Technologies
Apple AirPods Pro 2 Review: The Best Lightweight Earbuds You Can Buy
With better sound, active noise canceling and battery life than their predecessor, the AirPods Pro 2 deliver exceptionally good performance for their size.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 ($249, 249, AU$399) are better than the original AirPods Pro. After all, this second-gen version took nearly three years to develop, so you figure Apple could probably pull something together that might give you a reason to upgrade from the first-gen AirPods Pro or buy them over other great premium earbuds from Sony, Bose and other big headphone brands.
The good news is Apple has done just that. And while putting an exact percentage on how much AirPods Pro 2 have improved over their predecessors isn’t so easy (that’s something I’ll try to do in this review), suffice to say they’ve improved enough to earn a CNET Editors’ Choice award, particularly now that they’re being discounted at several online retailers with prices dipping to as low as $200 during flash sales.
Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2022
Like
- Significantly improved sound and noise canceling
- Powered by Apple’s new H2 chip
- Better battery life (6 hours)
- Upgraded microphones
- Charging case has U1 chip and built-in speaker for Find My
- New swipe volume controls
- Adaptive transparency mode
- Spatial Audio
- Extra-small ear tips are now included
Don’t Like
- Basically the same design as previous model
- No high-resolution audio
- No XL ear tips
Product details
- Battery Life Rated up to 6 hours
- Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
- Multipoint No
- Headphone Type Wireless earbuds
- Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)
Apple AirPods Pro 2 design: Small changes
Let’s start with the external design. This is one of those situations where Apple hasn’t really done anything to change the size and shape of the buds or significantly alter their physical appearance. The original AirPods Pro were compact and lightweight and fit a lot of people’s ears really well, so I can’t fault that decision.
Some people were hoping for shorter stems and perhaps some new color options or even better water resistance — yes, they’re still IPX4 splash-proof. But I figured Apple would stick with its tried-and-true design and focus on making improvements to the areas that had the most room for improvement, such as sound quality, noise-canceling performance and battery life, which is now up to six hours from about four-and-a-half hours with noise canceling on and an extra four charges in the charging case (30 hours total). Those numbers go up to seven hours and 35 hours total with the noise canceling off. A quick five-minute charge gives you about an hour’s worth of battery life.
There are some small but noteworthy changes to the design, particularly to the microphones placement. On the original AirPods Pro, the skin-detection sensor and noise-canceling microphone were combined on the inside of the bud. Now, they’re separated with the skin-detection sensor in the same spot, but the noise-canceling microphone has been moved to the top of the bud where it’s exposed to the outside world and better at picking up and processing ambient sound. The microphone configuration is similar to what you see on the AirPods 3, but the skin-detection sensor is smaller, and Apple says it’s improved that sensor so it more accurately turns on and off playback and is more energy efficient.
I should also mention that Apple now includes a fourth set of extra small ear tips, which should help those of you with really small ear canals who had trouble getting a secure fit with the originals.
But this isn’t like the AirPods 3, where Apple made big changes to the earbuds’ external design. As far as I can tell, these fit my ears the same as the originals. I personally would like Apple to include a new extra-large ear tip, but I do get a relatively good seal with the largest size that’s included. (I am able to pass the seal test in the Ear Tip Fit test that’s part of the AirPods Pro’s Ear Tip companion app, but I do have to sometimes adjust how the buds sit in my ears to pass the test.) I could probably do just a little better with an XL tip, and I sometimes use third-party foam tips to get a more secure fit. They have a little more grip, and that helps keep the buds very securely in my ears, particularly when I’m running with them.
Upgraded Apple AirPods Pro 2 wireless charging case
The new MagSafe-enabled wireless charging case is the same size but now has a built-in speaker and Apple’s U1 chip, which allows it to play sounds for use with Apple’s precision Find My feature (the case essentially has an Apple AirTag built into it). Previously, the buds could play a sound through their drivers, but often they were in the case, so you couldn’t hear that sound. Now, you can use Find My to locate the case or the left or right earbuds separately should one or all of them go missing (the buds use Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE for tracking). The case also now has a spot for attaching a lanyard, but sadly, Apple doesn’t include a lanyard with the buds.
It’s worth noting that you can’t charge the original AirPods Pro in the AirPods Pro 2’s cases and vice versa. If you try that, you’ll get a «mismatched AirPods» notification on your phone.
