AirPods have been an integral part of the Apple ecosystem ever since they were introduced back in 2016 (yes, it’s been almost nine years!). While AirPods offer the convenience of wireless connectivity, they’re also powered by a battery, which can degrade just like the wires of a wired headphone.
Let’s start off with the reason for this decision. I’ve been using the AirPods Pro 2 with a Lightning port for well over a year and a half, and have been experiencing some issues with Transparency Mode and Noise Cancellation, along with Battery Life. As expected, the battery life has degraded by a noticeable amount. The AirPods themselves last for around 4.5-5 hours, instead of six, and one of them outlasts the other by a few minutes. The battery within the case depleted even further. Battery life aside, the quality and clarity of Transparency mode had degraded as well — so much so that my AirPods Pro 1 Transparency mode sounded better. The same goes for Noise Cancellation. My theory is that multiple factors such as dust, moisture, and sweat played a role in it since I’ve used it during long workout sessions.
Since I had AppleCare+ on my AirPods Pro 2, I got mine replaced with a brand new pair.
As for the AirPods Pro 1 that I’ve been using, they’re also brand new as I got them replaced due to battery issues and water damage, and they have been lying unused for the last few months.
Here’s what stood out during my week-long switch back to my first-generation AirPods Pro.
Battery Life: Manageable, but noticeably shorter.
The first thing that I noticed was the battery life. Even though it was new and lasted the full rated capacity, it was still just four hours for the AirPods themselves — compared to six hours on my AirPods Pro 2. This used to be even less with my first pair of the AirPods Pro 1 before it was replaced, where it provided a grand total of 2.5 hours of listening time on the AirPods. 4 hours is still very manageable; it’s not a huge deal; although the convenience of having 50% more battery life has its benefits.
Transparency Mode: The Biggest Downgrade
I rely on Transparency Mode 99% of the time, so I noticed the difference immediately. Yes, it was louder and clearer than my degraded AirPods Pro 2 with muffled Transparency mode, but it’s still nowhere near the standard which a brand-new AirPods Pro 2 can provide. Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro 1 sounded more processed and less natural, and loud sound reduction is inconsistent too with it only working during loud moments — for example, if there’s a loud noise, the AirPods Pro 1 will reduce the volume of external noise completely for the brief moment of that particular loud sound. With the AirPods Pro 2 on the other hand, Loud Sound Reduction is always active and also sounds more natural — with it decreasing the volume of loud sounds while also being consistent with other background sounds. This is because the H2 chip significantly increases the speed of processing external sounds.
Missing Features: The Little Things Add Up
Over time, I’ve been accustomed to newer features such as just saying “Siri” on my AirPods Pro 2 to invoke the assistant; however, just saying “Siri” on the AirPods Pro 1 will not trigger it since it will only invoke it when you say “Hey Siri”. This wasn’t much of an issue since I do not rely on it much. 
Although what I do rely on is swiping on the stem of the AirPods to increase or decrease volume. I never thought that this would be such a useful feature, and I never even considered this to be my primary motive for upgrading to the AirPods Pro 2. However, as I started using it, this feature proved to be useful and I did miss the feature during my week back with my Pro 1. This feature is a game-changer when you have your phone in your pocket or your bag — it essentially turns your AirPods into an independent iPod that just needs to be connected to your phone.
The one thing that I personally did not miss was Adaptive mode since I never really use this mode.
Final Thoughts
After a week of using the AirPods Pro 1, I think it holds up fairly well, although it does start to feel outdated once you get accustomed to the new features of the AirPods Pro 2.
If you’re someone who is using the AirPods Pro 1 just as a pair of regular headphones with great audio and don’t need any of the features mentioned above — then you’re still good with your current pair if the battery life is decent after years of use. If not, then I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Pro 2 if you’re facing issues with battery life and if you mostly use Transparency Mode and Noise Cancellation.
Which generation of AirPods do you use? Let us know down in the comments below!
