AirPods (2019) review: Simple and convenient, but Android users have better options
The AirPods came out a while back, but only recently have they been updated with new hardware and software features. While they may have made true wireless earbuds popular, they’re not the best by any means. Still, that’s not to say they’re bad. If you can get them to stay in your ears, and if you have an iOS device, and if you don’t mind the – uh, unique – design, then you might find yourself really liking them.
But what is it about the new AirPods (2019) that makes them so desirable? Branding aside, they actually nail a couple of key aspects of what makes a good pair of wireless earbuds.
Read the in-depth review by SoundGuys
What are the AirPods (2019) like to use?
Simple. That’s true whether you’re on Android or on iOS, though you will get some added perks if you’re rocking an Apple device. These includes the new “Hey Siri” feature, which won’t work with any another assistant. If you want to access the Google Assistant with your new AirPods you’ll have to double-tap the Airpod same as always.
Earbuds aside, the charging case is probably the stand-out feature of the AirPods. It’s well-built, small, and easy to handle, and if you opt for the newer 2019 version it’s even compatible with any Qi wireless charger. It’s hard to beat in everyday use. The case is small enough to fit in your pockets easily and flipping the case open can quickly become a twitch just because of how satisfying the magnetic lid feels.
You’re not getting premium materials with the new AirPods. While the case and buds do feel nice, they’re unchanged from the original AirPods and are still made of hard plastic.
Unfortunately, that level of satisfaction doesn’t hold up when you start using the earbuds. The one-size-fits-all design is just like the wired earpods that come with any iPhone, so if you have trouble keeping those in your ears as I do, you’re going to have a similar problem here. Plus, there’s the added anxiety of losing one should it fall out at some point, but to be fair, that’s a fear for all true wireless earbuds.
If you do get them to stay in your ears, then you can take advantage of a cool feature that auto pauses what you’re listening to as soon as you take them out. Handy, seeing as playback controls are fairly limited due to the lack of physical buttons. Unfortunately, this is another feature you’ll be missing out on if you’re going to be using them with an Android device.
Let’s talk battery life
The new AirPods wireless charging case has the same dimensions as the first-generation standard case.
You don’t have to be an engineer to know that the batteries squeezed into true wireless earbuds aren’t that big. The AirPods are no exception, which is why they come with a charging case you can toss them into when battery life starts to drain. While the original AirPods were squarely in the low-middle of the pack compared to other wireless earbuds, the new AirPods do surprisingly well. We managed to squeeze 4 hours and 7 minutes of constant playback on an iPhone X, which is 21 percent more than the previous Airpods.
The improved battery life is likely due to the newer H1 chip inside, that, on top of helping with connecting to your source devices, also plays a key role in power management. Unfortunately, that increase in battery life does not extend to Android users. In our testing, battery life while connected to a Pixel 3 remained more or less unchanged at 3 hours and 29 minutes. If you want to listen for longer periods of time, the Samsung Galaxy Buds, the Creative Outlier Air, or the new Powerbeats Pro all have significantly longer-lasting batteries.
It’s also worth mentioning that unlike wired headphones, you’re going to have to replace the Apple AirPods eventually, once the battery cells stop holding a charge. There have already been issues about the previous AirPods model having issues with battery life, and it’s safe to assume the battery in these new AirPods will have a similar lifespan.
Connecting the AirPods to Android
When you’re connecting to an iOS device, everything works fairly seamlessly. You open the AirPods case and a small bubble pops up on your iOS device prompting you to connect. Once you do, it’s automatically synced to all of the other devices on your iCloud account so you won’t have to re-pair to your iPad or MacBook.
When you’re on Android, it works a little differently. For one, you’ll have to manually hold down the Bluetooth pairing button on the case to enter pairing mode and then search for them in your Bluetooth settings like you would with any other device. Not a huge deal if we’re being honest. The problems begin to surface when it comes to connectivity and sound quality.
The noise for Android devices near 100Hz will audibly affect voice sounds, music.
The AirPods use the AAC Bluetooth codec (if you need a refresher on what a codec is, make sure to read our full explainer), which, unfortunately, doesn’t work as advertised on Android. The main issue are the dropped connections and stutters while listening to music. Admittedly, it isn’t terrible, and when connected to a Pixel 3 it always auto-connected and resumed playback without any assistance from me. Still, the stutters can get annoying after a while and even though updating the AirPods did help, it didn’t fix the issues that AAC has with Android in general.
AAC’s audio quality is not flawless. You can read all about our testing and what it showed here, but in short, the graph above shows how AAC introduces a decent amount of noise to whatever you’re listening to, when compared to other codecs.
How do the AirPods sound?
The new AirPods earbuds feature the same seal-less design as the previous generation.
Speaking of sound quality, we can get into the hard truth that anyone looking to buy a pair of AirPods (2019) will need to hear, but likely won’t care: they sound pretty bad. Whatever you’re going to be listening to with AirPods just won’t sound good, because of one major issue: lack of isolation.
The new AirPods have a surprisingly decent frequency response in our testing. For such little drivers, they’re not bad. The problem is that they fit terribly in the ears. A bad fit means little to no isolation from the outside world. This can be a good thing if you prefer to hear the conversation of the person next to you on the bus, but not great if you want to listen to your music or a podcast. When your headphones are lacking isolation, outside noises can drown out some of the frequencies in your music, making it more difficult for your brain to pick up on them. In terms of music, that means the first thing to go is going to be the low end. If you’re a bass-lover this is going to be an issue for you.
Apple AirPods (2019) review: Should you buy them?
You’re probably not interested in AirPods because you’re an audiophile. They’re a tech gadget, and a good one at that, even with the feature limitations on Android. So, should you buy them?
This depends on a few factors, the most important of which is, are you using an iOS device? As you’re reading this on an Android website, chances are you’re not. That means you’re going to be missing out on some of the things that make the AirPods truly special, like “Hey Siri” functionality and the option to pause music automatically when you take them out. If you’re an Android user, there are other options for you to choose from, many of which have similar features and will probably fit better in your ears.
If you have your heart set on something small, convenient, and easy to pocket, then you’re going to have a hard time finding something simpler than the AirPods.
from Android Authority http://bit.ly/2wqv6rf
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