As an owner of AirPods, I can attest to both the pros and cons of these amazing ear buds. Since their release, AirPods have quickly become a staple of convenience, allowing users to seamlessly switch between devices with ease. However, as with any product, there are both upsides and downsides. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the pros and cons of AirPods, based on my personal experience. I’ll also be sharing tips and tricks I’ve discovered to help you get the most out of your AirPods.
| Tips for AirPods |
|---|
| – AirPods have automatic switching and “Find My” tracking features that are helpful for Apple device users. |
| – AirPods provide good audio quality and comfortable fit for most users. |
| – AirPods Pro has a transparency mode for hearing surroundings without disabling noise-canceling. |
| – Battery life of AirPods is not as good as some other alternatives. |
| – AirPods can be easily reset if someone else finds them and not tracked fully with the Find My app. |
| – AirPods Pro’s noise-canceling performance is not the best and some features are exclusive to Apple devices. |
Table of Contents
Pros of AirPods
Below are the pros of using AirPods and AirPod Pros.
Automatic switching
If you use multiple Apple devices such as the iPhone, Mac and iPad, AirPods have a feature that allows you to automatically switch between them based on which one you are using.
So, if you have your AirPods connected to your Mac and you start using your iPad, a popup should appear on your iPad asking if you want to switch them to the iPad.
“Find My” tracking
AirPods also can be tracked via the “Find My” app on iPhone. The AirPods will update their location on the app when they are connected to the iPhone.
If they are not connected, the app will display the last known location of the AirPods. You can also use the Find My app do get AirPods to play a noise when they are connected.
You can see the battery percentage
If you use Apple devices, AirPods also allow you to see their battery percentage in the settings or by opening the case near to the screen of an iPad or iPhone.
This is not a feature that you can find with other earphones. However, this only works with Apple devices.
Good audio
Many people have purchased AirPods and AirPods Pro and there are very few complaints about the audio quality. It is also the case that I have had no issues with audio quality.
Good fit (for most people)
For most people, AirPods and Airpod Pros have a very good fit and they are easy to wear for long time periods.
Transparency mode in AirPod Pros
The AirPod Pros have a feature called “Transparency mode” which allows you to hear the noises around you as if you weren’t wearing them.
This feature is useful for when you need to be able to hear your surroundings and do not want to use the noise-canceling mode. The transparency mode works very well.
Siri
If you are using an Apple device, AirPods allow you to very easily interact with Siri.
Good mic
For most people, the mic quality of AirPods is also good. However, the mic is very sensitive so they do not always work well if you are in a noisy environment.
Cons of AirPods
Below are cons of AirPods.
People can reset them
If someone finds your AirPods, it is easy for them to reset the AirPods by putting them in a case, opening the lid and holding on the button on the case.
If someone resets your AirPods, they will forget all previous connections, disconnect from your iCloud and no longer get tracked on your Find My app. Once AirPods are reset, it is like they are good as new.
Find My doesn’t track them fully
It is also the case that the Find My app does not track AirPods fully. The Find My app, only updates the location of AirPods when they are connected to your devices.
If your AirPods are out of power, out of range or in the case, they will not update their location.
Poor battery life when compared to alternatives
When compared with similarly priced earphones, there are many that offer much better battery life.
This is not a major issue since the battery life in AirPods is reasonably good and you can charge them fully in 20 minutes when you put them in the case.
They can fall out easily (for some people)
Another issue is that AirPods can fall out easily depending on the shape of your ear. You can fix this by getting silicone covers for the AirPods or ear hooks for AirPods.
AirPods Pro usually do not fall out unless you are using ear tips that are too small.
AirPods Pro noise-canceling is not best in class
The noise-canceling mode on AirPod Pros is reasonably good. However, there are better alternatives out there. Currently, the Sony wf-1000xm4 earphones offer the best noise-canceling as well as better battery life.
Android and non-Apple devices do not get a lot of the features
If you are using non-Apple devices, it will be possible for you to pair your AirPods like regular Bluetooth earphones.
However, you will not get any of the features that come with Apple devices such as automatic switching, Siri integration, tracking via the Find My app or being able to see their battery life on your device.
Bottom line
Read more: can you play songs from Alexa on your phone
Overall, if you regularly use Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad and the Mac, getting AirPods is a good option because of the integration they have with Apple devices such as being able to automatically switch between them, tracking through the Find My app and being able to use Siri.
However, if you do not use Apple devices, AirPods do not hold up so well when compared with alternatives such as the Sony Wf-1000Xm4 earphones which offer better noise-canceling and battery life when compared with AirPod Pros Gen 1.
Read more: How do I turn off weather alerts on Alexa?
If you do not use Apple devices, AirPods don’t really have any advantages over the alternatives. The Pros of AirPods really depend on if you use other Apple devices.