While Apple has retained the pinch controls on the stems, which I preferred to the touch controls on the original AirPods, it’s now added swipe controls on the stem for adjusting the volume. You can still ask Siri to raise and lower volume — these do have hands-free Siri — but a lot of people will appreciate the new swipe controls.
That’s really it as far as external design changes go and most of them are tied into some feature or performance enhancement.
Read more: Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds for 2022
New Apple AirPods Pro 2 drivers and internal components
As I said in my initial first look video, the real changes are on the inside, where everything is basically new. The AirPods Pro 2 are powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient. To get better sound, Apple has combined that chip with a new amplifier and new low-distortion drivers along with new digital processing algorithms. The H2, new microphones and algorithms are also what drive the improved adaptive active noise canceling that Apple says is twice as powerful as its predecessor’s noise canceling. And finally, there’s a new Adaptive Transparency Mode that allows you to hear the world around you in a natural, lifelike manner while reducing loud noises that might normally shock your ears. It’s a great transparency mode and you can turn the adaptive part off if you want.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 sound evaluation
You can definitely hear the improvements to both the noise canceling and sound. As for sound, you get better clarity, more bass punch with better definition, and just more all-around depth and dynamic sound. The sound just has a little more girth and dimensionality. I compared a few tracks I always use during testing, like Spoon’s Knock Knock Knock, and you can really notice a difference in the bass performance. The earbuds use Adaptive EQ, which uses an inward-facing microphone to monitor the sound going into your ears, and the H2 chip, which optimizes the audio that you’re listening to on the fly (there are no manual EQ settings). The chip’s increased computational power helps it process and optimize a wider range of frequencies, particularly the highs.
One of the more impressive things about the buds is how loud they play. For me, I found they played plenty loud at about 65% to 70% volume. I compared them to the new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. The AirPods Pro 2 sound excellent, but there’s something about the tonal balance of the Bose that I liked a little better at times — there’s a bit more warmth and naturalness to it — and the bass has a bit more oomph. But I had to push the volume up to about 85% to hear some of the finer details and to get the extra bass kick on the Bose. With the AirPods Pro 2 you hear more detail and get good bass even at more moderate volumes.
Some people were hoping that the new AirPods Pro would be able to stream Apple Lossless tracks over wireless. They currently can’t do that, which will certainly disappoint some people. Whether they’ll be able to do that in the future and possibly get other new feature upgrades is anybody’s guess. But for now, they use Bluetooth 5.3 and support the AAC LC3 audio codec, which offers 16-bit 48 kilohertz bit rates compared with the 16-bit 24 kilohertz bit rates of AAC. Not high-resolution audio, but a little bump up.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro support 24-bit high-resolution audio. The catch is to get that 24-bit audio you need a Galaxy device equipped with Samsung’s One UI 4.0 and a music streaming service like Qobuz, Tidal or Amazon Music that streams high-res audio tracks. On all other devices, including Android phones and iPhones, those buds default to the AAC audio codec.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 noise canceling testing
The active noise canceling is impacted by how tight a seal you get from the ear tips. If you lose that tight seal, some ambient sound may leak in and you may hit the rare ANC hiccup as the AI shifts gears for a fraction of second to make adjustments (this is a phenomenon with all adaptive noise-canceling earbuds). But it was easy to sense that the noise canceling was reducing more cabin noise during a cross-country flight I took and also muffled more sound when I rode the subway in New York. The buds also have just enough venting to avoid that oppressive occluded feeling you sometimes get with ANC buds.
The noise canceling didn’t feel twice as strong to me as I switched between the AirPods Pro 2 and the original AirPods Pro, but by double the noise canceling power what Apple means is that noise canceling is improved across all frequencies and probably more so with high- and mid-range frequencies that are harder to muffle than lower frequencies. So you’re likely to hear more improvement with the muffling of people’s voices, for example.
Ultimately, the noise canceling is one of the best out there right now and just a slight step behind what I experienced with Bose’s new QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which arguably have the best noise canceling at this moment. But I’ll say it again, the noise-canceling experience can and will vary with the fit of the earbuds, so hopefully, you get a good fit.
