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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JosephT71 9,220 Reputation points2021-04-22T20:08:03+00:00 Apple computers with AirPods --- are communicated by a proprietary protocol. They are using the Bluetooth radio antenna doing proprietary stuff.
The Bluetooth handshake automatically tells each other what is their highest bitrate supported.
This is like how you connect computer to your monitor. The computer asks the monitor by HDMI --- do you do 120 Hz? The monitor answers the computer back by HDMI --- no I don't do 120 Hz. So the computer then connects the monitor at 60 Hz.
You are basically complaining on why your computer greys out 120 Hz on the graphics control panel --- the simple answer is that the monitor's maximum refresh rate is only 60 Hz.
There are a lot of moving parts --- but none of which points to Microsoft themselves.
Bluetooth contains many optional audio codecs.
Mac computers uses AAC as optional Bluetooth audio codec. Android phones with Qualcomm chipsets uses aptX (invented by Qualcomm) as optional Bluetooth audio codec.
Whether your Windows 10 laptop contains the optional Hands Free Profile 1.6 wideband mSBC audio codec (with 16 kHz sampling rate) --- that depends on whether your laptop manufacturer pays the licensing fee for that optional audio codec.
You may buy a Bluetooth headset that has the optional wideband mSBC codec, but Dell cheapen out and didn't pay for that optional codec for your laptop -- then you are out of luck.
You may buy a pair of AirPods that uses AAC as their optional codec and you buy a Mac laptop that also uses AAC as their optional codec --- you are really getting nice sound. You buy a Windows laptop which no PC manufacturer ever include AAC as an optional Bluetooth codec, you are out of luck.
You may buy a pair of Bluetooth headset with aptX as optional codec and you buy an android phone that comes with aptX as optional codec --- you are getting nice sound. But if you are an iphone user, then you are out of luck.
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Anonymous
2020-09-19T16:46:17+00:00 Argh this is so frustrating! Still no solution yet.
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Anonymous
2020-09-07T08:33:10+00:00 Definately a windows issue. Be it drivers or Windows 10 itself. The same bluetooth hardware works flawlessly and smoothly when booting the same machine in macos. They are horrible using hands free mode in windows 10 and don't work at all as a proper microphone.
So yeah, definately windows 10.
Unfortunately I do not have another set of bluetooth headphones from another company to see if it is "politially motivated" on one of the sides of the companies.
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Anonymous
2020-09-07T08:46:53+00:00 Exactly this. It's weird: I use a macbook just for video-conferencing and calls because being forced to wired headphones in 2020 is so cruel. It's a bit like getting used to 3 screens and then ending up with one laptop in homeoffice. It's just a HUGE step backwards.