Hello! It's been exactly a month now that I've been using Apple branded wireless headphones. I bought them along with the iPhone 11 in order to completely, so to speak, switch to the Apple ecosystem. And during this time, I realized that AirPods are the clear leader in the TWS headphone market. Now I will explain why. But first, a little about what I used before AirPods. Before I bought the iPhone 11, my main smartphone was the Samsung Galaxy S8. I used it together with the ultra-budget (no other name) wireless headset Xiaomi Redmi AirDots. I even reviewed them a couple of months ago, and they were my first “true” wireless headphones. I was literally captivated by this headphone form factor, where there are no wired connections between them. And it turned out to be damn convenient, you know.
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In the summer, when it was warm, I was active - I ran, rode a bike, and if the JBL LIVE 205 BT periodically distracted me during training, then the Xiaomi Redmi AirDots are completely out of the question. Thanks to them, I even wanted to increase the frequency of classes, as well as their duration. They also performed well in everyday life. While traveling in Xiaomi Redmi AirDots, you can easily watch movies, TV series, listen to music without being distracted by extraneous sounds. Since the type of headphones in this case is closed. The headset has a good operating time - it lasts an honest three and a half hours, good sound (which can be made even better by turning the equalizer). In general, this headset does not have any serious shortcomings, and you can turn a blind eye to the scratchy case and cheap plastic, considering their price - $20. So, AirPods cost almost $200 in our country - ten times more expensive than Xiaomi Redmi AirDots. And in this material I am not going to pit these headsets against each other, it is clear that an option that costs ten times more will be ten times better, however, there are people who doubt the purchase of an expensive solution, I am inclined to the “save” option. So, this material is for them.
If you use Apple technology
The first setup of Apple headphones has been talked about everywhere and more than once, but I can’t help but mention my impressions of turning them on for the first time. How convenient is it when you take the product out of the box, turn it on, and your iPhone already detects it and offers to pair it. Much more interesting than the option with an NFC tag. It is noteworthy that after the first setup, if you also have, for example, a Mac computer, iPad or another iPhone, then all these devices will already have AirPods in the list of familiar Bluetooth devices, and you will only have to select them as the sound source . All thanks to iCloud cloud synchronization.
Advantages of the device
- Headphone sound quality. The sound quality of Airpods is much better than standard wired Apple headphones. The sound is clear, the bass is powerful and quite dense. Wired headphones have certain high-frequency sounds that begin to irritate your ears after prolonged listening. When using Airpods, such effects are not observed.
- Comfort . After using wireless headphones, wired ones will seem uncomfortable. Particular inconveniences arise during active training, since a wired headset interferes with free exercise, while Airpods do not have such problems. Also worth noting is the compact case that can be put in your pocket or purse.
- Ease of use. You can connect the headset to any Apple device, and it's quite easy to do. To do this, you need to remove the headset from the box, perform a simple initial setup, and after that you can start listening. In the future, the headphones will automatically connect to the pre-specified device. They can be used on any Apple device, be it an iPad, MacBook or even an Apple Watch.
- Work offline . Apple promises up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge. This is more than enough, since people do not often listen to music for more than 5 hours in a row. The only exceptions are cases such as when traveling internationally or during conferences. It is also worth noting that after a 15-minute recharge, the headphones can work for up to 3 hours.
- Functionality. The headphones have a set of very useful additional features that make everyday life easier. For example, you can use them to call Siri or answer an incoming call. You quickly get used to such convenient little things, so it will be difficult to switch back to a wired headset.
- Charging case. The headphones come in a case, which is used for storing them and also for charging. The case is comfortable, has a minimalistic style and matte color.
Perfect Microphones
For me, headphones are not only a device with which I listen to music. I communicate quite a lot, and constantly holding the phone to my ear gets pretty boring, I especially don’t want to take out my smartphone on the street again when someone calls you. It's much easier to answer a call using a headset. All my previous headphones had one big problem in common - the microphone. The interlocutors constantly asked me questions, which is why I had to repeat something again. I don't think I need to explain how annoying this is sometimes. But I don’t want to spoil the mood for myself or those around me. So, since purchasing AirPods, this problem no longer exists in my life. To be honest, I did not expect that TWS headphones, which even cost almost $200, would have such impeccable microphone performance. Some interlocutors note that the sound through headphones is even better than through the standard microphone in the iPhone. Everything is so cool here. Also, the headphones miraculously suppress ambient noise, which is why AirPods can be easily used for phone calls while walking or traveling in public transport. By the way, the second generation of AirPods added support for “Hey Siri.” That is, you can contact the virtual assistant directly through the headphones. It is enough to greet the voice assistant and ask it, for example, to make a call, get directions, write a message or find some information on the Internet. Again, thanks to quality microphones, Siri responds and executes requests accurately 9 out of 10 times. I just wish there was some kind of feedback when Siri is activated through the headphones, because without a sound signal, it is impossible to understand whether the voice assistant has been called or not.
