AirPods test: photos and reviews after a week of use

During the dedicated back-to-school keynote
to the iPhone 7 and the Apple Watch, announced the removal of the headphone jack on
the new iPhones, and took the opportunity to unveil a new product:
THEAirPods.

Where to (find) and buy cheap AirPods:ici, and other links
in this article

It is aboutwireless headphonesultra compact which
communicate with the iPhone usinga Bluetooth chip designed in
internaland specifically designed for the iPhone.

These AirPods come with a case that allows them to be stored, but also
and above all to recharge them.

After a longer than expected wait, they came out this week
last and are victims of such demand that they are out of stock
almost everywhere.

We managed to get our hands on a copy of these headphones
immaculate and afterand
unboxing photo offered hereand a little over a week of use,
here are the details of their use, their strong points and
disadvantages.

On the way to the photo test of Apple AirPods:

Premier contact

As is the case with most Apple products, the packaging of
AirPods is very neat, with an embossed print of the AirPods on the
box.

There we find the AirPods case, it looks like a small box of wire
dental, the AirPods stored inside this case, and a cable
recharges with the classic Lightning socket (that of iPhone and iPad).

In fact, below the AirPods case there is a socket in this format which
allows you to recharge the internal battery of the case. It is then he who
recharges both earphones.

On the back of the case, you can finda single button.
This is only useful forpair AirPods with devices
non-Apple or who are not running iOS 10and therefore cannot
benefit from this automatic and instant connection.

When opening the case, we notice the presence of an LED whose color
indicates the charging status of the AirPods, green for OK, and orange for a need for
charge. When the AirPods are not in the case, this LED indicates the status
charging of the box.

The AirPods hold securely in the case thanks to a system
fairly powerful magnet, and are recharged via contacts located at the bottom of the
housing.

The AirPods themselves take on the design and shape of the headphones of the
EarPods (wired headphones) supplied with the iPhone. They incorporate microphones
Beamformingpour
filter background noise and focus on the user's voice during
voice commands. Finally, proximity sensors allow them to know
when they are placed in or removed from the ear.

Note the absence of any control button!

AirPods also have an accelerometer. This is used to
recognize a double tap with your finger, this is used to perform several
customizable actions such as launching the use of Siri, or even setting
pause and play music.

Apple announces5 hours of battery life on a full charge
AirPods, more than24 hours of battery life with the
housingcharging, and the possibility of recharging the AirPods during
15 minutes to get 3 hours of battery life. According to our
tests, these durations seem to be well respected

Getting started

AirPods can be used with any Bluetooth device that
streams audio, but they shine most when used with
Apple devices underiOS 10, watchOS 3, or macOS Sierra.

The first and most pleasant feature is undoubtedly
automatic and instant pairingheadphones with all
Apple devices usingthe same iCloud ID.
These at the same time display the battery level of the AirPods and the
housing.

To get started, all you need to do at the very first pairing is press
a connection button appearing on the iPhone screen to associate the
AirPods to his iCloud account and start using them.

Utilisation

When listening to music, an audio podcast, or watching
a Youtube video, and we remove an AirPod from one ear,the sound is
automatically pauses, etresumes after putting
AirPod in ear.

In terms of sound quality, AirPods seem better than EarPods
but not by much, so they are suitable for conversations
telephone calls, music without being too demanding, or even listening to
podcasts.

Audiophiles will certainly prefer headphones capable of offering
better sound than Apple's wireless headphones, we must be clear on this
point, this is not the first target of AirPods.

To increase or decrease the sound, there is no other choice than to
go through the iPhoneor elseask Siri
to increase/decrease the sound, which is not instantaneous and presents
the inconvenience of pausing the music for a few seconds. The same
to return or skip to the next music title. But it is also possible to
ask Siri a plethora of other tasks like sending a message, asking
time or weather, etc.

Another point to note,to use Siri it is necessary to have
an internet connection, because the voice assistant needs to contact
Apple's servers, which can be annoying in places with little or
no network.

Regarding themicrophone quality, after several calls
spent with these AirPods, our interlocutors indicatedhear a sound
clair, even in the street where there is generally a lot of noise
parasites.

After watching several TV series and YouTube videos, no problem
synchronization between picture and sound has not been encountered, which may
sometimes be the case with Bluetooth headphones and speakers.

How to hold AirPods

Regarding the port, one of the initial fears concerned the holding
the ear of AirPods, wellThey don't move a bit even when
jumping and shaking your headin every direction.

Of course as each user has a different ear shape, the outfit
in the ear is not the same for everyone, so it may be
recommendedto go and try them first in an Apple
Store.

If the EarPods that came with the iPhone fit securely in your ears, then
the AirPods should also hold up because they adopt the same design as the
wired headphones.

These AirPods are so light that you forget they are
in the ears, and on several occasions we can catch ourselves
search while they were left in the ear, in pause mode.

But still?

Another popular use case concerns the possibility of being able to
listen to the same music together by sharing an AirPodwith a
friend without being bothered by a cable. In addition the range of Bluetooth and the quality
connection is such that we had no listening problems even at
several meters away.

We also noticed a strange aspect (or not so much…)
of the case. By sticking a USB-C format plug to the socket location
Lightning of the case, we can realize thatthe one seemed planned
to accommodate this type of connection. The housing orifice is overflowing
around the Lightning jack while this is not the case with the Lightning jack
USB-C.

Is this a sign that Apple plans to one day replace the Lightning port
via the USB-C port on several of its devices? It is very likely,
but that is another debate.

Conclusion

Is this a product that we adopt?The answer is
oui, they have been used almost every day since receipt,
a sign that this product fulfills its function and keeps its promises

in particular, the compact format of the headphones and the case, the ease
pairing with compatible Apple devices, and the various
features like auto-pause when you take an AirPod out of one ear,
fontvery pleasant headphones to use on a daily basis.

This is a product thatdoes not excel in sound but that will
suitable for usersfor whom the sound of the EarPods is sufficient and
who want to do without a cable in order to avoid snag accidents in the
door handles or the like, but who appreciate greater freedom of
movement.

However, everything is not perfect, we especially regretthe absence of
remoteallowing you to increase/decrease the sound, and
return/skip to the next music track from AirPods without having to exit
iPhone or request it from the voice assistant Siri (connexion
internet required).

In the end, it comes down toa good first version of the
AirPods, and which will certainly improve with time, and above all
user feedback.

Sold
at 179 euros, this represents a high price but in relation to the quality
manufacturing and comfort of use, makes it a widely used solution
competitive in the face of competition.