September is known for three things—back-to-school season, the official start of fall, and the always-anticipated Apple announcement. The brand recently revealed a whole new slate of products we can’t wait to get our hands on (there’s a teal iPhone 16!). But the AirPods Pro 2 specifically made our jaws drop with an impressive new feature—and they’re already on sale.
The earbuds carry many of the same qualities previous models do, including active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and up to 30 hours of battery life, but now it can function as a hearing aid.
SHOP THE AIRPODS PRO 2
Apple received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to make the AirPods Pro 2 the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device. “Once installed and customized to the user’s hearing needs, the hearing aid feature enables compatible versions of the AirPods Pro to serve as an OTC hearing aid, intended to amplify sounds for individuals 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment,” the FDA’s news release says. In other words, the Apple software update allows the AirPods Pro 2 to boost sound in real time.
The new AirPods also focus on awareness and prevention. Anyone can now take a scientifically validated hearing test in just a few minutes while wearing the earbuds. Once the test is complete, you can see a results summary in a personalized profile stored on the Health app. If there is anything of concern, the results can then be shared with a healthcare provider.
To help reduce daily exposure to loud noise, it comes with ear tips that passively reduce loud sound. Design-wise, the H2 chip reduces loud, intermittent noise (sound that starts and stops) at 48,000 times per second.
As for other noteworthy features, the AirPods Pro 2 can learn your listening preferences in different settings to personalize volume over time and automatically lower sound when it senses you’re speaking to someone. Siri’s conversation capabilities also got a major tech-savvy upgrade with AI integration.
You can shop the earbuds on Amazon for $60 off its usual $249 price tag. Don’t miss out on joining the Pod club.
SHOP THE AIRPODS PRO 2
Jasmine Gomez is the Commerce Editor at Women’s Health, where she cover the best product recommendations across beauty, health, lifestyle, fitness, and more. When she’s not shopping for a living, she enjoys karaoke and dining out more than she cares to admit. Follow her @JazzeGomez.
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