Apple's first wireless headphones raise a lot of questions: are they worth the money or not, are they comfortable for everyday use, what's with the proprietary technomagic, why does the case look like a box of dental floss, what about playing sports with AirPods... The list goes on, it's long, so Let's not waste time and start answering.
Apple AirPods (MMEF2) Headphones, headsets on
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Almost like EarPods, only without the wire and with a charging case
Some will call the AirPods set ascetic, given the high cost of the headphones. But everything you need is present and even more. In addition to the headphones themselves, the branded box made of high-quality and very hard cardboard contains a miniature case, which is also a charger and a portable battery. A Lightning cable is used for charging - it is hidden in the box under a plastic retainer.
The headphones are indeed very similar to the standard EarPods that have been included with Apple smartphones since the iPhone 5 (2012). The “legs” are slightly thicker and longer, and in their lower part, instead of a wire, there is a pair of metal meshes that hide the microphones. Otherwise, they are twin brothers, but this only concerns design. Inside there are completely different devices.
After several years of searching for a universal case for in-ear headphones, the company didn’t have much sense in inventing a bicycle. The original EarPods are ideal for the vast majority of users - they do not rub the ears, do not fall out, and in no way interfere with listening to music and other audio content for hours. This is the author's personal experience. In the case of AirPods, the situation is even better, since there is no wire, which adds weight and sometimes causes the headphones to fall out of the ears if accidentally pulled.
The only downside is that if wired EarPods don’t fit well in your ears, then a wireless model definitely won’t work. An interesting alternative is BeatsX, based on the same technologies as AirPods, but that's a completely different story.
The body of the headphones and charging case is made of glossy plastic - it does not collect fingerprints, but is quite slippery. It’s not always possible to get the earphone out of the box the first time, and the charger itself tends to slip out of your fingers from time to time. But the accessories are very light - each earphone weighs only 4 g, the box weighs 38 g.
In addition to the microphones in the “legs,” AirPods also stand out from their wired counterparts with an infrared sensor (a round black dot on the front). Thanks to it, one interesting function has been implemented, which we will talk about a little later.
As for the case, it’s really a narcotic thing - the process of opening and closing it is very addictive with a noticeable springing effect and click. Just like with a Zippo lighter - you pick it up and start clicking automatically.
The design is reliable with a massive metal hinge, and the cover of the case is magnetic. The earphone seats also have magnets, plus contacts for charging. The AirPods are securely fixed inside - they literally slip out of your fingers and snap into place with a noticeable click. At the bottom of the accessory there is a Lightning port for charging.
The status LED notifies you about the charge level of the case itself, the process of charging it and the headphones, as well as the activation of the Bluetooth pairing mode.
Are there any disadvantages?
There were a couple more bottlenecks. Both relate to the practicality of the gadget.
The updated case scratches just as quickly as the first generation. It has exactly the same glossy plastic, which looks good either in the first couple of days or from afar. A month later, the whole raspberry, namely the almost perfect design of AirPods 2, is spoiled by scratches of varying degrees of severity.
Accessory manufacturers quickly jumped in and began producing special cases. There are cheap ones and silicone ones for 5 bucks per kilogram. There are also expensive, high-quality ones that cost several thousand rubles apiece. Who cares?
The design is also slightly spoiled by the pronounced seams on the body itself. The “ears” are not made from a single piece of plastic; the parts are soldered together. These unfortunate seams are located at the junction points. Perhaps I'm being picky. Moreover, this does not at all affect the use of headphones and the positive experience of it.
The third point is more of a nuance than a drawback. The AirPods 2 form factor has not changed. These are still small, neat droplets.
Personally, I have problems with ergonomics. The right earphone fits quite well in the ear. The same cannot be said about the left channel, which can easily fall out if you actively turn your head. And when walking it even rattles a little. This is an exceptional feature of my left ear, which, fortunately, was resolved. And no, not by ear transplant, but by ordering a small earbud from Aliexpress. The price is cheap (50-60 rubles per pair), but the ergonomics improve significantly.
