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| The Apple AirPods 2 |
'Courage' is what Apple calls it when they removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 back in 2016. They are truly aiming for a wireless future as early as that year. It is deemed unnecessary by many and seeing 'courage' as an excuse to make someone buy wireless earbuds or earphones. During their iPhone 7 and 7 Plus reveal they also revealed the AirPods to complement the iPhone's lack of headphone jack. Fast-forward to 2019 and they already upgraded the AirPods to the second iteration and it is well-liked by many. I've been using one of these AirPods for quite a few months and are they worth it?
Build Quality
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| The earbuds. The black dots are the sensors for infrared tech and the small hole at the back side is for the touch controls. |
The AirPods is indeed mostly made plastic, but it is well built. They are very similar to the looks of the EarPods that come with your iPhone, but the 'handle' part where the wires are supposed to be attached are much thicker because this is where Apple stores the battery. The built-in microphone can be found right at the bottom of each earbud used for calls and voice recording.
The charging case that comes with it is also plastic but it's sturdy and comes with a magnet that keeps the AirPods from falling when returning them to the case and being charged. The kind of plastic material inside the charging case is prone to dirt so keep that in mind before putting your AirPods back in. Be sure to clean them.
An LED indicator is present inside to let you know if your AirPods or the charging case is low on battery or fully charged.
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| Charging case |
The charging case that comes with it is also plastic but it's sturdy and comes with a magnet that keeps the AirPods from falling when returning them to the case and being charged. The kind of plastic material inside the charging case is prone to dirt so keep that in mind before putting your AirPods back in. Be sure to clean them.
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| Charging case with the earbuds inside |
An LED indicator is present inside to let you know if your AirPods or the charging case is low on battery or fully charged.
Connectivity
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| After opening the lid of the charging case the AirPods will automatically connect after pairing. (very left) The AirPods knows when its not in your ear. |
Connecting the AirPods to your iOS device is fast and easy. Just be sure to have your Bluetooth turned on then open up the lid and a menu should pop-up on your screen asking to connect the detected AirPods. Just tap 'Connect' and everything should be good to go. Not only the AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad, it's also connected to all your devices through your iCloud account avoiding pairing with multiple devices just like your usual Bluetooth equipment. The convenient pairing process is all thanks to the Apple H1 chip built-in. The H1 chip is a big improvement from the last generation's W1 chip. It highly improves the pairing process and battery life.
In case you happen to own an Android device instead of an iOS and likes to buy the AirPods, you will still be able to connect it through the usual pairing process just like with any other Bluetooth devices.
In case you happen to own an Android device instead of an iOS and likes to buy the AirPods, you will still be able to connect it through the usual pairing process just like with any other Bluetooth devices.
Fit
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| Left and right earbuds |
The AirPods is one size fits all kind of earbuds. It fits nicely with my ear and It's mostly seamless, although there are times I thought it may fall off because of the strong wind, but it didn't. It's all good with my ears. Again, since this is one size fits all, don't expect this to fit for everyone so it may vary. There are lots of AirPods user reports that even a small head movement will make it drop from your ear so keep that in mind. It would be great if you have friends that have one and you can test the fit from there.
Features
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| Bluetooth options from the iOS Settings App and choosing your AirPods from any music application |
The pair has some available touch controls that you can customize through the Bluetooth menu. Both AirPods only offers double-tap gestures and you can change the way they work just like going into 'next track' or summoning Siri, Apple's smart assistant. I really wish that in the next coming updates they'll allow more than just a double-tap gesture to give users more options.
Another cool feature is the accelerometer built-in to detect orientation. The AirPods know when you remove one the earbud and pauses the music and it will resume when you put it back in your ear making it useful if you want to be aware of your surroundings while listening to music. Also, when you remove both AirPods it will automatically disconnect from your device. All of this is because of the H1 chip.
Another cool feature is the accelerometer built-in to detect orientation. The AirPods know when you remove one the earbud and pauses the music and it will resume when you put it back in your ear making it useful if you want to be aware of your surroundings while listening to music. Also, when you remove both AirPods it will automatically disconnect from your device. All of this is because of the H1 chip.
Sound
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| The earbuds |
I'm no audio expert when it comes to sound quality but coming from an average consumer just like you, the quality is clear and balanced. I listen to mostly Pop and R&B and they do sound really good. It is balanced and the bass is just right. Noise cancellation is obviously not present because of the way they are made so these won't work well around noisy areas.
The microphone is usable for calls and recording although there are times the person on the other line can hardly hear me in public areas during the call which is kind of a bummer since its convenient talking without those wires hanging around.
The microphone is usable for calls and recording although there are times the person on the other line can hardly hear me in public areas during the call which is kind of a bummer since its convenient talking without those wires hanging around.
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| They look like the EarPods without the wires. |
If you already own an iPhone, which might be the case, and you're using the standard earbuds that come included, then you will be right at home. To be honest, the only noticeable change is a bit of increase in bass. I tried listening to both EarPods and AirPods back and forth and they sound 90% similar. If you love how the stock earbuds, or EarPods as Apple call it, sounded, then you'll be satisfied with this one.
Battery Life
According to Apple, both AirPods lasts 5 hours of straight use, which is fair. The charging case prolongs the total battery life up to 24 hours more. Since you will put it back to the charging case after use, it will automatically charge inside making it again, convenient. I charged the charging case twice a week using the Lightning connector that comes with the package or if you already have an Apple device then you might probably have one. A wireless charging case option is also available but it might cost you ₱2000 ($40 US) more if you want that one.
Conclusion
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| Charging case with AirPods in. |
Aside from all the flexing you can do, the second-generation Apple AirPods is a great truly wireless earbuds with a great sound quality, but remember that you are mainly paying for the convenience of a cutting the cord. For ₱9490 ($160 US), you can get lots of alternatives to the AirPods 2 and if you chose to buy the one with the Wireless Charging Case it will be ₱11790 ($196 US), which I don't recommend at all if you are not really a wireless charging user. This might be overpriced to you, but if you consider the convenience it brings especially for Apple users, then this might be worth your money.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Reviews
Airpods are now officially on my Christmas wish list! Thank you for this awesome review :)
ReplyDeleteGreat fotos!!
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