Apple didn’t just swap the Lightning port at the bottom of the AirPods Pro charging case for a USB-C one but also brought other new features to the wireless earbuds.
As part of the new iPhone and Apple Watch models that Apple unveiled on September 23, the company also announced during the “Wonderlust” event an updated second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case.
The rumors correctly predicted this move, necessitated by the new EU rules requiring all electronics sold within the bloc to use USB-C charging.
Here’s a quick rundown through the new features on the second-generation AirPods Pro that Apple didn’t have the time to discuss during the keynote.
1. Lossless audio with the Vision Pro headset
The refreshed AirPods Pro are Apple’s first wireless earbuds with lossless audio support. Lossless compression retains all the nuances and details of the master recording thanks to an algorithm that preserves the original data. The Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) supports the 24-bit/192 kHz audio resolution.
Apple’s support page acknowledges that its AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and Beats products use the Apple AAC Bluetooth codec “to ensure excellent audio quality,” but also acknowledges that “Bluetooth connections aren’t lossless.”
By contrast, the new AirPods Pro press release states that a combination of updated hardware and “a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol” enables lossless audio. The new audio protocol seems to require the updated H2 chip on both ends, which could explain why the latest iPhone 15 devices that lack the H2 chip don’t support lossless playback with the refreshed earbuds.
The AirPods Pro page confirms the AirPods Pro and Vision Pro have the new H2 chip, letting these devices communicate at “industry-shattering speed and unlocking a revolutionary new format rendering pure, uncompressed sound in real time.”
Other AirPods, however, are stuck with an older chip lacking lossless audio support. AirPods Max owners must be particularly unhappy that their $549 over-ear headphones don’t support many of iOS 17’s new features (let alone lossless audio) because—you guessed right—they use the outdated Apple H1 chip.
2. Dust resistance
The previous AirPods Pro were IPX4-rated for water and sweat resistance. You could safely use them under the shower, in the rain or while working out. The new USB-C AirPods Pro have an updated rating to IPX5, adding dust resistance to the mix. So now you can enjoy music in dusty environments, too.
3. USB-C charging
Your charging options have expanded thanks to USB-C. Like before, you can continue to juice up your $249 earbuds using wireless MagSafe, Qi and Apple Watch chargers. But now, you can connect the charging case via the included USB-C charge cable to any standard USB-C power adapter.
Another benefits of Apple’s USB-C adoption, and a pretty cool one—you can now charge the USB-C AirPods Pro and Apple Watch with the iPhone 15!
Quite a name!
Apple refers to the refresh earbuds as the “AirPods Pro (second generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‐C).” If you’re interested, you can pre-order yours today ahead of retail availability beginning September 22.
Pre-order AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) from Apple
Meanwhile, the regular AirPods and the AirPods Max still use the proprietary Lightning connector, but not for long—Apple is expected to add USB-C to the AirPods Max and regular AirPods in early 2024.