-mn3ph]

how though? i called them for a while and they said u cant get the new usb c case@@fayenotfaye

[@seanconklin5707]

@@fayenotfayeexplain 😳

[@albertomorales9628]

Those updates apply to Lighting Pros Gen 2 even the H2 its inside to. dont confuse to people, the only change it's the charging ports.

[@BlaqViper]

I’m thinking there’s an H3 somewhere in the works that will provide better physical separation between an iPhone and AirPods, even if just 3-4 feet. Now let’s just see if it will be ready in time for the iPhone 16 and AirPods Pro 3 a year from now.

[@JustinPulitzerTrades]

The new ear tips don't come with the Lightening version?

[@dr.sachinbengal2618]

M having iPhone 13 as my phone having lightning port and the older airpods pro 2 nd gen with lightning port m getting bit 10 % discount so should i go for type c or older lightning port please help

[@Stellore1]

I’m only upgrading because I’ve mistakenly washed by 1st gen AirPod pros a few times by forgetting them in my pants pocket. They still work but can hear static and the mic is now a little wonky

[@willycheu]

Will we ever get the buds in black?

[@wateriver]

My original AirPods Pro bit the dust back in January and I’ve been waiting for a new model. Just got these a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been enjoying it.

[@hypocritetrollbot7729]

I have the first gen as well. How do they compare in terms of removing the buds from the case to your ears? My first gen’s sometimes take an annoyingly long time to connect and sometimes I have to manually select it in the control center. I got some USB C knockoffs and they instantly connect, but ANC is not good. I’m considering upgrading to the legit USB C 2nd gen pros, but need some feedback. Thanks!

[@hardvincadavid]

Does anyone know what happened to the feature of showing the airpods engraving in the pairing pop-up?

[@Lucieyk]

Is it normal to have a white noise sound (kind of like a very faint raining sound) when using Anc and transparency mode?

[@mal1760]

When comparing things the worst or oldest is presented on the left, and the correct or newest on the right.

[@aaronburns7477]

When are the iPhone 15 press reviews coming? I was kind of hoping we’d see some stuff before the presale.

[@lmallard3788]

I have the AirPods Pro that has the lightning charge case. I want to know if mine have the H1 chip or the H2 chip, because I need some AirPods Max headphones and those have the H1 chip.

[@krash3231]

Thanks for that QUAY sunglasses ad now my wife is looking at sunglasses instead of AirPods lol

[@abhijeetbalsaraf5907]

The best part is that chime noise at 3.54😂

[@m4nc1n1]

No error. I bought the Prom gen 2 USB-C at Best Buy on release day for $199

[@5000PokemonMaster]

I still have been using wired EarPods lol but now I will definitely upgrade to AirPods Pro 2 USB-C. Will also upgrade my iPhone 11 to 15. Glad I held out on getting AirPods

[@thavarinjr5666]

Dude I literally have been doing the same and I am planning to buy the same also. It’s been a struggle with my 11 and wired earbuds but the the patience is gonna pay off soon.

[@FRWD_FXLRST]

Why doesn’t my case battery percentage show in the widget?

[@abc123fhdi]

should see if there's any noticeable difference between these and the wired usb c which are lossless with an iPhone 15. you can charge them with Apple Watch charger. they have them for $189 now.

[@Kingpin142]

Yeah works for me with a usbc to lightning, charging my pro 2s

[@BuGGy2DaB]

Just brought mines from Best Buy for $199 while on Amazon was $199 but went up to $249. So I had to buy it while it’s $199 on BB before the price goes up.

[@tyness00]

Do the 1st Gen that came out a year ago / AirPods Pro have lossless Audio? Or is this an extra feature just with the 2nd Gen?

[@briantong]

Only with the 2nd Gen ISB-C model and WITH the Ape Vision Pro

[@mx.ultra16]

I don't think I've ever once used the wired/lightning cable for charging my AirPods Pro (2nd generation), opting for the wireless/MagSafe charging. Renders an "upgrade" to USB-C kinda moot in my opinion since there aren't many other added significant features.

