The Weird Incompatibility Between Apple’s AirPods Pro

“Ear tips have been designed specifically for their AirPods Pro generation, to deliver the highest-fidelity audio experience,” Apple explains. The company didn’t go into detail as to how, exactly, the denser ear mesh plays into enhancing the audio quality on the second-gen AirPods Pro. To Apple’s credit, the company has indeed improved the audio quality as well the noise cancellation depth on the second-gen AirPods Pro. In his review of Apple’s latest TWS earbuds, SlashGear’s Chris Davies praised the improved noise cancellation, but it’s unclear if that virtue has anything to do with the denser mesh inside the ear tips.

The frequency range has also been widened this time around, so if you’ve got well-attuned audiophile ears, you just might feel the added spark while enjoying music. In case you’re feeling adventurous, yes, you can still physically fit the earbuds from the previous-gen AirPods Pro on their successor, MacRumors points out, it’s just that the raw audio quality might be a tad different, if Apple is to be believed. Don’t bother trying to recharge your second-gen AirPods Pro in the first-gen’s case, mind, or vice-versa: they’re incompatible. If it comes as any consolation, Apple is now bundling in a pair of extra small (XS-sized) ear tips with its top-end wireless earbuds, in addition to the usual small, medium, and large sizes, to make sure the active noise cancellation has a better seal for more individual ear sizes.