AirPods Review

Reading Time: 6 minutes.

Apple may update the AirPods this year. I decided to buy a pair anyway. Sometimes I get a bit jumpy about tech. Sometimes, I just realize I need to get it. I did the same with the first generation iPod Touch, which introduced me to “iPhone OS.” Because of that, I’ve gotten to see iOS evolve from every step of the way, and I don’t regret buying in so early at all.

I held off on AirPods for two main reasons: 1) The sound quality. They couldn’t come close to my Audio Technica IM02‘s. 2) The fit. I can’t keep Apple’s wired earbuds in my ears at all, why would these be any different? However, I did it anyway. I bought a pair. I figured they would be safer for my commute, as I ride a skateboard and they could help me hear my surroundings. They’re convenient, and, perhaps most importantly, I could get little hooks for the top so they’d fit in my ears better.

So, I’ve got AirPods, and I’ve kept them in my ears for most of the nearly three weeks that I’ve had them. I feel a bit like a Siri-connected cyborg (which, by the way, is a cool feeling). I love my AirPods, but glaring flaws make it obvious that these are a first generation product that Apple hasn’t fully thought out. However, the Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone make up Apple’s vision of a connected future, and I want a part in it.

Sound Quality

Let’s get this out of the way: these were never supposed to sound great. They sound much better than I expected though. The bass is surprisingly powerful, weighty, and, while not perfectly detailed, not booming or hollow sounding. I was expecting sound quality to be as bad as Apple’s EarPods, but the AirPods are actually better. It’s not remarkably different, in fact, it mostly seems to be focused on the bass, which is more full sounding on the AirPods than the EarPods, however, the difference is noticeable.

These won’t beat out quality wired headphones at half the price. Don’t buy the AirPods for sound quality. They’re not terrible, they’re not bad for streaming music, but they are not producing sound at a high-end level. Sound quality-wise, these are truly excellent earbuds, nothing more than that.

Because these are earbuds, don’t expect noise isolation unless you get covers made for this. I actually like the fact that I can still hear my surroundings with these on, as long as I have the volume low enough. It allows me to dodge cars on my commute, which, when you’re skating in the middle of the street, is a very useful thing to have.

Call Quality

I’ve used my AirPods to take and make a few calls now. When I’ve called my parents (and dad for Father’s Day) I asked about the call quality. To them, it’s crystal clear, even when I was moving around or making noise in my apartment. It seems Apple’s tech is great for canceling out background noise and providing a clear audio platform. It does this thanks to two beamforming microphones facing your mouth and two externally facing microphones on each side of your head. I’ve even tested it while sitting by my loud air conditioner, which you can’t hear in the audio recordings I made. Plus, I love making calls with these. Somehow, they don’t feel quite as uncool as the Bluetooth headsets of yesteryear, perhaps because they also serve an important purpose: playing music.

Fit & Comfort

Fit and comfort are two very different categories. On one hand, the AirPods fit in my ear better than my EarPods. This is likely because the AirPods don’t have the weight of a cable or my movement tugging at them to pull them out. Still, if I turn my head or shake it a little, my right AirPod can fall out. That’s because I have differently shaped right and left ears.

When walking outside or skateboarding, I put little rubber hooks from Spigen on them. These hooks can’t fit in the case, and are actually a little uncomfortable to wear over a few hours, but these are excellent for anchoring my AirPods in my ears. I personally just throw them in my bag or leave them on my desk when I’m not using them. You can only fit your AirPods in the charging case without anything on them, which is incredibly inconvenient. I know Apple is strict with their designs, but they could have made it easier for us “freaks” without Apple’s glorious perfect ears. That would have suggested that people are individuals and Apple’s designs are less perfect than evolution’s, and Apple just couldn’t have that.

As for comfort, in my left ear, I can forget I have them at in at all. The right ear comes close, however, because I have differently shaped ears, it slips out a little. This creates a noticeable looseness, which isn’t uncomfortable, but does itch at a corner of your mind. Most people will likely find these very comfortable, as I do in my left ear.

Siri

Believe it or not, Siri was a key motivation for buying these. I loved the idea of being able to get information on my way to work or while doing chores. Unfortunately, I forgot how pathetic Siri is. Siri misunderstands basic commands and can’t perform actions that are easy for other smart assistants. It can’t carry on a conversation, it can’t play or stop music or video in other apps, it can’t access music controls, it doesn’t work without an internet connection, it’s just useless.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I can ask Siri to turn off the lights in my apartment, I can ask Siri about the weather, and I can ask if I have any meetings coming up. There’s not a whole lot more I trust to Siri. If Apple really wants to augment our lives with technology, they’re going to have to figure out that Siri needs to be a core part of that. I love having Siri integration in my ear, easy to access with a double-tap. But beyond that convenience? Siri is still absolute shit, even in the perfect package.

Battery Life

Like many Apple products outside of the iPhone, you won’t think about battery life very much with these. That’s because, while the AirPods themselves only last about 5 hours, the case they come with can charge your AirPods so you can play music for just over 24 hours. That’s listening time, not time off the charger. I’ve now gone two days without charging the case, and I have 50% battery life. That’s incredible.

What’s more, it only takes about 25 minutes to charge your AirPods from 0-100%, and you can get them up to 35% in just 6 minutes. You won’t worry about battery life with the AirPods. Apple took one of the biggest annoyances with Bluetooth-only devices, and managed to make it a non-issue.

Convenience

This is the true selling point of the AirPods. The AirPods case is small and slim enough to throw into any bag. Most guys can likely store them in their pockets too. Of course, they’ll fit in women’s jeans, but you’ll have an obvious and weird looking protrusion on your side. I’ve done it once anyway. Pop your AirPods out of the case, stick the in your ears, and you’re good to go. No setup, no menus, no tangled cables, just ease of use. Even putting on the grippy ear hooks for my ears is more convenient than anything I got out of wired headphones. I cannot overstate the convenience of AirPods.

AirPods are also convenient to use with multiple devices. I’ve had no problems switching them between my various Apple devices, going from my Apple TV to my iPad, 2010 MacBook Pro, and my iPhone X. It’s incredible, I’m used to devices fighting each other over a bluetooth connection, but these work seamlessly. I find using them while watching movies on my Apple TV is better than my sound system, and I don’t need the volume as high to overcome the aforementioned loud air conditioner.

AirPods: One Small Step Towards the Future

I am not yet a “cyborg.” I can’t augment every aspect of my life with tech. I can’t get Siri to fill me in with information or control my entire iPhone yet. I can get close to my augmented reality dreams though. Wearable tech like the Apple Watch, along with portable smartphones, and these AirPods get me as close to it as I can get without surgery (while an RFID chip would be pretty cool, it’s yesterday’s tech). AirPods let me disconnect from my phone, no longer tethered to it. I’ve found myself walking around my apartment while listening to music or a Podcast with them in. I feel connected yet liberated.

Without true AI-backed voice control in the form of Siri, this is only a small step in the direction Apple needs to head in. In the future, they could improve these with Hey Siri support, waterproofing, sound quality, fit, and, most of all, a better, smarter, more useful Siri platform. Apple is looking to make Siri more capable in iOS 12 with automated command routines, but this isn’t enough. Siri needs to be more conversational, more capable of controlling every aspect of your smartphone. Until then, AirPods will only be half as good as they could be.

For convenience, ease of use, battery life, call quality, and their ability to make your life just a little bit smarter and more connected, I can’t recommend these enough. If you’re an audiophile, I’d still suggest them, if only to have something when you’re out and about. Leave the vacuum tubes and external DAC/amp setup at your home or at the office. You’re going to want to take your AirPods everywhere you go.

Rating: 4/5