Reunited. Finally.

Is this a review? Can it be a review of a product which is, basically, exactly the same as the one it replaces, bar a different type of charging port?

Probably not.

Do I care? No — because the emergence of a new pair of second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C-equipped charging case is one of the best decisions Apple has made in 2023.

Equally, you might be thinking of buying a pair yourself, and if you’ve found this blog post during your hunt for an answer, that makes this a review by default.

I’m glad we’ve cleared that up.

Three months without AirPods Pro 2

In June, someone nicked my AirPods Pro 2 from a gym changing room. Although I don’t have categoric proof of the theft, I’m now confident that’s what happened, having had three months to stew over their disappearance.

Having anything stolen isn’t particularly nice, but when it’s something relatively expensive on which you rely every single day for several vital tasks, it’s particularly irksome.

Anyone who has owned a pair of AirPods — Pro or otherwise — will know how quickly Apple’s earbuds work themselves into your daily routine — and your heart. You’ll rely on them for listening to music and podcasts, whether you’re walking the dog, pottering around the house, or smashing it out at the gym. They’ll be the first things you’ll reach for when you’re about to undertake a call. They’ll follow you literally everywhere.

AirPods are one of the very few Apple products in recent memory that contain the ‘magic’ that was so consistently sought by the late Steve Jobs. They do actually just work, and their brilliance, usefulness, and sheer why-didn’t-I-think-of-this-ness will ensure AirPods go down as one of Apple’s greatest inventions of all time.

I could get by without my iPhone. I could definitely get by without an iPad. But getting by without the AirPods Pro was really tricky — and this is coming from someone who has access to more noise-cancelling earbuds than underpants.

So, when Apple launched a new version of the second-generation AirPods Pro with USB-C…

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