A tell-tale sign that a company is phasing out a product is when it becomes incompatible with the latest software updates. However, the AirPods Pro 3 share the same H2 audio chip as the AirPods Pro 2, which is responsible for processing advanced software features. As a result, the two models have many of the same software features. Like the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Pro 2's features include Head Gestures, Hearing Aid mode, sleep detection, Conversation Awareness, Live Translation, and Adaptive Audio.
The option she showed me cost $7,000. The sticker shock hit harder than the diagnosis. In the US, insurance typically won't cover hearing aids, which meant I was on the hook for the full cost, out-of-pocket. I found a compromise at Costco: the Jabra Enhance Pro 20s for $1,600. I spent the next month acclimating to their digital processing until it finally sounded normal.
