I don’t expect Apple to release such a feature and admit guilt, but I desperately want a battery health analysis of my AirPods. If Apple isn’t going to allow for battery swaps on the product, they should empower customers with the information of the health of their product. I love my AirPods Gen 1 (despite slow pairing) but I simply cannot accept paying $150-$250 for a product with a two to three year shelf life. It’s wrong, plain and simple. I’ve decided to attempt to go back to wired earbuds. I don’t reasonably believe it will be an easy transition, but I cannot support paying this much money for a product with such a short lifespan.
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Battery Health for AirPods, Going Back to Wires
- Thread starter pcd213
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How do you define "shelf life"? I've read articles indicating gen 1's are getting about 2.5 hours of battery life, half of what they started with. That is still 2.5 hours of fully working AirPods, and that doesn't include the charge from the case. That is still plenty of shelf life. Perhaps the question should be, what kind of battery life do you expect to be able to get after 3 years? Especially with something like AirPods, which are likely getting regularly drained low.
All depending on the value you get. Wires get in the way, rub on clothing, make noise with anything they contact, and become tangled with use/storage. I don't think I could go back to wired headphones after using AirPods for the last few years. Several family members are in the same boat.
Yeah, the $ is kinda steep but for me it's convenience over the alternative.
But I hear you - Apple is getting me to shell out more and more of my $. There's gunna be a limit somewhere.
Yeah, the $ is kinda steep but for me it's convenience over the alternative.
But I hear you - Apple is getting me to shell out more and more of my $. There's gunna be a limit somewhere.
I had some serious concerns myself along the same lines and was even considering the big Sony over the ear phones thinking I’d get 20 hours or something of battery life and better noise cancellation And that I could Get some more time out of my gen 1s because their battery still isn’t terrible. But I love the airpods for being the convenient thing they are. They’re always in my pocket. I can slip off anywhere for a quick call (can’t even imagine using the handset for that anymore), listen to music, podcast, etc. they are expensive but so far I’m still willing to pay for it I think.
Except you already do. Clothing typically lasts only a few years. Restaurant meals don’t last long at all. There are probably many consumables you purchase that cost $250 or more over a three year period.
Just so I understand, by wired, you mean the type that plug into a phone via the lightning to 3.5mm connector jack or possibly you're using a device that has a 3.5mm connector installed?
If your iPhone’s battery life depleted by 50% after three years, how would you feel? I recognize that this is not quite an (dare I say it) apples to apples comparison, but it highlights the incredibly finite nature of AirPods and their short life span.
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Oh, no, I’m using an iPhone 11 Pro. By wired I mean a traditional 3.5mm wired headset with a 3.5mm to lightning adapter.
Gotcha.
FWIW, I have not encountered any brand of bluetooth headphones with a serviceable battery--this is your gripe with Airpods but it's not exclusive to Airpods, which is why you're going the route of wired.
Prior to bluetooth, with every wired 3.5mm headphones I've used, something always fails--generally the wires or the connector itself. Everything has a shelf life man, especially with technology. Just something to consider. At some point you'll be replacing those too.
I’m getting half the battery life from my Gen 1 AirPods and reduced volume from the right AirPod (it was used more than the left).
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Oh, you’re totally right on both fronts. Despite loving the convenience of wireless earphones (especially AirPods), I just can’t stomach the idea of paying $250 every three years for something that used to cost ~$25-$75 every five years (give or take). Of course, this is simply my opinion and an indication of what I value and what I’m willing to pay for. It just doesn’t feel right to me to be left with half of a product after three years and one that cannot be serviced in any reasonable fashion.
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I get what you say but normalizing the fast depreciation of an electronic gadget and comparing it to clothing points to a new world of waste! Back in the day, electronic equipment is made robust to last for years..even decades. Heck I even have my dad’s Sony radio from the 60’s and it still works perfectly.
I believe Apple is getting away with this and was with the iPhone battery fiasco, which they succumbed to. We as consumers should not accept this as the norm. Unfortunately, people like you and me are already accepting this without a challenge.
Sure, battery health analysis would be great for all electronic products with lithium battery. However, do you really think manufacturer would implement such feature when these battery conscious consumers want to replace their battery at 90%, complain their battery degrades rapidly due of their usage and not meeting some uncertain expectation?
You can't defy limitation in every aspect as for hardware and current technology in lithium battery. Do you think battery have advanced while all other aspect of technology have? More products are targeting to reduce power consumption whether it is energy efficient chips or improve faster charging.
I have my 1st since released in 2016 and I am not complaining that the battery life is not where it once was. I might not be getting half the battery life but one full charge can get me 4 hours. Who would keep their AirPods in their ear for the entire charge? At most, I would leave in my ear for 2 hours. 1-3 shelf life? It has already been 3 years for that product and mines still going strong. I would define shelf life as when a product is no longer usable and time for it to be discarded.
You can't defy limitation in every aspect as for hardware and current technology in lithium battery. Do you think battery have advanced while all other aspect of technology have? More products are targeting to reduce power consumption whether it is energy efficient chips or improve faster charging.
I have my 1st since released in 2016 and I am not complaining that the battery life is not where it once was. I might not be getting half the battery life but one full charge can get me 4 hours. Who would keep their AirPods in their ear for the entire charge? At most, I would leave in my ear for 2 hours. 1-3 shelf life? It has already been 3 years for that product and mines still going strong. I would define shelf life as when a product is no longer usable and time for it to be discarded.
