The biggest controversy of the iPhone 7 launch was undoubtedly the ruthless murder of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple sees the future of headphones being powered from its own Lightning connector, or ideally, without a wire/port at all. I tried the AirPods - Apple’s new wireless headphones – immediately after the keynote – and honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about them.
That’s probably not what you want to read in a hands-on review. But anyone who’s telling you “they’re great” or “they’re rubbish” is playing a guessing game. There are obvious pros and cons to the AirPods, like there are with any wireless device. However, it’s important to remember that these headphones aren’t for everyone. The EarPods that come in the box with the iPhone 7 are the earphones meant for the proletariat; AirPods are meant for people who want to free themselves from a life of tangled wires and a physical tether to their phones.
AirPods sound quality
I have more bad news for you. I can’t tell you what the sound quality of the AirPods is like with any conviction yet, either. Nor can anyone else, because a room full of excited tech journalists doesn't exactly make for a very conducive testing environment. Fear not, though, as I’ll update this with some proper observations as soon as I get the product in for testing – which will be very soon.
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Connecting AirPods to an iPhone
Pairing AirPods to an iPhone is easily my favourite thing about these headphones. Simply flip open the charging case and put them next to your iPhone. A message will then flash across your iPhone screen, and then all you need to do is press confirm. That’s it. You’ve just paired your AirPods and you’re now ready to put them in your ears.
The next thing you'll hear is a satisfying low ding to let you know they’re ready to roll. Once in position, they have a couple neat party tricks. The first is a simple double tap, which is the cue for Siri to say hello – the AirPods have mics built-in so you can ask Siri a question without touching your iPhone. The second trick is a simple, but brilliant one. Take one AirPod out of your ear and your music will automatically pause. Put it back in and music resumes.
How they feel
Imagine cutting the cables off your regular EarPods and then putting them in your ear. Well, that’s pretty much exactly what the AirPods feel like in your ear. There’s no clever design that enhances their grippiness or balances their weight; they just feel like Apple earphones without the wires.
Battery life
There’s more good and bad news when it comes to battery life. The good news: the charging case will give your AirPods enough power to last 24 hours. The bad news: each Pod has a maximum battery life of five hours from a single charge, so you'll have to charge them multiple times to achieve the advertised 24 hours. This isn’t great. However, there is a reasonable workaround. Place the AirPods back in their charging case for 15 minutes and the Pods will be good to go for another three hours.
At first I thought this was unreasonable, but I can’t remember the last time I wore headphones for five hours straight without taking a break. If I want wireless in-ear headphones badly enough that I’m willing to pay £169 for a pair, then I’m willing to work in a 15 minute charging session during my downtime.