If you happen to own an Apple Watch, you can fire up the Noise app — or complication, as Apple calls it — to get a readout of the exact decibel levels the AirPods Pro 2 are reducing with their noise canceling (you just need to have a Watch running WatchOS 9). It’d be nice if you could just see that same dB level check on your iPhone.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 Spatial Audio
I’m not going to talk too much about Apple’s Spatial Audio virtual surround mode, but it’s here and fun to play around with — it’s a nice bonus feature, and Apple seems to do it best compared with other buds that have their own virtual surround or spatial mode with head-tracking (for example, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro use 360 Audio). I prefer using Spatial Audio with movies, but I also tried it with various music tracks, particularly those that Apple designates as Made For Spatial Audio. It doesn’t necessarily make music sound better, but it does make it sound different, and it’s interesting to try it out with tracks you know well and want to hear in a different way.
iOS 16 brings Personalized Spatial audio to any AirPods that support Spatial Audio. Similar to what you do when setting up Face ID, the personalized experience comes from taking pictures of your ears, and the biggest benefit is the more accurate placement of dialogue directly in front of you when you’re watching a movie. That placement doesn’t move even if you turn your head if you have head-tracking turned on (you can also use Spatial Audio in «fixed» setting).
Apple AirPods Pro 2 voice-calling performance
The original AirPods Pro were mostly excellent for making voice calls and these are even slightly better. As I said, the microphones have been upgraded, and there are two beamforming microphones for calls — one on the outside of the bud and one at the bottom of the stem, both of which have some mesh covering them to help reduce wind noise. When you’re using the buds to make a FaceTime call over Wi-Fi instead of a call over a cellular voice network where the audio gets compressed, people may be able to notice a bigger difference in the clarity of your voice compared with what they would hear with the original AirPods Pro. (You can listen to a test call on the Verizon cellular network in my companion video review, at the top of this page.)
The one thing I noticed when comparing the AirPods Pro 2’s voice calling with that of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 is that when you’re having a conversation, the AirPods Pro 2 let more background noise in, but your voice sounds clearer to callers. When you’re not talking, the Bose earbuds completely silence the background noise — it only bleeds in a bit when you start talking. The AirPods Pro 2 don’t try to silence the background noise; they just reduce it to lower levels. There’s something quite impressive about the Bose almost completely silencing the background noise, but the overall experience for callers (the people you’re talking to) seems to be better with the AirPods Pro 2, because your voice does sound clearer and they can hear you well over the reduced background noise.
I made calls with noise canceling on as well calls with the adaptive transparency on. People you’re talking with can’t hear a difference, but there will be a big difference on your end, particularly if you’re in a noisy environment, where you’ll want to turn the noise canceling on (there’s just enough sidetone to hear your voice in the buds with noise canceling on). In less noisy environments, it’s better to turn transparency on because you can hear your voice as it sounds and you won’t talk too loud. And the transparency does make you feel as if you’re not wearing headphones, though you may still feel them in your ears.
You can use one bud independently — with noise canceling on if you want — and leave the other in the case to charge. It doesn’t matter which one you use when making calls; with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds it appears that you can only use the right bud for calls if you want to use only a single bud.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 buried features
I’ve spent most of this review focusing on the AirPods Pro 2’s top-level features and the things that people care about most, such as sound quality, noise-canceling and voice-calling performance. But the AirPods Pro do have a number of extra features and settings buried within iOS 16 under the Accessibility setting that allow you to tweak the buds, play masking sounds and even create a custom audiogram. And for those who have slight to moderate hearing loss, there’s a Conversation Boost that turn the buds into hearing amplifiers.
These features aren’t unique to the AirPods Pro 2 — they’re available for all the latest AirPods. But they’re worth exploring, and I suspect we’ll see more features added in the future. For instance, there was some chatter about new health features coming to the AirPods Pro 2. Those haven’t materialized, but you never know what could get added. For example, Spatial Audio didn’t come to the AirPods Pro until well after their initial release, and Apple never even hinted at when it originally launched the headphones.
Another nice little bonus: In addition to charging via Lightning, MagSafe or standard Qi wireless pads, the AirPods Pro 2 can even be juiced up with an Apple Watch magnetic charger.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 compared to other top earbuds
As I said at the beginning, it’s hard to put an exact number on just how much better the new AirPods Pro 2 are than their predecessor. But I’m going to go with somewhere around 40%.
The fact is that when the AirPods Pro came out almost three years ago, it was really their compact size, comfortable fit and Apple-only features like auto switching between all the devices on your iCloud account that were their big selling points. That’s all here still, but now the sound and noise canceling, which were good but not great before, are what you’d expect from a $249 set of buds.
