Pods of sheer delight
Apple's new Airpods are faster and smoother than their older siblings
LIGHT, sleek and truly wireless, Apple’s second generation AirPods will deliver sweet music to your ears for hours on end – all on a single charge.
The AirPods come with an option of a wireless charging case, which makes charging is as simple as placing the case on a Qi-compatible charging mat.
The LED indicator on the front of the case lets you know that your AirPods are charging. Amber indicates that AirPods are charging or need charging while green indicates AirPods are fully charged and ready to use. And if you happen to be away from a charging mat, you can use the Lightning port to charge instead. The Wireless Charging Case works with the first and second generation of AirPods, and can be purchased separately. The new AirPods are also available with the standard Lightning charging case.
The Pods have an embedded Apple-designed H1 headphone chip that combines power-efficient wireless technology with optimised audio architecture. This allows them to deliver a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices.
Powered by the new H1 chip, AirPods switch between active devices twice as fast as their predecessors and are 50-per-cent faster when transferring a call to your AirPods. The H1 chip also delivers up to 30-per-cent lower gaming latency. So whether you’re playing games, listening to music or enjoying podcasts, you’ll experience high-quality sound.
Best of all, the H1 chip also enables hands-free “Hey Siri” voice commands, so you can conveniently ask Siri to play a song, raise the volume, make a call, or give you directions.
I found during the test that the new AirPods are comfortable to wear and have good sound quality. The earpads are light and I felt like they were just resting in my ears without pressure. I could wear them for hours without feeling discomfort.
The earpads have good clarity with outstanding mids and highs and the bass is good enough if you wear the Pods at the right angle.
They are compatible with iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 12.2 or later, Apple Watch with watchOS 5.2 or later, Apple TV with tvOS 12.2 or later and Mac with macOS 10.14.4 or later.
Setting up the new AirPods for the first time with your iPhone is a breeze. You simply open the charging case with the AirPods inside and hold the case next to your iPhone. A set-up animation appears on your iPhone and you tap “Connect” then “Done” and they’re ready to use.
If you have already set up “Hey Siri” on your iPhone, then “Hey Siri” is ready to use with your AirPods. If you haven’t set up the command, you’ll be guided through the operation.
Likewise, if you’re signed in to iCloud, your AirPods are set up automatically with any of your supported devices that are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
The new AirPods are smart thanks to the H1 chip. When you take your AirPods out of the charging case, they’re on and ready to use. When you put them in your ears, your AirPods automatically play the audio from your device. If you take an AirPod out of your ear, audio pauses. Take them both out and audio stops. If you’re listening with one AirPod and you take it out, the AirPod pauses. If you put it back in your ear within 15 seconds, the music resumes automatically.
The new AirPods are connected to your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. Sound automatically switches between them.
You can use your AirPods to instruct Siri and control the playback of audio content. By default, you use Siri by saying “Hey Siri”. And when you double-tap an AirPod, you either play audio or skip forward.
You can set each AirPod to play and pause music; skip to the next track; go back to the previous track; and turn off your audio content. The tasks will be carried out when you double tap either the left or right earpad, depending on which you have pre set.
You must use the Bluetooth setting on your iOS device to set the AirPod double-tap functions by assigning each function to either left or right earpad.
By default, AirPods sense when they’re in your ear and receive the audio from your device. AirPods also pause and resume playback when you remove one of your AirPods, or stop playback – and won’t resume– when you remove both. When you have Automatic Ear Detection on and you’re not wearing your AirPods, audio plays through your device’s speakers. You can switch off Automatic Ear Detection to turn off these features.
Each AirPod is embedded with a microphone, so you can make phone calls and use Siri. By default, the microphone is set to Automatic, so that either of your AirPods can act as the microphone. You can also set Microphone to Always Left or Always Right.
The new AirPods have good battery life. On one full charge, the earpads deliver five hours of music listening time or three hours of talk time. The charging case provides battery for more than 24 hours of listening time. You can put the AirPods in the case for 15 minutes for three hours of listening time.
The AirPods 2nd generation with wireless charging case retail for Bt7,790 and the set with normal charging case sells for Bt6,500.
Key spec:
Connections: AirPods: Bluetooth 5.0 ; Case: Charges via wireless (Qicompatible) charging mat or Lightning connector
Sensors: Dual beamforming microphones , Dual optical sensors , Motiondetecting accelerometer, Speechdetecting accelerometer
Battery and power: More than 24 hours listening time, up to 18 hours talk time with charging case; Up to 5 hours listening time, up to 3 hours talk time per one charge; 15 minutes in the case equals 3 hours listening time10 or up to 2 hours talk time
Weight: AirPods (each): 4 g; Wireless Charging Case: 40 g
