Apple’s AirPods were initially launched back in 2016, but the company hasn’t really bothered to update it for the past few years, at least until now. Hot on the heels of rumors that a new set of AirPods could be in the works, Apple has officially launched its second-gen set of AirPods earphones.
In terms of design, the AirPods will look pretty much identical to its predecessor. There were rumors that there might be a black option that could be offered, but judging by this, it seems that those rumors did not pan out. Perhaps Apple could offer more color options at a later date, but for now they’ll continue to be offered in white.
That being said while the exterior might be old, Apple has improved on the innards of the earphones. One of those changes includes a new Apple-designed H1 chip which according to the company, has been designed for headphones in mind. It is expected to help make it faster at connecting to devices, improved battery life, and also hands-free “Hey Siri”. Prior to that, the first-gen AirPods used the W1 chip which was already pretty impressive, so we’ll have to wait and see how much better the new H1 chips are.
The new AirPods will also be sold with a wireless charging case, which means that you will be able to place it on top of a wireless charging pad like the upcoming AirPower mat and it will start to charge. For those who still own the previous-gen AirPods, you will be able to purchase the wireless charging case separately.
The new AirPods are priced at $199 with the wireless charging case, $159 with the regular charging case, and the standalone wireless charging case will be sold for $79, all of which can be purchased via Apple’s website.
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