So I've had the AirPods for roughly one week now, and I've been using them at every feasible moment, and maybe a couple moments that weren't exactly feasible. Here are my thoughts after using them extensively. Spoiler alert: They have their flaws, but I like them for what they are.
It's worth noting that these are MY impressions. YMMV depending on your circumstances.
Where the AirPods excel:
Fantastic commuter earphones. I don't drive, so when I need to get somewhere, I always walk or take public transportation. When you're outside and there are cars and other motorized transport zooming past you, situational awareness is really important. If you're like me and live in Seoul, it's even more important because motorcyclists just love to invade the pedestrian sidewalks. I've had a few near-misses where I wasn't able to hear a motorcyclist behind me because of the music playing through my in-ears. This isn't as great a problem anymore as long as I don't have the volume set to something too loud.
I though that the AirPods would be problematic on pubic transportation because of sound leakage and no sound isolation given the open nature of the AirPods. Part of that was true - the lack of isolation means that I can hear other people's conversation, the engine noise and everything else, sometimes over the music. However, leakage was not a great issue, and I think part of that is because of the naturally noisy environment in public transportation. I had a classmate sit next to me in one trip, and asked her whether she could pick up any of my music. At almost all levels (I didn't max out because I didn't want to damage my hearing), she said that the surrounding noise was too loud to pick up any of my own music.
However, one aspect that makes the AirPods great for public transportation is that the lack of cables means there are no wires to get caught at someone's bag or something else, thereby ripping the pair out of my ears and/or damaging the cable. Granted, this can be said about every Bluetooth pair of earphones, but the simple lack of ANY wire means you've cut chances of the AirPods getting stuck by something to near zero. You may get the buds stuck by your hat or hair.
Great hands-free headset, at least with the iPhone and FaceTime Audio. The AirPods are really low-profile, but they're capable of picking up my utterances during calls. I've had numerous conversations via standard with the AirPods, and the other party never commented about how I sounded. Furthermore, there's the advantage of being able to swap AirPods seamlessly if you're going to have an extended conversation.
Where the AirPods fall short:
Not great for extended uninterrupted listening. A five-hour battery life is unfortunately not the greatest for extended uninterrupted listening. It is true that you can pop them back in into the charging case for a quick top-up, and then be on your merry way again. However, for me, a lot of my work and studies involve audio files - speeches, TV news clips, etc. - and I would much prefer the AirPods to not die in the middle of something productive. Adding to this detriment is the fact that I commute - that's already at least one hour's worth of juice drained by the time I reach campus or my workplace. My solution here is to either pack a different pair of earphones for extended listening, or leave the AirPods at home and wear something else depending on what I'm going to be doing that day.
Where the AirPods are debatable:
Good running companion? There have been numerous posts not only here, but also by bloggers or other people out there talking about using AirPods at the gym. Some claim that the user sweats heavily, but the AirPods have been chugging along with no issues. I, too, took my pair out for running, and they've yet to be damaged. However, even though they never fell out, the lack of a snug fit always left me with a slight concern nagging at the back of my head. I'm not sure if I want to keep wearing them in the future when I run.
It's worth noting that these are MY impressions. YMMV depending on your circumstances.
Where the AirPods excel:
Fantastic commuter earphones. I don't drive, so when I need to get somewhere, I always walk or take public transportation. When you're outside and there are cars and other motorized transport zooming past you, situational awareness is really important. If you're like me and live in Seoul, it's even more important because motorcyclists just love to invade the pedestrian sidewalks. I've had a few near-misses where I wasn't able to hear a motorcyclist behind me because of the music playing through my in-ears. This isn't as great a problem anymore as long as I don't have the volume set to something too loud.
I though that the AirPods would be problematic on pubic transportation because of sound leakage and no sound isolation given the open nature of the AirPods. Part of that was true - the lack of isolation means that I can hear other people's conversation, the engine noise and everything else, sometimes over the music. However, leakage was not a great issue, and I think part of that is because of the naturally noisy environment in public transportation. I had a classmate sit next to me in one trip, and asked her whether she could pick up any of my music. At almost all levels (I didn't max out because I didn't want to damage my hearing), she said that the surrounding noise was too loud to pick up any of my own music.
However, one aspect that makes the AirPods great for public transportation is that the lack of cables means there are no wires to get caught at someone's bag or something else, thereby ripping the pair out of my ears and/or damaging the cable. Granted, this can be said about every Bluetooth pair of earphones, but the simple lack of ANY wire means you've cut chances of the AirPods getting stuck by something to near zero. You may get the buds stuck by your hat or hair.
Great hands-free headset, at least with the iPhone and FaceTime Audio. The AirPods are really low-profile, but they're capable of picking up my utterances during calls. I've had numerous conversations via standard with the AirPods, and the other party never commented about how I sounded. Furthermore, there's the advantage of being able to swap AirPods seamlessly if you're going to have an extended conversation.
Where the AirPods fall short:
Not great for extended uninterrupted listening. A five-hour battery life is unfortunately not the greatest for extended uninterrupted listening. It is true that you can pop them back in into the charging case for a quick top-up, and then be on your merry way again. However, for me, a lot of my work and studies involve audio files - speeches, TV news clips, etc. - and I would much prefer the AirPods to not die in the middle of something productive. Adding to this detriment is the fact that I commute - that's already at least one hour's worth of juice drained by the time I reach campus or my workplace. My solution here is to either pack a different pair of earphones for extended listening, or leave the AirPods at home and wear something else depending on what I'm going to be doing that day.
Where the AirPods are debatable:
Good running companion? There have been numerous posts not only here, but also by bloggers or other people out there talking about using AirPods at the gym. Some claim that the user sweats heavily, but the AirPods have been chugging along with no issues. I, too, took my pair out for running, and they've yet to be damaged. However, even though they never fell out, the lack of a snug fit always left me with a slight concern nagging at the back of my head. I'm not sure if I want to keep wearing them in the future when I run.