Apple technomagic
On the one hand, it seems like Apple hasn’t come up with anything new, having adopted the idea of such devices as The Dash, Bragi, Skybuds, Jabra Sport Elite and Samsung Gear IconX. On the other hand, what is important is not so much the idea as its implementation, and here the American company showed itself in all its glory. True, “beauty” is limited only to branded devices, but this is Apple’s traditional policy.
Apple W1 processor is responsible , begins from the very moment you open the cover of the case - literally a second later the iPhone prompts you to connect headphones. There is no need to press any buttons and then break into the Bluetooth menu, just click on the “Connect” button on the smartphone screen and that’s it - the headphones automatically create a pair not only with this device, but also with all others where this iCloud account is activated.
In my case, in addition to the iPhone, they appeared on the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. You can switch between devices literally on the fly - one click and the headphones immediately start playing content from another source. In the future, AirPods automatically connect to the gadget that is closest to them.
And these are not all the features of the accessory. For example, if you remove one earbud from your ear, playback will automatically stop. You return it to its place and the music plays again. The infrared sensor mentioned above is responsible for this feature.
You can use any earphone as a mono headset. Each of them has a directional microphone. The microphones themselves are a different matter. They work in tandem with an additional so-called acoustic accelerometer, which recognizes voice vibrations. This combination provides excellent voice quality even in noisy conditions. The interlocutors were surprised by her and did not believe that I was talking through a miniature headset.
The second accelerometer in each earbud is needed for touch recognition. Double tap activates Siri, which controls playback, volume, dialing and other operations. It recognizes speech well and responds quickly to commands, but do not forget about the need for Internet access for the voice assistant to work.
With the same gesture you can accept the call and end it. It’s not the first time you get used to the double tap; it takes a couple of days.
Alternatively, you can configure the gesture to start/pause playback. Unfortunately, there are no other teams. Perhaps they will appear in the future. To access the settings mode, just click on the “i” icon next to the headphones in the Bluetooth menu. There you can also control microphones and change the name of the accessory.
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.
Working with alternative sound sources
There are no problems with this. To connect AirPods, for example, to an Android smartphone, just hold down the inconspicuous white button on the front panel of the case for a couple of seconds, which will put the accessory into Bluetooth pairing mode. After that, find it in the Bluetooth menu of your smartphone, one click and you're done (connection to Mac and Apple TV is done in the same way). It is important that the gadget supports Bluetooth 4.0.
I checked it in conjunction with Xiaomi Mi Max - I connected it the first time, the headphones work fine, except for Siri support. In this case, double tap is responsible for starting/pausing playback. I don’t know if there are any technical features in transmitting sound from iPhone to AirPods or from Mi Max, but in the latter case the sound in the headphones was simpler - flatter, less bassy. It is possible that when interacting with iOS, the built-in Apple W1 processor is used, adding color to the sound of the accessory.
Since we're talking about sound, it's worth discussing it in more detail, since in some places the AirPods surprise, in others they disappoint.
What else?
The kit includes a USB to Lightning cable. I know that you are always running out of charging cables. One was lost, the other was torn, the third was given to a neighbor with the condition: “I’ll return it in half an hour.” I have exactly the same story, so now there will be plus one Lightning on the farm.
You can control playback not only by voice, but also by touch. You can assign different actions to the left and right earbuds: move to the next track or return to the previous track. Although we have Siri, why am I?
Well, as always, you can use either both headphones at once, or just one. There are no restrictions on functions.
Sound quality
There is an opinion that the sound of the new product is exactly the same as that of wired EarPods. A similar design may be important, but, I repeat, the filling of the devices is different. The acoustic part of the AirPods has clearly been improved and is clearly audible.
In general, sound quality is a strictly individual characteristic, and there can be no objective opinion or description here. In the end, everyone’s ears are different, and the range of perceived frequencies also depends on the person’s age (the older, the worse the audibility of high frequencies). However, some general characteristics can be deduced by comparing several headphone models on the same compositions.
