Review: AirFly Pro-Do you have a device that you would like to connect your wireless headphones or earbuds to, but does not have Bluetooth? With the AirFly Pro that works. This adapter works with the AirPods and other wireless headphones. We have tested the AirFly Pro and share our experiences in the review.
Do you often travel by plane or are you regularly in the gym? Then it is nice to watch a movie or listen to music. You probably do that via your own iPhone or Apple Watch , but sometimes you want to watch a movie on the plane that is offered via the system on the plane. It is not possible to connect wireless headphones or earbuds on most planes, so if you only use AirPods that is rather inconvenient. Twelve South’s AirFly Pro solves this problem, but works in many other similar cases as well. In addition, you can use the AirFly Pro to send audio to, for example, an older car radio without Bluetooth. In this AirFly Pro review you can read the pros and cons.
AirFly Pro Features
These are the main features of the AirFly Pro:
- Connect your AirPods or other wireless headphones or earbuds to devices without a Bluetooth connection
- Plug the adapter into a 3.5mm headphone jack
- Can connect with two wireless headphones or earbuds at the same time
- Sending audio for your own music on an older car radio, for example
- Battery life of approximately 16 hours
- Supplied with key ring
The AirFly Pro is the latest version of Twelve South. Twelve South already released the first variant a few years ago. The big difference between the AirFly Pro and the regular version is that the AirFly Pro can connect to two wireless headphones or earbuds at the same time and it has a shipping mode. This allows you to stream audio after the AirFly, for example to play it on your car radio. The idea behind the AirFly and the AirFly Pro is otherwise the same.
Set up AirFly Pro
Setting up the AirFly Pro is fairly easy. You plug it into the headphone jack of the device you want to listen to and then press and hold the button. The light will then flash white and orange, after which you can pair your AirPods or other wireless headphones. You have to put it in pairing mode for this. Once your audio device is connected to the AirFly Pro, there is no need to pair it every time. The AirFly Pro recognizes your paired devices and connects automatically as soon as you switch them on. You can link multiple devices, all of which are remembered by the AirFly Pro.
Because the AirFly Pro is so compact, it is about 10 centimeters long and only two and a half centimeters wide including the cable, taking it with you is no problem. You can therefore easily put it in your pocket. You can also hang it on your key ring thanks to the key ring. The advantage is that you always have it with you, although we think it is just too big for that. However, the ring is useful for attaching it somewhere to your bag, for example.
We have tested the AirFly Pro in an airplane and in combination with the Nintendo Switch. On the plane, it hangs down from the seat in front of you, from the headphone jack. That is no problem at all and the adapter is therefore not in the way. On other devices where the headphone jack is in a different place, for example on the Nintendo Switch, this is slightly different. He then hangs at the top and dangles a bit from side to side. It is not very disturbing, but keep that in mind with the device you want to use it for.
Sound quality and performance
The sound quality is fine with the AirFly Pro. The range is good and never drops. We have noticed that the volume with the AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro in combination with the AirFly Pro is somewhat softer than when you connect normal wired headphones to the device. Twelve South reports on its website that they are aware of this and are working with Apple on a solution. This problem also occurs with the latest update from December 2019.
Thanks to the battery life of more than 16 hours, it will not happen that your AirFly Pro is empty. Thanks to this battery life you can use it without any problems during a long flight or a long game of gaming. In fact, the chance that you have to charge your AirPods or other earbuds in between is greater than that the AirFly Pro is empty. You can charge with the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable of more than 20 centimeters. We think this is a bit short, but because you connect the AirFly via USB-C, you can easily use a different cable. Unfortunately, charging via your iPhone with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable is not possible. This is possible with the latest iPad Pro .
The AirFly Pro indicates with the light when it is almost empty, but it is not possible to request the battery life at any time. We would have found it easier if, for example, you can see how much power is left in the adapter with a series of lights on the side.
Listening together
The handy thing about the AirFly Pro is that you can also listen with it together. This model can connect with two headphones at the same time. This works with any wireless headphones or earbuds, not just AirPods. Since iOS 13 , you can listen together with your AirPods on one iPhone or iPad , by sharing the audio. Thanks to the AirFly Pro, this also works with other headphones and with devices such as the entertainment system on the plane or the Nintendo Switch. Another advantage is that you can also connect two headphones to a MacBook in this way . So it is a kind of wireless splitter.
Setting it up is easy. Once your first headphones are connected, press the button twice to pair the other headphones. After that, all you have to do is both turn on your headset and connect. We did not notice any disturbances while listening with two devices. The quality is the same as when you listen in the normal way.
Also send audio
Finally, the AirFly Pro has a switch on the side. This allows you to switch to Receiver mode, which allows you to send audio from your iPhone or iPad to another device. We have used this in a car with an older car radio with AUX connection, but without Bluetooth. There are numerous adapters available that do the same (sometimes for a tenner), but it is handy that this is also built into the AirFly Pro as standard. In our experience, this works flawlessly. In a few seconds you are connected via the Bluetooth settings of your iPhone and play your own music on the connected device.
In addition to in the car, this also works with speakers that have an AUX input, but no Bluetooth. The only drawback is that it is not possible to make phone calls with it. The sound of your conversation does not go through the AirFly Pro and there is no microphone on it. We secretly think that is a missed opportunity, because with this you could have made your older car radio suitable for hands-free operation in an instant.
The price of the AirFly Pro is on the high side. There are other adapters available that are a lot cheaper. The question is therefore whether you think it is worth the full € 60. If you are only on a plane once a year, then the price is a bit high. Are you going to use it daily in the car or do you also have other devices worth working with, then we think it is more than worth it.
BENEFITS+
- Easy to connect
- Makes all kinds of devices without Bluetooth suitable for wireless headphones and earbuds
- Listen with two audio devices at the same time
- Also suitable for sending audio
- Long battery life
CONS-
- Battery status cannot be requested manually
- With some devices, the adapter can be a bit awkward due to its size
Conclusion
The AirFly Pro is a very handy accessory that proves to be a useful addition in many situations. On the plane, you can effortlessly watch the movies in the entertainment system with your AirPods or wireless headphones, while it also comes in handy with the Nintendo Switch, for example. Pairing and connecting is child’s play and the option to connect two sets of AirPods or two headphones is a bonus. We also find Receiver mode practical for in the car or with your old-fashioned non-wireless speaker. The price is a bit on the high side, but if you can already think of two or more situations in which the AirFly Pro comes in handy for you, we think it is worth the effort.
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