AirPods, AirPods 2 or AirPods 2 with wireless charging case

It's been about a month since Apple released these brand new AirPods. This means that there are now three different options to choose from. AppleInsider helps you choose the route to follow.

A trio of options

Let's start with these three options before going into technical details. Currently, there are three different options to choose from. There are the original AirPods that sell for between $ 140 and $ 150, the new second-generation AirPods without wireless charging at $ 159, and the new second-generation AirPods with wireless charging at $ 199.

It is a lot of money for a pair of headphones. Yes, there are much more expensive headphones on the market, but these other headphones are not as small and practical as the Apple AirPods. That's why they have gathered such a fan base over the years.

These new AirPods have not changed much compared to their predecessor. He looks physically and feels the same on hand. The satisfactory * click * when opening the case is still there, despite the very small and imperceptible redesign hinges. And the way she handles the inside of the case is exactly the same.

Before going into detail, let's separate the originals.

The first generation of AirPod, still a little expensive, will say some people, are just average quality headphones and, if they're right, it's really not so serious from the point of view of truly wireless headphones. The quality of the sound is correct, there is a lot of bass here and it is not exaggerated, the midrange and treble are good, but not the worst on the market. AirPods is one of the first truly wireless headphones to not have a bulky case, a design that does not make you look like a robot and it's also the first pair of Bluetooth headphones that makes the connection to a device as transparent. Thanks to this W1 chip. That alone makes AirPods such iconic technology. A simple and transparent way to connect to an Apple device.

With the second-generation AirPods, we have it all, and even more. Apple mentions on its website "powered by the all-new Apple H1 headset chip, the AirPods provide a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices – up to twice as fast when you switch from one device to another." active device to another, and 1.5 times faster for phone calls The H1 chip also facilitates voice-activated Siri access and offers 30% lower latency, so whether you're playing games, listening listening to music or listening to podcasts, you'll enjoy better sound quality. "

These differences contribute to a winning experience, as we explored in our comprehensive review.

In the real world, all this means that you should notice that the new AirPods connect much faster to your iPhone, Mac or other iOS device and you should also see less latency between the audio and the visuals you see on the screen. You now also have access to Siri hands-free saying "Hey Siri" and you can ask him to do the normal actions. All this thanks to the new H1 chip that sits on the new AirPods 2. You'll also have greater battery life when you take phone calls, but that's pretty much all in the battery department .

As far as sound quality is concerned, we did not notice any significant difference in quality between the first-generation AirPods and the newer AirPods 2. This could just be a placebo effect, but we noticed a very slight difference, and I really mean very small. difference of clarity on the most recent pair. But this is nothing you will really notice from day to day. This difference could also disappear as pilots entered

Which one to choose

These are the main differences between the two. But which one to choose if you are a first buyer? With three different options to choose from, it's pretty hard to say what you're looking for. With the second generation of AirPod at $ 199, you get a wireless charge that, if you're not fully adapted to the life of the wireless charge, really changes the game. But if wireless charging is not your favorite method and prefer to complement the use of Lightning, the $ 159 version is what you should look for. If you change your mind about wireless charging, Apple will only sell wireless charging. case for $ 79.

This virtually leaves the original AirPods out of consideration, unless you find them tuned well below this $ 159 price or used on eBay for decent savings. If you still sell up to $ 150, it's not worth the $ 10 rebate to miss the best features of the second generation.

Or buy

The first generation AirPods are currently on sale for $ 147 on Amazon, while the second-generation AirPods are shipped now at Walmart with free shipping in 2 days. Those who prefer to shop on Amazon can also put on hold a pair of the latest AirPods with a short wait. For prices and availability of products, please check our AirPods Price Guidewhich is updated throughout the day.