If you don’t directly compare AirPods with other models, but just put them on and start listening, then in 90% of cases the person will be satisfied. This includes sophisticated users who own fairly expensive headphone models. This is confirmed both by small blind testing on one and a half dozen subjects, and by the author’s personal experience.
In general, the sound can be called smooth. There is noticeable bass, but it doesn't overwhelm the mids and highs and doesn't make your brain dance to the beat of the drums. The sound detail is impressive. Thus, in comparison with the pleasant acoustic capabilities of the PowerBeats 2 Wireless, we were able to discover completely new notes in many compositions. I enjoyed listening to all my favorite tracks. If we compare directly, the bass of Apple's wireless headphones is weaker, but the sound is generally cleaner and more detailed than in the mentioned model.
AirPods are good at electronics, pop music, heavy music like Dimmu Borgir, and even the Behemoth group, which is very difficult to reproduce well (in inexpensive models, the compositions merge into roar and mush). Mixed genres generally sound great. The same The Algorithm just blew my mind:
Continuing the comparison, it is worth mentioning the Philips Fidelio S2, which wins in bass, is comparable in sound detail, but has too sharp high frequencies. AirPods turned out to be more balanced in this case too.
The volume level is sufficient and even with a small margin. As for the sound stage, it is definitely wider than that of the mentioned models and any other in-ear headphones. AirPods have an open design, which allows the sound to be shaped around your head rather than inside it, which is a nice touch. But there is also a minus. There is practically no sound insulation. That is, headphones are definitely not for the metro.
⇡#Conclusions
AirPods of the first model at one time impressed with their ease of use, communication distance and battery life. But in two years, the charm has dissipated, the public is demanding new features and high-quality sound, and Apple's competitors, who have adopted the AirPods approach, are already ready to provide both. However, the new AirPods are not called Pro for nothing. They now have everything that was sorely lacking in the first two models. Active noise cancellation works flawlessly, and most importantly, does not put pressure on the eardrums. The “transparency” mode - essentially the opposite function - conveys the sounds of the surrounding world in an amazingly natural way, when that’s exactly what you need.
The sound of AirPods Pro, thanks to the semi-closed design, has become better in all respects: excellent dynamics, neutral timbre, but most importantly, it has lost the sharpness that not everyone liked in the original AirPods, and full-fledged low frequencies have appeared (although among isolating or, especially, in-ear headphones, there are many more bass options). Nevertheless, if open headphones have their drawbacks, then isolating headphones have others, and there is no escape from them either. The feeling of space and expansive musical stage that is present in standard AirPods is gone, as if all the instruments are playing next to the listener’s head. But overall, the headset sounds great, even though we were ready to forgive a lot in advance for comfort and functionality.
AirPods Pro are no longer just a convenient wireless replacement for the bundled wired iPhone headphones, they can be safely taken with music in mind, and if you add to this active noise cancellation, excellent ergonomics and instant integration into the Apple ecosystem, then most Apple users, with the exception of the most picky music lovers don't need to look anywhere else. However, ultra-compact wireless headphones will certainly be of interest to fans of Android smartphones, because the AirPods Pro have analogues in price and sound quality, but it’s unlikely in this size.
Operating experience, autonomy and other little things
I picked up the headphones from the post office just before training. I couldn’t wait for it to finish and started testing while working with weights.
The first thing I was pleased with was the fast and intuitive connection of AirPods to the iPhone 6s Plus. I opened the case, pressed one button on the smartphone screen, and started listening to music - just a few seconds. Magic!
The design of the headphones does not imply serious sound insulation, but when music is played through them, it blocks out not only the noise in the gym, but also the roar of the local music center. The advantage here is that, in principle, you can leave your headphones on and calmly communicate with people, hear them, answer questions. The downside is that listening to podcasts in a noisy environment is problematic. The same applies to the subway and other noisy places. Although on the street next to the roadway there were no difficulties listening to podcasts.
