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Apple's own earphones have always been a go-to favourite for myself
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They come free with the iPhone and iPod, they always sound good enough for what I need
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and personally I've always found them comfortable. Even back to the good old classic iPod days, I've always had a pair close to hand
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Now AirPods, Apple's first wireless earphones have finally arrived. They let you enjoy your music and podcasts on the go, take calls, and even interact with
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Siri using simple tap controls. On first appearance, they look identical to Apple's wired earpods, only without the wires
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The stems are slightly thicker, as they now house batteries, microphones, and other miniature components
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There's not much else to say about their appearance. If you've ever used earpods, they will instantly look and feel familiar
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Being totally wireless has its ups and downs however. At first, AirPods can feel a little bit like those Bluetooth headsets that were popular
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in the early 2000s, and that made me feel a little self-conscious when wearing them
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in public. As they become more common and more recognisable however, this won't be an issue
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Within the AirPods is Apple's new W1 chip, which provides a more stable Bluetooth connection
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to your iPhone and prevents your music from cutting out. I'm yet to run into any disconnection issues with mine, so it certainly seems like an improvement
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The W1 chip also makes pairing your AirPods with your iPhone super simple
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The first time you open up the AirPods case, a pairing screen will magically appear on your iPhone, and it just takes one tap to connect
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It's beautifully simple, and thankfully this pairing process will make its way into other Apple products within the next year, including Beats headphones
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AirPods are perfect for those with multiple Apple devices, as they're so easy to pair
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and switch between iPhones, iPads and even Macs. In fact, after the initial pairing process, I haven't had to do anything to get them reconnected
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If you're lusting after the AirPods, but not necessarily an iOS user, you'll be pleased
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to know they work well with Android and Windows smartphones too. You won't be able to enjoy that swish new pairing process and Siri integration, but
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you will get the stronger connection that comes with the W1 chip. The AirPods case kind of looks like dental floss at first glance, as many fans have mentioned
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But it's flawless in functionality, doubling as both storage for the earphones, so you're
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less likely to lose them, and an internal battery that charges them for an extra day
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of use. Apple's also playing its usual tricks with magnets, which ensure the lid of the case
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stays closed while your iPods aren't in use, and keep the AirPods securely in their place
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Accelerometers within the AirPods monitor touch interactions, so you can double tap
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on either earphone to interact with Siri, or to play and pause depending on your preference
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Proximity sensors can detect when the AirPods have been inserted or removed from your ears
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to ensure that music isn't playing through them while they're not in use
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AirPods sound great. I wouldn't say they sound dramatically different to the standard earpods when it comes to sound
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quality, which isn't a bad thing for me. But more low frequency sound means there's a touch more bass
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I've seen some people complaining about them staying in their ears, which is a common complaint
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about earpods, but I've had absolutely no problem with mine. The basic rule is, if earpods fit in your ears, the AirPods will too
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The price of airpods is preventing a lot of people from picking up a pair. But you're not paying for the audio quality
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You're paying for the wireless capabilities, built-in microphone, and the fancy charging case
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Speaking of the microphone, everyone I've spoken to can hear me absolutely fine, despite
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the microphone being halfway up my face, and call quality isn't affected with it being wireless
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Airpods also have a decent amount of noise cancelling, eliminating most background noise
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but not to the point of being oblivious to oncoming traffic when out and about
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Airpods are unfortunately not waterproof, so swimmers are going to have to see if there'll
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be a waterproof upgrade. But if you're planning to work out in them, no problem, as they are sweatproof
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Overall, Airpods are easily one of Apple's best executed products in a long time
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And for a lot of people, the $160 price tag isn't going to be hard to look past, especially
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if you look at the competition from the likes of Samsung and Jabra
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Airpods are hopefully a sign of things to come from Apple in 2017. Back to the glory days of, it just works
