AirPods review: Apple's smart wireless earbuds

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

AirPods went on sale a year ago, but many are still wondering if they should be bought. Lifehacker's review will help you decide.

Equipment

AirPods come with earbuds in a case, a set of instructions, and a Lightning cable.

Case

The case has rounded edges, fits well in the hand and fits in any pocket. Opening and closing the lid is a special pleasure, transforming the headphone case into an alternative to anti-stress toys.

On the back side there is a button for connecting to Android devices and pairing with iOS devices, and on the bottom side there is a charging jack.

Over time, a dark coating forms under the lid, which must be cleaned. It is not clear where it comes from: the case is always closed, no one touches it with dirty hands. Judging by the reviews, many AirPods owners are engaged in periodic cleaning of cases. What to do, the costs of design in white colors.

Another nuance is the backlash of the lid when it moves from side to side (not in the direction of opening). There are no scenarios in which it would be necessary to move the lid in this way, but such roughness in Apple's technique is frustrating, at least because they are rare.

Magnets are hidden inside the case, with the help of which the headphones literally fly into the case. The lid is also magnetized when closed, so AirPods can be safely thrown to the bottom of the bag - the headphones will not fall out or get lost.

Headphones

At first glance, the wireless earbuds seem to be the same EarPods, but without wires and with slightly thicker legs. If you do not take into account the technofarsh hidden in these legs, then these are EarPods. And that's cool. It's not even about skeuomorphism and continuity. It's just really a very comfortable and rather versatile headphone shape.

If doubts before purchasing AirPods are associated with the fear of losing a dropped earphone, then we is in a hurry to dispel them: the earbuds are held securely. The main reason for EarPods to fall out is the wires that constantly pull the headphones down. They are not here.

The real danger lies in the habit brought up over the years to take off one of the headphones when talking and let it go. The EarPods would remain dangling from the wire, and the wireless earbud would simply fall to the ground. However, you can rebuild in a couple of days, and for the most unlucky ones, there are special silicone laces on sale that connect the headphones to each other.

Sound

Sound performance is the most important part of any headphone review, but definitely the most boring when it comes to AirPods. As in the case of the wired predecessor, here we get a not very ambitious, even and slightly tinted sound in the middle and high frequencies.

For lovers of precise specifications, we borrowed the frequency response graph from the French portal Les Numeriques.

This is a good result for urban in-ear headphones that do not claim to be an audiophile device. Still, AirPods are not loved at all for the sound, although they do an excellent job with the requests of the average user.

Exploitation

Pairing AirPods with an Apple device is easy. The W1 chip, specially designed for headphones, is responsible for fast synchronization. Flip open the case and iPhone automatically recognizes AirPods.

Confirm the pairing by pressing a single button on the headphone case - and that's it, the pair has been created and has already spread to all synchronized devices. From now on, even pressing the button is not required - the broadcast will be automatically transferred to AirPods if they are inserted into the ears.

There are no buttons on the headphones. The only possible control gesture is a double tap. The best I've come up with is start and pause on the right earbud, and Siri on the left. Another way to pause playback is to remove one of the headphones.

It's hard to get used to the new navigation system. In this regard, EarPods are still more convenient. One or two buttons to control playback are not enough, and Siri is not a panacea. For example, I am still embarrassed to use it in public places.

To answer the call, you also need to tap on the earpiece twice. The quality of the outgoing sound is excellent due to the work of the active noise cancellation system. Therefore, with AirPods, you can talk to friends or call Siri even in a crowded and relatively noisy place.

If you bring the open case to the iPhone, the charging data of the case and headphones will appear on the screen. In addition, in the "Batteries" widget, you can see the charge of each of the earbuds. The fact is that they are identical in terms of filling, each can be used as a headset. In this case, the sound will be broadcast in mono, and the battery life of AirPods will double.

AirPods can also work in conjunction with all iOS devices with iOS 10 and higher, Apple Watch with watchOS 3 and higher, as well as computers with macOS 10.12 and higher. In addition, the headphones can be used with any devices that support the Bluetooth 4.0 standard. The "magic" promised by the developers will disappear in this case, but, as users of Android smartphones assure, it is quite comfortable to carry AirPods with their devices. True, there is no Siri, but with the help of third-party software, you can make Google Assistant respond to tapping.

Battery

Fully charged earbuds and case can last 24 hours of listening time and 11 hours of talk time. Without a case, the headphones will work for five hours. Moreover, they charge very quickly: in 15 minutes they gain an amount of charge sufficient to play music for another three hours.

This means that discharging your device will never take you by surprise. One has only to charge the case with headphones every 3-4 days and not listen to music for five hours.

Verdict

We recommend AirPods if:

• you are already fully equipped with Apple and want to supplement the collection with one more utilitarian device;
• you are tired of interrupted EarPods cables, but the headphones themselves are completely fine with you;
• you are looking for wireless headphones that won't take up much space in your bag.

We do not recommend AirPods if:

• you are constantly losing everything;
• you live in an underdeveloped region, where an exotic gadget can cause unwanted attention;
• you are an audiophile for whom frequency response, THD and other incomprehensible abbreviations are more important than anything else.

And most importantly: do not forget that the choice of headphones is always highly individual. If you like some Sennheiser or Koss more than EarPods, then buying a wireless version of your unloved headphones for 12 thousand rubles is not the best idea.

But if you want to get the most out of Apple technology, are accustomed to the ergonomics and sound of EarPods, and like to experience the aesthetic and tactile pleasure of gadgets, then AirPods will definitely appeal to you.

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