The Apple ArPods are now available in Singapore, though still elusive to find. I got a pair last week, and here's my review. Of course the question one is bound to ask is - should I get one? 
The AirPods are out, very sleek, discreet. Find out more about them and watch the video from the Apple website. Oh, at the back is my not-so-discreet BMW, but sleek indeed and also with great stereo sounds, deep bass, in a sound-insulated cabin. Stepping out from your home or car or other personal soundroom, you'd want a good pair of head- or earphones.
The first delivery of AirPods to Singapore were quickly swept up by eager Apple fans. I missed that first batch. Then for about a month they were only available on the Apple SG online store. When I went to Epicenter Wheelock last weekend, the friendly guys said there were a few units available at Marina Bay Sands and reserved a unit for me. So now I have my latest buds 😃
As advertised, it's of course a great product. But how does it perform? At SG$238 it's on the expensive side, but far from the most expensive wireless headsets. And with the technology advertised, it should be an easy decision to go ahead and buy. But what are the features other than what's advertised?
First of all, they're by Apple. And like the iPhone and iPad, they are a cut above the rest of the field. Clear winners. Pairing is of course easy. But the big benefit is switching on and off, which you actually don't do with the AirPods - you just take them out and put them back in the case, and the Bluetooth connection every time. Or changing devices at any point, say to take a call on the fly while handling two iPhones. This has been an annoyance for me with other brands of wireless headphones, to the point that at times I had to turn off the Bluetooth on one device to establish the connection with another device. But this is seamless with the AirPods.
Knowing the status of your battery is very simple, with absolutely no guesswork. Just open the case near your phone and the battery life displays.
I also love the feature of a 5-hour battery life from a single charge, and having a recharging case good for 24 hours. And that a 15-minute charge in the case gives another 3 hours of listening time. With these features, no long haul flight or day-long land trip will be too boring!
The case itself is so small, it's like a pack of 30m dental floss, but more ergonomic!
If you're not recently acquainted with the sound of the standard Apple wired earphones, you should give it a try. It was my son who let me know that he actually prefers this over popular brands of noise isolating earphones, because of a powerful bass and clear sounds. I did this before buying the AirPods and was pleasantly surprised with the performance. So no qualms for me when I bought the AirPods.
Call quality is supposed to be improved by having a directional microphone aimed at your voice by the microchip powered AirPods. I called my wife and tried this feature and indeed, she said the call quality was good and she wasn't bothered by ambient sounds while I was outdoor. So clearly, the directional mike works!
Now if you're in a very noisy environment with annoying unaware people playing loud music where they're not supposed to, you'll still want to whip out a pair of on-ear, travel, noise-cancelling headphones. Which I always have, and had to switch to them while writing this 😃 but for activities where you're walking outside, mobile, or active, the Apple AirPods are an excellent choice!
That's it for now!
Happy listening!
Watch what you listen to 😃
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on (listen, reflect, fill your mind with) these things.”
Philippians 4:8 NASB
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