Apple AirPods 2 Review

Welcome to my really cheap wireless earphones/true wireless earphone/Earbuds reviews series. I should have posted my review on the Apple Airpods 2 first but it clearly didn’t occur to me at the time for whatever reason. Well arguably because the Aipods are not cheap priced at $200 AUD.

I could go on and do deep analysis the Airpods lack of sound quality (for the price) but I won’t as there are many more Apple faithful or apologists to tell porky pies about how wonderful they are. So the best thing I can say about the Airpods sound quality is that the sound quality does not live up to the price tag.

The Apple Airpod’s redeeming feature is apparently it’s ability to work in the Apple Ecosystem. When I hear  reviewer say this I realize that they have some degree of hearing damage and they haven’t bother using any other set of earphones of headphones. That said I agree the Airpods work well within the Apple ecosystem but there are real flaws like the low level of sound quality is avoided orare covered up by these popular reviewers. It has gotten to the point where when I see a popular review I avoid it because I know what the answer is. I deliberately pick something else. I can see why search engines in particular Google has to ‘update’ the algorithm as these self proclaimed ‘professional’ tech reviewers are clearly not.

The biggest problem with the Airpods is its’ sound quality. It’s no better than the regular wired Apple Earpods you used to get with iPhone. The Airpod’s sound quality is average at best and the equalization is biased to vocal frequencies. This means you miss the musical atmosphere is movies and detail that evokes emotion in many musical tracks. The microphone sounds OK but often makes you sound like you are in a toilet which can be embarrassing.

The next problem is the usability. For Apple Inc and fans that boast how easy they are to use? The Airpods do not have volume control built it. You need to ask Siri. OMG I don’t want to ask Siri or ask Apple to turn down the volume. That is followed by usability issues, maybe mine are deflective but simply picking them up after taking them out pauses or forwards the track etc.. it is not consistent like opening a box of chocolates without the menu.  Maybe I’m not picking them up properly? or perhaps need to adjust the settings. When you are in a video call and you need to adjust them DO NOT try as you will probably hang up on them.

The final problem is design. They are not a status symbol to have them hanging out of you ears, they look like your ears are vomiting.  Regardless, they don’t stay in your ears for long and I am always adjusting them or taking them out. You also look like an idiot on a video call. That said I like that the don’t block out all the environmental noise. Overall they are not uncomfortable just odd at times. I also find the repeated claimed design of the Airpods being perfectly designed for your ears which is clearly not true since they fall out.

The best part of the Apple Airpods is the charging case. Although plastic the lid has a satisfying click when you close them along with the magnetic holder.

In the end the repeated copied ad nauseum Apple ecosystem press release statements and ‘best earphone for iPhone’ is really not true and is tiring to hear and read. The Aiprods have a poor interface and sound quality best described as OK. They look cheap and make you look odd in a bad way. All the obvious flaws for the $200 price tag is a rip off pure and simple. Check out next week for my review on earphones that sound and work better than the Apple Aipods 2 for cheap.

Summary relative to Apple Airpods 2
Build Quality very good but still toy like.
Battery life Estimated 5 hours up to 24 in total using with charging case
Sound Quality: Acceptable in every way.
Notes: Sound Quality is not dependent on in ear seal.

Specifications: Apple Airpods 2
Bluetooth with the ‘Mysterious’ H1 CPU
Apple specific charging socket
Lithium Ion battery
Not water resistant