So firmware 7A294 just dropped for both the USB Type-C and Lightning connector versions of the AirPods Pro 2. There was a beta version of this upgrade, but this is the real deal launched in preparation for iOS 18, which adds the ability to prompt yes or no to Siri by nodding or shaking your head using its head tracking, not as awkward as saying out loud in the bus or the train whether you want to take the call or not, so I consider it an upgrade. It also adds Voice Isolation. This is one step up from the usual voice isolation. I tried it on a Zoom call with a phone running iOS 18 beta, and it seems to work very well. Okay, by now I'm using the AirPods Pro 2 USB Type-C version, running firmware 7A294 on a Zoom call with voice isolation mode turned on. Let's see if it works. I'm going to turn on some background noise in 3, 2, and 1, and this is the background noise. Voice isolation mode turned on on the AirPods Pro 2 USB Type-C version, firmware 7A294 on iOS 18 beta. Just to give you a sense of what it sounds like without voice isolation mode turned on. This is standard mode. Standard mode, and this is automatic mode, switching over, automatic mode. Yes, and now we're going to go back to voice isolation. This is voice isolation mode. Okay, how do I sound like? Let me know in the comments. And finally, personalized spatial audio for games. But this isn't something you can turn on for all games on the App Store. The spatial audio has to be coded into the games by developers in the first place. Nonetheless, we're going to find out if this firmware makes any difference to the Pro 2's performance, such as its sound, noise cancelling, and mic pickup. As usual, if you want to know if future updates affect the AirPods Pro 2's performance, get subscribed and tap the bell button to stay notified of more videos from me. In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps are showing a small sharpening of the upper mids on the USB Type-C version, which doesn't impact sound quality much. And the sweeps also show a more significant shift in the overall sound quality of the Lightning connector version, which should make it sound fuller overall and less crisp. Now interestingly, if we compare both versions on 7A294, they now sound quite similar, except for the USB Type-C version sounding a bit hotter in the upper mids, but just a tiny bit. Most of these changes will influence how vocals sound, but it should be harder now to tell the difference between both versions rocking the new firmware. Have a listen to the samples. To compare their sound quality to other earbuds, go to loudnwireless.com/soundsamples Since iOS 18 hasn't landed officially, I am testing their microphone quality as is on iOS 17 with a voice recording, which is a more accurate benchmark for people who use different devices and different apps, not just on Apple devices. And right now, the USB Type-C version seems to respond to noise quicker. Before, on 6F8, it does take a while to cut the noise, sometimes it takes a bit too long, but now it's quicker and more responsive to background noise. In fact, both Lightning and USB Type-C versions now perform in a similar fashion under both quiet and noisy conditions using some really loud caffeine noise and wind noise from this fan. In terms of active noise cancelling, there isn't really much of a difference on both models. The USB Type-C version did seem a little quieter in the mids, but it's too small of a difference to tell in real-world usage. Now if you want to compare their active noise cancelling and call quality to other earbuds, do become a member for $1 per month or more. This gives you full access to my personal comparison tool, which you can use to compare earbuds A to B at your own time and at your own pace. Hundreds of people have joined up, especially people who can't simply visit a store anytime to compare earbuds. They know that this is going to save them so much time being able to just cut through all the marketing and compare these earbuds remotely without visiting a store. So become a member, like them, click on the link below to find out more. Now the new features aside, that is how firmware 7A294 impacts the performance of both Lightning and USB Type-C AirPods Pro 2. Improved my quality on the USB Type-C version, a noticeable change in the Lightning connector version's sound, and in terms of noise cancelling, not much of a difference overall. Anyway, if you wanna keep track with me whether new updates affect the AirPods Pro 2's performance, get subscribed and tap the bell button to stay notified for more videos. And now, here are the usual instructions of how to update the AirPods Pro 2. Works 100% of the time. Take a look. So here are 3 easy steps to ensure a 100% success rate at updating your AirPods Pro 2. First, ensure that your iPhone is updated to the latest firmware. Second, ensure that your AirPods are charged to at least 50% battery or more. Very important. And third, reconnect your Pods to your iPhone and make sure that you're playing something, a Spotify album. Pay for about 5-10 minutes. When you put your AirPods back into the case to charge, go into Bluetooth settings and check if the AirPods are still connected. If they are, this means that it's pulling the firmware from the iPhone. And finally, reconnect the AirPods to your phone and check if it's been updated or not. For me, sometimes it happens on the first try, sometimes it happens on the third or fourth try. Doesn't matter, just keep at it until you see that the new firmware is reflected in its Bluetooth settings. So that's how I ensure a 100% success rate of updating the AirPods Pro 2. If you like this video, give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more videos like this.