Apple AirPods Review

Apple Airpods Video Review

Pros And Cons:

Apple’s decision to remove the 3.5 mm audio port on the iPhone 7 was a decision that they say was based on ‘courage’. Many were annoyed and disappointed at the decision, but it clearly shows that the now aging port has to retire sometime in the future.

With this in mind, Apple has introduced the AirPods, a wireless version of the EarPods that ships with the iPhone. It’s wireless, meaning that you can simply pop in the earphones without having the intrusion of those pesky wires. It’s a viable companion to the iPhone 7, but is it worth it? Let’s find out.

Design

The Apple AirPods feature a minimalist design – if you’ve seen the EarPods, then it bears similar design aspects with it. The same shiny white exterior is present, with the output grill perfectly aligned in an angle so that the sound feeds directly to your ear when you put it on.

It has sensors on each earpiece so that it knows if you are wearing the AirPods or not since it automatically pauses playback whenever you take it off and resumes it when you put it back on.

The bottom part with the shiny chrome tip lies the microphone array. Each earpiece has one, that even when you decide to use only one earpiece, you can conveniently use it to make and receive calls.

Read: MEE Audio X7 Plus Wireless Sports Headphones Review

Each earpiece managed to fit perfectly in my ear, and didn’t wobble or slip even when I used it on my morning jog. That being said, not everyone will have the same ear type as mine, so it’s best you try it out for yourself before making a purchase.

Double tapping the top of each earpiece can activate Siri, in which you can say commands the same way you would on your iOS device. It’s a decent feature

Both the two AirPods can be stored neatly inside a nifty case that also charges the AirPods when not in use. The charging case houses a small LED light that tells you of the battery status (amber for charging and green for fully charged). Yes, it does looks like a dental floss case and is made from the same polycarbonate material present on other Apple products – that means that it is easily scratchable and is also a fingerprint magnet.

Apple AirPods case

Setup

Setting up the Apple AirPods to my iPhone 7 Plus may be one of the most convenient and easiest setups I’ve done. You simply need to turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone and then open the charging case next to the iPhone. It will then automatically detect the AirPods and will ask if you want to connect.

And that’s it – you can check your Bluetooth settings on your iPhone where you can see more details and options in configuring the AirPods but as soon as you hit connect, you’re ready to use them. The case can be charged using a Lightning cable.

Apple’s custom W1 chip does most of the job here, including streaming audio in the best way possible even on Bluetooth. The best part once you’ve paired the Apple AirPods to your iPhone, it can then automatically pair itself to all iOS and Mac devices using the same Apple ID. As such, after pairing the AirPods to my iPhone 7, it was also in the list of paired Bluetooth devices on my MacBook Pro and my iPad.

Read: Samsung’s Gear Icon X heart-rate fitness earbuds, first attempt in wearable smart earphones

Performance

If you’ve listened to the wired EarPods, then performance may be similar when you are using the AirPods. Trebles are clear with sharp detail emulating from the vocals of the music files we used to listen with the earphones.

Take for example Bruno Mar’s latest hit 24K Magic: mids and highs are decently presented, with stereo separation clearly placed. There wasn’t any distortion of any soft even when I maxed out the volume, and the overall listening experience was akin to the experience I have had with the wired EarPods.

That being said, bass falls a little flat – not to say that its bad, but since the AirPods’ design is small, you can’t expect a deeper low frequency effect especially when playing bass-heavy tunes. Not that it’s a distraction, but for the amount and the technology behind, I just expected more.

Each AirPod can hold up to 5 hours of battery life and the charging case can also hold up to 24 hours more. Chances are you won’t be listening continuously for 5 hours straight, and in my case I managed to get 5-6 days before I needed to charge the AirPods.

 

Supplied Accessories

• Apple AirPods
• Charging case
• Lightning cable

 

Conclusion:

The technology behind the Apple AirPods is excellent no doubt. But for $150 (649 AED), I was expecting something better with the sound quality. Not that its bad – but similarly priced earphones offer a deeper bass response.

For all Wireless headphones Check Samma3a Shop