On late 2016, Apple unexpectedly just refresh the AirPods but held no event or anything for its release. If you're one of those people who got these AirPods for the holidays and felt really cool and special, how broke do you really feel now?
So probably you're panicking in your seat right now and thinking - how much do these AirPods cost and what's in them? What's Apple trying to pull? With the AirPods 2 - what's new are a few things. AirPods 1 and 2, they look alike with the same kind of lightning cable in the box, no USBC charging. The only thing that's really new is the wireless charging case that you can see. Apple actually released three new versions.
The $199 AirPods 2 - that's how much they cost but there is $159 version without the wireless charging case so it's still the same improved sound on the AirPods. Then there's a $79 wireless charging case with no ear pods but what you can do is take the case that you spend $79 on and use your old ear pods if you haven't lost them. Apple's no longer selling the AirPods.
It's not even for $100, $50. There's no refurbished. There's no discounted version which would have been a good move but obviously these two are good. What's new is that we finally have a Siri support so everyone can finally be a robot and just talking to Siri to talk to their friends even if they're right next to them. All you have to do with AirPods in your ear is just say “Hey Siri” and it activates. AirPods 2 have the new H1 chip compared to the first generation which only has the W1 chip.
These offer 30% less latency, so if you're into gaming on your iPhone or any Apple device, actually these work with other phones than just iPhones, that's definitely going to be a noticeable improvement and these also have 50% faster connecting time. By looking at both the AirPods first generation case and the second generation case, there really is a charging LED right on the front. It's nice that they finally put the charging icon right on the front so you can see when your AirPods are charging especially because of the Qi wireless charging this year.
Other than that, the case weighs just the same with the two AirPods and still have lightning jacks on the bottom. Just looking at the first generation versus the second generation, it almost looks like the second generation is slightly thinner but they are exactly the same even the connector at the bottom. It’s the exact same, nothing else really changed.
Microphone spots right about the same and it's also really good to see that if you do have any of these cozies on your AirPods because there's no coding or anything extra to make it stay in your ear. They haven't changed the design at all. They're the same AirPods so it's good to see which is coziest when you put them in your ears or if you just pick up the wireless charging case and there’s a little bit of friction. If it doesn't sound good, it's not worth it.
To test the AirPods, I put the AirPods 2 in my right ear and it just quickly connected to the phone and then on my left ear I had the first generation AirPods. I listened to three songs from the playlist and I was at max on both phones and it was clear on the AirPods.
The first song that I played is the Slushii’s “Self-Destruct”. It's got some pianos and it's EDM and there's a massive bass. Things just seem a little clearer on the AirPods. You can hear a difference with the second generation over the first generation. It's a little clearer than notes and I just say any lyrics sounds smoother.
You can hear all the vocals, and everything that anyone is saying. The second song I played was the Logic’s new album, “Bohemian Trapsody”. It definitely sounds more balanced on the second generation. You're paying $199 for these and you're gonna be happy. The third song was "Now You're Gone" with Tom Walker and Zara Larsson.
That was probably the clearest test yet Tom felt a little bit more faded on the first generation. Zara's voice sounded balanced and it just sounded more balanced on the second generation. The first generation sounded louder though but bass was definitely more polished. I'm running out of words to say it's improved and smoother.
The first AirPods sound like you're in a little bit more of like a concert like setting that slight echo but the second generation just have the polish and the balance and of course the Siri feature which you can finally let go of your real assistance and just move to the virtual assistant Siri on the AirPods.
Last thing of course with the AirPods is the wireless charging. With the LED notifier on the front, it's pretty easy and this is just a wireless charger I like. There are four USB ports, it’s kind of hard to see the USBC at the bottom. The device lights up red to let you know that you are charging and then of course the wireless charger lets you know it's charging.
There is a lookalike wireless charging case that works with any pair of AirPods you drop in and they still have that kind of white enamel finish. It looks like AirPods if you hold them back and then if you get really close to someone they're going to notice you have a pretty sweet case and it wirelessly charging and you didn't spend like everyone at Apple wanted you to.
If you haven't picked up a pair of AirPods, this is really your only chance to own one. If you don’t want the wireless charging case then you can have the AirPods that is worth $159 only, but if you do like the wireless charging then save up to $199. It’s worth it because they definitely sound better. Read about Airpods Supercopy
