After all the hustle and bustle the international market got the taste of Apple’s new AirPods. The AirPods, despite sounding not so great, overcomes those factors through fancy hardware; though, sometimes it does feel like you are donning a shiny and expensive mini-toothbrush inside your ears; the fun fact is that the shiny toothbrush does turn one’s head around.
There’s a say that sometimes looks aren’t everything, and it certainly seems true here, all thanks to its fully wireless trait. No hassle of tangling wires, nothing to plug in, less fiddling with menus; it does make your life a bit simpler. The combination of Apple’s mighty software and implementation of W1 chip makes the AirPods a treat for most of the Apple fanboy(s); just open the case and you are ready to use those pods in no time. You can also connect your Android devices with a press of a button, however, you might lose some of Apple’s key features that defeat the whole purpose of this thing.
Not a smart purchase just for the sake of simplicity.
Although most people are criticizing that the AirPods doesn’t snugly fit into their ear, I had no problems rocking those earbuds. For controlling music and receiving calls, double-tap the side of the AirPods or just take one earphone out of your ear. Despite zero to no lags, like other Bluetooth earphones, the AirPods sound mediocre; at least, when compared to similarly priced headphones.
The irritating and deal-breaking factor for me is the implementation of Siri. At one point, I had to shout constantly just to change my music tracks and volumes. It just feels weird talking to an earphone to change the tracks, mostly in a crowded area. A physical button or double-tap system would have been a welcome addition, at least for me.
Additionally, the headphone looks the oddest on the crowd despite feeling fancy. And yeah, while riding the bike; I felt like the constant blow of air just disturbed the AirPods. Strangely, there were frequent lags and the music started playing and pausing on their own. However, the problem was fixed after the iOS 11 update.
Despite these drawbacks, the AirPods made my [music] life a bit uncomplicated, all thanks to the new W1 chip and the charging case, though the newly introduced wireless charging feature was not a game-changer for me.
Should you buy it?
After all bells and whistles, it boils down to one question; should you buy one for yourself? The answer is simple, NO! Apple’s AirPods is revolutionary on its own(thanks to the W1 chip) but the sound quality and the looks don’t justify its huge price tag. Priced at Rs. 25,000 in Nepal, I think it’s worth buying a less or similarly priced earphones with better sound quality and looks — not a smart purchase just for the sake of simplicity. But if you are a huge Apple fanboy and want to try the latest and greatest from Apple, then you are at the wrong place. Just buy it; it’s not that great nor that bad.
