AirPods 2 review: even better!

Apple unveiled last week a second generation of its wireless headphones, the AirPods, which have been a hit since their release at the end of 2016. At the end of 2017, Apple unveiled a future wireless charging case for the AirPods, which over a year to come out.

This second generation is a minor development with mainly wireless charging on the case and the arrival of the “Hey Siri” function. Some American tech sites have justpublish their test of these AirPods 2, there is generally good andsome surprises.

In terms of design, there is absolutely no change between the first generation headphones and the new ones. The main exterior changes are at the level of the case.

On the wireless charging box,the charging indicator light is located on the outsideto know the status of the battery when the case is placed on a Qi compatible charger.

Some testers also noticed several differences between the original model case and the wireless case, the position of thereset button has been moved down. The hinge has also been changed from shiny steel tobrushed aluminum, more discreet (and less expensive?).

AirPods 1 on the left has shiny steel hinge, AirPods 2 on right has matte aluminum (cheaper/quicker to build or just aesthetic change?)pic.twitter.com/RxoLkwz0FX

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman)27 mars 2019

When the AirPods 2 are first connected (but not only) to the iPhone, the AirPods configuration and battery windowappears much more quicklythan with the original AirPods. We imagine that this is attributed to the H1 chip, which according to Apple allows you to double the speed of connection to a device.

Apple is also advancing a30% reduction in latency for video games, which allows you to hear a noise associated with an action performed on the screen more quickly.

Now for the main function, the sound. It appears according to testers, the new AirPods offera louder sound, but also slightlybetter definedthan the first generation.

The“Hey Siri” function works quite welland the earphones record every voice command with clarity, making it possible to use Siri even with your hands full. Incidentally, this allows you to replace the double tap for an action other than Siri.

In summary, 2nd generation AirPods which are better than the original model, notably with asound improvementand the “Hey Siri” function, but also wireless charging, provided you have opted for the wireless box.

Source

Deputy editor-in-chief, also known under the pseudonym Teza. Former video games journalist, who has been immersed in tech and Apple products since his very first iPhone 3GS in 2009. He has since worked for several American tech sites and now for iPhon.fr. Incidentally YouTuber and Apple product specialist on the MobileAddict channel. To contact me: maxime[a]iphon.fr