Remember before 2007 when mobile phones were just phones? It was only after the release of the iPhone that phones began to replace or substitute devices like computers, cameras, GPS, and MP3 players. Mobile phones had their big transitional phase into smartphones, the all-in-one devices we know them to be today. Now, the new models are mostly iterative updates. I think the same transformation is happening with wireless earbuds, except this time, they’re not replacing your existing gadgets—they’re creating entirely new categories of essentials.

The evolution of wireless earbuds

Like how Apple disrupted the smartphone market with the iPhone, AirPods popularized many features for wireless earbuds.

Love ’em or hate ’em, Apple has been a pioneer in popularizing wireless earbuds since the release of the first AirPods nine years ago, just as they did in the phone industry with the iPhone. Because Apple cut the cord, removed the headphone jack from their phones, and popularized a freedom from the tangled mess of earbuds stuffed in your pocket, battery life became a top concern for buyers. And with audio now transmitted over Bluetooth, sound quality and latency became new concerns with solutions like Hi-Res audio and new ways to personalize your music listening with companion apps, EQs, and spatial audio effects.

But perhaps the biggest, or at least most appreciated, feature of wearing earbuds out in the world was noise cancelation. While traditionally reserved for more premium, expensive products, this technology has trickled down to many sub-$100 models, serving a growing desire to block out more of the outside world. Conversely, people want to let the outside world in without removing their earbuds, achieved by transparency modes that are now expected and not just nice to have.

As we go about our days with our wireless earbuds, support for wireless charging has introduced quick and convenient ways to top up, and support for Bluetooth Multipoint now lets us pair with multiple devices and switch between them seamlessly. We wear earbuds at the office, on the beach, on the trails, and at the gym, and thus they also needed greater protection against the elements in the form of IP ratings. Accidentally drop your earbuds into a 10-foot pool? No problem. Some earbuds give you up to 30 minutes to retrieve them.

Open earbuds with over-ear hooks are a new and growing product category.

The size and shape of wireless earbuds have also changed to fit the way we want to wear them. In addition to the two classic variants (unsealed and fully sealed), we are seeing a new open-ear earbuds category explode on the market, giving people a totally transparent way to hear the world around them while enjoying their tunes. Open-ears come in ear hook and ear clip shapes to serve different styles and situations, whether it be athletics or working on a jobsite where you always need to be reachable.

In 2024, we saw health and fitness take new leaps in innovation with the first earbuds with built-in heart-rate tracking. Like the smartwatch on your wrist, earbuds can now track your pulse and feed the data to your phone. Apple also announced that the AirPods Pro 2 would soon meet the FDA’s criteria for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, disrupting a long-established and expensive industry. You’ll soon no longer have to pay several thousand dollars for hearing aid functionality, only several hundred, thanks to wireless earbuds.

The Smart Charging Case can handle most of the app’s functions from the case itself, using a touchscreen.

Charging cases are also getting smarter with built-in touch screens and tactile controls. Some cases, such as the JBL Tour Pro 3‘s, can even act as wireless transmitters when you want to plug in to wired audio sources, like airplane seatback entertainment systems. Additionally, though its adoption is rolling out slower than I expected, Bluetooth Auracast, with its publicly available broadcasts, is making its way into new flagship wireless earbuds.

The exciting future of wireless earbuds

It’s not just during the day that people are wearing wireless earbuds either; it’s also overnight. Sleepbuds are a budding product category promising a better night’s sleep, designed with a flat surface and wingtips to fit securely inside one’s ears. From premium models like the Ozlo Sleepbuds to budget-friendly models like the Soundcore Sleep A30, the first to implement ANC to block out snoring, earbuds are becoming a full 24-hour companion, and I don’t think it will be long before sleepbuds merge with the ones we wear during the day to become a single solution.

Like nearly every other tech product at the moment, earbuds are not immune to the trend of AI. Unlike many of the AI-enabled pins, pendants, glasses, and gadgets out there, however, I believe earbuds are the most naturally suited to house AI companions. I’ve made the analogy to the 2013 film Her before, but it’s worth mentioning again that its premise is no longer science fiction. More than just issuing straightforward commands to a voice assistant, like ‘turn on the lights,’ you can now vent your drama to your earbuds, and they will lend a sympathetic ear.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro look futuristic.

Not only are wireless earbuds like the Galaxy Buds Pro3 utilizing AI for real-time translation like the devices from Star Trek, but products from Nothing and CMF let you activate and speak with ChatGPT at the tap of a finger. It’s only a matter of time before, say, an AI like Google Gemini in combination with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 can interact with the rest of the Google app ecosystem to add things to your calendar, send emails, or recommend nearby restaurants all hands-free.

