A good point! I think I agree with you in general that the AirPods Pro make for a slightly weirder talking experience.
I did know that, and I think Tonya tried it with no luck, but I honestly don’t remember.
This was useful. I ran my AirPods through the wash earlier this year. I’m hoping only the case is wrecked, but if I’m not that lucky I’ll have to pick between the models. I think I’ll stick with the AirPods.
I also discovered this and was deeply disappointed. I’m good about putting the pods back into the case. But I didn’t know where in the house the case was. And so Find My was no help. So, I’m penalized for being less reckless than the guy who leaves the pods scattered around!
How hard would it be to put a tiny beeper in that case?
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Interesting read!
I have never found the fit of any Apple earbuds tolerable for even a moment until the Pros. They can wiggle loose, but that’s a world better than never fitting at all and falling right out.
The noise cancellation can be helpful but it’s not a stunning effect. I use it a lot nonetheless.
But to me the real magic of the Pros, and what I don’t hear anyone giving enough attention to, is Transparency mode. That alone is the deal winner here. The fact that I don’t have to remove them to chat with someone is huge. And then flip modes to block out sound and re-immerse… I don’t have long blocks of time where I don’t need to hear my environment at least for a few seconds. This way I easily can switch over with a simple squeeze.
Any more, I can’t imagine spending more than $50 on any earbuds that can’t give me the key usability feature I get with Transparency.
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I’ve only had AirPod Pros so my perception is definitely biased, but just the other day, I happened to glance at my sister-in-law’s AirPods case, and did a double-take because the shape looked kind of weird to me.
I like the tight seal of the in-ear AirPod Pros, but then my ear shape is one that needs something that fits snugly. I have so many never-used pairs of the old wired EarPods, because they simply never worked for me - they’d fall out instantly, with the slightest movement of my face.
Back in the before-time, I rode the subway in NYC every day, and anything that didn’t have at least passive noise reduction was pointless - one reason I loved (and still love) my Beats X, which block out then noise of the subway pretty effectively. On the subway, the AirPod Pros noise cancellation is magical, yet, I can still hear enough of what’s going on around me to not feel like I have zero situational awareness.
I have felt the AirPod Pros gradually start slipping after extended use; It sounds gross, but I think it’s because of the gradual build-up of oils in your ear canal. A little warm water rinse of the tips every so often usually helps - but I think that’s why some people swear by foam, rather than silicon tips. That said, I’ve used my AirPod Pros - in Transparency mode - on bike rides and runs with no issue (so far).
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This is a cause of problems in the NYC Subway system:
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The sidewalk grates are a problem too, though I’ve heard success stories of MTA workers retrieving them for people who had lost them.
And a lot of other stuff, including an engagement ring about to be exchanged during a proposal:
And the MTA has had problems with missing iPhones in addition to those lost on the subway system:
New York is an Apple kind of town.
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Sadly, it’s not just Apple gear that gets stolen and it’s not just New York. A couple of years ago, we accidentally left an Amazon Kindle on an Amtrak train. We reported it immediately, but it was never found. We assume it was stolen and sold on the black market.
We immediately went to Amazon’s web site to lock the device and have it display contact information so whoever found it could return it, but nobody ever contacted us. I have no idea why anybody would want to keep a bricked device, but very few things these days make sense to me.
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Someone mentioned this article about Jony Ive and the “fiddle factor” in relation to my comment about how addictive the AirPods case can be.
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I did the same, sans case. I have to think that my scenario of accidentally washing just the buds is common. What was your result? For me, the wash killed my microphone but the speakers are fine. Now these are my ‘workout’ pair. 
I had both for a minute, too. I am one of those for whom AirPods Pro just don’t work because of the shape. They are painfully uncomfortable for me in a matter of minutes, regardless of silicone size. It’s just as well, because the sound quality was not appreciably different and noise canceling is not essential. I went back to the AirPods – and if I ever truly need NC on a regular basis, I’ll go to full-size phones. (By the way, the standard Sony beat the standard Bose in my personal NC headphones showdown.) Reassuring to know I’m not the only one for whom AirPods Pro are not a good (literal) fit. Thank you for the article!
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I have both AirPod and AirPod Pro. I got the AirPod Pro because I lost my right earpiece and the pros were on special. Then right after I got the AirPod Pros, I found the right earpiece.
The AirPod is more comfortable and stays in better, but even though I don’t have a perfect seal, I love the sound suppression. I work in a noisy kitchen, and it really helps reduce the noise.
Biggest issue I have is that both operate differently. One you touch. One you squeeze. That makes it difficult to switch between them.
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I’m now on AirPods Pro because my wife didn’t like hers (they kept falling out) and she took over my Air Pods. The noise cancellation is really impressive and with the smallest tips I don’t lose them either. But I don’t like the pressure they exert on my ear and I feel like I want to clear the overpressure as soon as I’ve installed them. I also find the stems too short which makes them harder to insert. My regular AirPods sat well in my ears, never fell out, and thanks to their long stems were easy to insert and take out. The longer stems also made seating them back into the case a breeze. The case feels perfect, whereas the Pro case feels bulky to me. I admit though, the clunk sound the Pro case makes when you shut it is way nicer compared to the more clacky sound of the Air Pod case.
I am thoroughly impressed with ANC and transparency mode, but considering I’m not flying due to the pandemic, if I had to buy a new pair tomorrow it would definitely again be the regular AirPods. They’re just less hassle for me. And of course way less expensive.
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