[@nelsdale1137]

Exactly the same experience for me

[@kennethawesome]

I switched between MagSafe and Lightning charging all the time

[@JesusPerez-yc6yu]

I always forget to charge my earbuds, the which is why I'm getting usb c for the C to C charging tou ur phone

[@lamar310]

Wireless charging = slow charging I'm not here to say upgrade. Just pointing out that wireless charging is the SLOWEST way to charge AirPods

[@kennethawesome]

@@lamar310 Wouldn't be better to charge slowly to prolong the already small batteries in the AirPods Pro?

[@peterledniczky2966]

anyone know which band he is using with the watch?

[@brentsmithline3423]

Next time I go to the Bridgeport Apple store in Oregon (ORY-GUN) I am going to have to try the new AirPods Pro (2nd Gen). When it comes to Apple AirPods the first time I tried them they would just fall out of my ears. I still use the standard Apple EarPods with inside the ear, ear hooks. Could use these with AirPods except you can not put them into the case with the ear hooks on. Too much of a pain to put the inside the ear, ear hooks on, and then take them off every time go to use the AirPods. Wish Apple made in ear ear hook option that would allow me to put them inside the case, and charge them without taking them off. That or a tip that would go further into my ear canal so they would stay in.

[@zhiwooyi]

is the mic better? bcs the mic of my air pods pro suck

[@Nessahontas]

I’m not sure of that conversation setting, music will stop all the time since I’m constantly talking to myself

[@yousuf86]

You are amongst those who already testing the iPhone 15. So you can test if the old AirPods Pro 2 is charging via lightning. 🎉 so how is the 15pro max natural titanium

[@richardmckenney9434]

Just picked up the Pro 2 USB C when I picked up my 15 Pro Max. As everything else I own use USB C except my Series 6 watch. So a pair of a earbuds and phone was worth it to me. Wish the AirPod max was USB C and water/sweat resistant then I’d replace my Focal Bluetooth headphones as Apples ANC is majorly better.

[@cherther13]

You are good And funny😂❤❤ THEY ARE A REAL GAME CHANGER‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@traydevon]

I’m waiting to see what the new Beats Fit Pro have to offer when those come out because they stay in my ears better. Hoping they have touch controls and a smaller case with wireless charging.

[@oterrax]

Me too. Haven't seen any news of any upcoming update. 😢

[@carlson2012abqb]

I’ve been using those since they dropped November 2021 and I would LOVE to see them with the H2 chip, take my money lol

[@boboso7238]

Hopefully a clear pair like the others got.

[@timwhite8500]

Those are such a great earbud. My best ever for running.

[@traydevon]

@@timwhite8500 The only major downside for me is the buttons instead of touch controls. Pressing buttons pushes the earbuds further into your ears, which is annoying.

[@smgumbycat]

I purchased the AirPods Pro 2 USB-C. The Noise Cancellation is FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD!

[@wutisay]

Good job.

[@epicsupergeneration8017]

I just got my first Apple product. (I'm a Samsung fanboy). I got the Apple Airpod Pro 2nd gen new at Amazon. I have a Samsung S21 ultra and have been using Sony earbuds XM3s. And I was annoyed that the earbuds kept falling off. These pros are excellent! They fit well and won't fall and light. Unfortunately, as a Samsung Android user, my options are limited because the third-party apps on Google Play are not great. I found out that you have to watch out for clones. One accurate indication is that it will say, "assembled in Vietnam." Fakes will say otherwise. I did the pain of going back and forth in buying and returning on Amazon, and finally got the real deal of purchasing the Airpod Pro 2nd USB-C version.

[@Sam_North]

I just bought the Airpods pro gen 2 with lightning for 40€ cheaper than the one's with usb c. I have been using galaxy buds+ for 4 years and I always charged them wirelessly and I don't think that will change

[@NeoDiNardo]

Are we getting upgraded to USB-C Apple MagSafe Battery Packs?

[@rohanwilliam1354]

My question is will the second gen airpods pro get all the new software features announced for ips 17 ? That the third gen is getting

[@gailenrique2804]

There is no third generation airpods pro yet. You have to update to ios17 on the iPhone to get the new features. To update the airpods pro you'll need to listen to music for 20 mins then keep the airpods case open and both the phone and airpods pro case need to be charged +20%. Alternatively, you can hook up airpods pro to your macbook pro to get the update.

