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AirPods Pro Unboxing!

2019-10-31 · Tech review, setup or bag tour · Ali · recording, 7:10 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Tools, apps and tech · mode: Review and recommendation

Unboxing the AirPods Pro, Ali likes their noise cancellation but finds their sound very slightly more tinny than the original AirPods; he calls the originals, which reduce the friction to listening to audiobooks and podcasts, totally worth £159, and the AirPods Pro's extra £100 probably not worth it unless you really value noise cancellation.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Why the original AirPods are his third most valuable tech; ordering the AirPods Pro

  • ★★ Ali calls his original AirPods probably the third most valuable piece of tech he owns, after the camera that helped him start his YouTube channel and the Kindle that has let him read hundreds of books. (hedged) — 00:00:00 · AirPods, Kindle
  • ★ As soon as he heard about the AirPods Pro, Ali added them to his cart on the Apple website without reading anything about them. — 00:00:00 · Apple
  • ★★ Ali finds the AirPods Pro case, engraved with his name, a little bigger than the original AirPods case and a little more flimsy. — 00:00:29 · AirPods

00:00:57 — Unboxing the case and earbuds, first test of noise cancelling and an audiobook

  • ★★★ Ali calls the noise cancelling of the AirPods Pro pretty sick: it completely drowns out the hum in his room, which he thinks comes from the fridge. — 00:00:57
  • ★★ Ali says the AirPods Pro might become his new favourite headphones: the original AirPods always felt a little flimsy in his ear, while the new ones have so much noise cancellation. (hedged) — 00:01:42 · AirPods
  • ★ Ali normally uses his AirPods for Audible; he is listening to The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. — 00:01:42 · Audible, AirPods
  • ★ Ali finds that audiobooks sound pretty good on the AirPods Pro, as expected, since nobody expects a big quality difference for an audiobook. — 00:02:16
  • ★ On Spotify Ali keeps a playlist for each of his years of medical school and beyond; the current one is FY2, foundation year two, his second year as a doctor. — 00:02:16 · Spotify, Foundation Programme

00:02:55 — Music sound quality against the original AirPods, fit and comfort

  • ★★★ To his untrained, non-audiophile ears, Ali finds the AirPods Pro sound similar to the original AirPods but very slightly more tinny, which he puts down to the noise cancellation. — 00:03:22 · AirPods
  • ★★ Ali finds the AirPods Pro very compact and nice to wear, and would be comfortable wearing them to play squash or go to the gym. — 00:03:45
  • ★★ Ali says this unboxing is not a proper review of the AirPods Pro, and he will do a proper review later. — 00:03:45
  • ★★ Since he mainly uses AirPods at the gym or out and about for audiobooks and podcasts, Ali thinks the AirPods Pro would be absolutely perfect for that. — 00:03:45 · AirPods
  • ★★★ Ali is not really sure there is much point in upgrading from the original AirPods to the AirPods Pro unless you really value noise cancellation or just love the new ones. (hedged) — 00:04:23 · AirPods

00:04:44 — Is it worth upgrading: friction reduction, prices and who the noise cancellation suits

  • ★★★ Ali ranks AirPods among his most valuable tech because they massively reduce the friction to listening to podcasts and audiobooks: he puts them in even to wash the dishes, so he listens to far more than he would with proper or wired headphones. — 00:04:44 · AirPods, Audible, friction
  • ★ Ali jokes that wearing the AirPods Pro will show people he is really cool, which he supposes is a big reason many people will buy them. (playful, hedged) — 00:05:35
  • ★★★ Ali calls the original AirPods at £159 totally worth it, but for now thinks the AirPods Pro's extra £100 for noise cancellation and slightly reduced sound quality is probably not worth it unless you really value noise cancellation. (hedged) — 00:05:35 · AirPods
  • ★★ Ali says the extra hundred pounds for the AirPods Pro's noise cancellation might be worth it if you love listening to AirPods in the car as a passenger and don't want to engage with the other people in the car. (hedged) — 00:06:05

00:06:34 — Apple's Pro naming and the MacBook Air as the default laptop; sign-off

  • ★★ Ali likes Apple's new naming convention, in which Pro products such as the AirPods Pro, the iPad Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro are clearly the more expensive, more legit ones. — 00:06:34 · Apple, iPad Pro
  • ★★ Ali says the MacBook Pro used to be the default laptop for many people, but these days the default should be the MacBook Air, and only pros need a MacBook Pro. — 00:06:34 · MacBook

Threads in this video

  • restate · Which tech is worth buying? — Ali calls his original AirPods probably the third most valuable piece of tech he owns, after the camera that helped him start his YouTube channel and the Kindle that has let him read hundreds of books. (00:00:00)
  • refine · Which tech is worth buying? — Ali calls the original AirPods at £159 totally worth it, but for now thinks the AirPods Pro's extra £100 for noise cancellation and slightly reduced sound quality is probably not worth it unless you really value noise cancellation. (00:05:35)
  • refine · How do you decide whether a purchase is worth it? — Ali is not really sure there is much point in upgrading from the original AirPods to the AirPods Pro unless you really value noise cancellation or just love the new ones. (00:04:23)
  • restate · How do you decide whether a purchase is worth it? — Ali ranks AirPods among his most valuable tech because they massively reduce the friction to listening to podcasts and audiobooks: he puts them in even to wash the dishes, so he listens to far more than he would with proper or wired headphones. (00:04:44)
  • promised · Ali promises a proper review of the AirPods Pro (2019) — Ali says this unboxing is not a proper review of the AirPods Pro, and he will do a proper review later. (00:03:45)

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: AirPods · AirPods Pro · friction

Also: People: Robert Jordan

Works: The Great Hunt

Organizations: Apple

Concepts: Foundation Programme

Products: Audible · iPad Pro · iPhone 11 Pro · Kindle · MacBook · Spotify

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