If you don’t have problems with wired EarPods in a noisy atmosphere, then you won’t have them with AirPods either - sound insulation is at the same level, that is, almost absent. Please note that it is in a quiet environment that the headphones fully reveal themselves in terms of sound quality.
However, in the gym, where a powerful music system is constantly playing and barbells are rumbling, the new product easily replaced my usual PowerBeats 2 Wireless, not to mention the alternative Plantronics BackBeat FIT. In terms of sound insulation, the latter are close to AirPods. By the way, they are similar in sound too.
It is impossible to use Siri in a noisy environment - the assistant does not understand you, extraneous sounds interfere. The problem is solved by the Apple Watch, with which it is easy and convenient to control the player, but if you don’t have one, then you should set up a double tap to start/stop playback. An alternative is to remove one earphone from your ear, which also pauses playback, but this is not always convenient. Plus, there is a high chance of losing the earphone. And if you take it out of your ear and put it in your pocket, the AirPods will switch to mono headset mode and playback will start again.
To put it simply, the accessory still lacks player controls, and Siri does not always solve this problem. It is not available with branded smartwatches, but not all iPhone owners use them. Maybe in the future Apple will expand the capabilities of interacting with the headset using touches by updating its software. For example, a single tap — start/pause playback, double — switch to the next track, triple — return to the beginning of the song or to the previous track.
I honestly liked the lack of the need to turn the accessory on and off with a separate button, as in other headsets. I opened the case, inserted the headphones into my ears - they automatically connected to the smartphone. I hid them back in the box and they switched off. You get used to it, and it’s sad to return to the old scheme of using traditional headphones.
There are no complaints about the secure fit of the devices in the ears. Over the course of a week, they visited the gym with me five times and did not fall out either during an intense warm-up (including when you actively rotate your head and whole body), or while running on a treadmill, or while working with weights. The moment is individual and depends on how well the AirPods fit in the ears. They fit perfectly for mine.
The accessory is practically not felt in the ears, and the absence of wires even between the headphones is a big plus for any physical activity. In the same PowerBeats 2 Wireless, you often have to adjust the wire that sticks to your sweaty body and tugs on the headphones. Before AirPods, the most convenient in this regard were Plantronics BackBeat FIT.
The new product officially has protection against high humidity and sweat, which is further confirmed by wild headphone tests that have appeared in large numbers on YouTube. They were washed, drowned, and dropped, but the accessory was at least worth a damn.
There are no revelations in terms of Bluetooth operating range. The standard 7-10 meters, although the headphones hold the signal perfectly, penetrate through two thick brick walls and where the PowerBeats 2 Wireless began to play pranks, the AirPods worked flawlessly.
As for autonomy , the headphones actually work for the stated five hours without recharging. By modern standards, this is not a great achievement, but there is a nuance here. In just 15 minutes, AirPods are charged in the case for 3 hours of use. Finding these 15 minutes is not a problem at all. In general, the charge of the set is enough for a day of continuous listening. During a week of active use of the headphones, there was never a situation when they were completely discharged. Except for the case when I checked how long one charge really lasted.
Even on a plane or train, you won’t watch videos or listen to music continuously for five hours. Anyway, take a break and return the headphones to the case, where they will quickly charge. But you can’t do this with the alternative models mentioned in the review - you need an external battery and a microUSB cable. Although, in terms of autonomy, PowerBeats 2 Wireless and Plantronics BackBeat FIT are approximately 50% superior to AirPods.
Are headphones easy to lose? There were a lot of jokes about this after the announcement of AirPods, but in reality it’s not all that sad. You always have a miniature case with you, and you automatically hide your headphones in it. There were no situations where I accidentally (or on purpose) put one earphone somewhere and couldn’t find it later.
The only caveat is that the device is easy to knock out of your ear. For example, when pulling the hood up, if it fits tightly to the head. You have to be careful here. One time I knocked out my earphone this way and dropped it on the asphalt. Fortunately, this did not in any way affect the performance of the device.
