The New Apple AirPods Pro 2: USB-C, Lossless Audio, and Improved Durability

The September 12 Apple event was full of announcements. For those who missed it, Apple brought out the much-awaited iPhone 15 series, Series 9 Apple Watch, and has updated some of its existing products and services. Among the products that saw an update, there’s the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

As you might know by now, the last event marked a monumental shift for Apple. Apple’s proprietary lightning connector is now a thing of the past, and all the latest Apple products now come with USB-C. And Apple has updated the AirPods Pro 2 accordingly.

But it’s not just the USB-C that’s new on the updated Apple AirPods Pro 2 model. In addition, Apple has improved its sound performance and made it more resilient against harsh weather conditions.

Everything You Need to Know About the Updated Apple AirPods Pro 2

The USB-C-equipped AirPods Pro 2 now has support for 20-bit, 48 kHz audio support. In other words, the wireless earbuds finally have support for Lossless Audio. However, there’s a catch with this audio format on the updated version of the wireless earbuds.

You can only get Lossless Audio when you pair the new Apple AirPods Pro 2 with the Apple Vision Pro. It’s the mixed-reality headset that’s set to debut early next year. Apple says that the Lossless Audio feature on the wireless earbuds requires an Apple H2 chip. And the mixed-reality headset comes with it.

Moving on, the updated AirPods Pro 2 comes with an IP54 rating, which is true for both the earbuds and the carrying case. The previous model only had an IPX4 rating, which made it less ideal for the beach and similar environments.

Other new features of the new AirPods Pro 2 include Personalized Volume, Adaptive Audio, and Conversational Awareness. And you can reverse charge the carrying case with the iPhone through a USB-C cable. All of this will refine the user experience, but the limited support for Lossless Audio is really a bummer.

After all, the competitors, such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, already offer Lossless Audio that works with a wider range of devices. Nonetheless, the new Apple AirPods Pro 2 will go for $249 and be available for purchase from September 22.