Sorry to drop a bomb on this discussion but BT stability has been an issue with the iPhone for a long, long time. I've had the issue of calls dropping from BT earpiece to phone and then randomly back to earpiece after anywhere from ten seconds to two minutes since my 3GS, including my 4S, 5S, 6+, 6S and 7. I've gone through earpieces from Jawbone (original, new Era, Icon), Blueant (Z9, Z9i, Q3, Q3i), Plantronics (Explorer 500, Voyager Edge, Voyager 5200), Moto (H12, Sliver II) and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
I've had an open case with Apple regarding this and another issue for a bit shy of a year, all I have ever heard back is "wait for the next iOS release," never any real response from an engineer. This went all the way through iOS 9 and of course the problem still exists with iOS 10 - every version so far. The connection drops and it looks like BT just shuts off then comes back on and reconnects. It makes no sense whatsoever and it beyond annoying. And yes, time and time again have reset network settings, repaired devices, wiped phone clean and rebuilt/restored, nothing fixes the problem.
So, the short answer is that the airpods are not solely (maybe not even partially) responsible for this problem...
I've had an open case with Apple regarding this and another issue for a bit shy of a year, all I have ever heard back is "wait for the next iOS release," never any real response from an engineer. This went all the way through iOS 9 and of course the problem still exists with iOS 10 - every version so far. The connection drops and it looks like BT just shuts off then comes back on and reconnects. It makes no sense whatsoever and it beyond annoying. And yes, time and time again have reset network settings, repaired devices, wiped phone clean and rebuilt/restored, nothing fixes the problem.
So, the short answer is that the airpods are not solely (maybe not even partially) responsible for this problem...