AirPods

Got these puppies in the mail a couple of days ago.

AirPods by Hanzo posted Mar 3, 2017 at 15:21

My initial thought was, "YES! About time." It was on backorder for about six weeks. Still is, although I here the stores may have it in April.

If you like the Apple EarPods, you will probably like the AirPods. If the EarPods fit you, the AirPods should too. The sound quality is very similar between the two.

What I like:

They are small and lightweight.
They fit my ear.
Battery is decent. You get about 4-5 hours per charge.
The case is a charger. Not sure how many chargers are available. But it charges fast. My first day with them, I charged it up. Next day, I used it on an hour drive. I played music, talked on the phone, and used Siri while I drove. By the time I made a stop at a waypoint, the AirPods were down to about 75%. I put them in the case while I went about my business. Got back in the car 5-10 minutes later. The AirPods were fully charged. They say you can get three hours usage with a 15 minute charge. Sweet. The case was down to about 98%.
You can double tap to access a feature of choice. I have is set for Siri.
You can use them independently.
If you take one out of your ear, it will pause your music. Put it back and it plays.
Pairing is ridiculously simple. All bluetooth pairing should be like this.

What i don't like:

$160!
Case is slippery (I put a ranger band on mine so it will reduce the chance it slips out of my pocket)
The AirPods are slippery. Nothing to do about it. Would be nice if Apple textured it a little.
Dorky.
First generation, so there is still some connectivity crackling.
Edit: forget to say that the only control is a double tap and you can only set it for one function. And you can only choose either Siri or Play/Pause.

Final thoughts:

I like the EarPods and would use those versus buying the AirPods if I did not use a waterproof case. But since I do use a waterproof case, having to constantly unscrew open the headphone port is a big time waster. Therefore, wireless.

One other issue with bluetooth wireless, not an AirPods only issue, is that when I am corded, I can use the handsfree features of the Waze app. When I use bluetooth, the reporting feature doesn't work well.

Let me know your thoughts, especially if you have a pair.

 

Thanks, my wife would probably enjoy them, but please explain:

@Hanzo "The case was down to about 98%."

Rancher

 

The case they come in is the recharger for the air pods and is itself rechargeable with an internal battery.

Personally, I'm too much of an audiophile and Bluetooth has insufficient bandwidth for "proper" frequency reproduction. I prefer both wired headphones and lossless codecs even though they take up far more room on the drive.

I personally think the decision to pull the headphone jack in favor of another speaker and going with tiny cordless ear buds is a mistake. True stereo audio requires a minimum separation between speakers and 2 inches or so isn't enough.

I'm also not interested in the dongle idea for corded headphones in the first place and doubly so if I can't charge at the same time.

@Hanzo, I'm glad they work for you and I appreciate the review. Personally, if I'm going to drop that much on headphones they will be Bose or Sennheiser, both of which will be corded.

 

The case is the charger for the AirPods and holds a bigger charge than the AirPods.

So this is after one day's usage. The battery life, including the case, has the potential to last maybe up to a week.

IMG_4106 by Hanzo posted Mar 5, 2017 at 7:17

 

I hear you. My purpose for them is different. I use them primarily for work, music second. This way, I make better use of my drive time.

And as I mentioned, I would prefer corded too, except with a waterproof case. The cordless ones are just so much more convenient.

 

Then I'm a scary dude. Navigation, phone calls, audio books and even music. But hands free and eyes on the road.

 

Stay safe. I see lack of attention from drivers AND pedestrians all the time. And as you say, "Scary!"

 

One more thing I forgot to mention. The AirPods allow ambient sounds in. It is not like the ones with the silicon seal in your ear canal. So that is a plus or minus, depending on what you favor. The seal makes for a better audio sound and blocks out more outside noise. The AirPods do not do that. To me, that is a positive because I like being more aware of my surroundings. So when walking or biking, only one ear. I'll have one or both in while driving. But can hear well enough with them on.

 

Not sure what to make of that, @Dunerunner.

 

A worthwhile accessory for the AirPods. Wish it came sooner. Got it after my bike ride.

IMG_4186 by Hanzo posted Mar 7, 2017 at 22:57

 

The battery life, in conjunction with the case, is awesome. About five hours for the AirPods and another 24 hours charge in the case. My theory is that it should last a normal work week. So I put it to the test. Charged it all up over the weekend and started at 100% Monday morning. As of Wednesday night, AirPods are fully charged and the case is at 48%. Thinking it will last through Friday.

And even with heavy use, perhaps while traveling, it will definitely last the day. I would normally charge it up at night. But I'll let you know where we are at on Friday night. So far so good.

IMG_4220 by Hanzo posted Mar 8, 2017 at 20:03

 

End of the work day, Friday, and AirPods and case are not yet empty. Theory proved correct.

IMG_4277 by Hanzo posted Mar 10, 2017 at 18:50