The Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless are decent-sounding truly wireless earbuds with a sturdy and stylish design. They're compact, breathable and more stable than the Apple EarPods making them a suitable option for sports. However, getting a tight fit may vary from person to person. They also barely block any ambient noise, which helps you monitor your surroundings, but also means they will struggle in loud, noisy environments.
Our Verdict
The Apple AirPods 1st Gen are well-designed, comfortable headphones. They have an innovative way of connecting to your iOS devices and a rechargeable battery life that can last up to 27 hours, provided you have a fully charged case with you. They won't be the ideal headphones for critical listeners or to commute with, due to their average audio reproduction and poor isolation. However, their portable and stable design, make them decent headphones for sports and casual listeners.
- Great build quality.
- Amazingly portable design.
- Stable fit.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Limited control scheme.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users.
The Apple AirPods 1st Gen are passable for neutral sound. They're incredibly comfortable and lightweight so you can them wear for hours, which is great for long listening sessions. However, their sound quality is average-at-best and may not be ideal for neutral listeners that want a great Soundstage or a deep extended bass range.
The Apple AirPods 1st Gen are acceptable for commuting or traveling. The open design lets in a lot of ambient noise seep into your audio, which is not ideal for the loud environments, typically, involved in commuting. On the upside, they're super portable and have a good battery life and charging case so you can keep them on you at all times.
The Apple AirPods 1 are very good for sports and fitness. The earbuds are a vast improvement over the EarPods regarding stability. The truly wireless design allows them to stay in your ears, when running or jogging, provided you can get a tight fit. However, They are not sweat resistant and don't have any additional stability tips so they may not be ideal for intense exercise.
The Apple AirPods 1 are sub-par for office use. They don't leak much, so they won't distract your colleagues. They're also comfortable so you can wear them for hours. However, their earbud design is quite open so they won't isolate you from the office chatter and ambient noise.
The Apple AirPods 1 are sub-par for gaming. They have a mediocre microphone, they lack customization options and have a bit too much latency to be suitable for gaming.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Apple AirPods 1st Gen are truly wireless headphones with a decent sound and good active features. They're the best truly wireless earbuds for iPhone we've tested. However, they're more optimized for iOS so they won't be as good for Android users and they're also not as stable due to their one-size-fits-all design. See our recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds and the best Bluetooth earbuds.
The Apple AirPods (2nd generation) and the first model, the Apple AirPods (1st generation), are practically the same headphones. There are very few differences between the two models. The second-generation model now uses the H1 chip, has better wireless range, and should have less latency, although we measured the opposite. They pretty much have the same sound profile, but the biggest difference is that you can now buy them with a case that supports Qi wireless charging.
The Skullcandy Push Truly Wireless are better headphones than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) if sound is the most important thing for you. The Skullcandy are more packed with bass thanks to their closed-back design, and they also isolate better. However, the Apple are better made, more comfortable, and have a better build quality. They also have more battery charges stored in the case, which can be useful. If you're looking for truly wireless headphones to jog with outside, then the open-back Apple will allow you to be more alert to your surroundings.
The Apple AirPods (3rd generation) are better for most purposes than the Apple AirPods (1st generation). The 3rd generation have a longer continuous battery life, a better control scheme, and an IPX4 rating for water resistance. They support Spatial Audio and head tracking for virtual surround sound and also come with a case that supports wireless charging. They may also be less comfortable since they have a bulkier design that can put pressure on the inside of your ears. Ηowever, both versions have a one-size-fits-all design, so it depends on the size and shape of your ears.
The Jaybird Run XT Truly Wireless are more versatile headphones than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) due to their good isolation performance and the fact that you can easily change the EQ inside their companion app. The Jaybird are great for sports, and they fit nicely into the ears to block ambient noise, which is useful for commuting and using at the office. While both headphones offer about the same battery life on a single charge, the Apple's case offers way more additional charges. Also, the Apple are more comfortable and less bulky to carry around in their case and feel better made than the Jaybird.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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