Apple AirPods Pro 2 USB-C (2023) review: still the best choice for Apple users

 The new AirPods Pro 2 (2023) with MagSafe charging case (USB-C) are very similar to last year's Lightning model and cost the same (€279). However, they are not identical. First, the earbuds and charging case have increased dust resistance (IP54 rating instead of IPX4). Second, you can charge the AirPods Pro 2 with the included USB-C cable. And finally, and most interestingly, Apple has added support for 20-bit/48kHz lossless audio with " massive latency reduction " for its upcoming Vision Pro headset.

It is unclear whether this is a hardware change, a software change, or both. Either way, the main takeaway is that the AirPods Pro 2 USB-C offer slight upgrades. They're not significant enough to make anyone want to ditch their original AirPods Pro 2.

Apple's move to USB-C

Apple is gradually moving away from its proprietary Lightning connectivity to switch to USB-C. It started with iPads and then the iPhone 15. Presumably, all of Apple's accessories will also move to USB-C.

Design-wise, nothing except the charging port has changed with the new AirPods Pro 2. They look and fit the same and come with the same four sizes. tips. The headphones now fit smaller ears better, but some people with larger ear canals will miss the lack of a set of XL tips.

The new AirPods Pro 2 offer the same features optimized for Apple users, including spatial audio with head tracking and automatic switching between branded devices with an iCloud account (this feature has been slightly improved). Their performance in terms of noise reduction and voice calls is still excellent, as is the battery life which can reach 6 hours with noise reduction activated. The case provides four additional charges.

The AirPods Pro 2 benefited from new features with the release of iOS 17 last September. These include adaptive audio, conversation detection, and custom volume. Since we tested these features with the "new" AirPods Pro 2, the biggest question we had was: do the USB-C AirPods Pro sound better than the previous Lightning version?

photo credit: David Carnoy/CNETThe new USB-C model is on the left, the old Lightning model is on the right.

Audio tests

When AirPods Pro 2 first launched in 2022, some hoped they could stream songs in lossless audio quality. This was not possible and is still the case with the new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C, at least not with Apple devices currently on the market. Whether they will be able to do this in the future with anything other than the Vision Pro headset remains to be seen.

To try to determine whether or not the audio quality of the AirPods Pro 2 (2023) is different, we compared them with the previous model using an iPhone 14 Pro and an iPhone 15 . We used the same tips, the same settings as well as the same titles: Knock Knock Knock by Spoon, Monday by Imagine Dragons, Choreomania by Florence and The Machine and Shivers by Ed Sheeran, on Apple Music and Qobuz.

The average listener will be hard-pressed to notice a difference in audio quality between the old and new AirPods Pro 2. They are both excellent. But our test gives us the feeling that the two models do not sound exactly the same. And maybe the new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C sound slightly more refined. But it could be a bias on our part. Indeed, ever since we learned that the acoustic architecture has changed, we can't believe that the two models sound exactly the same. It is therefore possible that our mind plays tricks on us. But after some more testing, our ears say there is a very small difference.

Why isn't Apple communicating about this improvement if this is the case? It seems that the Apple firm sometimes likes to keep a little mystery around one. Case in point: We only learned last summer that the AirPods Pro 2 would benefit from adaptive audio, conversation detection, and custom volume, which arrived with iOS 17.

Conclusion

As we said in the preamble, there is no really obvious reason to buy the new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C if you already have the originals.

The fact remains that for Apple users, AirPods Pro 2 are still essential. When the first AirPods Pro came out about four years ago, it was really their compact size, comfortable fit, and Apple-exclusive features that were their biggest selling points. This is still the case, but we add to that an RBA which is now at the level of the best models of the moment such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds