I think AirPods are great for a majority of people, but I wish Apple put out another version of the beats X with more battery and better acoustic engineering. Either that, or let Klipsch and others license the W1 chip.
Each AirPod has two infrared proximity sensors built into their chassis that detect when the earbud comes into contact with a user's ear. Inserting an AirPod automatically turns it on and pairs it to the nearest operating host device, while removing one pauses the tunes. Reinsert and the music resumes. One of our favorite features is the ability to use just one AirPod at a time. Put one earbud back in the case and the remaining AirPod will resume playback.
Are you sure about this? My one gripe w/ APs is the constant assigning it as the desired output target on my currently-being-used iDevice, which is achieved by using the now-playing widget in the pull-down sheet. It's not as painful as re-pairing a BT device, but it's still an annoyance.
Ex: if I'm paired to my iPad at home, but travel to the gym w/ only my iPhone and pop the APs into my ears, they are not "active" as the output target on the iPhone. I must use the pull-down, tap the now-playing, and select the APs as the target output.
That is bold statement to make that something is the best without providing valid comparisons. Not a very professional way to make the claim. I would say it depends on aspect and I would say that Apple made things very comfortable, but that does not mean it is absolute. I would be also careful as Apple is not in the field of headphones and there are other who specialize in that area while being top shelf above sound quality provided by Apple earphones. Seriously. It is not the best. Maybe the most versatile, but there is nothing as "the best" in this area. As far as sound all Apple earphones laeft a lot to be desired when it comes to comparing with Sennheisers for example.
Of course you'd say that.
I felt the article was plainly obvious, stating that they're the best due to all factors considered, and not claiming that the audio-only was the best. Try reading it again?
"Sonically, AirPods are definitely not the highest performing earphones available..."
Pass. I'm not interested for several reasons. First based on my experience with EarPods, I expect they will be hugely uncomfortable. Second, based on EarPods I expect they won't stay in my ears. Now I can already hear people saying "you have to try them". No. I tried EarPods and they were uncomfortable. I tried EarPods with the wires cut off, and they still fell out. Maybe my ears aren't "typical" shape but EarPods were such a utter failure for me that I'm not going to drop a couple hundred on something the same size and shape that I'm absolutely convinced will not work. The third reason is hygiene. Just a week or so ago I ran across an article on cleaning your AirPods. It showed close up pictures of all the nasty wax and crud that builds up inside them. No thanks. I'll keep using $10 wired earbuds that I can throw away every few months. They're good enough for when I'm working in the yard, working out, or whatever and when they get to be unsanitary, they're gone. When I want good audio quality I use my muff style noise cancelling earphones.
How absurd. No earbud is immune to getting dirty. Ears are dirty. But rather than clean your ears, and clean your buds, you'd rather just...throw them out every month. WTF. Are you one of the same people who complains about Apple gear being "disposable"?!?
Also, if you cut off the wires of your EarPods just to see if AirPods would fit, then I'm afraid you wasted a pair of EarPods for no good reason. They have different stem shapes which yes makes a difference.
Meanwhile, here IRL, I simply wipe them down after the gym and they've served me well for over a year of daily use w/o any grossness. What am I doing wrong??
I love my AirPods! One of the best, if not THE best and most useable Apple (or any other brand) product ever. I love the way they sound. I love the way they look. I love the way they fit.
I can NEVER go back to wired earphones again. When my AirPods die, I'll gladly pay full price for another set.
I really wanted to love them. But I can't. They don't stay in my ears (at all), which means I have to add on some rather clunky silicone covers. The sound is good, maybe even great for in-ear buds, but can't compare to almost any decent over-ear, especially in noisy environments. The W1 system doesn't work half the time forcing me to continually put them back in the case and flip open/close the lid. And perhaps the most annoying is that they don't loose charge at the same rate, meaning you can end up half way through a workout with only one working. Do I regret the purchase? No. But they're not nearly as lovable as I had hoped.
Then yours are broken. That's not normal behavior (we have two in this household).
Are you drunk? Sound quality is mediocre, so how can they be the best wireless headphones?
Are you? Who said that audio-alone is the sole metric in a pair of fully mobile wireless headphones? Surely ease of use and battery life are prime metrics as well, and that happens to be where APs rise above.
Imagine if Apple built an entire phone into an AirPod. Just talk and listen to use it. Siri powered and can do almost anything an iPhone can but without a screen.
Add the Apple Watch and you're there.... And then some...
Completely disagree with the conclusion of the review. I am doubtful any other competing product was given serious consideration.
Zolo Liberty+ offer superior sound and fit and a better value. Yes, they aren't as tied into the Apple ecosystem, but if music is what you want them for and your ear canals aren't shaped like an apple go for the Liberty +. Bluetooth 5 gives superior range and connection reliability.
I have both and rarely use my AirPods.
Brilliant review and I have to agree, I absolutely love my AirPods, one of the best pieces of tech I’ve ever owned, don’t see much people complaining about them either which is good to see.
"Brilliant review?" Oh really? How so "brilliant?"
If Apple would make something like a wireless Beats X, I might be interested. But as someone who cares about sound quality, no way is a pair of buds ever going to be the "best" at anything.
I don't see how Apple AirPods are the best if there's no comparison data here against newer devices. For example the new Jabra Elite Active 65t. I recently did this research for my own, and found these new Jabra way better, so I bought them and I'm loving them. I also love all Apple things, but they not always offer best-in-class. I dislike the AirPods design.
Five bucks says this guy is a VP at Jabra 🤣🤣
I must be a VP as well. I've just got the same earphones last week and they are easily as good, if not better than the Powerbeats3 they replaced. Sound great, easy to pair, and the battery life is great.
I wanted to get Airpods, but I just couldn't get comfortable with them. For now, I need my earphones to have good music quality and a good fit. The tech is still a long way off being so good that it would override either of those needs.
Zolo Liberty+ offer superior sound and fit and a better value.
They're only $10 cheaper than AirPods from a certain popular online retailer, and you're stuck using only the right ear for phone calls if you want to do single-ear conversations. My point being, no set of earbuds are perfect.
I have two friends who own them and they both love them. They are both women and don’t have issues with them falling out (yeah I know, a sample size of two...). One says the sound quality is average (good for pop, rock, country, folk, etc but not for an orchestra). The other has no complaints about the sound. They praise the connectivity with their iPhones (X and 6S).
“Best” is always a subjective term, especially with headphones.
I will say that AirPods succeed at being the most convenient headphones on the market. You can always have them with you. It’s really easy to take them out, put them on and begin listening, and it effectively lasts forever for music.
No untangling of cords, no cords catching on something, no cords pulling them out, no winding cords up to put away. It’s very easy to pull them out of your pocket and listen to something for 10 minute walk or whenever there is idle time.
“Best” is always a subjective term, especially with headphones.
I will say that AirPods succeed at being the most convenient headphones on the market. You can always have them with you. It’s really easy to take them out, put them on and begin listening, and it effectively lasts forever for music.
No untangling of cords, no cords catching on something, no cords pulling them out, no winding cords up to put away. It’s very easy to pull them out of your pocket and listen to something for 10 minute walk or whenever there is idle time.
For me, they're not a nonstarter because Apple earbud designs aren't comfortable so they're obviously not best in that sense, but I would say they are inarguably the best BT headphones with how the W1 chips connects to devices, switches devices, and detects when they're in the ear. As for sound, well they clearly aren't the best in that sense unless we qualify it to refer to price point, but even then I'm sure someone would argue.
Comments
Ex: if I'm paired to my iPad at home, but travel to the gym w/ only my iPhone and pop the APs into my ears, they are not "active" as the output target on the iPhone. I must use the pull-down, tap the now-playing, and select the APs as the target output.
Of course you'd say that.
I felt the article was plainly obvious, stating that they're the best due to all factors considered, and not claiming that the audio-only was the best. Try reading it again?
"Sonically, AirPods are definitely not the highest performing earphones available..."
How absurd. No earbud is immune to getting dirty. Ears are dirty. But rather than clean your ears, and clean your buds, you'd rather just...throw them out every month. WTF. Are you one of the same people who complains about Apple gear being "disposable"?!?
Also, if you cut off the wires of your EarPods just to see if AirPods would fit, then I'm afraid you wasted a pair of EarPods for no good reason. They have different stem shapes which yes makes a difference.
Meanwhile, here IRL, I simply wipe them down after the gym and they've served me well for over a year of daily use w/o any grossness. What am I doing wrong??
I can NEVER go back to wired earphones again. When my AirPods die, I'll gladly pay full price for another set.
Then yours are broken. That's not normal behavior (we have two in this household).
Are you? Who said that audio-alone is the sole metric in a pair of fully mobile wireless headphones? Surely ease of use and battery life are prime metrics as well, and that happens to be where APs rise above.
why make ‘one size fit all’ when it ckearly does not?
I wanted to get Airpods, but I just couldn't get comfortable with them. For now, I need my earphones to have good music quality and a good fit. The tech is still a long way off being so good that it would override either of those needs.
I will say that AirPods succeed at being the most convenient headphones on the market. You can always have them with you. It’s really easy to take them out, put them on and begin listening, and it effectively lasts forever for music.
No untangling of cords, no cords catching on something, no cords pulling them out, no winding cords up to put away. It’s very easy to pull them out of your pocket and listen to something for 10 minute walk or whenever there is idle time.