“I don’t plan to buy AirPods,” was what I said in The iPhone Journey. But being the walking contradiction that I am, I went and bought the least expensive one there is. I might’ve said least expensive, but mind you, the AirPods were still more expensive than my freaking Android phone (that has a headphone port.) Ridiculous.

I could’ve purchased Lightning EarPods, but no. I already have a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, and guess what, it was horrible to use. The iPhone’s Lightning port is dead center on the bottom of the device, and there was just nowhere I could put my hand to be able to grip the phone properly. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I accidentally swiped to open the camera on the lock screen because I had trouble flicking my thumb in a straight line from bottom to top.

This could just be me making excuses to buy AirPods.

So it was finally time to accept the death of the headphone port and go fully wireless. Here’s my review of the AirPods with Charging Case (2nd Generation).

Hardware and Build

I kid you not: the charging case looks like a floss container. Its glossy white plastic is gross although its heft is confidence inspiring certainly thanks to the battery. The lip to open the case is super convenient but I’m not a fan of how quickly it collects dirt from your finger.

Opening the case reveals the AirPods themselves and between them is a battery indicator LED. I found the AirPods very hard to take out due to their super-slippery glossy plastic. Magnets on the bottom do hold the the pair in place after all — and keep them charged. Magnets on the cover also keep it shut while giving you that super-satisfying click when you close the case.

The case has a Lightning port. Since I didn’t opt for the pricier version with the wireless charging case, this is just something that I have to live with. I still have gripes about wireless charging, particularly slow top-up speed and heat build up. I don’t even charge my iPhone wirelessly. Not all is bad though because you’ll rarely need to plug into that Lightning port for juice. More on that later.

The AirPods themselves are basically the company’s old EarPods with a longer stem and the wires cut off. As far as aesthetics go, these don’t look too bad. It’s been five years since the original AirPods had launched and these have certainly become a more common sight in people’s ears. Up front you barely notice they’re there and the stem doesn’t stick out as much as you’d expect.

Comfort

The AirPods are very comfortable. I can say that despite these being notorious for not staying in people’s ears. Apple’s is taking one size fits most approach here: if the old EarPods were a good fit for your ears then these will be too.

Quiet envionments really are the only places AirPods are useful in. While great if you prefer a non-ear-canal-invading option, the lack of a proper seal really does hold it back in noisier situations. Even in my moderately quiet bedroom, the whir of a fan is enough to make me crank up the volume. Definitely get the Pro if you frequently find yourself in loud environments.

Also, there’s is no way to quickly put the AirPods away. You must put them inside the case because no wire means you can’t hang them around your neck. Cool if you’re taking it easy, not so much if you’re in a rush.

Connectivity

The initial pairing process with the iPhone is super easy and it synchronizes to all your Apple devices. The AirPods have Bluetooth 5 which makes seamless switching between your Mac and iPhone possible while the new W1 chip on the 2nd Generation cuts down on connection time and latency. Range is also strong and I was able to walk around the house, leaving my iPhone in my bedroom, but not once did the connection drop or stutter.

You can change AirPods’ settings via the Bluetooth page within the iPhone’s Settings app. There’s not much here, to be honest. You can change what a double tap of the left and right AirPod does, adjust microphone settings, as well as toggling Automatic Ear Detection. Automatic Ear Detection was something I found myself using from time to time. Being able to take one AirPod in and out of my ear and playback just pauses and resumes is fantastic.

Sound Quality

You don’t buy AirPods for audio quality because they sound much like the EarPods of yore. Balanced is an apt description of the AirPods’ soud signature. Bass is meh, vocals are forward, and treble has a nice roll off that I really like. I attribute its subpar performance in the low-end frequencies to the design, which I mentioned, doesn’t form a seal in your ears.

Music has wide soundstrage and good separation but sound insultingly lifeless on the AirPods but spoken content like podcasts shine thanks to their mid-heavy sound signature. This forward-vocal frequency response coupled with the great built-in microphones also make the AirPods great wireless headphones for calling.

Battery

Apple claims up to five hours music listening on a full charge. Now, I have never worn any headphones for that long so it’s hard for me to quantify battery life. But if my few minutes of use is to be believed, Apple’s claims do hold up. After listening to podcasts at 50% volume for about ninety-minutes I managed to get the AirPods down to roughly 75% battery. The good news is that it is easy to top-up the AirPods’ batteries. Fifteen-minutes in the charging case should give you about three hours of music playback, if Apple is to be believed.

In my very short experience with the AirPods, though, you actually have nothing to worry about here. They’re always ready to go everytime you take them out of the charging case anyway. It is habit-changing. Use the AirPods sparingly and you might be able to get away with plugging them in once a week.

What concerns me more is longevity. Given how frequently the AirPods undergo charge cycles, I am almost certain that in two years the battery in these won’t be able to hold as long a full charge. And if millions of people replace their AirPods every 24-months, think of all the e-waste that this must be creating. Apple’s whole environment angle is shady here.

Conclusion

I really like the AirPods — they’re liberating. While not as magical as Apple is making them out to be, they do deliver in a way that really only Apple can. The sound quality is mediocre and they’re expensive. But, I mean, if you’ve made it this far that means you clearly have money to burn, right? I say buy them.