I'll Never Go on a Long Flight Again Without This Game-Changing Bluetooth Dongle
I travel a lot, and when I'm flying, I usually bring my AirPods Pro so I can listen to music from my phone or watch something I've downloaded on my tablet. But sometimes I really want to take advantage of the in-flight entertainment, and I'm not a big fan of the flimsy airline headphones that the flight attendants hand out at the start of each flight.
What's worse is that it's in an environment that's already difficult for listening in general, and the in-flight headphones definitely don't have noise cancellation. They're tiny and let all the outside sounds bleed in, including loud engine sounds and crying babies, so I can barely hear anything.
That's where the AirFly Pro comes in.
The AirFly Pro lets me truly enjoy in-flight entertainment
The AirFly Pro from Twelve South is a minimally designed dongle that lets me connect to the 3.5mm headphone jack on my flight to listen to in-flight entertainment on my noise-cancelling earbuds. All I have to do is pair the AirFly Pro with whichever Bluetooth headphones I'm using, like my AirPods Pro, plug the AirFly Pro into the display in front of me -- and I'm all set. I don't even need to use my phone to connect the two devices.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
There are four versions of the AirFly: the AirFly SE, which costs $35 on Amazon and connects to just one set of headphones; the AirFly Pro ($55); the Pro V2 ($60), the newest version of the Pro; and the Pro Deluxe ($62), which comes with an international headphone adapter and a suede travel case.
I use the AirFly Pro, and it's been a game changer for me on flights. I've never had to worry about battery life -- the AirFly Pro lasts for more than 25 hours and can fully charge in 3 hours. I can also pair two separate pairs of headphones to a single AirFly Pro, in case I'm with someone else on a flight and want to watch the same movie or show.
And if that's not enough, the AirFly Pro also doubles as an audio transmitter, so I can turn any speaker with a headphone jack, like my old car stereo, into a Bluetooth speaker.
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Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
The AirFly Pro makes a great gift
With Father's Day right around the corner, you might be shopping for the father figure in your life. The AirFly Pro is the perfect present to give to someone who's planning to travel this year. Besides my Anker MagSafe battery pack, the AirFly Pro really has become my most treasured travel accessory when I fly, which is why I consider it to be one of those can't-go-wrong gifts.
For more travel gear, here are our favorite tech essentials to travel with and our favorite travel pillows.
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