Products
Apple AirPods (1st generation)
Apple EarPods
Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:46 PM
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Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 05, 2025 07:18 PM
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TypeEarbuds
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeEarbuds
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless
Apple EarPods
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) are better headphones than the Apple EarPods if you want a wireless design. The EarPods are wired, so they do not have the range and convenience of the wireless AirPods. On the upside, this also means they have no latency when watching movies. You also do not have a battery life to worry about since the EarPods are completely passive, unlike the AirPods. The AirPods, on the other hand, are a bit more stable for most listeners thanks to the absence of an audio cable. The AirPods are also a bit more practical for everyday casual use since they are truly wireless headphones with good battery life and a stable wireless connection.
Variants
- AirPods (1st generation) (White)
- EarPods (White)
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AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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AirPods (1st generation)
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
6.4
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
Earbuds
Enclosure
Open-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.03 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
4.7
6.5
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
N/A
iOS
Ease Of Use
Subpar
Decent
Feedback
Subpar
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
N/A
No
Noise Cancelling Control
N/A
No
Talk-Through
N/A
No
Additional Controls
Voice enabled controls
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.6
9.6
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.4 °C
0.4 °C
Portability
9.6
9.3
Portability Picture
L
1.72"
1.9" (4.8 cm)
W
1"
1.8" (4.4 cm)
H
0.6"
0.8" (1.9 cm)
Volume
1.03 in³
2.47 in³ (40.48 cm³)
Transmitter Required
N/A
No
Case
8.5
7.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.06"
2.4" (6.2 cm)
W
1.69"
2.4" (6.2 cm)
H
0.74"
0.8" (1.9 cm)
Volume
2.58 in³
4.47 in³ (73.25 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
6.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
5.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-7.73 dB
-8.63 dB
Treble Amount
0.61 dB
-1.09 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
6.4
5.9
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.8 dB
0.97 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Accuracy
6.0
5.0
Bass
Bass
Std. Err.
5.27 dB
7.8 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
64.42 Hz
87.24 Hz
Low-Bass
-10.94 dB
-16 dB
Mid-Bass
-0.79 dB
-2.99 dB
High-Bass
1.62 dB
1.47 dB
Mid Accuracy
7.9
9.0
Mid
Mid
Std. Err.
2.78 dB
1.4 dB
Low-Mid
1.7 dB
0.3 dB
Mid-Mid
0.55 dB
-1.46 dB
High-Mid
3.62 dB
1.03 dB
Treble Accuracy
7.2
8.6
Treble
Treble
Std. Err.
4.18 dB
2.14 dB
Low-Treble
4.46 dB
-0.41 dB
Mid-Treble
4.26 dB
1.8 dB
High-Treble
0.57 dB
-8.59 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
6.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.83 dB
2.29 dB
Dips
1.13 dB
1.05 dB
Imaging
8.4
7.9
Group Delay
Phase Response
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.31
0.28
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.76
3.51
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.04
1.58
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.5
2.83
Passive Soundstage
2.6
2.8
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.7
9.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.4
3.1
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.9
8.9
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.177
0.102
WHD @ 100
0.128
0.054
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
Power
Passive
Connection
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
In-line
Isolation
Noise Isolation
1.3
1.2
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-2.64 dB
-2.94 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
-0.01 dB
0 dB
Mid
1.1 dB
1 dB
Treble
-8.72 dB
-9.53 dB
Leakage
7.3
7.3
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.73 dB
37.72 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
No
In-Line
No
Yes
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.2
8.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
354.04 Hz
285.09 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.83 dB
2.54 dB
HFE
3,368.2 Hz
12,716.62 Hz
Weighted THD
31.268
0.401
Gain
28.6 dB
16 dB
Noise Handling
6.2
6.9
SpNR
SpNR
14.85 dB
14.42 dB
Noise Gate
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.1
0.0
Battery Type
Rechargable
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
4.8 hrs
N/A
Additional Charges
5
N/A
Total Battery Life
27 hrs
N/A
Charge Time
0.5 hrs
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
Yes
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
Lightning
None
App Support
5.5
0.0
App Picture
App Name
N/A
No App
iOS
Yes
No
Android
No
No
macOS
N/A
No
Windows
N/A
No
Equalizer
No
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
N/A
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
No
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
6.9
0.0
Bluetooth Version
4.2 + W1 chip
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
91 ft
N/A
PC Latency (SBC)
168 ms
N/A
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
0.0
9.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
N/A
Yes
USB Audio
N/A
No
Detachable
N/A
No
Length
N/A
3.73 ft (1.14 m)
Connection
N/A
1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
N/A
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
Base/Dock
2.2
0.0
Type
Charging Case
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
Lightning
No Base/Dock
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White
AirPods (1st generation)
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White
EarPods
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White
AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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AirPods (1st generation)
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EarPods
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Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless
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Apple AirPods (1st generation) vs Apple EarPods: Main Discussion
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