So you’ve seen the advertisements for AirPods, the fancy Apple headphones. And then you saw the price and need to find a reason to justify spending that kind of money.
Are AirPods worth it? Do you really want them that much? I was struggling with the decision too, and what I found might interest you.
As you probably already know, Apple products are never cheap. The reason for that is mostly branding because the Apple brand is well-known for creating top-of-the-line products and it’s more of a fashion symbol nowadays.
The AirPods are no different. While I’m not an audiophile, I can recognize quality when I see or hear it, and after getting my hands on some AirPods, here’s what I think about them:
But if you’re still struggling to decide if AirPods are worth it for you, I’ll do a quick breakdown of the pros and cons. I mean, these are not ordinary headphones, they have a lot of cool features you should know about.
Are AirPods Worth It?
If you have the budget, Airpods are worth the extra money because they’re wireless, include a built-in noise-cancelling microphone, the battery lasts for up to 5 hours, the sound quality is surprisingly good, and they work with Android too.
There are also lots of other extra features that we’ll talk about later on
Where to Buy Airpods?
- Best Buy US (in Stock)
- Amazon Apple’s Store
Did you know you can use AirPods with Chromecast?
You can also use AirPods for gaming!
AirPod Pros:
Here are some things I loved about AirPods:
1 – Comfortable & Lightweight
AirPods are incredibly light. Each AirPod weighs about 4 grams. They fit very comfortably in your ear and can hang there without any discomfort for a long time, until the battery runs out.
2 – Extremely Convenient
One of the best features of AirPods is how convenient they are. The AirPods come in a tiny case that you can carry with you in your pocket.
Just pop open the case and the AirPods will automatically connect to your phone and you can use them as an audio device. Super convenient. The convenience is one of the main reasons people buy AirPods.
3 – Decent Audio Quality
In most cases, Bluetooth headphones don’t have very good audio quality. However, Apple added some extra magic to the AirPods to make the audio quality surprisingly good. While it’s not as good as headphones, for such a tiny audio device, it’s very impressive.
4 – Great Wireless Range
You can get quite far from your phone or laptop without worrying about losing the Bluetooth connection. Even if you’re 10 meters away, the Bluetooth signal is still strong and the audio does not cut out.
You could even leave your phone in a locker and still be able to listen to music from it with AirPods. The maximum range seems to be 40 meters in a straight line. Of course, in a house, the walls might block the Bluetooth signal.
5 – Fast Charge (Wired Only)
AirPods have a fast charging feature and can be fully charged in around 30 minutes. The versions that include wireless charging support do not support fast charging via wireless. The besy way to charge AirPods is to connect the case to a USB wall outlet.
AirPod Downsides:
While AirPods are of good quality there are some downsides you should know about.
1 – Battery Life
The official rating of the AirPods battery life is 5 hours of listening time at 2 hours of talk time. However, in my experience, that’s being very generous. In most cases, my AirPods run out of battery after about 1 hour of call time, when used for apps like Discord or Zoom.
To charge AirPods, you need to place them in the case and plug them into a USB-C cable. It usually takes about 30 minutes for the AirPods to fully charge.
2 – Easy to Lose
One of the most common complaints is that AirPods are very easy to lose because they’re so small. The problem is you can’t usually buy one AirPod at a time, you have to buy them in pairs, so if you lose one, then the other one is useless.
When connected to another Apple product, there’s a feature to find your AirPods if they’re nearby, but you can easily lose them outdoors too. An expensive mistake.
3 – Expensive
Apple products are not known for their budget-friendly options. AirPods, especially the latest models, are quite expensive and not many people can justify spending that amount of cash on a pair of AirPods. However, from time to time you can find good deals on them.
4 – Microphone Quality
The microphone quality on the AirPods is okay for calls but the quality is really not that impressive. I wouldn’t use AirPods as my main microphone, that’s for sure. Even cheaper wired headphones have better microphones than AirPods.
AirPods Too Expensive?
The prices for AirPods can be shockingly high, I’m talking $200 or more for a pair of AirPods Pro. The latest version, AirPods Max, costs upwards of $500. Samsung’s Buds are another cheaper alternative!
Note: Always buy AirPods (and other brand name products) from the official brand’s store on Amazon. There are lots of fake products on Amazon.
