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AirPods review: If wired EarPods fit you, you'll be thrilled

Filip Brož
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I open the magnetic lid of the white charging box with the thumb of my right hand. I immediately transfer it to my other hand and, using my thumb and forefinger, pull out first one earpiece and then the other. I put them in my ears and in the meantime look at the iPhone display for the battery status. You will hear a sound saying that the AirPods are paired. I fire up Apple Music and turn on The Weeknd's new album. Under bass tracks Starboy I sit on the couch and enjoy a moment of Christmas peace.

"Have you seen this new fairy tale?" the woman asks me. I notice he's talking to me, so I pull out my right earbud, whereupon The Weeknd stops rapping—the music has automatically stopped. "He didn't see and I don't want to either. I'd rather wait for something older and more traditional," I answer and put the handset back in its place. The music immediately starts playing again and I indulge myself once again in the gentle rhythms of rap. For Bluetooth headphones, AirPods have really strong bass. I definitely don't have the "wired" EarPods, I think and look for more music in the library.

After a while I put the iPhone on the coffee table and go to the kitchen. At the same time, the AirPods are still playing. I continue to the bathroom, even to the second floor, and even though I'm separated from the iPhone by several walls and about ten meters, the headphones still play without hesitation. AirPods do not throw off even two closed doors, the connection is really stable. It's only when I go out into the garden that the first twitch of the signal is heard after a few meters.

Even so, the range is really excellent. The new W1 wireless chip, which Apple designed itself and serves as an add-on to Bluetooth, is largely to blame for this. The W1 is used not only for very easy pairing of headphones with the iPhone, but also for better sound transmission. In addition to AirPods, you can also find it in Beats headphones, specifically in the Solo3 models, the plug-in Powerbeats3 and so far of the as yet unreleased BeatsX.

On the Siri scene

Then when I sit down on the couch again, I try out what AirPods can do. I double-tap one of the headphones with my finger, and Siri suddenly lights up on the iPhone's display. "Play my Favorites playlist," I instruct Siri, who fulfills it without any problems, and my favorite indie rock songs, such as The Naked and Famous, Artic Monkeys, Foals, Foster the People or Matt and Kim. I'm just adding that I no longer use anything other than Apple Music to listen to music.

After listening for a while, the woman gestures to me that the AirPods are playing too loud and that I should turn them down a bit. Well, yes, but how... I can reach for the iPhone, but I don't always want to, and it may not be entirely convenient. I can also download the sound to the Watch, in the Music application via the digital crown, but unfortunately there is no control directly on the headphones. Again only through Siri: I double tap the earpiece and turn down the volume with the command "Turn down the volume" to turn down the music.

"Skip to the next song", I continue to use the voice assistant when I don't like the currently playing song. Unfortunately, you can't even skip a song by physically interacting with the AirPods. There is only Siri for most tasks, which is a problem especially here, where it is not localized and you need to speak English on it. This may not be a problem for many users, but the overall user experience is still lacking.

You can also ask Siri about the weather, the way home or call someone via AirPods. Depending on the activity, the assistant will speak directly into your ears or display the required activity on the iPhone display. If someone calls you, Siri will notify you of an incoming call, after which you can double-tap to answer and hang up with the same gesture, or skip to the next one.

Watch and AirPods

Siri can solve all the necessary functions on AirPods and works well if you learn to communicate with it in English, but it has its limits. Undoubtedly, the biggest - if we leave aside the already mentioned absence of our mother tongue - is in the case of a state without internet. If you don't have internet access, Siri won't work and neither will AirPods control. This is a problem especially in the subway or airplane, when you suddenly lose easy access to most of the controls.

In addition to control, you can also ask Siri about the battery status of the wireless headphones, which you can also easily view on your iPhone or Watch. On them, after clicking on the battery, the capacity in each handset will appear separately. Pairing with the Apple Watch works just as well as with the iPhone, which is great for things like running. Just put on the headphones, turn on the music on the Watch, and you don't need an iPhone or complicated pairing. Everything is always ready all the time.

