Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods

Michael Grothaus 20/03/2019 – 1:47pm

The mega-popular buds just got a HUGE update!

Today Apple dropped a bombshell: it’s introducing all new Apple AirPods. The news was shocking because there were absolutely no leaks that new AirPods would show up before autumn. But low and behold, Apple surprised everybody today with new AirPods.

The big question is how do these AirPods differ from Apple’s originals, which came out in 2016. While they look identical, there are actually big changes inside the little buds. Let’s take a look to see how they compare.

Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods: Specs

Here are the specs for the new AirPods:

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, H1 chip
• Weight: 4 grams
• Wireless charging: Yes
• Battery Life: 5 hours AirPod use, “more” than 24 hours with charging case
• Sensors: Dual beam-forming microphones, Dual optical sensors, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer
• “Hey Siri” support: Yes

And here are the specs for the original AirPods:

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, W1 chip
• Weight: 4 grams
• Wireless charging: No
• Battery Life: 5 hours AirPod use, 24 hours with charging case
• Sensors: Dual beam-forming microphones, Dual optical sensors, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer
• “Hey Siri” support: No

Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods: Design & Chipset

Physically speaking, the original AirPods and the new AirPod look identical. There’s no telling them apart. Even their charging cases look the same. What is different between the two is the chipset used inside.

The original AirPods features Apple’s W1 chip, which made pairing with an Apple device easy and effortless. However, the new AirPods do away with the W1 chipset in favor of the H1 chipset. The H1 offers improvements including faster pairing with devices and more stable wireless connection to devices. Plus the H1 makes the new AirPods up to 2x faster when switching between active devices, and 1.5x faster when connecting to a phone call.

Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods: Battery & Charging

Another major difference between the two… While both AirPod models get you about 5 hours of use on a single charge, the new AirPod’s charging case gets you “more than” 24 hours worth of charges, while the older case got you “around” 24 hours.

But the biggest charging difference is that the new AirPods come in two options: one with a standard (wired) charging case and one with a wireless charging case. The new wireless charging case is compatible with Qi wireless chargers.

Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods: “Hey Siri”

The new AirPods also support “Hey Siri” voice commands to activate Apple’s digital assistant. The old AirPods didn’t have the power to support “Hey Siri.” This could make using Siri much more convenient as you don’t need to take out your phone to activate the digital assistant.

Apple’s New AirPods vs Apple’s Original AirPods: Price

The original AirPods cost £159. Given all that the new AirPods offers, it’s shocking that they retain the £159 price point. However, keep in mind that £159 gets you the new AirPods with the wired charging case (just as the original AirPods did). But the great thing is you can buy the new AirPods with the wireless charging case included for only £199—just £40 more.

Apple also now sells the wireless charging case separately for £79 in case you want to get it in the future. However, as you can see, that’ll cost you a £39 premium for not opting for the wireless charging case when you bought the new AirPods.

But either way, it’s safe to say the new AirPods are a MAJOR improvement over Apple’s originals. Even if you own the originals, the new AirPods are well worth the upgrade.