Audio quality is subjective, and some people may slightly prefer the sonic traits of buds like the Bose I mentioned earlier or the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, all of which have equalizer options in their companion apps. But others may actually prefer the AirPods Pro 2’s sound; it really does stack up well against what you get with other premium earbuds in this price range.
Final take on Apple AirPods Pro 2
While the AirPods Pro 2 will pair with Android devices, you do lose a lot of their special features, including Spatial Audio, so Android users are better off with buds like Google’s very good Pixel Buds Pro, Samsung’s excellent Galaxy Buds 2 Pro or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 that I mentioned earlier. And you may find that other buds like the Bose or even Apple’s own Beats Fit Pro, which don’t sound quite as good or offer as good noise canceling or voice calling performance, may fit your ears more securely, which is an important factor when buying wireless earbuds.
I’m among those who wish Apple had made the AirPods Pro 2 look a little different than the originals. (I really do want them to come in more color options.) But if you’re an Apple user, they’re hard to beat so long as they fit your ears. While they may not quite be perfect, they feel like a much more fully evolved, refined product that packs not only an impressive set of features but top-notch performance in a very small design.
Editors’ note: This review was originally published on Sept. 22, 2022 and updated in December to reaffirm our continued positive experience with the headphones and add an Editors’ Choice designation.
Technologies
Tariff Impacts Are Real: These 13 Companies Have Confirmed Price Hikes
More and more companies are confirming price hikes as President Trump’s tariffs are poised to take effect — most recently, a popular smart lighting brand.
In many cases and for many products in the US, the biggest impacts of President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff plans haven’t hit yet — but they could soon, unless the 90-day pause on some rates is extended. Still, numerous companies have already hiked prices or said that they’ll increase in the near-future — including, most recently, a popular and CNET-approved brand of smart lights.
The fact of the matter is that tariffs — a tax placed on the importing of certain products into a country — will ultimately cause prices to go up, with Walmart characterizing these eventual price hikes as «inevitable» during its earnings call last month. Given Trump’s push to place historically high tariffs on goods from almost every country in the world, you can also expect these price hikes to hit a huge variety of products.
This truth has begun to sink in for a lot of Americans. About 38% of consumers feel pressured to make certain purchases before tariffs cause their price to go up, according to a recent survey conducted by CNET. About 10% of respondents said they’d already made certain purchases in hopes of avoiding future price hikes, while 27% said they’d delayed purchases of products costing more than $500. Overall, these concerns about prices were felt the most around popular tech pieces such as smartphones, laptops and home appliances.
To help you keep score, I’ve put together a list of all the companies that have either confirmed or warned of price hikes due to Trump’s tariffs. As other companies make such announcements, you can expect new names to be added here.
Continue on for all those details, and for more, find out why it’s best if you wait on buying a new iPhone.
One item you won’t find on this list yet? The original Nintendo Switch, which will see a currently unspecified price hike on Aug. 1, but only in Canada for the time being. If that increase makes its way south of the border, we’ll let you know.
Best Buy
Without getting into specifics, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry told the Wall Street Journal late last month that it has already raised prices on certain products as part of its response to the tariffs.
e.l.f.
Known as an affordable option in the beauty world, e.l.f. announced in late May that it would be implementing a $1 price hike across its product line in response to the tariffs. CEO Tarang Amin claimed that the reaction from customers was positive, on account of the company’s transparency.
«We’re not trying to pull anything over on anyone,» Amin told Fortune. «This is exactly what we’re facing, and they understand.»
Macy’s
Speaking to CNBC in late May, Macy’s CEO Tony Spring said that price hikes will be implemented on some products due to tariffs, while also emphasizing that other tactics — like discontinuing certain products altogether — will also be a response to rising costs.
Mattel
Known for brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel sounded the alarm over likely price increases during an early May earnings call. While it’s unclear how much the toymaker’s prices have increased since then, the company told investors that it would be, «where necessary, taking pricing action in its US business,» or to put it plainly, raising prices for consumers to mitigate the impact of tariffs.
Nikon
Camera-maker Nikon will introduce price hikes in response to Trump’s tariffs, effective June 23. This move will only target lenses and accessories the company makes and sells, so the cameras themselves are safe for now.
«We will be carefully monitoring any tariff developments and may adjust pricing as necessary to reflect the evolving market conditions,» a statement from Nikon explained. «We wish to thank our customers for their understanding and know that we are taking every possible step to minimize the impact on our community.»
