AirPods , Apple’s wireless alternative for iPhone 7 users who want to listen to music while charging their smartphone, are attractive, functional, and expensive: a whopping $ 159 is worth the pair.
Will that amount of money be worth paying? This is a question that many have been asking since last week because, to be honest, there are stereo wireless headphones that are worth $ 30 and even less in stores like Amazon.
AirPods have a number of features that could well be considered advantages, starting with a totally wireless design in the sense that each earbud is independent, something that is not very common yet and that was first seen in January last year at CES. , when Bragi, FreeWavz and HearNotes submitted their proposals.
Of these three that were presented at CES 2015, only the Bragi ones are for sale, with prices ranging from 119 (especially) to 299 dollars. Those of FreeWavz are in preorder now for 219 dollars (final price will be 249 dollars) and those of HearNotes , after a successful crowfunding campaign, have had delays but their final sale price will be around 279 dollars.
Compared to these three manufacturers, it now turns out that Apple’s AirPods are not that expensive. Beyond the 100 percent wireless design there are other points to consider:
- The W1 standard on AirPods eliminates the step of manually pairing headphones with the iPhone – just move them closer together.
- AirPods are designed to detect when they are inserted and removed from the ear for automatic audio playback and pause.
- If the AirPods detect that the user is talking, then they activate a mechanism that filters external sounds.
- The case that the headphones come in doubles as a charging station, retaining that capacity throughout the day.
- A single charge of AirPods gives 5 hours of continuous use. 15 minutes in the case gives an additional 3 hours.
- Smooth transition between teams.
It is the sum of these features, together with the design, that justifies the $ 159 Apple is asking for its headphones. The good news is that it is not the only option on the market. If the Lightning EarPods are not convincing and you already have a pair of wireless devices that connect via Bluetooth, problem solved. Even if you don’t have them there is a great variety to choose from.
