Apple AirPods Pro update reportedly worsens its most highlighted tech

It has been discovered that the latest firmware update for Apple AirPods Pro degrades the noise cancellation feature, specially at bass levels.

Apple AirPods Pro update claimed to degrade the noise cancellation feature. (Apple)

Apple's one of the popular audio accessories that launched just a few months ago, Apple AirPods Pro, is putting buyers in a dilemma with the latest firmware update. As discovered by the RTINGS website, the wireless earbuds, the highlight of which was noise cancellation, is now performing worse when it comes to cutting audio coming from outside. The AirPods Pro update that was sent by Apple on December 16, 2019, pushed the firmware version from 2B588 to 2C54. However, Apple pulled the update since then so not everyone has received it yet.

As mentioned by the website, the update dropped the isolation performance, specifically in the bass-range. "This means that with ANC turned on, these headphones won't do nearly as good a job blocking out the low engine rumbles of planes or buses as they did before this update," adds the website. The website has also dropped the noise isolation grade from 8.6 from December 2019 with 2B588 firmware version to 8.1 on January 13, 2020 with 2C54 firmware version.

While the bass levels have dropped from -19.56 to -15.9db, the bass accuracy was found to be improved after the update. The 2C54 firmware update also improved the frequency response of AirPods Pro.

The website lowers the 'Noise Isolation' rating from 8.6 (before the update) to 8.1 (after the update). (rtings.com)

The website lowers the 'Noise Isolation' rating from 8.6 (before the update) to 8.1 (after the update). (rtings.com)

Since Apple pulled the update days after it rolled out to users, it is likely that the company is working on the same issue. If you have already downloaded and installed the update, you will probably have to wait for the next version. If you haven't received it, you're good.

At the time of the launch, Apple did make a fuss about the noise-cancelling tech that was used in AirPods Pro. It also had a dedicated mechanism to determine if the earbuds were perfect for the ear canal or not. Also, for the first time, we saw a company introducing wireless earbuds with proprietory tech that supported only those earbuds that were made by Apple.