Philips Hue
Parent company Signify announced that prices for its popular and highly regarded Philips Hue brand of smart lights will see price hikes effective July 1. The company also confirmed that this decision was made «as a direct result of tariffs.»
«Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future,» the company’s official statement explained.
Ralph Lauren
Sales at the luxury goods retailer Ralph Lauren have apparently remained steady amid recent uncertainty, but the company is still forging ahead with a plan to combat tariff impacts by raising prices more than it had already intended to, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Shein and Temu
Trump’s tariffs have made a notable target of China, hitting the country with a 30% rate only after initially hiking it all the way to 145%. Online retailers like Shein and Temu rely on direct shipments from markets like China in order to offer the rock-bottom prices that made them famous, so it’s little surprise now that they’ve had to raise prices.
The Trump administration has furthered the issues faced by these companies by doing away with a rule known as the «de minimus» exception, which used to exclude smaller purchases under $800 from import taxes. With that rule gone, Trump’s China tariffs will now apply to both bulk orders of industrial building materials and those shoes you’ve been looking to buy from Shein.
Subaru
Subaru has hiked prices across almost its entire line. The increase ranged from $750 to $2,055, depending on the model, with only the EV Solterra avoiding any change.
As has become a trend with some companies, Subaru avoided attributing the price hikes to Trump’s tariffs, citing only the common refrain of «market conditions.» Trump has notably disparaged companies that explicitly lay the blame for price hikes on his policies.
«The changes were made to offset increased costs while maintaining a solid value proposition for the customer. Subaru pricing is not based on the country of origin of its products,» a Subaru spokesperson said in a statement to Car & Driver.
Stanley Black & Decker
In an earnings report published April 30, toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker addressed «Price Actions in Response to US Tariffs,» stating that it had «implemented an initial price increase in April and notified our customers that further price action is required,» and was also looking into ways to shift its supply lines to minimize the impact of tariffs.
Volvo
The price impact of tariffs at Swedish automaker Volvo are confined, for now, to just one model: the electric EX30. Initially it was set to start at $34,950 in the US — a competitive price for an EV — but tariffs targeted at imported cars forced the company to raise the price to $46,195, a 32% bump.
Walmart
The biggest grocery chain in the US, Walmart is perhaps the most prominent company yet to announce imminent price hikes due to Trump’s tariffs. During the company’s earnings call in May, CEO Doug McMillan said price hikes would begin by the end of May and impact things like food, electronics and toys.
For more, see why buying refurbished tech helps you dodge tariffs and helps the planet.
Technologies
This Unique Controller Is Cool but Pointless for Most Gamers
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot has a unique 2-in-1 feature, but most people will never use it.

Pro-level game controllers have been becoming more mainstream over the past several years, offering gamers a host of new features not found on the controllers that came with their systems. These features include extra mappable buttons, swappable gamepads and other customizability options.
However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a controller that offers two dedicated button layouts within the same device. The Stealth Pivot from Turtle Beach lets you physically rotate the gamepads to reveal a whole new, previously hidden, button layout — all without having to remove anything. It’s a unique take on what a controller can be and I’m here for it.
What I like about the Stealth Pivot
I’ve been impressed with Turtle Beach controllers for a while now, and the Stealth Pivot continues continues the company’s streak of great hardware. The buttons are clicky and responsive and the whole thing feels wonderful to hold. The design is nearly identical to Microsoft’s own Xbox controllers, which is a good thing.
The Stealth Pivot keeps many of the same pro features as its Stealth Ultra controller (and many other pro-level controllers), including adjustable triggers and four additional, remappable buttons. The Connected Command Display is carried over as well, although it’s much smaller than the Ultra’s 1.5″ screen. Amazingly, it keeps all the same features , including being able to adjust buttons and social media notifications.
On the connectivity side, you’ve got a wired connection for Xbox (there’s no wireless support), a 2.4GHz dongle for PC and Bluetooth for mobile devices and compatible smart TVs. There’s a headphone jack at the bottom and the USB-C port for charging or Xbox connection is up top. You can play and charge at the same time, which is a nice bonus.
