According to this post it should be fixed already in Insiders Build (currently Dev Channel only).
Airpods Pro: very bad quality in Headset mode on Windows 10
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Anonymous
Dear all,
I've got my new Airpods Pro, they work well with my iPhone.
Also on Windows 10 via bluetooth, sound quality is good when using the "Airpods stereo" mode.
However, in the headset mode ("Airpods Hands-Free AG Audio") sound and especially microphone quality is extremely bad. I tried to change the default format (see screenshot, it's only 8000Hz), but I cannot change it as it's grey. Any advice to get a better microphone quality?
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
2020-12-18T13:29:58+00:00 How can this still be a problem, come on Microsoft! Also exactly the same problems with my Bang Olufsen headset.
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Anonymous
2020-12-18T13:40:58+00:00 How can this still be a problem, come on Microsoft! Also exactly the same problems with my Bang Olufsen headset.
They'll sound much better if you connect the Headphone profile. The Headset profile is optimized for voice calling and voice conferencing like Zoom or Teams.
And it's got nothing to do with Microsoft ... that's Bluetooth, which is managed by the Bluetooth SIG.
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Anonymous
2020-12-18T17:15:34+00:00 Sorry, I disagree. There are some BT headsets, which allow better Mic sound quality, because it is set to 16bit 16000 hz, but with Apple devices the Mic audio is set to poor quality as posted above.
And yes, you can select Headphone profile for audio playback but you must set handfree for the mic, and THAT is the real problem.
Another issue is, you don‘t hear the poor audio quality from the mic yourself, only the partners, you are talking to (teams, skype, zoom etc.) will face this poor quality, and this can be very anoying, I do face this effect daily from other colleagues ...
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Anonymous
2020-12-18T17:49:04+00:00 I apologize, for two reasons:
1- I intended to reply to the OP, not to you.
The OP wrote: "However, in the headset mode ("Airpods Hands-Free AG Audio") sound ... is extremely bad. "
And I answered (correctly) that the headset profile is optimized for voice, and not for other audio.
2- The OP's stated question was about microphone quality ("Any advice to get a better microphone quality?") and my answer was about audio quality.
Not an impressive performance from me. However, I didn't completely miss the mark. Bluetooth quality is a function of Bluetooth and the manufacturer, not Windows. The audio controls in Windows are designed for an on-board sound chip or sound card. They have limited effect on Bluetooth audio.