But just for a moment I think about movement and sports and my wife is already thinking that I could go for a ride in the carriage before dinner. "Let her digest a little," she motivates me, already dressing our daughter in several layers of clothes. When I'm already standing in front of the goal with the stroller, I have AirPods in my ears and control everything via the Watch, while the iPhone lies somewhere at the bottom of the bag. I select the right playlist through my watch and a legendary song rings out in my ears We No Speak Americano by Yolanda Be Cool.

While driving, I adjust the sound according to the conditions and skip a song here and there, again using Siri. After less than two hours, I hear the sound of the iPhone ringing in my ears. I look at the Watch display, I see the woman's name and also a green headphone icon. I tap it and make the call using the AirPods. (This is another way to answer the call.) I can hear her every word perfectly clearly, and so can she hear me. The call goes through without a single hesitation and after the end the music starts automatically again, this time a song by Avicii and his Wake Me Up.

It's about the details

A few thoughts about AirPods run through my head as I walk. Among other things, about the fact that they can be partially customized. In the Bluetooth settings on the iPhone, you can choose what the mentioned double-tapping on the headphones will actually do with the AirPods. It does not have to start Siri, but it can serve as a classic start/pause, or it may not work at all. You can also choose the default microphone, where either the AirPods automatically capture from both microphones or, for example, only from the left one. And you can turn off the automatic ear detection if you don't want the game to be interrupted when you remove the headset.

My head is also spinning with thoughts regarding build quality and durability. I hope my headphones don't fall out somewhere like they did the other day after unpacking on the way to lunch, I think. Fortunately, the left earpiece survived unscathed and still looks like new.

Several users have even subjected the AirPods to stress tests, with the headphones and their box surviving both drops from different heights, as well as a visit to the washing machine or dryers. The AirPods even played after being submerged in a tub of water along with the box. Although Apple does not talk about their water resistance, it seems that they have worked on this matter as well. And that's just fine.

The look from the iPhone 5 era

In terms of design, the AirPods correspond to the original appearance of the wired EarPods, which were introduced in this form together with the iPhone 5. The lower leg, in which the components and sensors are located, has only gained a little strength. In terms of the ear and the wearing itself, it is a bit more comfortable than the wired EarPods. I feel that the AirPods are a bit bulkier in terms of volume and fit better in the ears. However, the rule of thumb is that if the old wired headphones don't fit you, the wireless ones will have a hard time fitting you, but it's all about trying. That's why I recommend that you try your AirPods somewhere before buying them.

Personally, I am one of those people for whom the style of ear buds fits much better than plug-in headphones. In the past, I bought expensive "in-ear plugs" several times, which I then preferred to donate to someone in the family. At the slightest movement, the inside of my ears fell down to the ground. Whereas AirPods (and EarPods) fit me even when I jump, tap my head, play sports or do any other movements.

The described example, when one of the headphones fell to the ground, became my own clumsiness. I punctured the earpiece with the collar of my coat while putting the cap on my head. Pay attention to this, because it can happen to anyone and a moment of inattention can cost you the whole handset if it falls into the channel, for example. Apple has already announced a program where it will sell your lost handset (or box) for $69 (1 crowns), but we do not yet know how it will work in the Czech Republic.

When I get home from a walk, I check the charge status of my AirPods. I download the widget bar on the iPhone, where I can immediately see how the battery is doing. After two hours, about twenty percent had decreased. When I listened for five hours straight the day before, there was still twenty percent left, so Apple's stated five-hour battery life is about right.

I return the headphones to the charging case, which is magnetic, so it pulls the headphones to itself and there's no risk of them falling out or losing them. When the AirPods are in the case, the light shows their charging status. When they are not in the case, the light shows the charge status of the case. Green means charged and orange means less than one full charge left. If the light blinks white, it means the headphones are ready to pair with the device.

