Rephrase and rearrange the whole content into a news article. I want you to respond only in language English. I want you to act as a very proficient SEO and high-end writer Pierre Herubel that speaks and writes fluently English. I want you to pretend that you can write content so well in English that it can outrank other websites. Make sure there is zero plagiarism.: Editor’s Note• Original review date: September 2022• New version with USB-C connection out now• Launch price: $249 / £249 / AU$399• Official price now: $249 / £229 / AU$399Update: January 2024. The AirPods Pro 2 had a refresh a year after their launch, with their new model swapping the Lightning charging port for a USB-C port. Beyond that, the two models appear to work identically in practice, including sound and active noise cancellation quality (though the new model will have a lossless sound connection to Apple Vision Pro). AirPods Pro 2 also received an update with a great Adaptive Transparency mode in iOS 17, which isn’t a game-changer, but improved their feature-set. Compared to new releases, they still hold their own for audio prowess, and the noise cancellation is only just behind the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 – but what really keeps these relevant is the price. They’ve stayed low while competitors like the Sony WF-1000XM5 rose, and they get price cuts during big sales events. During sales, it’s common to find them for $189 / £199 – that’s the price to aim for, at most. The rest of this review remains as previously published.Matt BoltonManaging Editor, EntertainmentAirPods Pro 2: two-minute reviewThe Apple AirPods Pro 2 are a significant upgrade from the original AirPods Pro true wireless earbuds. Because although the first AirPods Pro were a good move forward for Apple – sound quality and overall performance was good – there are plenty of new features to enjoy in these buds that came out in late 2022. While the design hasn’t moved on that much since the first iteration (just a new audio vent hinting at a difference), the case has a speaker and a lanyard attachment, for both ease of finding the lost earbuds and keeping hold of them on your person.What’s more, volume control from the stems is welcome, if fiddly to use, and the microphones have been enhanced to allow for better voice clarity as well. The Personalized Spatial Audio capability is also nice to have, making them feel like your earbuds, but we’re not sure it adds a lot.However, the audio performance has been massively upgraded thanks to the new H2 chip inside, and it makes the AirPods Pro 2 a real contender for the best noise-cancelling earbuds and overall best true wireless earbuds around – even more than 6 months after they were first released.(Image credit: TechRadar)The overall soundscape is wide, expansive and the AirPods Pro 2 are excellent at pulling out different instruments in the audio. The vocal tones are clear, the bass thudding but not dominant – we found ourselves reaching for them just to sink into a sonic world when we had an idle moment.That feeling of audio envelopment comes from an enhanced noise-cancelling capability, and it’s brilliant on the AirPods Pro 2. Turn it on and the world fades away – it’s among the best we’ve tried in any true wireless earbuds.The battery life has been extended, but not to beat many other rivals on the market. Turn on all the head tracking, Spatial Audio and noise-cancelling features and you’ll get about 4-5 hours between charges, with the case now able to charge in a variety of new ways too.In short, while they’re expensive and a real investment, if you’re embedded in the Apple ecosystem these are excellent, immersive and beautifully-sounding buds.AirPods Pro 2 price and release datePrice impressive stays the same as original AirPods ProAirPods Pro 2 release date: September 23(Image credit: TechRadar)If you’re looking to pick up the Apple AirPods Pro 2, you’ll find them for $249 / £249 / AU$399 – and they’ve remained at this price since they were first released on September 23.This is the same price as the previous model, the Apple AirPods Pro, except in the UK, where it’s a £10 increase. However, the older model is always discounted these days at retailers other than Apple, so while both are available, the new version costs more, effectively.In the current climate, keeping the official price the same is actually a more aggressive move from Apple than it looks, because almost all other new flagship earbuds have increased their price. They’re not exactly affordable, but most major players are coming in higher with their latest true wireless earbuds.AirPods Pro 2 design and features(Image credit: TechRadar)Design is almost identical to previous modelsCase is same shape, but with a few extra accessoriesVolume control is welcome, but erraticGood on-board microphones for voiceIf you’re looking for AirPods with an all-new design, you’re not going to get that here. The AirPods Pro are precisely the same as the previous iterations, with the shorter stem and the wider, more squat case to house them in.Side by side, you will notice that the AirPods Pro 2 do have an extra black section cut out, which is an audio vent designed to improve the quality of sound coming out of the diminutive buds – and, as you’ll see in a moment, that audio quality is darned impressive.The only other small design change on the buds actually comes in the box, where Apple has packed in extra small tips for those with teenier ears – as our Senior Audio Writer Becky Scarrott can attest, this is a much-needed change and one that Apple should be applauded for making (especially as it’s keeping the RRP of the AirPods the same as the models from 2019).While the stems on the AirPods Pro 2 might look the same, they house a new feature on AirPods: volume control. We’ve been mournfully crying out for this feature since the first AirPods emerged years ago, and it’s finally here – except, well, it’s far from perfect.It works by stroking the small stem up and down, waiting for the small click to confirm a change. When you get the rhythm, it’s fine – the strokes work perfectly and you can alter volume easily, despite being a little slow to respond.However, it’s so hard to get the sweet spot each time – while the feature is nice to have and one we use regularly, it’s not well implemented enough to be flawless.The only other design change comes on the new charging case, which both last longer on a single charge but also comes with a new lanyard clip, as well as a speaker on the base.(Image credit: TechRadar)The lanyard clip is a surprise, allowing one to wear the AirPods case around the neck in a nod to the world of fashion – but the speaker is more of a useful upgrade.This speaker allows the AirPods Pro to gain ‘Find My’ features, so you can press a button on your phone to make a sound emanate from the AirPods Pro case. This is a useful upgrade as the previous method on the older models – making the buds themselves play ear-splitting sound – didn’t really work.The AirPods Pro 2 also pack in the U1 chip that’s been added to iPhones of late, meaning you can see on your handset the direction of the headphones too – helpful if the sound isn’t playing.It’s not perfect, as we sometimes just couldn’t connect to the case when we knew it was in the house somewhere, but on the other occasions when the connection appeared, it was fun to follow the signal around the house, with an increasingly strong vibration on the phone happening as we closed in.The new charging case does have another neat trick: allowing you to use an Apple Watch charger to juice up the AirPods Pro holder. It feels so seamless to do that it’s hard to understand why this hasn’t happened before, but it’s a great feature nonetheless.(Image credit: TechRadar)There’s also a new AirPods app in iOS 16, which allows you to head in and alter the settings on the AirPods themselves.One of the key features here is the ability to set up Personalized Spatial Audio, where a scan of your face and ears will be able to re-calibrate the sound performance of the AirPods Pro 2.It’s hard…
