Are the AirPods Pro 2  the best travel headphones?

We have used countless headphones over the years and can still remember the tangle of wires when dragging  a Sony Walkman from a rucksack whilst backpacking. And then there was swapping AA batteries from torches to enable listening of the mix tape we’d probably played a thousand times.

Fortunately technology has done away with those headphone wires and these self charging in earbuds can easily be recharged from their case. There are many other features that possibly make the AirPods Pro 2, the best travel headphones available now…

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the AirPods Pro 2 is excellent. Whilst it obviously depends on the source of the audio that you are listening to, but if you are say listening to a track that is recorded in Dolby ATMOS, then wow, it is really, really good.

There is also personalised spatial audio surrounds sound that can be personalised just for you and works with dynamic head tracking. This immerses you within your music and movies.

Noise Cancellation

After using traditional Apple AirPods before upgrading to AirPods Pro 2, the noise cancelling feature was a revelation. Because the AirPods Pro 2 uses a silicone tip to create a seal between the air pod and your ear, they physically cut out some background noise, which is great when you are travelling. The rest of the unwanted noise is reduced by some very clever noise cancelling technology built into the AirPods Pro 2. (When switched on though it can reduce the listening time from up to 30 hours, down to up to 6 hours).

There is an adaptive transparency feature which lets you hear the sounds around you if you want to, whilst reducing the intensity of loud noises like sirens, alarms, building works, underground tube train screeching etc. This is good when you don’t want to cut out all of the sounds near you, just the intense ones.

We recently had a flight to Egypt diverted to Gatwick airport after a bird strike damaged the plane. We were sat on the tarmac for hours and many passengers were getting irate. Fortunately with our AirPods Pro 2 … we were completely detached from the noise.

Wireless Charging

The case can be charged with a lightening connector or they can be charged wirelessly with a compatible MagSafe charger. When the AirPods Pro 2 are in the case they automatically charge. This is useful when you’re on a long flight as you can top the charge up easily whilst taking a refreshment break.

Sweat & Water Resistant

Both the case and the AirPods Pro 2 buds are IPX4 sweat & water resistant. This means if you splash them, they’ll be ok. It does not mean though that they are waterproof and can be immersed in water. So don’t attempt swimming in them!

Long Listening Time

If you don’t use the noise cancelling feature, they are apparently good for 30 hours.  With the feature on, this is reduced to up to 6 hours. On a long haul flight, I always take a power bank with me and keep the case topped up so there’s always some available charge when you need to use them.

Touch Controls

You can swipe up and down the stem of the AirPods Pro 2 to adjust volume of the audio which is handy if you don’t want to get your phone out (or if you don’t use an Apple Watch). You can also programme them so that when you press the stem, it will play and pause music,  answer or end a phone call, or hold it to switch between active noise cancellation and adaptive transparency.

Flexible Fit

The Apple Airpods Pro 2 are supplied with a range of silicone tips so that you can get the best fit depending on the shape of your ear. These tips create the acoustic seal which helps keep out  unwanted noise and helps secure the AirPods Pro in place when you’re wearing them. The tips include and extra small one which is suitable for children. This wasn’t available with the first generation AirPods Pro