Thanks to the charging case, I am guaranteed that I can listen to music practically all day. Just fifteen minutes of charging is enough for up to three hours of listening or one hour of calling. The battery in the case is recharged using the included Lightning connector, while the headphones can remain inside.

Easy pairing in apple ecosystem

When I sit down on the couch again in the afternoon, I find that I left the iPhone 7 upstairs in the room. But I have an iPad mini and a work iPhone lying in front of me, which I will connect to in a moment with AirPods. On the iPad, I pull out Control Center, jump to the music tab, and select AirPods as the audio source. A huge advantage is that once you pair AirPods with an iPhone, that information is automatically transferred to all other devices with the same iCloud account, so you don't have to go through the pairing process again.

Thanks to this, you can easily jump from one device to another. However, if I wanted to listen to music outside of the iPhone, iPad, Watch or Mac – in short, outside of Apple products – I have to use the inconspicuous button on the charging case, which is hidden at the bottom. After pressing, a pairing request is sent and you can then connect AirPods to a PC, Android or even a Hi-Fi set like any other Bluetooth headphones. The advantages of the W1 chip cannot be used here.

While experimenting with listening and removing the headphones, I came across yet another interesting function. If you put one earbud in the charging case, the other one still in your ear will automatically start playing. You can use AirPods as an alternative to handsfree. The condition is that the other earpiece is in the case, or you have to cover the internal sensor with your finger to bypass the automatic ear detection. Of course, AirPods play even if you have one earpiece in your ear and someone else has the other. For example, it is handy when watching a video together.

And how do they actually play?

By far, however, the most important thing about headphones is usually addressed in connection with AirPods – how do they actually play? In first impressions I felt that the AirPods played a little worse than the older wired counterpart. However, after a week of testing, I have the exact opposite feeling, backed up by hours of listening. AirPods have more pronounced bass and much better mids than EarPods. For the fact that they are wireless headphones, AirPods play more than decently.

I used it for testing Hi-Fi test by Libor Kříž, who compiled a playlist on Apple Music and Spotify, with the help of which you can easily test whether the headphones or the set are worth it. A total of 45 songs will check individual parameters such as bass, treble, dynamic range or complex delivery. AirPods performed well in all parameters and easily outperform wired EarPods. However, if you put the AirPods on maximum volume, the music becomes practically unlistenable, but I have not yet met a Bluetooth headphone that could withstand such an onslaught and maintain its quality. However, you can listen at a moderately high volume (70 to 80 percent) without any problems.

Unfortunately, AirPods cannot offer such sound quality as, for example, BeoPlay H5 wireless earbuds, which cost only fifteen hundred more. In short, Bang & Olufsen is among the top, and Apple with AirPods is mainly targeting the masses and people who are not audiophiles. Comparing AirPods with headphones also makes no sense at all. The only relevant comparison is with wired EarPods, which have a lot in common, not only in terms of sound. However, AirPods are better when it comes to audio.

Above all, it is important to realize that AirPods are far from just about music. Yes, since these are headphones, playing music is their main activity, but in the case of the Apple ones, you also get an amazing pairing system that complements the most stable connection, as well as a charging case that makes recharging the AirPods very easy. Whether it is worth paying 4 crowns for such a product is a question that everyone must answer for themselves. If only because everyone expects something different from headphones.

However, it is clear that, despite the fact that it is only the first generation, AirPods already fit perfectly into the Apple ecosystem. Not many headphones can compete with them in this, not only because of the W1 chip. In addition, the higher price - as is usual with Apple products - plays practically no role. The sold-out stock shows that people simply want to try AirPods, and due to the user experience, many of them will probably stay with them. For those who have had enough of EarPods until now, there is no reason to look elsewhere, for example, from a sound point of view.

You can depend on how the new AirPods play also look on Facebook, where we presented them live and described our experiences.

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