AirPods Pro: our very first impressions [video]

Apple started shipping its latest $250 AirPods Pro earphones Wednesday following the official announcement two days prior. iDownloadBlog has been able to get its hands on a pair of these noise-cancelling earbuds. We thought it prudent to put together a hands-on video walkthrough sharing our initial impressions with you, girls and boys, our loyal readers.

AirPods Pro have compact packaging similar to the regular AirPods. Inside, you’ll find your earbuds in their case, a cable and 3 silicone ear tips (replacements will cost $4 a pop). Neither model, however, comes with the obligatory Apple stickers that you get with other products.

Apple’s new earbuds are shorter than the previous model.

The charging case is not too dissimilar from the previous AirPods’ charging cases, but is now definitely shorter and wider – almost as if you turned the second-generation AirPods case upside down and enlarged it just very slightly. The AirPods Pro case has an LED light on the front and the manual pairing button out the back — again, just like with the regular AirPods.

The new AirPods Pro case, at left, versus the regular AirPods case, at right.

The hinge on the case of the new AirPods Pro produces a slightly cheaper, plasticky-sounding click when you’re opening or closing it, at least compared to the charging case for the regular AirPods with its reassuring clicking sensation.

Best thing I let Harris do the talking.

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Curiously enough, these AirPods arrive with a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box, begging the question “Will iPhones ever transition from Lighting to USB-C?” Who knows, but this could be a good indication of that because the regular AirPods ship with the regular USB cable in the box.

Maybe Apple thinks the “pro” moniker warrants USB-C or perhaps they’re transitioning all of their remaining products to USB-C. Whatever the reason, I’m liking this change a lot. It also means that you’ll need a compatible USB-C wall adapter to charge the case, like Apple’s own USB-C adapters that come bundled with iPad Pros and the latest iPhones.

The pressure sensor on the stem acts like a programmable button.

Harris makes other observations in his hands-on video walkthrough so be sure to sit through the whole thing, it runs just six minutes and twenty seconds long. After that, join us in comments to share your own opinion about the new AirPods Pro with fellow readers.

So, what are your feelings on the new AirPods Pro so far?

Planning on upgrading to them anytime soon?