And we haven’t even gotten to my most anticipated wireless earbuds feature. In the not-so-distant future, we’ll see wireless earbuds with built-in electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors — sensors that can detect brain activity in real-time. Neurable has already done this with wireless headphones, which can measure your mental focus levels to improve your work and study habits, and the company has told me that the technology is coming to in-ear products soon.

Headphones like the MW75 Neuro can already read your mind; it’s only a matter of time before wireless earbuds can too.

When you combine EEG, heart rate, hearing aid, and sleep aid features with an always-on voice connection to a leading-edge LLM AI, imagine how much more indispensable wireless earbuds will become than they are today. Your earbuds will detect elevated stress through heart rate and brain activity, and automatically switch to noise cancelation mode while your AI assistant suggests breathing exercises or schedules a break in your calendar. In a crowded restaurant, your earbuds use AI to filter and amplify the voice of the person you’re talking to while suppressing background noise, then seamlessly translate if they’re speaking another language. Maybe your earbuds even detect early signs of illness through subtle changes in your voice patterns, temperature, heart rate variability, mental focus, and sleep quality, alerting you days before symptoms appear. All these scenarios, and more, are on the horizon, and I couldn’t be more excited.

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What it’s like to take Apple’s Hearing Test

The Apple Hearing Test takes steps to ensure you’re getting the most accurate results possible.

Hearing Aid features on the AirPods Pro 2 require you to input Hearing Test results from a hearing health professional, or you can take Apple’s Hearing Test on a compatible iPhone or iPad. This test only takes about five minutes to perform, and I found it to be one of the most foolproof ways to measure your hearing at home.

Before you begin the test, you’re asked whether you have a cold/are feeling congested, or whether you’ve been at a concert or construction site in the last 24 hours. This is important as recent cold, infection, or exposure to loud environments can cause temporary hearing loss, leading to inaccurate results. The pre-test process also measures the volume of your environment and checks the fit of your AirPods. If the check fails, the app will recommend you move to a quieter room, adjust the fit of your AirPods, or recommend using a different-sized ear tip.

The Apple Hearing Test is a foolproof way to test your hearing at home.

The pre-test process may seem cumbersome, but this ensures you’re getting the most accurate results from your hearing test. Any signs of temporary hearing loss, a poor fit, or a loud testing environment can lead to inaccurate results, which can negatively affect the Hearing Aid features. I wish that companies like Nothing and Creative would adopt these checks on their in-app hearing tests.

During the test, you’ll tap the screen when you hear a tone.

Once you’ve gone through the checks, the hearing test will begin, starting with the left ear. The test will play three beeps at various volume levels and frequencies. You’ll tap on the screen when you hear the beeps. After about two minutes, you’ll repeat the process with your right ear. Upon completion, you’ll be shown an audiogram that indicates your hearing abilities at different frequencies.

My initial Hearing Test results showed I had little to no hearing loss, with 2dBHL (decibels of hearing loss) on my left ear and 4dBHL on my right ear. However, due to the shape of my ears, I found that the AirPods began to slip out at times, which may have impacted my results. I decided to take the test again, but this time I put on a pair of third-party fins on my AirPods to ensure a secure fit. Sure enough, my second test results were better, indicating that I had 1dBHL on my left ear and -1dBHL on my right ear. This goes to show that when it comes to taking any at-home Hearing Test, fit really matters. Make sure you’re using the right ear tips for your ears, and use any third-party accessories to ensure a secure fit.

What I like about Apple’s Hearing Aid features

Apple allows you to customize the Hearing Aid feature to suit your specific hearing needs.

Apple’s Hearing Aid adjusts the tuning of your AirPods based on the results of your hearing test, but there are plenty of ways to customize the earbuds to suit your hearing needs. In the Settings app, the Hearing Aid section lets you adjust parameters such as the level of amplification, channel balance, tone, and ambient noise reduction. You can even enable Conversation Boost, which allows your AirPods Pro 2 to focus on the person talking in front of you, making it easier to hear them while chatting.

Even though the hearing test indicated little to no signs of hearing loss, I was still able to experience the benefits of Apple’s Hearing Health features. While enjoying an evening at a jazz club, I noticed that volume levels were getting pretty loud; around 90-95dB, according to my Apple Watch. Apple claims that listening to sounds at that volume for more than 30 minutes a day can lead to temporary hearing loss (or permanent hearing loss, if done repeatedly).