⇡#Noise reduction
The signature feature of the AirPods Pro is, of course, active noise cancellation, which was so lacking in previous AirPods models. It operates on the same principle as any other speaker system, creating a sound wave out of phase with unwanted sounds, but Apple's implementation, as always, is particularly sophisticated. We have already noticed that each earbud has two microphones, one of which is directed inward. The AirPods Pro electronics poll it at a frequency of 200 times per second, checking what sounds have gotten inside from the outside world, and adjusting the noise reduction accordingly. Apple says there are no other headphones with similar technology.
Be that as it may, the system works, and is quite effective: constant, predictable noise - like, for example, on an airplane or train - if it does not disappear completely, it becomes almost inaudible. However, active noise reduction is not all-powerful: irregular background sounds are clearly noticeable, although, for example, the conversation of people around turns into a quiet whisper. The rumble of the subway also cannot be completely removed - only in-ear headphones screwed deep into the ear holes can save you from this. But there is no uncomfortable feeling like the air has been sucked out of your ears, which often occurs with other headsets. Noise cancellation is turned on by default as soon as the earbuds are tethered to your phone, and unless you can see in the settings menu that it actually works, it's easy to think that the AirPods Pro are just well-insulated (they're actually partially breathable). At the same time, in complete silence you can hear the AirPods Pro in active mode making a barely audible hiss, but who needs to deal with external noise in silence?
There is no manual adjustment of active noise cancellation, which many AirPods Pro analogues have acquired, here, everything is done automatically. But there is another impressive feature: the “pass-through” mode, when the headphones do not attenuate background noise, but, on the contrary, transmit inside everything that the external microphone hears. Silicone gaskets dampen the sounds of the outside world, and sometimes this is completely unnecessary. Apple is not a pioneer here—headphones from other companies have a similar option. The important thing is that “transparency” works surprisingly naturally and imperceptibly (here again I had to make sure in the menu that the function was really turned on), absolutely without delay, and everything that happens outside is perfectly audible, as if you weren’t wearing AirPods Pro in your ears. and simple AirPods or wired Apple headphones. Only the sound in the mid-frequency range, corresponding to human speech, is slightly adjusted by the automation - apparently, this is intended. You can switch the headphones between three modes—passive, noise-canceling, and “permeable”—using a pressure-sensitive sensor or in the Apple operating system menu.
Who are AirPods for?
Primarily for owners of Apple equipment (starting from iPhone 5, iPad mini 2, iPod touch 6Gen and Mac with Handoff support). The headset works perfectly with it - real technomagic. It’s even better if you have an Apple Watch, so you don’t have to choose between Siri and quick player controls.
The sound quality is good, although for the same money you can find more interesting wireless models in this regard. But the trick is not only in the sound, but in the totality of characteristics and ease of use in general. This is where AirPods give a head start to most competitors, including completely wireless models like the Jabra Sport Elite or Samsung Gear IconX. By the way, AirPods have never had any problems with headphones desynchronizing when one of them suddenly turns off. At the same time, users complain about alternatives.
It makes no sense to purchase AirPods to work with Android gadgets and other sound sources. You will simply lose most of the features of the accessory, but you will pay dearly. Apple has made a very niche device, tailored to the maximum extent possible for branded products.
Are AirPods worth the money or is it better to buy something alternative for the same price? For example, are Bose SoundSport wireless, Jaybird X3 or BeatsX more interesting in terms of sound? Here everyone decides for himself. I personally am satisfied with the sound quality - it’s really good, but in terms of ease of use, Apple’s wireless headphones leave most of their competitors far behind.
