Apple AirPods With Charging Case (2nd Generation) Review

The 3-Minute Apple AirPods Review

Apple AirPods More magical than ever.

By Graeme Messina | 11 May 2019

The Specifics:

Features & Design: 4/5 ● Performance: 4/5 ● Value: 3/5 ● Battery 4/5

The Best:

The AirPods nowdeliver more talk time, voice-activated Siri access and a new wireless charging case, giving an unparalleled wireless headphone experience. Simply take them out and they’re ready to use with all your devices. Put them in your ears and they connect immediately, immersing you in rich, high-quality sound.

The Bugs:

They may not fit you well as it has the same shape all round compared to other brands where they have changeable winglets and rubber inserts. As with most Apple products comes the Apple price tag. Another issue is that these are non-repairable as AirPods are a sealed unit repairing them may not be an option. The slim and sleek design makes them an easy to lose item. Some may find the double tap commands univariant as there are only two possibilities, one per ear, and none of them are volume. Choices are Play/pause, forward, back or none. And double tapping needs to be quite firm, which is annoying to your ear.

Is it for you?

One-tap setup allows AirPods to automatically connect and stay on and sense when they’re in your ears and pause when you take them out. A simple voice command like “Hey Siri” will bring up the iPhone personal assistance without having to reach for your phone. The new Apple H1 headphone chip provides a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices. 2x faster when switching between active devices, and a 1.5x faster connection time for phone calls. Optical sensors and motion accelerometers work together to automatically control the audio experience, so it knows when you are talking.

The microphones are engaged for phone calls and Siri access, and enabling AirPods to play sound as soon as they’re in your ears. The speech detection recognises when you’re speaking and works with a pair of beamforming microphones to filter out external noise and focus on the sound of your voice. The new Wireless Charging Case allows charging by placing the AirPods case on a Qi-compatible charging mat or connecting to the lightning port. The LED indicator on the front of the case lets you know that your AirPods are charging. AirPods deliver 5 hours of listening time, and up to 3 hours of talk time on a single charge. The charging case holds multiple charges for more than 24 hours of listening time. Quick charge by just put AirPods back in the case for 15 minutes to get up to 3 hours of listening time and 2 hours of talk time. Hold the AirPods next to your iPhone or ask Siri to check battery life.

Features:

·         Dimensions

AirPods (each): 0.65 by 0.71 by 1.59 inches (16.5 by 18.0 by 40.5 mm), 0.14 ounce (4 g)

Charging Case: 1.74 by 0.84 by 2.11 inches (44.3 by 21.3 by 53.5 mm), 1.34 ounces (38 g)

·         “Hey Siri” voice activation

·         Simple one-tap setup

·         Automatically on and always connected

·         Bluetooth 5.0

·         Dual beamforming microphones

·         Dual optical sensors

·         Motion-detecting accelerometer

·         Speech-detecting accelerometer

Should you buy it?

The AirPods 2^nd generation are not much of a change from the 1^st generation so if you looking to upgrade from the 1^st generation it may not be worth it as it still is good quality. If you feel you need faster connectivity, the voice activated Siri access and the longer battery life then this is upgrade for you.