That normally wouldn’t be enough to cause an issue in and of itself; it sounds like ear wax buildup (which is totally normal over time no matter how often you clean your ears!). Have you tried cleaning them? I’ve had family and friends ask me about similar issues with their EarPods and AirPods, and having them clean the earbuds worked every time.
If it’s long-term, there may be ear wax inside the earbuds themselves, not just on the grates, and your options there are to suck the ear wax out or deal with it. Neither is particularly pleasant.
@donster28 there was a time when EVERYTHING was made to last, that is no longer the case with manufacturing practices today, almost everything needs to be replaced because it fails or because a component of something fails and rather than fixing said product, it's easier to replace it with something else. That's how companies get sales today. At least that's my theory anyway.
@pcd213 maybe a cheaper bluetooth alternative would be more tolerable than going back to 3.5mm wired headphones, even if they have to be replaced at a lower cost?
Personally speaking, my Airpods have a place in my earbud lineup but what I have found is there is no silver bullet. For business calls, nothing has proven better than a Plantronics headset with noise cancelling. Nothing.
Airpods are fantastic because they're wireless and because the charging case is convenient and highly portable. They're also great when situational awareness is important.
When I want to immerse myself in music, I use my RHA MA 750 Wireless earbuds. While these are not true noise cancelling headphones, they do a pretty good job by virtue of getting a good seal. And the battery on these is 12 hours. These are around the collar and work great when working out, yard work, on a bike, or on a plane. Airpods or even the Airpods Pro won't last 12 hours.
Sadly they'll all need to be replace at some point but such is life.
@pcd213 maybe a cheaper bluetooth alternative would be more tolerable than going back to 3.5mm wired headphones, even if they have to be replaced at a lower cost?
Personally speaking, my Airpods have a place in my earbud lineup but what I have found is there is no silver bullet. For business calls, nothing has proven better than a Plantronics headset with noise cancelling. Nothing.
Airpods are fantastic because they're wireless and because the charging case is convenient and highly portable. They're also great when situational awareness is important.
When I want to immerse myself in music, I use my RHA MA 750 Wireless earbuds. While these are not true noise cancelling headphones, they do a pretty good job by virtue of getting a good seal. And the battery on these is 12 hours. These are around the collar and work great when working out, yard work, on a bike, or on a plane. Airpods or even the Airpods Pro won't last 12 hours.
Sadly they'll all need to be replace at some point but such is life.
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I actually tried the new Soundcore Liberty Air 2 wireless earbuds. I liked them but I found the sound was quite understated and my phone was losing connection after a short period of time of inactivity. AirPods are pretty good in that regard about staying connected to the last paired device. I’m going to give wired earbuds a shot. If I find the cables to be unbearable, which may very well happen, perhaps I’ll try to get another year out of my AirPods Gen 1. I may be able to justify in my head spending $250 for something I’ll keep for 4 years. That’s $5.20 per month. AirPods may be worth that to me. I’m still just frustrated with how quickly they have aged. I expected more from Apple. I’m also at my whits end with Apple in regards to their software quality (iOS 13, HomePod software) and their keyboard failures, so I suppose my AirPods’ performance is a bit of the last straw for me.
In a quick pivot, I snagged a barely used pair of Sennheiser Momentum over ear headphones for $75. Obviously they’re not the same type of product as compact Bluetooth headphones, but I’m going to give those a shot and use them around the house, and use my AirPods when on the go. Thanks for listening.
Yah it sucks. And the worst part I think the decline is STEEP! I remember just having the AirPods lasting for 1 hr per charge vs 5 hrs... And it was only 1 1/2 years old. But I guess I’m guilty of drinking the coolaid and bought a replacement AirPod. And just got an AirPod pro with apple care because I am gonna break the **** out of it near the two year period so I can get another one from Apple care+.
For me, I prefer over the ear wireless headphones with 20+ battery life. Like you said, the batteries in the AirPods and Pros are small and with continuous regular use you're looking at having to replace them in 2-3 years. I'm not close to an Apple store, nor do I want to spend $329CDN on a new pair every 2-3 years.
Quick update. I bought AirPods Pro like the sheep that I freaking am. But in a strange twist of fate, they’re actually pretty uncomfortable in my ears and the pressure from the active noise cancellation hurt quite a bit. I expected that as I felt the same way when trying out a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones, but I was optimistic after hearing reviewers comment on the improvements Apple made in that regard. It’s lost on me. I was very surprised that the rubber ear tip design was uncomfortable as I was advocating for this to come to the AirPods for a long time. So, I’m going to return them and purchase AirPods 2 after I sell my AirPods 1. Best Buy has the AirPods 2 Wireless for $165.
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Someday you might get to that point where you don’t worry about things like battery longevity in electronics devices and just enjoy using them.
I did.
Im a lot happier now.
I did.
Im a lot happier now.
The bigger issue is not so much the battery longevity for people but not even Apple can replace the batteries in these things, they give you a replacement. With the popularity of AirPods that is ALOT of waste. Unless I’m missing something here I don’t think that is environmentally smart. Apple is an advocate for green energy and recycling so I’m surprised these things were made the way they were. I’d love to proven wrong on this but it is concerning to me.
Spot on. That’s the problem. I don’t count the battery cycles on my laptop because I know I can replace the battery. I look at the AirPod repairability problem from a company that prides itself on caring for the environment, and something doesn’t smell right.