[@agimos_art]

Die Kopfhörer sind große Klasse ❤

[@traceries5201]

Since I lost my Right pod I should probably upgrade to the USB-C version.

[@vinaydahya5353]

I have the original AirPods Pro and was holding off upgrading until they switched to USB C. Do you think it's worth upgrading or do you think there will be a true redesign for the AirPods Pro?

[@justinadamsorlando]

Following!

[@samuelw1234]

Not sure about the redesign, but I bought these after owning the AirPods Pro 1 for a couple of years. They are very similar, but the noise cancelling is much better and MagSafe (for both iPhone and AW chargers) is awesome. Sound mix is better as well when listening to music, but if you’re not always paying attention to those kinds of things you may not notice. Overall, I’m happy with my purchase and I think it’s marginally worth the upgrade.

[@vinaydahya5353]

@@samuelw1234 thanks for that mini review. I feel like this often doesn’t come up in these reviews

[@samuelw1234]

@@vinaydahya5353 no problem. Like I said it’s not a game changer, but if you’ve had your AirPods Pro 1 for a while, then it’s worthwhile just for maintenance purposes. Meaning, the battery was starting to go on mine so might as well upgrade to the latest and get some nice to have features. The first time I bought my AirPods Pro 1, I was blown away. I had never used noise canceling headphones before. And they were in such a small package. Not sure anything can replicate that feeling anymore. The AirPods Pro 2 were just kind of like, “these work similar to my AirPods Pro 1, cool”. I had to switch between the two with my sink running to notice a difference at first between the ANC intensity. However, I must say that after more use I’ve noticed it more and more in different scenarios. It’s an improvement for sure, just not game changing like the originals were.

[@latinmaleaz]

thx. would its functions work for any android model?

[@cosmicraccoon9014]

Should I still get the usb-c AirPods even though I won’t get apple vision pro? I just want the usb-c because just in case if I go to a android users house lol

[@DawoodAl-Janaby]

All features got added to the lighting one with the new ios

[@MikeAbili]

I'm so happy you've continued to review technology, Brian. CNET hasn't been the same since you left and there was no more Apple Byte.

[@briantong]

Thanks for rocking with me Mike! You're allowing me to keep doing this!

[@hollydolly088]

@@briantongI’ve been here since the apple byte and cnet days too :)

[@briantong]

Thank you as well@@hollydolly088!

[@superslic1]

Love all your tech videos, been watching them since cnet as well. Great meeting you at CES last year!

[@totaldstruktion]

Did they already add adaptive audio to the OG AirPod pros? Because not long after it got announced i noticed a change. For example when I’m checking out at Walmart the beep from the self checkout will cause them to try to block out the sound a bit. Same thing when its windy, the mics compensate for the extra noise and tries to cancel it out

[@KHANGFU]

I hate the adaptive audio so far. It doesn’t seem to block out much noise and it gets really loud for no reason. Not sure what the benefit of it is.

[@hollydolly088]

I upgrade every device yearly. But let’s see if I need this lol

[@RobertReznorRR]

I think it’s worth the wait until the next iPhone series will launch with H2 chip inside for Lossless audio codecs to work with Airpods pro 2 or Airpods Max 2nd gen in the next couple of years !

[@Hedgehog50000]

Can someone tell me if this USBC case works with AirPod pro 1?

[@relent107]

I have the Pro 2's and my 15 Pro Max 1TB comes tomorrow....the only thing that's tempting me is lossless audio. Is that going to support lossless audio on the iPhone, or JUST exclusively the vision pro?

[@Sacha_8976]

Vision pro only

[@relent107]

@@Sacha_8976 So currently having the normal Pro 2's with Lightning....and never planning on getting the Vision Pro, I definitely shouldn't upgrade.

[@Sacha_8976]

@@relent107 I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you care about slight dust resistance as well

[@Truth_Seeker1]

Now I have a feeling the tomorrow the embargo end for the Watch or phone.

[@Jeeping21]

I would like to verify my AirPods Pro authenticity. I checked the apple website and the serial number on the case and earbuds. Everything checked out. But why does my AirPods Pro have a lighting charging case and not the MagSafe case ? I got these AirPods as a gift btw.

[@user-cu7ew4it1i]

Hi will Apple iPods with usb C work on my iPhone 14. Thanks