Two controllers for the price of one
The biggest feature of the Stealth Pivot by far is its rotating gamepads. Basically, you twist down the two joysticks, unlock the gamepads, then literally rotate them 180 degrees to reveal the other set. This second set has a layout typical of controllers designed for fighting games, or really, any game where additional buttons are valuable. So instead of joysticks, there’s a D-Pad on the top left flanked by two two buttons. On the right side, the ABXY cluster shifts downward to make room for two additional, mappable buttons.
So now, instead of having to buy multiple controllers or remove and swap out gamepads (like PDP Victrix Pro controllers), in just a few seconds you can switch from snapping headshots in Call of Duty to beating up bad guys in Mortal Kombat or Tekken. It’s certainly not something I’ve ever seen on any other controller and it works surprisingly well. You can even save up to five digital profiles on the controller so you can have different layouts for each game.
I was impressed by just how good the buttons and everything are on the Stealth Pivot, even with having to cram double the amount of most everything into the same space. Granted, the controller is a bit thicker than most other controllers, but it’s not that noticeable. The hardware and engineering that went into this controller is remarkable.
What I don’t like about the Stealth Pivot
There are some compromises that come with this quick-switch capability, however. The first is that Turtle Beach wasn’t able to include its microswitch buttons, which personally I prefer over the more standard buttons on the Pivot. The joysticks are still Hall Effect, which is nice, but the rest of the buttons are standard. The buttons aren’t bad, they just aren’t as good as on the company’s other pro controller.
Secondly, making room for those rotating gamepads means space had to come from somewhere and the most obvious place was the battery. Turtle Beach says the Pivot gets about 20 hours of battery life, which is probably a bit optimistic. I wouldn’t say it’s terrible, but it’s not great. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that you have to be physically plugged into your Xbox anyway, and you can play while charging — but PC users may want to keep a cable handy.
Also, while you can use the company’s Control Center II app to customize the controller on Windows, Xbox, iOS and Android, the app itself is not very good. The UI is basic and there are some annoying bugs including the inability to rename profiles on the Xbox version. It’s also hard to tell if anything saves after you make changes. There’s no indicator or save button anywhere, and while it does save things in real-time, it would be nice if it let you know it’s happening.
Lastly, it’s disappointing that you can’t connect wirelessly to the Xbox. Wired is fine, and it avoids battery issues, but wireless is obviously more convenient.
Should you buy the Stealth Pivot?
The Stealth Pivot is a really solid controller even without the dual personalities. Personally, I’m not really into fighting games so I don’t need the second set of controls. And super hard-core, e-sport-level gamers would probably want something like a Fight Stick or a more dedicated fighting game controller.
However, if you’re a more casual gamer who enjoys fighting/button heavy games alongside games that use joysticks — and wants to level up your fighting style — the Stealth Pivot might be worth a look, especially since it’s only $130. That is more expensive than a standard controller, but for everything you get with it, that’s a hard price to beat.
Technologies
I Loved Using This Keyboard, but There Was One Thing I Just Couldn’t Get Used To
The Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air is a great gaming keyboard, but it won’t replace my current one.

Gaming keyboards are everywhere these days, and with a plethora of options available it’s not hard to find a good one. They can also be expensive, so it can be difficult to know if the investment is worth the money. It’s with that in mind I got in the new the new Vulcan II Mini Air from Turtle Beach. I have some thoughts.
Turtle Beach bought the company behind these keyboards, Roccat, several years ago, but it only started phasing out that branding in May of 2024. So you might still find the Roccat branding on Vulcan II Mini Air (you can see it on my review sample here) if you buy one in the near future.
What I like about the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air
First things first, the size. The 65%-sized layout is my perfect setup because it still includes the arrow keys. True FPS gamers may prefer a 60% design, but I tend to mix my genres, and I’m also a writer in my work life, so I prefer having arrow keys (and Home/End keys — don’t you dare take those away from me). I don’t miss the dedicated media keys or functions keys too much, but this is certainly subjective.
The Vulcan II Mini opts for optical switches over the more traditional mechanical switches. At the risk of generalizing, optical and mechanical switches primarily differ in how they register the actuation of each key. Mechanical switches use physical contact between two metal plates while optical switches use beams of light to detect the actuation.
I hadn’t used optical switches much before testing the Vulcan II Mini but I can see their appeal for hardcore gamers. The idea is that the light-activated sensors allow for a much shorter actuation point for key presses, meaning there’s less time between when your finger moves to press the key and that key press being registered by your computer.
