AirPods Pro 2 review: Why I think the noise-cancelation makes them worth every cent

Recently, I had to hop on a very long eight-hour flight. And with a journey like that, it's always nice to have headphones or earbuds to keep you busy with music, podcasts, or the selection of in-flight movies and shows on offer. In my case, I don't go anywhere without my AirPods Pro 2. They're an absolute must-have on journeys of any length.

There's a couple of different reasons for this. Of course, one is the sound quality. These earbuds sound great, so I can enjoy whatever I'm listening to on a long journey with great quality. But my main reason for keeping these wireless earbuds with me at all times is their noise-canceling features. In my opinion, this is the best feature of the AirPods Pro 2, especially on a flight. People chatting a bit too loud? Doesn't bother me. Crying baby? Can't hear a thing. The drone of the engines? Gone. Personally, I think the noise-cancelation alone makes the AirPods Pro 2 a worthy investment.

The Active Noise Cancelation isn't the only noise-focused feature worth shouting about, either. The AirPods Pro 2 have multiple sound options to choose from. These include a Transparency mode that allows you to hear more of the outside world, which is helpful if you want to be a bit more aware of your surroundings while you're listening (for example, when walking on a road where you need to listen out for traffic.) Then there's an Adaptive Audio feature, which serves as a blend of the noise-canceling and transparency features, adapting to the sounds in your environment.

While we recently saw an absolutely stellar deal over Prime Day, you can still score the AirPods Pro 2 at a great discount right now of $169. But I'm a firm believer that these earbuds are worth picking up at full price if you're an Apple user.

The sound of silence

As an Apple user, I've found the AirPods Pro 2 fit perfectly into my ecosystem of Apple devices. No matter if I'm using my iPhone, iPad, or MacBook, these earbuds switch between devices seamlessly. And alongside their noise-canceling features, they also offer a comfortable design with silicone tips that fit nicely in your ear and serve as an extra seal to keep sound out.

Getting set up with these noise-canceling features is very straightforward. If you're already a frequent user of Active Noise Cancelation, the AirPods Pro 2 will automatically select the mode when you've got them in your ears and use your connected device. But if you want to swap to Transparency mode or Adaptive Audio, simply follow these steps:

1. With your AirPods in your ears, go to 'Settings' on your iPhone or iPad

2. Go to the 'AirPods Pro' section just below your 'Apple Account'

3. From here, under 'Noise Control', you can swap between Transparency, Adaptive, and Noise Cancelation

Depending on where you are, each of these noise-canceling settings can be very helpful. In the case of a long flight, Noise Cancelation is great for keeping noisy sounds out while you're trying to relax or focus on the songs, podcasts, or audiobooks you're listening to without any interruptions. The AirPods Pro 2 helped my flight feel far more comfortable and less distracting.

Where to buy the AirPods Pro 2

The Apple AirPods Pro 2 can be bought from a variety of retailers. We've included the Amazon listing below, where they're currently on sale for $169.

What's nice is that these AirPods can frequently be found discounted during sale events, too. Recently they dropped to a new low price during the Amazon Prime Day sale event, and even though they've started going back up in price, there's still plenty of opportunities to save this year. Black Friday is the next big sale event on the horizon, so it's worth marking your calendar for November if these earbuds have been on your radar.