Luckily, this is a feature you can turn off - but it did take a few learning cycles for me to get comfortable figuring out how to do that without also turning off the AirPods or music as well.ĪirPods Pro have three settings on this front: active noise cancellation, transparency and off. I do not like the noise cancelling feature on the AirPods Pro. But I also want to hear cars honking, and very (very) crucially: footsteps coming up behind me.ĪirPods Pro have a force sensor on their side, which controls the earbuds GearBrain Sure, I want to (read: require) hear music to get through my miles. Running in the dark? With a device that blocks all ambient sound? That's not optimum. I'm not typically someone who is nervous walking around in the dark. And that's another concern.Īs a woman who sometimes runs very early in the morning, there are times I've been outside when the sun is still just rolling up as well. Yes, we know, AirPods Pro can do many things EarPods can't, most crucially noise-cancelling. Let's start with the obvious: AirPods Pro are $250 devices that are very small, and fall out enough - and are lost enough - that people even make cables that connect them together. Apple AirPods Pro only $199.99 at Best Buy
That's not to say that everything was great. (We're going to get that in a minute.) Still, having nothing tying me to my iPhone was lovely. But here's the thing about wired headphones: You. Yes, I'm one of those people you've seen running with wired earphones, clutching the excess in her hand as you pass her on your jog. When paired with an Apple iPhone, you can see the charge remaining on both the AirPods Pro and the charging case GearBrainĬlearly, the wireless aspect is going to be a win here as well. But they also have a slim profile, and that means they slipped into the ear easily. Most earbuds are pretty slim in size, and weight, so these didn't stand out as different. I liked how light weight these were as well. I forgot they were in my ear, they only twice felt like they might slip out, and they just made my runs a bit more tolerable. I could not believe how easy the AirPods Pro were to wear, even outside in wind gusts. I personally hate treadmills - don't ping me and tell me how much you love them - and while I will use them when I need to, running outside is really, for me, the best way to check off my exercise for the day. You run out your door, and 30 (or 45 or 90) minutes later you're back, you've jacked up your heart rate, and you're done.
Running is hardly my favorite exercise - but let's be honest: it's free and it's crazily efficient. Here's why AirPods Pro are likely going out for a run with me every time in the near future. Running with them terrified me, but I've found there are excellent reasons to use them for a short jog - and some excellent reasons not. That now includes the AirPods Pro, the sleekest set I've owned yet - and honestly the most expensive. While I've shied away from taking my Bose and SkullCandy headphones out for a run (although, gosh I love them both), anything small enough to fit in the palm of my hand has been on tour across California and New York when I travel. As a casual runner (meaning I run 14 miles, tops, a week), I've experimented and tested dozens of earphones, headsets and earbuds.