Apple Wants You to Drop $249 on the New AirPods Pro. Are They Worth the Cost?

Should Apple's new AirPods Pro be on your holiday wish list, or should you buy a set of these hi-tech earbuds your podcast-loving loved ones?

The latest iteration of Apple’s earbuds has just hit shelves, complete with a charging case, an upgraded noise cancellation feature, and the status that comes with owning the latest version of the fancy thing. A pair of AirPods Pro also come with a $249 price tag, which is $100 more than the regular model.

AirPods Pro can be purchased at the Apple Store, of course, and they're also available to order from major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy.

But are they worth the money? Naturally, reviews of Apple's latest hyped new piece of tech are flying in. What are people saying?

CNN's review appreciates the new design that “alleviate some of the pressure that noise-cancellation silicone tips typically add” while generally looking sleeker, and notes that the cancellation feature drowned out traffic, while also offering a transparency mode for when you don’t want to completely block out the world, such as when you’re waiting for your coffee. That said, writer Samantha Murphy Kelly felt the call feature needed some work, and the Pods are still far too easy to lose.

Over at Forbes, Anthony Karcz found the AirPods Pro's setup to be a breeze, and thought that the noise cancellation feature worked wonders. He also appreciated that users can test the tips to make sure they are working properly.

The Verge loved the new fit and improved sound quality, but writer Chris Welch thought the battery life wasn’t up to par.

Tim Gideon of PC Mag thought the Pro was a major improvement over previous AirPods, and especially appreciated the “rich bass depth and crisp high-mid presence.” That said, true audiophiles might grumble that they have limited choices to customize their listening experience, as “if there's one broad complaint here, it's that we'd like to see a dedicated app or some other method to adjust ANC levels and EQ customization.”

At TechRadar, Olivia Tambini and Henry St Leger loved the sound and ease of use, but doesn’t love that the devices rely so heavily on Siri to control audio playback, and "which is never going to be the most convenient option - especially if chatting to Apple's voice assistant has never really become second nature to you.”

We’ve included affiliate links into this article. Click here to learn what those are.