Test & Reviews: AirPods 2 vs. 1 – Not that much difference

With the many conf calls and trips, I advised you to choose Airpods in my article “Computer Hardware for Digital Nomads“. I really appreciate these wireless headphones. Especially since with conf conf, I cook a lot more and I appreciate not having to carry wires everywhere.

A few years ago, I gave you a review on the 1st generation Airpods here. After a few years of loyal service, its battery has become very bad and can only last about an hour (very insufficient to last until the end of a call). So I bought the 2nd generation Airpods.

Airpods 2nd generation – The trap

I recommend that you order online because in store, I almost left with a much more expensive model.

The 2nd generation Airpods have two models:

• a model with a normal housing (ligthning output) – Lightning to USB cable provided
  • 150€ on Amazon(link), 179€ at the Fnac(link), 179€ in the Apple Store
• a model with a wireless box – compatible with Qi chargers (not included). A Lightning connector located at the bottom of the case allows the earphones to be recharged. Lightning to USB cable included
  • 209€ on Amazon(link), 229€ at the Fnac(link), 229€ in the Apple Store

So there is still a 50€ difference between these two models.

Not to mention the Airpods Pro model which has a noise reducer (my detailed opinion here). In short, don’t get the wrong model – especially if you don’t have wireless chargers, it’s a shame to pay dearly for a feature you won’t enjoy 😀

I ended up buying the 2nd generation model with a standard housing namely :

Comparative table of existing Airpod models

To help you choose between the different models, I will put here a comparative table between the 1st generation Airpods, the two models of Airpods 2nd generation and Airpods Pro

My opinion on the 2nd generation Airpods

In reality, whether 1st or 2nd generation, Airpods have never reached the promised 5 hours of listening time in a row. Lab tests and real conditions are always different anyway.

With my brand new 2nd generation Airpods, I reach a maximum of 4 hours of listening in a row, about the same as my 1st generation Airpods when they were brand new.

Be careful, the models are very similar, to be sure you have received the right version, check the model number (see my comparative table above).
I bought the 2nd generation model with a normal housing, so my model number is: A2032, A2031.
A1602 corresponds to the number of the standard housing of the 2nd generation
.

The plusses

• easier to link to non-Apple products: I had a little trouble with Windows 10 with the 1st generation, but with the 2nd generation, the link was very fast
• the H1 chip is designed to provide extremely low audio latency. What does this mean? What’s it got to do with me? I admit that I don’t see any difference with the 1st generation
• On non-Apple products: The new airpods change song when you tap twice on the left earphone (top!). With the 1st generation, tapping twice only stops the music.
• box compatible with the 1st generation
• lightning output – I like it because I still haven’t switched to USB-C

They keep all the positive points I mentioned for the 1st generation, namely: very good sound, the possibility to customize the actions by tapping on the headphones, possibility to make lost Airpods sound(from iCloud or from an Apple product).

Here is the user manual, click on each picture to zoom in and out

The –

• the new airpods are heavier than the 1st generation, even if Apple says otherwise
• the autonomy seems to be the same for both generations
• when two devices are in Bluetooth, the 2nd device tends to “steal” the sound of the 1st device. For example, at each computer startup, the computer tends to take control of Airpods, it’s very expensive.
• i changed the name of my airpods on iPhone (“new airpods”). Once connected to the computer, the name jumps up and becomes “DA Airpods”. I had to change and rechange the name several times so that they have the same name on all devices. Note: I had to change the name to be able to differentiate between 1st & 2nd generation headphones 🙁
• i have a big volume problem on Windows 10 from time to time I think it’s a common bug because I saw several questions on Apple’s forum for that. You have to reconnect to Windows 10 a second time (by turning Bluetooth on/off) for the volume to return to normal.
• if the box doesn’t have a battery, the headphones won’t work (and Apple never told us that). Both the earphones AND the box must have battery power.

Conclusion

If my 1st generation Airpods battery was not out of order, I wouldn’t have bought the 2nd generation which has just a few mini-improvements. So if your 1st generation airpods are still working well, I advise against changing them.

On the other hand, if you have never bought Airpods, I advise you to buy directly the 2nd generation, the price difference is only 10€ on Amazon. Compatibility with other non-Apple products has been improved.

To order, here are the links: