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Apple Airpods (2019)
84
Engadget Review
Apple’s updated AirPods don’t pack many thrilling upgrades, but the improvements they did get make for more seamless, convenient use. Because of that, little about the new AirPods are worth the upgrade for existing owners — that is, of course, unless their batteries are starting to go south. Even so, Apple has smoothed down enough of the originals’ rough spots that they’re a fantastic option for iOS users who are more concerned with ease-of-use than stunning sound quality.
You’ll find valuable but not dramatic improvements here.
Chris VelazcoApril 03, 2019
Pros
- Improved wireless performance
- Same solid battery life
- Supports wireless charging if you’re into that
Cons
- In-ear fit isn’t for everyone
- No meaningful change to sound quality
- Wireless charging is slow
Apple
Airpods (2019)
Engadget
84
Critics
10 reviews81
AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE
Users
13 reviews80
AVERAGE USER SCORE
View All Critic & User Reviews
Apple Airpods (2019)
- Critic Reviews (10)
- User Reviews (13)
- 81AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE10 ReviewsZDNet90A subtle, but meaningful upgradeTo be honest, if you recently purchased AirPods and your battery life is still strong, there's little incentive to upgrade. However, those who have had the original AirPods since launch and are seeing diminished battery life, or those who have never owned a pair and are ready to make the wireless jump, the new AirPods are worth every penny.Gizmodo80The New AirPods Are FineThe new AirPods are better than the old AirPods, and if you don’t own old AirPods, it’s probably worth spending the same retail price ($160) on them that you would’ve spent on the old AirPods a couple of weeks ago.CNET80The king of truly wireless earphones is crowned ...The new AirPods are an incremental upgrade to an already excellent, fully wireless headphone, but sound quality, design and fit are basically the same.Wired70Review: Apple AirPods (2019)Just a couple seconds after you’ve popped them into your ears, you’ll hear the familiar cue that your AirPods are ready to go, for that phone call that just came in, for that YouTube video you’re about to watch, for any type of audio experience you expect you’ll partake in in the near future. This is what you can expect if you have an iPhone, at least.Tom's Guide80A Subtle But Smart UpgradeThe new Apple AirPods 2 brings wireless charging and hands-free Siri into the mix with longer call times and clearer audio.What Hi-Fi80Apple AirPods (2019) reviewTechnically and sonically better than before, the second generation AirPods offer unbeatable Bluetooth usability and decent sound quality.TechRadar70What's actually new with the second-gen AirPods?While new features like wireless charging and faster pairing are useful, the AirPods (2019) aren’t a significant improvement over their predecessors, so while they’re well worth a look if you’re buying your first pair of true-wireless buds, if you have the original AirPods it’s hard for us to recommend upgrading.The Verge90Even More WirelessThey even work great for Android users, just like the first model. The new wireless charging convenience comes at an increased price, but for most people, the AirPods are still hard to beat.AppleInsider100Apple's new AirPods are a first-class update ...In short, if you have AirPods and have bought them recently, you'll be tempted, so tempted to get a new pair —but you can hold off until it's time for service, and battery life is short. But, if your batteries are getting flat, and runtime is getting low, don't wait to buy.Digital Trends70Apple AirPods 2 reviewStill simple and sleek, AirPods remain the no-fuss option for Apple fans.