4
ITC.UA rating
Pros: balanced and detailed sound, ease of use, autonomy in combination with a charging case, work in headset mode
Cons: only for Apple equipment, lack of player controls on the headphones, poor sound insulation
Conclusion: With the new product, Apple showed its vision of the wireless future. This is why she gave up the audio jack in her iPhone. Some people like this future, but others are not ready to part with established habits and their favorite wired headphones. So for now, AirPods are a very niche product that can lead to delight or bewilderment. That is, headphones are not for everyone
Apple AirPods 3 specifications
- Fit type: in-ear, semi-open
- Chip: Apple H1
- IP Certification: IPX4
- Audio codecs: SBC, AAC
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
- Active Noise Cancellation: No
- Touch control: Yes, with pressure sensor
- Wireless charging: Yes, MagSafe compatible
- Charging connector: Lightning
- Autonomy (75 dB SPL): 6.35 hours
- Dimensions (case): 46.4 x 21.4 x 54.4 mm
- Dimensions (earphone): 30.8 x 18.3 x 19.2 mm
- Weight (earphone): 4.3g
- Weight (case): 37.91 g
- Price: 16.5 thousand rubles.
Control
I can’t say that the point of wireless headphones is to avoid taking your phone out of your pocket when answering a call or making an outgoing call, but for me this has become the norm over ten years of using a variety of headsets. With AirPods, you won't be able to, for example, adjust the volume during a call using Siri. A double tap, with which you can call her to give a command, will simply end the call.
With music it's even worse. I never once got Siri to play my favorite playlist, skip to the next song, increase or decrease the volume, pause the music, or check the battery charge when speaking commands in Russian. Siri just doesn't understand me. In English, all this worked more or less tolerably (most likely due to my far from perfect pronunciation), but I want to use all this functionality in Russian!
If you turn off Siri, the situation is even worse. In this mode, you can only play/pause music. You won’t be able to adjust the volume, nor will you be able to make or receive a call without taking your iPhone out of your pocket.
Enabling and setting
I will not describe the details of this process here; you can find them in this article on the Apple website. Let me just say that the process is extremely simple. You simply open the case and boom! The display of your iPhone or iPad shows information about nearby AirPods available for connection. Interestingly, if someone near you opens the case of their AirPods in order to use them, you will see a message stating that “not your” headphones are available nearby with an offer to connect to them. However, this cannot be done, since to pair with an iPhone or other Apple products you will need to press and hold the button on the back of the case.
My personal impressions
In total, I spent a little over two weeks with AirPods. His wife spent another week with them. To be honest, this is the first Apple product since returning that I felt a sense of relief and joy that I was returning to the Jaybird X3. An interesting fact is that the X3 works great on all Apple devices listed in the review.
Will Apple fix issues with AirPods working with older iPhones and Macs? I would like to hope so. But there are examples on the market that cast doubt on this. For example, Bragi released a huge number of firmware updates for its flagship headphones The Dash, but did not fix the problem with an unstable Bluetooth connection. However, I suspected that things wouldn’t go smoothly with AirPods. As my study of the issue of wireless headphones has shown, the first time no one has ever managed to release a device that did not experience any problems.
Packaging and equipment
Inside the packaging of wireless AirPods there is an envelope with a description, user manuals, a Lightning cable and a small rectangular box with rounded corners. Inside this box-case are headphones.
The lid of the case is magnetized, so lifting it requires a little effort. The AirPods inside are also held in place by magnets, but they again require a little effort to pull out.
The case for wireless headphones is not just a useless box, but a docking station that charges when they are inside it. You can tell whether they are charging by the glowing color indicator. During charging, the indicator should blink red, and when it is finished, the color changes to green.
In addition, on the back wall of the case there is a flat white button, which is needed to connect the headphones to wireless Apple devices if they are not signed in to iCloud. The dock itself also needs to be charged regularly. To do this, you need to connect the Apple Lightning-USB cable to the Lightning connector. It is located at the bottom of the case.
Connecting to Apple Watch and iPhone.
AirPods wireless headphones connect to Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously. The sound switches between them automatically. When the capsule lid is opened, pairing with devices is activated. The headphones need to be nearby. Immediately after pairing, information about the headphone charge is displayed.
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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.
