Image: Apple
Apple’s new AirPods Pro stick out from the regular AirPods in a few ways. They offer active noise cancellation, a pass-through audio feature so you can easily hear what’s happening around you, and customizable ear tips, all of which are improvements over the standard AirPods model.
Comparing Apple’s two headphones against each other is fairly simple to do, but it gets a little bit more tricky if you’re trying to pick between other brands. The Beats Powerbeats Pro have the same H1 wireless chip, which makes them just as easy to pair with an iPhone, and just as responsive to “Hey Siri” hands-free commands, and those are usually $50 cheaper than the new AirPods Pro. Amazon’s new Echo Buds offer active noise reduction (not quite the same as cancellation), but at nearly half the cost, they might be the best choice for you. Sony’s WF-1000XM3s have excellent noise cancellation and charge via USB-C, though their case is rather hulking.
There are a lot of specs to sort through, from water resistance and general earbud size, to what sort of cable comes included with each set, and of course, price. We’ve built a table with a handful of popular options to help make your buying decision a bit easier.