The AirPods Pro 2 was one of many new products that Apple presented. They have a number of useful upgrades, but despite the new H2 chipset, a crucial feature is still lacking.
And it is Hi-Res lossless audio, which rivals like Samsung and Sony offer but which Apple does not even include on the premium AirPods Max.
When it comes to the AirPods Pro 2, Apple has a lot to brag about, including a noise cancellation performance that is double as effective and a 33% increase in battery life. But aside from a new driver, there was no discussion of audio quality, and even that was just briefly and with scant information.
AirPods Pro 2 Have Impressive Features
Now that the wireless earbuds are available on the official website with additional information, AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), the codec that Apple generally employs, is not even mentioned.
The closest Apple comes to the topic is when discussing the H2 chip’s “enhanced audio performance,” and then the spec sheet specifies Bluetooth 5.3 as the communication method.
Even though not many wireless earbuds support Hi-Res lossless audio, I anticipated Apple would include this feature with the AirPods Pro 2. You may find it on a number of important competitors, including the NuraTrue Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2, and Sony WF-1000XM4. Although not all of these are as inexpensive as Apple’s new earbuds, they all carry the same old warnings that high-quality audio must be achieved throughout the entire audio chain using products and services that support the same technology. However, you need a HomePod (standard or small) rather than any of Apple’s headphones to benefit from this. Apple Music Lossless supports audio up to 24-bit/48kHz, while Hi-Res Lossless offers music up to 24-bit/192kHz.