I had previously purchased blue tooth buds from a third party company on Amazon. I mostly used them for podcast listening, so I wasn't too picky about the quality of the audio. (I grew up listening to AM radio, so I'm not the pickiest when listening to spoken audio)
Still, they broke down over time (one of the buds stopped working after a while) and I was left with the decision to buy another cheapie ($30-$40) set or perhaps buy something in a higher priced category.
Already having a few Apple products, I decided to get these Apple AirPods.
I am 100% satisfied with this purchase for several reasons:
-The quality build of the pods is really good. Smooth, with just the right amount of weight to them.
-The charging case is also quality. The way the unit opens and closes is very satisfying.
-The fact that the case works with a wireless charging mat is an excellent feature
-The feature where the pods turn off when they detect they have left your ears is super convenient
-Can be paired with Siri for voice control of some features
-Excellent battery life on the Pods and on the charging case
Overall, super happy with this product. I could have easily just purchased the cheaper brand again, but they would have broken down over time. One of the major differences between these Pods and other 3rd party pods I've used is that their connection is unrivalled. I live around some tall buildings and sometimes on windy days when I was out with the 3rd party pods, the connection would get caught off. With the Apple AirPods, this is a thing of the past.
I have an Iphone and when I'm in the car and about to get out, the Iphone will disconnect from my car's bluetooth, and with the AirPods still in my ears, as I walk away from my car the Pods continue playing right where I left off. It's super convenient when listening to a good audiobook or podcast that gets to a good part right as you get home. The Pods come on and continue the audio seamlessly.
The audio quality is good: I mostly use mine for listening to podcasts, talking on the phone, and yes listening to music. The voices come in crisp and clear with the right amount of voice. Music listening is fine: fans of bass-y music might wish the Pods had a little more punch. But for most everyday music listening, just running errands or at the gym, this will more than suffice.
I also really like that you can charge the AirPods inside the case very quickly. I forget to charge them all the time but in the mornings all I have to do is put them in the case for about 5-10 minutes and then I have about an hour or more of listening time.
Something that I found interesting before making this purchase but it did not deter me: the battery inside the Pods with regular use will last about 2 years. I expect that to be the case for me, maybe even a little sooner simply because I use them all the time. But, for me it's a fair trade-off for the quality of the product.
I've had these AirPods for just over 2 months and I love them.
Compare Apple AirPods
| Price | From: $317.99 | From: $198.99 | From: $197.99 | From: $648.98 | From: $128.99 |
| Ratings | (20,886) | (22,351) | (39,302) | (15,523) | (20,372) |
| Bluetooth |
|
|
|
|
|
| Wireless |
|
|
|
|
|
| Fit | Customizable | Universal | Universal | Customizable | Universal |
| Active Noise Cancellation |
|
|
|||
| Adaptive EQ |
|
|
|
|
|
| Chip Type | H2 Chip | H1 Chip | H1 Chip | H1 Chip | H1 Chip |
| Hey Siri | Always On | Always On | Always On | Always On | Always On |
| Sweat and Water Resistant |
|
|
|
||
| Battery Life (Listening Time on One Charge) | Up to 6 hours of listening time | Up to 6 hours of listening time | Up to 6 hours of listening time | Up to 20 hours of listening time | Up to 5 hours of listening time |
| Battery Life (Listening Time with Charging Case) | Up to 30 hours | Up to 30 hours | Up to 30 hours | More than 24-hours | |
| Wireless Charging Case |
|
|
Reviews with images
They’re REAL!
I'll be honest with you. At first before buying them I was kind of scared I was going to receive an imitation product, and thank god I was so very wrong.If that's your only concern, go ahead, buy them.- Talking about the product itself, it's fine, not 5 stars, however a solid 4. I used to have the Pro’s but I lost them, and that's why I bought these ones, so I can compare between these 2.- First thing is volume, even though it is fine, sometimes, especially in crowded or noisy environments like the gym, subway, or the street, you can tell they're not as loud as they could be. However for home use, or office use, they're just fine.- If you wanted these for the gym, a BIG no no. They fall. Want to run on the treadmill? Prepare to adjust them every 5 seconds. Want to jump the rope? Same deal. You got up too fast from the bench? Whoops, no more AirPods in your ears. And this is the main difference between these and the pros, since the pros never fell off my ears, and these ones I’ve been a couple of times in the situation where they fell off my ears and I didn't even realize it, and was about to lose them, again, and cheap is not the word I’d use for these.- Aside from that, they're pretty solid. Good battery life. They connect to your phone as quickly as the Lightning McQueen winning the Piston Cup. You just need to set them up once and from there you won't have connection problems, or that you can't find the device or anything like that, and apple support for warranty coverage is great.You need these? No. There's better earbuds for less? Most probably. So they're bad? Not really. If you're an Apple enjoyer and have the money, go for the pros, but if you're on a budget, get these, and if you don't have the money, or don't like Apple, simply invest your money in another pair of buds.
Top reviews from other countries
Cam S.
Improved Over 1st Gen (regardless of what some here are saying)
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2019Verified Purchase
CarlaJPearce
No lighted charge indicator on front of case.
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2019Verified Purchase
Ker
Fantastic Product
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019Verified Purchase
K. Webster
Good apple product
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2019Verified Purchase
janet godshaw
Price
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019Verified Purchase