If you want to enjoy audio to the fullest, you need a great pair of headphones. The headphone market has been dominated in the past few years by Beats By Dre. This is an expensive and powerful headphone that promises listeners an enhanced audio experience.
But what if you don’t wish to lug around headphones? What if you want a portable pair of headphones? And what if you want quality headphones without breaking the bank?
There’s a new type in town that has now cornered the market: these are the Apple AirPods.
If you’ve ever considered buying the AirPods, you want to know what the pros and cons of AirPods are. We’ve put together this guide to help you decide if you should buy AirPods.
The Pros and Cons of AirPods
One of the reasons that AirPods have taken off is due to their reliability. However, all products will need maintenance. We suggest that you first find out here how to maintain AirPods to see if you have the patience to do so.
Once you do, here are the pros and cons of AirPods:
- Fit
There are currently two models of the AirPods. There are the current AirPods and the AirPods Pro. Both are known to have an easy fit. However, we have found that the Airpods Pro is easier to fit the ear.
The latter model has nozzles attached to the speaker that can comfortably fit in the ear. These are made for staying in your ears during physical activity – particularly for long-distance running or working out at the gym. The regular AirPods don’t always seal to the ear so it’s not ideal for someone who is always on the go.
- Noise-Canceling
The biggest con of the original AirPods is that they are not noise-canceling. This means that when you are in a busy and noisy area, the AirPods cannot cancel the outside noise. So you’ll be listening to your audio as well as the noise. This reduces the enjoyment of the listening experience. It can also make you susceptible to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.
Luckily, the AirPods Pro does have the noise-canceling feature. As this model was designed for athletes, they were made for gym-goers. If you are at a noisy gym, you won’t have to hear the grunts, groans, and moving of equipment. You will be able to enjoy your audio without any interruption.
- Controls
One of the best pros of AirPods is its control features. On the housing of the headphones are the controls to adjust the volume, pause, and resume playback.
The AirPods (both models) can have the functionality customized to the listener’s liking. AirPods work via Bluetooth technology. Once they are set up, you can use the iPhone to customize the functionality to your liking.
Both models also have automatic ear detection. This means that if you automatically remove one AirPod, the audio will automatically pause. If you reinsert it, the audio will resume playing.
- Wireless Charging
The original AirPods have the option to purchase a wired charging case or a wireless charging case – which comes at a much higher price. However, the AirPods Pro comes solely with a wireless charging case.
All you have to do is insert your AirPods into the charging case and it will automatically start charging. If you opt for the original AirPods, we strongly recommending shelling out the extra bucks for the wireless charging case.
- A Great Connection – Within the Apple Ecosystem
A pro of the AirPods is that they work well within Apple’s ecosystem. If you use Apple products such as an iPhone or a Mac computer, they will seamlessly connect with your AirPods. If you aren’t an Apple user, you will find it much harder to find a great connection. For example, the Android phone is not best suited to working with AirPods.
With the iPhone, you can ensure a higher quality wireless connection. You will find that the audio quality is far superior to an Android or other smartphone. The AirPods can also integrate well with Siri.
Nevertheless, even if you aren’t an Apple user, we still recommend that you consider the AirPods for their functionality and quality audio output.
- What About The Battery?
This is always the concern with any technology product. You want to make sure that you aren’t always having to reach for your wireless charging case.
Luckily, both models of AirPods have excellent battery life. After a full charge, you can expect 4 hours of continuous playback from the AirPods and 5 hours from the AirPods Pro.
You can also expect one hour of playback from the AirPods Pro after only 5 minutes of charging! The charging cases also charge the AirPods quickly.
- Software Features
The AirPods also come with excellent software features. They can both connect with iCloud. As your macOS upgrades, it will have better functionality with your AirPods – another reason why AirPods are great with Apple’s ecosystem.
For example, with macOS Big Sur you can pause music on your Mac and play it (at the same position) on your AirPods and vice-versa. You can also create a customized audio profile. This audio profile can have customized presets as well as a volume control.
You will also be alerted of your AirPods’ battery status, so you know that you need to charge them soon.
The AirPods Pro also has the added feature of spatial audio that can emulate the surround sound effect. This feature is not available in the original AirPods.
The Verdict
While there are always cons, you can see that the pros of the AirPods outweigh the cons. While we love larger headphones, you sometimes need a small pair of earphones that can be carried.
The convenience of wireless earphones is in their portability and comfort. While there are many options available, no earphones come close to Apple’s AirPods. If you are on a budget, go for the original version but we recommend saving up for the AirPods Pro.
Get Your AirPods
Now that you know the pros and cons of AirPods, you are ready to make your decision. We recommend walking into your local Apple store and trying them on to decide which one is best for you.
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