Your AirPods Pro 2 are going to be updated, and that’s not nothing!

If you have typed on Google “What are the best headphones?”, you may have come across the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and the Sony WF-1000XM5. Most people are full of praise for these models of headphones, which makes the choice between the two particularly difficult.

But on September 18, Apple will officially launch iOS 17, the latest version of the iPhone operating system. And iOS 17 contains major software updates for the AirPods Pro 2, which bridge the gap between Sony’s headphones and Apple’s.

In addition, Apple announced that the AirPods Pro 2 will feature a USB-C charging port, thus abandoning the Lightning charger. Still, Sony has launched the XM5 headphones with a USB-C charging port, and both pairs of headphones are compatible with Qi-certified wireless chargers.

But here’s why these new features in iOS 17 are important.

Before iOS17, the WF-1000XM5 had more high-end features than the AirPods Pro 2, including Speak to Chat and Adaptive Sound Control.

Sony’s Speak to Chat feature pauses the user’s music when the headphones detect that he is conversing with someone. The headphones automatically switch to Ambient Sound mode, which allows the user to converse without removing their headphones.

The Adaptive Sound Control learns about the places frequented by the user and automatically adjusts the parameters of the headphones, such as volume and noise cancellation, according to the surrounding noise levels. If the user tends to activate the noise reduction when walking to the bus stop, the WF-1000XM5 will adapt accordingly.

Until iOS 17, the AirPods Pro 2 did not have any of these useful functions. Now Apple’s Conversation Awareness and Adaptive Audio functions work in the same way as Sony’s Speak to Chat and Adaptive Sound Control functions.

These two software updates eliminate the main differences between the two headphones, which leaves only three major differences to influence your decision: A price difference of € 50 the shape of the headphones and the integration of the device.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones are sold at a price of 300 € and the AirPods Pro 2 headphones are sold at a price of 279 euros.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones are rounded, without the rods that hang from the ear. On the other hand, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 sport the traditional design of the earphone attached to the stem.

Like all Apple devices, AirPods Pro 2 work best with Apple devices. If you don’t have Apple devices, you won’t benefit from features like Personalized Spatial Audio and automatic switching of your AirPods from one device to another.

But the WF-1000XM5 headphones have a multi-point connection, and the Sony Connect companion app offers complete EQ settings, regardless of your device’s operating system.

Source: “ZDNet.com “