You can enjoy the benefits of Apple's Hearing Health features, even if you don't have mild to moderate hearing loss.

Fortunately, Apple includes Hearing Protection in its suite of Hearing Health features. Hearing Protection is designed to reduce your exposure to loud noises when listening with Noise Control enabled (ANC, Adaptive mode, and Transparency mode). As a precaution, I decided to wear my AirPods Pro 2 to use both the Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection features, and the results surprised me.

The AirPods Pro 2 did a great job in reducing the perceived loudness of the jazz club from 95dB to 85dB. That volume level is still considered “loud”, but I can listen to sounds at that volume for a longer period before suffering from temporary hearing loss (~5 hours at 85dB vs. 30 minutes at 95dB). The AirPods did a good job of protecting my hearing while preserving the sound quality of the live jazz band. Brass instruments and guitars sounded detailed, voices sounded clear, and toms, snares, and kick drums sounded punchy without being too loud.

The Hearing Aid on the AirPods Pro 2 reduces exposure to loud noises while improving vocal clarity during conversations.

On top of the active hearing protection, the Hearing Aid features made it easy for me to talk with my friends, even while the jazz band was in full swing. The AirPods did a good job amplifying my friend’s voice, as well as my own. The voice amplification was so effective that I often spoke to my friend at a regular volume, not realizing that I needed to raise my voice so they could hear me over the jazz band.

In addition to the traditional Hearing Aid features, the AirPods Pro 2 also come with Media Assist. This feature uses the results from your Hearing Test to improve the clarity of music, video, and calls you take on your Apple device. These adjustments are based on the results of your hearing test. In my case, Media Assist tunes my AirPods to reduce the loudness of bass sounds like kick drums and 808s — quieter than I’m used to, but loud enough that I can still enjoy my music comfortably. Hard techno, bass-heavy songs like “Play With Me” by Sara Landry are easier to listen to for longer periods without growing fatigued. I only wish Apple would tell me exactly how the tuning is adjusted using Media Assist, or even let me customize the tuning using an equalizer.

What I don’t like about Apple’s Hearing Aid features

The AirPods Pro 2’s battery life is inferior to dedicated OTC hearing aids.

Apple’s Hearing Aid features do a great job at reducing your exposure to loud sounds, but it can come at a major cost: sound quality. While the AirPods did a great job of preserving the clarity of jazz instruments, such as an upright bass and trumpet, the earbuds don’t perform as well at a rave or any electronic event. Raves can get very loud, around 100dB or more. I appreciate the hearing protection afforded by the AirPods Pro 2 in such a loud environment. However, I find that kick drums, bass synths, and synth leads sound less detailed than I would prefer, as if the sounds were slightly muffled.

Another key limitation of the AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids is its battery life. In our battery testing, the AirPods Pro 2 lasted 5 hours and 43 minutes on a single charge with ANC enabled. We haven’t run a battery test with the Hearing Aid features enabled, but it’s safe to assume that these additional features would further reduce the battery life of the AirPods. Unfortunately, the AirPods’ battery doesn’t hold a candle to other OTC hearing aids, such as the Jabra Enhance Select 300 and Sennheiser All-Day Clear, which last up to 24 hours on a single charge. You can always quickly recharge your AirPods by placing them in the charging case between uses. Just don’t count on your AirPods lasting you through a whole day at a music festival.

Are the AirPods Pro 2 good hearing aids?

The AirPods Pro 2 aren’t perfect OTC hearing aids, but they cost hundreds of dollars less than traditional brands.

The AirPods Pro 2 are the best bang-for-the-buck OTC hearing aids currently on the market. While OTC hearing aids from Jabra and Sennheiser cost anywhere between $700 and $1,500, Apple is offering these hearing aid features as a free update on their earbuds that cost $249. For that price, you’re getting a suite of hearing health features that are easy to set up and offer a good degree of customization to suit your hearing needs. Even if you don’t have mild to moderate hearing loss, you can still benefit from features like Hearing Protection, which is great when you need to protect your ears in loud environments, such as when you’re at a concert.

However, the AirPods Pro 2 aren’t perfect. The battery, for example, is not big enough to support all-day operation. If you need hearing aids that will last the whole day without needing to recharge, you’re better off investing in a pair from companies like Jabra and Sennheiser. Alternatively, if you just need hearing protection, consider buying a pair of earplugs, such as those from Loop.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid review: FAQs