> ... horribly uncomfortable.

One persons uncomfortable is another persons perfection. I can't stand headphones like these new Pro ones that have the little rubber tips. They hurt my ears so much. The current Airpods or the wired ones you "throw in the trash" are the most comfortable in ear headphones I've ever used, personally.

And here I am smack in the middle. I can run in them, I might even try jumping jacks. But bicycle helmet straps knock them out, and when I tap them I often have to readjust them. So I have "AirPods with earhooks" called PowerBeats Pros. The innards of AirPods in a different, better-fitting (for me) package. (And the PowerBeats are water-resistant, but I guess the AirPod Pros are, too.)

They’re similar but not the same shape, and clearly neither are horribly uncomfortable to most people.

>The regular airpods are the same shape as the original iphone earbuds, and my normal ritual with those was to immediately throw them in the trash as soon as I opened any Apple product because are horribly uncomfortable. Am I the only one who notices this?

No, I'm exactly the same way. I've always hated Apple ear-buds. These new ones will probably be the first I ever own and use.

I wonder if the pressure equalization is a first for these and not in the originals. It might be the win that actually makes them comfortable this time around.