- 80AVERAGE USER SCORE13 ReviewsNichola80January 18, 2020Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - Engadgetparul.d80October 5, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - Engadgetnanogiga60August 10, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!For starters, zero in-canal wireless buds work for me, so if I want to go wireless the Airpod (or knock off) form factor is the only option for me. Number two, I don't like being pushed to wireless by the trends of headphone jack elimination and dongle mania - that's bigger than Apple, but part of my complex experience with Airpods. I never used the original generation, so I'm comparing to Apple's $20 wired Earpods. Three, sound quality is fine for me, no better or worse than the Earpods, but I can see people being disappointed considering the price is 8X. Four: Noise isolation. What noise isolation? Wind noise is terrible while I'm biking. When I make phone calls people can hear me fine, but they say they hear the wind more than with Earbuds. Five, durability is meh. I dropped them first day and scratched one, though it still works. But these things are slippery and odd shaped so there's no way to "hold them right". Easy to drop. Six, once they're in my ear they stay; but it's so easy to knock them out. I have to use ear hooks or tethers, which quite subtracts the only real claim to fame any wireless earphones have. Seven, reliable connection? Wow, I'm surprised pro reviewers give positive marks here. No. Not reliable. My connection crackles at least once per outing, they are not fast to connect, I often have to double tap a few times before they start playing, and when I open the case with my phone on Home screen the pop up battery indicator works less than half the time. None of these things are the slightest issue for Earpods, so this would get a "0" if you had a slider. Eight, battery life is okay, but again compared to $20 Earpods, charging is an unnecessary hassle, and I'm not comfortable having lithium ion so near my eardrum. Overall, I have had a hard time finding a use case I prefer them over wired Earpods. After a few months, biking is the only one, as long as I use ear hooks. One use. That, along with all the other compromises, nowhere near justifies the $160 price. In fact, I feel they should cost less than $20 because the overall experience is inferior to Earpods. So I regret my purchase, and no I would not willingly buy them again. However, if the global wireless trend results in the complete elimination of wired options, then ironically I will be glad for Airpods due to the lack of any other quality option for my narrow ear canals.Whiskeyjack90August 9, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!These were actually my first pair of Airpods and they deliver exactly what Apple said they would. I always told myself that I was happy with wired earbuds and trying out a cheap pair of wireless for awhile the ease of connecting with an iPhone makes the Airpods great. I've never run out of battery juice and when wearing them you almost forget they are there. I agonized over the Airpods or the Powerbeats Pro. I kind of liked the Powerbeats Pro look and extra features but ultimately decided on Airpods due to wearing glasses. I'm one of those uncool guys that put their iPhone in a holster and the volume buttons are readily available to me so that wasn't an issue at all and having set the taps to forward or reverse tracks makes my Airpod set up pretty functional.Overall very pleased and honestly I doubt I'll ever go back to wired.Tim70August 9, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetKeith100August 9, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Brilliant productblueatria90August 9, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!In my opinion, AirPods are the best bluetooth earphones available. They have excellent battery life, the Bluetooth connection never breaks up which for me has been the problem with the draw full of other Bluetooth earpieces. I also like the fit, I can’t use earpieces that go into you ear canal as they cause irritation. I run with my airpods and they say firmly in place. The new ones have wireless charging available which I find useful as I have a few Qi chargers around the house and one in my car, that said I normally only have to charge about once a week. The case is small enough to easily fit your pocket. Even the new “Hey Siri” support works well. You can also pair them with a android phone and they work fine ( I have a Pixel 3 that they work well ). Pairing with iOS devices is simplicity itself. I would say this is one of the best products that Apple has made.Pausanius80August 8, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetIAn90August 8, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!They things are total game changers. I use these almost every day when I ride my bike. I listen to all kinds of things from music to podcasts and everything has been clear and crisp. Siri works as expected (although I turned off the always on feature to save battery). The noise isolation as far as listing to audio could be better, but since my main use is outdoors, I like to have some of that noise so I'm aware of my surroundings. However the noise isolation when is in a call is fantastic (most people cant tell I'm outside). The fit is ok, I'm not worried about them falling out while walking, but while working out I notice them slip a little bit, so I purchased some behind the ear clips to ease my paranoia that they may fall out and I'll lose them. Over all a solid multi purpose headphone that will fit most people.SangamonTaylor60August 8, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Decent set of buds/pods, good audio quality, great pairing technology. However, overpriced and they don't stay snug in my ears without forcing me to constantly push them back in so I can hear the bass. 6 to 7 out of 10.Peter90August 8, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I should preface this by saying I'm one of the lucky people out there whose ears the AirPods fit perfectly, so my review is going to be from that perspective.I was a gen-1 owner, got them the month they came out. Eventually, the battery started to degrade on those, so I decided to upgrade. I have to say, I'm surprised how many reviews minimize how much the speed of connectivity and responsiveness has been improved. I used to have my odd times where switching between devices wouldn't go so smooth with the gen-1 AirPods. I'd get moments where my device would stall on connecting, or they took a frustratingly long time to sync up to one another if you go from listening with 1 to 2. The responsiveness in the gen-2 AirPods is a big quality of life upgrade, and i think they're worth the price of the upgrade if you need to upgrade them anyway for battery reasons. Battery life has been great, Hey Siri without having to tap at my ear has been far more pleasant, and I can't wait for the improvements to hands-free notification handling in iOS 13.jshah71670August 8, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetScott80July 12, 2019Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - Engadget
Key Specs
TYPE
Earbud
CONNECTIONS
Wireless, Other
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