Sound
Many reviewers noted that sound is not the strongest point of the AirPods. I'll say this. Of course, they don’t sound like 14 thousand rubles (that’s how much they cost in the official Apple store in Russia). However, if you consider that these are open-type TWS headphones, it turns out that the sound in them exceeds expectations. There is a very smooth sound of low, mid and high frequencies. Of course, you won’t be able to look for details in the sound, but you will be able to fully enjoy your favorite compositions on the road or on a walk. Many people ignore AirPods precisely because they are open-type, fearing excessive noise permeability. My girlfriend is generally accustomed to vacuum headphones, and when I let her listen to AirPods, which she had previously criticized in absentia precisely for this parameter, she was surprised. Due to the high volume level, AirPods practically do not hear any extraneous sounds. At the same time, music at high volume does not hit the ears. Those who need 100% noise isolation can take a closer look at the recently released AirPods Pro. I will also say on my own that I really liked the open-back headphone format. If you are considering purchasing headphones for every day, then this is an excellent choice, since they can hear the world around you, which is why you can leave them on almost the whole day.
Flaws
- It's easy to lose . Since AirPods are quite small, they are very easy to lose. If during a morning run one earphone falls out of your ear, you may not even notice it. The “headset search” function, in theory, will help you find them if you lose them, but if the battery is low, or when they are completely discharged, it will be quite difficult to determine their location.
- Easy to break . Many users complain that the headphones break quite easily. If they are dropped onto a hard surface from a small height, there is a possibility that they will be broken.
- They may fall out . Many people complain that headphones constantly fall out of their ears, so they will have to buy additional special earbuds that will circumvent this problem.
- Lost connection at a distance . If we talk about signal quality, the headphones can transmit it normally at a distance of about 25-30 meters. But if you use the headset in a home, office, or room with relatively thick walls, then the signal is transmitted rather weakly or is completely lost.
- Similar to EarPods . AirPods are more expensive than EarPods. However, many note that they are not much superior in quality.
- Disposable . If the headphones break, they cannot be repaired. But there is good news - if the breakdown falls under warranty, Apple will send a new pair. The interesting thing is that even the company itself almost never undertakes repairs, but simply replaces the faulty headset with a new copy.
- The headphones are not waterproof . For some reason, Apple did not take care of the waterproofness of the Airpods headphones, so diving with them is prohibited. But it is worth noting that they can withstand drops of water or sweat, for example during sports.
Convenient form
The AirPods case is no different from their wired counterparts - the EarPods headphones, introduced in 2012 along with the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch 5. I used the latter with such headphones - the EarPods had difficulty staying in my ear. It was simply impossible to run in them. During long walks I had to constantly adjust them in my ears. But to my surprise, AirPods are free of these problems. As I understand it, the fact is that wireless headphones do not have cables that would pull them down, as is the case with EarPods. By the way, not a single company has yet presented any alternative to EarPods. I think their design is quite successful in the context of open headphones. AirPods, due to their design, are not felt at all in the ear. On the one hand, this is both a plus and a minus. Over the course of a month, I had a couple of situations where I forgot to take them out of my ear, which is why they ended up in the most unexpected places. Luckily, at home. On the other hand, this is another reason to be more attentive. For such cases, Apple provides a headset search function through the Find My app. Of course, we won’t be able to find out the geoposition, but this method will help you to reproduce the sound on your headphones if they are lost somewhere in your home behind the sofa.
Peculiarities
Apple AirPods are rich in functionality and can be customized to suit your individual preferences. For example, they can be configured to activate Siri when pressed, and they also allow you to receive calls directly. AirPods can also be praised for their sound quality during calls. They are equipped with the W1 , specially designed by Apple, which provides extremely efficient wireless communication between the headphones and the device.
There are also useful little things, for example, if you disconnect one earphone, the video playback on Youtube is automatically paused. However, it is worth noting that most of the functions are not available when pairing the headphones with Android smartphones.
AirPods case - the best on the market
I'm not exaggerating. And it’s not a matter of appearance, although the headphone case is excellent in this regard. Thanks to the rounded shape, when you put the case in a backpack, pocket, bag, anywhere, its lid does not catch on anything. This way, the chance of leaving your headphones in your pocket is minimized. Plus, the magnets themselves in the case tightly connect the lid to the main body, so that even if you try very hard, the headphones cannot be shaken out of the case. But all this beauty has one problem - the case is glossy, and after a couple of days it becomes covered with rather deep scratches. A month later, I started to see some wear on it. Therefore, if you plan to sell your headphones after some time, take care of purchasing an additional case for it. If I said about the Xiaomi Redmi AirDots case that after a while it becomes glossy, then the AirPods, on the contrary, become matte. It turns out to be some kind of funny balancing of matte and glossy coatings in nature. Well, okay, these are the lyrics, let's move on to the most important thing.
Is it worth saving on buying AirPods?
It is clear that AirPods, which cost ten times more, will be ten times better than Xiaomi Redmi AirDots, and I can say unequivocally that these advantages are worth the tenfold overpayment. Because you won’t find another TWS headphones like this on the market that will simply work, without any whims and other things. Therefore, AirPods are the best you can find on the market. And it’s definitely not worth saving. And if you put the question a little differently - is it worth overpaying? My answer will be the same: “Yes.” Another question is whether it’s worth saving up or spending your last money on AirPods, then my answer will be unequivocal: “No.” They are cool, the best in their segment. But Xiaomi Redmi AirDots will be just as cool and the best in their segment for you.
EarPods - somehow they look better
Compare these two pictures and feel the difference:
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was ridiculed online for wearing AirPods this way:
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