New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware 6A303 Affects Mic Quality! 😲
So a new firmware just dropped for the AirPods Pro 2 dubbed 6A303. This is an update for both the USB-C and Lightning connector versions, and since there are no update notes from Apple we can take it to mean that it’s just to polish things up rather than adding some new feature.
But did it affect the AirPods Pro 2’s performance in terms of sound, noise canceling and call quality? We’ll be covering all of that in this article. Read on.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, I suspected at first that the update will bring them to parity, because at this moment the USB-C and Lightning versions have some differences in sound. (I covered that in this video)
Here’s what the difference looks like before the update,
and here’s what it looks like after both were updated to 6A303.
As you can see almost nothing has changed, except that they’re almost identical now in the high frequencies whereas before there was some difference. So the new update didn’t really affect their sound in the most noticeable regions.
Active Noise Canceling
In terms of active noise canceling, there isn’t much of a change there either. The changes I’m hearing in the recordings are so small, it can easily be caused by small variations in the way the earbuds were coupled. Have a listen to these samples recorded under loud simulated cafe background noise.
Microphone Pickup
In terms of mic pickup, before the update, there was a huge difference between the lightning and USB-C versions when making calls in noisy environments. There were no problems on the USB-C version, because its cutting noise as usual, but the Lightning version was not able to cut background noise on its own anymore.
Instead, it relies on the iPhone user to switch into voice isolation mode when they’re making or taking phone calls. The trouble is that not all AirPods users use iPhone, or maybe they’re calling through their PC. Let’s see if the new firmware changed that.
After testing them again in both quiet and noisy conditions, it appears that there is no longer a difference between them. The USB-C version now doesn’t react as fast to background noise, so it’s cutting less of it just like the Lightning connecter version. Perhaps this update was meant to make them similar in this way?
Conclusion
So there were indeed some changes to the USB-C version’s mic pickup, but not so much in other areas of both versions. We’ll have to see what happens in the next update, if they will bring further alterations to their sound, noise canceling and so on, Bookmark this site to check back again.
If you’d like to check the latest prices and availability of the AirPods Pro 2, I’ve included links to their Amazon page below.
Amazon
AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) - https://amzn.to/3RCis3o
AirPods Pro 2 (Lightning) - https://amzn.to/3VbAmsW
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