A while back, I bought a fake PS4 controller from Amazon on accident, so be careful. If you don’t like Amazon, you can either visit an Apple store in person or check out their official online store.
Best AirPod Features:
I decided to do an unofficial survey with AirPod owners, asking them what was their favorite feature. What I discovered is most people say that AirPods are the best headphones for listening to music when you’re working out.
You can do all kinds of lifts and even running with AirPods while listening to music streamed from your phone. So if you’re a fitness enthusiast, you might like AirPods for that reason.
These will be targeted towards the original AirPods but most of the newer versions share the same features, albeit with slightly better specs and performance.
1 – Built-in Microphones
Each of the AirPods has a microphone, but only one can work at a time. So it works pretty much like any Bluetooth headset, you can use it not only for calls but also voice commands with Siri or voice to text. The microphone quality is not amazing but it’s good enough. The
Another fun fact is there are actually two microphones, one on the outer edge, and one on the inner, pointing towards your ear canal. Why would a microphone need to be in your ear canal? I’ll get to that in a second.
2 – Quick Pairing via Bluetooth (Wireless)
What’s really cool about AirPods is as soon as you open the AirPod case, they will automatically turn on and pair with nearby devices.
To pair for the first time, open the case, hold the pair button, and you should be able to connect to them via Bluetooth. Once paired, the AirPods will automatically connect to the paired device as soon as you pop open the case.
Another benefit of being wireless is you’re not limited by cables. You can use the AirPods anywhere in your home and even walk away from your computer without worrying about pulling your laptop off the desk with the headphone wire.
Very cool.
3 – Active Noise Canceling
The noise-cancelling feature on AirPods eliminates background noise so people can hear you clearly when in calls.
Remember that inner microphone we talked about earlier? The purpose of that microphone is to make sure the noise-cancelling feature is working as intended. It checks if sounds from the environment are getting into the ear and help adapt the active noise cancelling to reduce those sounds.
AirPods Pro has more noise reduction options, three to be exact, and you can configure the settings from your iPhone or other Apple device.
4 – Touch Controls
You can easily control the audio from your AirPods without having to touch your phone. You can use the sensors on the AirPods to:
- Play and Pause Tracks
- Skip Tracks
- Adjust the Volume
- Trigger Siri
- And others.
For more information on AirPods controls, read Apple’s official support.
The Best Use for AirPods:
In my opinion, the best use for AirPods is for listening to music or podcasts when working out. Since AirPods fit comfortably in your ear, you don’t have to worry about wires, and you control the tracks, they’re perfect for listening to music. There’s a reason most of the people in your gym are wearing AirPods!
Do AirPods Fall Out When You Run?
AirPods don’t fall out when you run, but the original design can be uncomfortable for intense runs. If they come loose, you can either use silicon hooks or medical tape to secure them to your ear.
The AirPod Pro design is slightly more secure than the originals because they added extra silicon to fit your ear canal. There are accessories you can buy to improve the experience..
Are AirPods Waterproof?
AirPods are not waterproof but they are water-resistant. The difference is if you get some drops of water on them, they should be fine.
However, they won’t work underwater, and they’ll likely break if submerged too long. Don’t swim with these!
Do AirPods Work on Android Phones?
Yes. AirPods are not exclusive to Apple products, they can work with android phones too. You can also pair them to a Windows 10 laptop or PC with a Bluetooth dongle.
For me, that’s a big win because I prefer android phones. Of course, they work best with iPhones because you have more configuration options, but other devices should work fine too.
How to Find Your AirPods?
If you lost your AirPods, you can use the “Find My” app and select “AirPods”. The app will show the location of the AirPods on a map and you can even trigger a sound to make them easier to find.
Of course, you have to be connected to Bluetooth to use the sound feature. You can also play sounds on either the left or right AirPod. You may also be able to get a replacement AirPod from Apple.
The Bottom Line:
If you have the budget, and you listen to music on a daily basis, AirPods are worth it. They’ll last for a long time, and they can work with pretty much any device that has Bluetooth. It’s similar to the Apple Magic Keyboard, our favorite keyboard for writers.
But if you’re tight on cash, and don’t really feel like buying AirPods, although you do want some wireless headphones, take a look at these alternatives. There are lots of great alternatives, one of which is the Samsung Galaxy Buds.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Have you tried AirPods? Leave a comment below with your opinions!
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