When Apple released its original overpriced AirPods, they were labelled cutting edge by reviewers, but they were quickly surpassed by superior products from brands such as Jabra, Bose and Sennheiser.
Now Apple has launched what is being labelled “New AirPods” powered by Apple’s H1 wireless chip, which is the successor to the W1 found in the original AirPods.
The new Air Pods appear to only deliver minor updates, and though hands-free Siri and wireless charging are standard it may not be sufficient to fork out up to $249 for an upgrade.
Apple claims it improves the audio experience, as well as wireless synchronization and delivers up to 50 percent more talk time compared to the first generation, how much of this talk time improvement is down to new Bluetooth capability is not known. The H1 chip also delivers up to 30 percent lower gaming latency according to Apple.
Only available in white, they look identical to the originals while battery life for the new AirPods is said to be at five hours for listening or three hours for talking.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The new Apple Air Pods will be $249 with a standard charging case and $319 with a new wireless charging case, the wireless charging case is available for $129. All products are available for order on Apple.com.au right now.
Owners can now summon Siri with just your voice, previously, you had to tap an AirPod to begin voice commands, but the new AirPods now join the iPhone and HomePod with the ability to listen for the “Hey, Siri” wake up words.
The AirPods still come standard with a lightning-only charging case, but now there’s a wireless option too. The wireless charging case uses Qi charging technology, and looks identical to the wired version, save for a small LED indicator on the front that shows when wireless charging is happening. As a bonus, the wireless charging case is backward compatible with the original AirPods.
Both wired and wireless cases give the new AirPods a total of 24 hours of listening time, which is essentially unchanged from the first generation.
