Now that the technology has become ubiquitous and relatively affordable, headphones equipped with noise cancellation are an absolute must on a plane. Assuming they work as advertised, noise-canceling headphones will not only provide you with your music, podcasts, or audiobooks for entertainment but will also drown out the shrieking cries of young children or annoying complaints of grumpy adults, creating your own personal, distraction-free bubble of privacy.
Several brands, including Apple, make some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market. If you’re looking for a compact product that won’t take up much space in your luggage, the second-generation AirPods Pro (2022) is a great option. They provide wireless audio and active noise cancellation (ANC).
Despite their small size, the Bluetooth earbuds are packed with state-of-the-art technology powered by Apple’s H2 chipset, which gives them some of the best ANC available. They also have a great transparency mode, which allows you to clearly hear the sounds around you even while in your ears, which is crucial for when the flight crew needs to make an important announcement.
They also sound great, provide a broad frequency range, and have intuitive voice and touch controls, including the ability to swipe your finger to adjust the volume. They’re not perfect, though, and in our hands-on review, SlashGear noted that the spatial audio offered by the product “feels gimmicky.” AirPods naturally integrate with many other Apple products, but if you’re not already embedded into the Apple ecosystem, you won’t be able to take advantage of all the peripheral’s features. If you are, though, you can purchase the Apple AirPods Pro (2022) from Amazon for $269.
