Apple recently introduced the second generation of its wireless AirPods, available in two versions. The 179.00 Euro expensive basic version contains a charging case with which wireless charging is not possible. Alternatively there is a version of the AirPods with a wireless charging case for 229,00 Euro. Buyers who have opted for the basic version can later purchase the wireless Ladecase separately for 89.00 Euro. The only difference between the basic and the more expensive version of the AirPod is the possibility of supplying the battery in the charging case with power via a Qi charger. In the basic version, a cable must be used for charging. The plugs themselves are loaded as before directly in the loading case, there is no direct Qi compatibility.
The technical changes compared to the first generation True Wireless In-Ears are relatively small. The biggest innovation is the support of Apple’s language assistant Siri, which can be used in the new version via “Hey Siri” command. Users can switch between songs or change the volume by voice command. Whether other language assistants like Google Assistant are supported is still unclear.
Otherwise the input has not changed. A sensor area in the earplugs can be used to double-tap commands that can be previously configured by the user with Apple devices. The AirPods can also be used with Android devices, but the commands cannot be configured there. Unfortunately the volume cannot be changed with the new version of AirPods by typing commands.
Longer battery life
The battery life in combination with an iPhone should now be five hours. The charging case provides enough power to fully charge the earplugs five times. A quick charge mode allows you to charge the earplugs in 15 minutes for three hours of use. According to Apple, the talk time is three hours.
Which Bluetooth standard AirPods 2 supported was not mentioned by Apple, but the connection should be established much faster than with the previous generation. Unfortunately, parallel connection to two devices is still not possible.
AirPods 2 is now available directly from the Apple online shop.
