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The wireless earbuds sync to iOS devices with ease – but there’s a lot of room for improvement.
When it unveiled the headphone jack-less iPhone 7, Apple announced an all-new wireless solution to go with it: cordless earbuds called AirPods that come with Siri and a slew of sensors packed inside. After an unusual month-and-a-half-long delay to “fine-tune” sound performance and battery life, the new earbuds are finally available (although there’s currently a six week wait). But you may want to hold off even longer.
I’ve been testing final production AirPods for about a week and pre-production AirPods since September. The pods don’t fall out nearly as easily as one might expect of an earbud-on-a-stick that dangles precariously from one’s ear, and I was equally impressed by the AirPods’ unique wireless technology that eliminates the fussiness of Bluetooth. But Siri-only volume control and the AirPods’ one-size-fits-all form factor aren’t ideal – and show that there’s a lot of room for improvement.
BuzzFeed News
Here’s what’s working.
The AirPods are small, lightweight, and hyper portable.
The main benefit of wireless earbuds is their portability. No cord means no tangled mess and no bulk. The AirPods aren’t exactly discreet (more on this later), but they are lighter than other wireless buds I’ve tried (Samsung’s Gear IconX, Bragi’s Dash and the upcoming Headphone).
The AirPods package feels as light as a pack of Tic Tacs, and its smooth, dental floss-sized case slips easily into tight pant pockets. Together, the AirPods weigh just .28 ounces, which is about the weight of a quarter, while the charging case is 1.34 ounces — so altogether about as much as a single Kit Kat bar. In your ear, you’ll feel the hard plastic-ness of the AirPod, but you won’t ever feel bogged down by its weight.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News
They do a great job of staying in your ear.
I did my least favorite form of cardio for an hour to capture this treadmill timelapse. The AirPods stayed in my ears the entire time.
I really tried to get these buds to come out: I biked to work with one of them in, I headbanged to Slayer, and I tried shaking them out of my ears (even upside down!). Nada.
Movement won’t dislodge the AirPods, but as soon as there’s some external interference, they immediately lose their mythical staying power. The stem is susceptible to getting caught on things like clothing, hair, and helmets. I took off my sweater and an AirPod went flying. I tucked my long-ish hair behind my ear and the same thing. The helmet strap didn’t remove the AirPod from my ear, but it did jostle it around, which is unnerving when you’re biking on the very crowded streets of San Francisco.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News
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