INTRODUCTION:
The most popular wireless earbuds currently are the Airpods 2, manufactured by the tech giant Apple. They were introduced on March 20, 2019 and released on March 26, 2019. Their dimensions are 0.65 x 0.71 x 1.59 inches and are completely white in color. They work using Bluetooth technology by connecting to one’s phone. The current price of Airpods 2 is $159 without the wireless charging case or $199 with it. It has the new H1 chip which enhanced components which make audio better. The purpose of this description is to educate people about its features and true value. Today, Apple products seem to be the status symbol, especially among the youth. They tend to buy any new products as soon as they are released. That added with wireless earbuds that play music make a great combination. They spend a lot of money on such products, without even doing enough research on them or look at other companies who make better ones. The one thing that consumers and tech-enthusiasts should know is whether they are worth the money or not.
EARBUDS: Airpods are equipped with Dual beamforming microphones which make speechclearer to the receiving person as it drowns out surrounding sounds. They have dual optical sensors and motion-detecting accelerometer which are amazing features because they only play audio when the user puts them in their ears. If the airpods are taken out, the audio pauses until they are put back in. These sensors are also meant to enable the double-tap-to-launch-Siri function. They also have a Speech-detecting accelerometer. When activity is detected, the AirPod will turn on microphones, noise-cancelling systems, etc.
H1 CHIP:
Apple has produced three versions of airpods, Aipods 1, 2 and Pro. The Airpods 1 have been removed from the market, so this will be about the Airpods 2 because it is what most people have. The updated AirPods are equipped with an H1 chip, which replaces the W1 chip in Airpods 1 and
brings connectivity improvements. The chip in the supports Bluetooth 5.0, which bring better range. It increases the battery time by 2 hours, from 3 to 5 and the talk time by 1. The chip also allows Siri to be Voice-activated or double-tapped, compared to the W1 which could only be double-tapped.
Wireless Charging Case:
Apple’s AirPods 2 come with an optional Wireless Charging Case which costs $199 or just a regular case for $159. They have 5 hours of battery life and with the case they can last for 24 hours. They offer up to 18 hours of talk time. 15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours listening time or up to 2 hours talk time. They work with Qi-certified chargers or the Lightning connector.
Downsides:
Now that the specifications have been stated, the next will be there problems. This earbud, which rests next to your ear canal but not quite inside it, offers practically zero noise isolation. You can hear everything around you and the only method of drowning out annoying sounds is but increasing the volume. This is obviously bad for your hearing. Not only that, there is no way to fix a broken airpod. The only option is to buy another pair. The battery life of the earbuds are very short as well, and if someone doest not have a charging case, they cannot use it once the battery runs out. Also, the battery cannot be fixed or replaced by a third party once it stops working. Apple charges $49 per airpod for replacements. Samsung Galaxy earbuds are much better when they come to repairs. They are better at noise cancellation and fit more tightly in your ears. Airpods, on the other hand, tend to fall out.
Conclusion: When someone decides to use their airpods, they must open the case. The case has sensors which immediately turns on the Bluetooth signal, allowing it to connect to the person’s device. Since the Airpods 2 has Bluetooth 5.0 it allows increased range. When the person puts them in his ears, the dual optical sensors and motion-detecting accelerometer take over. They detect every motion that the two earbuds make. So, if the person decides to remove one of the airpods or it falls off, the audio pauses. It resumes one it senses that the airpod is back into the person’s ear. If the person gets a call or needs to activate Siri, they have the speech detecting accelerometer which detects speech and Dual beamforming microphones start to function. They block out surrounding noises to make speech clearer. The person could leave his phone and go far away, and still can say “Hey Siri” to activate the program. All these components are supported by the H1 chip, which is a successor to the W1 chip. It increases the connection, the battery time, talk time and Siri to be Voice-activated or double-tapped. Even so, if the airpods run out of battery, the person could charge then using the Wireless Charging Case. It has “Qi-compatible charging solutions.” Qi is simply the technology that supports wireless charging. He can check on the status of the charge by opening the case. A green light, this means that his AirPods are charged. If he sees an amber color, this means that his AirPods have less than one full charge left.
Final Verdict:
Are the Airpods 2 worth their price? No. There are many other brands which make much better products for less cost. Some examples are Mpow X3 for noise cancellation, EarFun Free, Fiil T1X TWS, Anker Soundcore Life P2, Raycon, SONY and Skullcandy. These brands produce extremely high-quality earbuds and very stylish as well. Unlike airpods 2, which is the exact copy of its predecessor. Surely to some people that is not much but to others, they are like gold. People spend
money that they use to buy food to buy the latest apple drop to make a statement. However, I do not believe they are worth the money. We must pay attention to the quality of the product, rather than its value in society.
WORKS CITED
Apple website, https://www.apple.com/airpods-2nd-generation/specs/
Whitwam, Ryan. “iFixit Gives AirPods Pro a Zero for Repairability”. Extreme Tech.