Turtle Beach says the actuation point of their Red Linear switches is 1.4mm, a decent improvement over the 2mm of most mechanical switches. That said, you’ll likely only notice the shorter actuation point if you’re a hardcore gamer who needs to prioritize every millisecond. Personally, I couldn’t tell a difference compared to my main keyboard with Cherry mechanical switches.
Another big advantage of optical is similar to the advantage Hall Effect switches have in keyboards like the Vulcan II TKL Pro. Since the sensors are activated by light and not physical contact between two plates, there’s less friction with each keypress. So the switches should last quite a bit longer. Most traditional mechanical switches are rated for about 100 million presses. These are rated for 200 million. That’s a pretty significant advantage if you don’t tend to upgrade your keyboard very often.
To be honest, it took me a little time to get used to the feel of the optical switches. They’re aren’t mushy by any means, but they are noticeably softer than the traditional switches I’m used to. Thankfully, they’re more tactile than Hall Effect switches. After a few hours, though, I couldn’t notice much of a difference anymore between the feel of the Vulcan II Mini and my regular keyboard.
The Vulcan II Mini’s build quality is top notch. The aluminum top plate gives it a nice solid feel with no creakiness or give that I could detect anywhere. At 578 grams, it’s also not very heavy either. The included braided cable also feels well-designed. It’s nice that it’s available in white, although I do wonder how clean it will stay long-term. The two-position kickstands allow for some nice ergonomic options.
Customization is one area where Turtle Beach levels things up a bit. Via the Swarm app, you have access to many of the typical customizations for gaming keyboards. But Turtle Beach also adds a secondary function to 29 keys, so you can quickly trigger another action. These Smart Keys are also equipped with dual LEDs that will indicate when the secondary function is active. On top of that, you can store up to five different profiles, so you can set up the perfect configuration for your favorite games.
No self-respecting gaming keyboard would stop you from customizing the RGB lighting to your heart’s content. So of course you can choose from a variety of lighting effects. That includes the AIMO effect, which synchronizes all your Turtle Beach accessories together so the lighting effects are coordinated.
Battery life
Being a wireless keyboard, battery life is important. Turtle Beach says the Vulcan II Mini can clock 240 hours of continuous use without the RBG lighting active, which is a bold claim. I haven’t used the keyboard exclusively for the approximately four weeks I’ve had it, but even with heavy usage, I still haven’t managed to kill it, and that’s with the RGB lights still on. Suffice to say, battery life has been awesome for me.
One trick Turtle Beach uses to accomplish this is a proximity sensor in the keyboard that automatically detects your presence to turn the lights on and off. Logitech does something similar in some of its keyboards, so it’s not revolutionary, but Turtle Beach lets you adjust the effect somewhat by changing the sensitivity of the sensor. At least, that’s the theory. I couldn’t get the Swarm app to save the settings for this when I changed it, so I can’t speak to how effective it is.
As the «Air» name might suggest, this version of the Vulcan II Mini is wireless (there’s a wired option for $119). It can connect to four devices: Three via Bluetooth plus one via an included 2.4Ghz wireless dongle. The only downside I found when connected via Bluetooth was that I could never get it to show up in Turtle Beach’s Swarm app. It showed up fine when using the dongle, but not on Bluetooth.
What I didn’t like about the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air
As cool as the optical switches are, the typing experience wasn’t great. I’m a writer by day, so I always prioritize a great typing experience first and a good gaming experience second. Even after using the Mini exclusively for more than three weeks, I just couldn’t the same level of comfort typing on it as with my Keychron Q81 Pro. I’m willing to acknowledge that much of that could be attributed to the II Mini’s low profile design, which I’ve never found to be as comfortable as a full-size profile.
The wake time for the Vulcan II Mini Air is also significantly slower than many other keyboards I’ve used. I’m not sure if this is because of the proximity sensor or something else, but it sometimes takes up to 10 seconds for my computer to begin registering key presses.
Should you buy the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air?
Overall, it’s a nice keyboard with plenty of excellent features for someone looking for a serious gaming keyboard. The small size means it doesn’t take up much space on the desk, the optical switches provide fast response times and greater durability, and the customization options are nearly endless. For me, though, I struggled to use it as a daily keyboard as it just didn’t offer me the tactility and feel that I prefer, but if you’re looking to upgrade your gaming keyboard, or just dive into the world of gaming keyboards for the first time, the Vulcan II Mini Air is a great choice.
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