Since AirPods are one of the best TWS earphones available in the market, most people are usually curious about their features as they have a really hefty price tag as compared to what other brands offer. Well, one big reason why they are so expensive is because Apple makes them! However, even with this price tag, are they worth buying?
Well, the answer is yes as they truly offer great sound quality, and the fact that they are so easy and convenient to use, you won’t feel like you wasted your money on a bad product anyway. However, apart from the exceptional build quality that you can expect from any Apple product, does Apple AirPods have an in-built microphone?
The simple answer is yes. Almost everyone who sees their small and unique design asks this question as there are no wires involved. Well, if you are having a similar doubt, this article will provide you with all the relevant answers.
How Does the AirPods Mic Work?
So, you might be wondering how the AirPods microphone works, and where they are located. Well, you will be surprised to know that each of the Apple AirPods has, not just one, but two in-built microphones!
While one of the microphones is located at the bottom of each stem of the AirPods, the second one is much easier to locate. The second microphone on AirPods is located right at the top of the stem and is clearly visible as a tiny black hole. Yes, that’s also a microphone.
While the microphone that is located at the bottom is the primary microphone, which listens to your voice. In other words, if you are making a phone call, or giving voice commands to Siri, the microphone located at the bottom of the stem handles it and listens to your voice, thanks to the speech-recognizing accelerometer embedded inside it. So, what’s the second microphone even there, what’s its purpose?
The second microphone on the AirPods is basically a beam-forming microphone that has a single purpose of blocking any external sounds or voices and avoiding them to reach your ears. It’s quite helpful as the secondary microphone allows you to listen less to the ambient voices while you are listening to your favorite music albums.
Moreover, while you are attending a phone call or a video call, the person at the other end will also hear the voice that is picked up by the primary microphone. Hence, it highly improves the call quality as well.
Is the AirPods Mic Good?
The short and simple answer is yes! AirPods are designed so that they can offer you a completely hands-free experience while you are using them. With that said, if you ask some other person on the call about the quality of sound they are receiving from your end, they will never complain about your voice being muffled or less audible. That’s how good they are actually! Moreover, the fact that AirPods never fail to activate Siri whenever you summon it, it’s a clear sign that the microphone is able to hear your voice very clearly.
Do AirPods Have Active Noise Cancellation?
If you are using the first-gen AirPods, or the 2nd Gen AirPods, you won’t find the Active Noise Cancellation feature on them. It is because Apple has kept the Active Noise feature exclusive to the AirPods Pro. In AirPods Pro, there is an additional microphone that faces inward your ears.
Hence, if it detects any external noises coming from the environment, it blocks them off completely. That said, when you turn on the Active Noise Cancellation feature on AirPods Pro, you will hardly be able to hear your own voice when you speak. Experiencing the active noise cancellation feature is truly a surprising moment for everyone who tests it out for the first time as it clearly cuts you off from the outside environment, almost completely.
The best use of ANC is when you are making a phone call, as the only thing you get to hear is from the person speaking from the other end. There are no other noises there to disturb you which makes the call quality a lot better for you.
What is the Range of AirPods?
Well, you might be wondering how far you can go from your phone before the AirPods disconnect. Since AirPods work on Bluetooth technology, the average working distance of AirPods is around 40-50 meters approximately.
How far you can go also depends on the interference factor and also on the version of Bluetooth that your device has. If you have connected your AirPods with a device that supports Bluetooth 5, the max distance you can go is about 50 meters. However, if you are connected to a device that only supports Bluetooth 4, the overall working range of your AirPods will be reduced to 30 meters.
How To Clean the AirPods Microphones
Although AirPods are quite small and handy, they get dirty easily, thanks to the designers who chose the white color scheme for them. Moreover, the microphone located at the top of the stem is basically a tiny hole, so little dirt can easily enter it. So, it is recommended that you should clean your AirPods after every use to keep them as new as possible.
Step-1 :Use Soft Cloth or Cotton buds
Apple recommends you to use a swab of dry cotton to keep the microphones clean all the time.
Step-2:Remove the eartips
Pull the rubber attached to the airpod
Step-3:Clean the rubber tips
Clean the rubber tips with earbud carefully
Step-4: then clean the mesh of the airrpods with earbud dabbed in alcohol
Step-5: And , Clean top of the airpod
Step-6:Let them dry for sometime
Step-7: Set back the rubber to the airpod
Apart from that, keeping the case clean is also an important job for you as little dust and debris can form inside the stem hole, and that can block the primary microphone of your AirPods over time if you are not careful. You can use any dry microfiber cloth to clean the case as it’s the most efficient method.
The Key Features Of Airpods:
Performance
In terms of performance, Apple has always been one of the best brands as all their products come with top-notch features. And, AirPods are no exception as they are better than most of the competition. Thanks to the in-built Apple H1 headphone chip, the sound quality of the AirPods is well-balanced. Moreover, this powerful chipset also allows for up to two times faster connectivity and up to 1.5 times better connectivity during phone calls.
Battery Life
Although AirPods are not much appreciated for their battery life as in our opinion, it’s quite average. There are several good TWS earphones from other brands that can last for way longer as compared to Apple AirPods. The battery life that Apple states for AirPods is 5 hours if you use them for only listening to music. However, if you use them for calling, the average battery life you will get from the AirPods is about 3 hours. With that said, the mixed usage of AirPods will make them last for about 4 hours which might be enough for some people, while some people would still be wanting more.
Hands-free Experience
The fact that AirPods allow you to use Siri, you can do almost any task on your iPhone without needing to take it out from your pocket. You can simply double-tap on your AirPods, or use the Hey Siri command to activate it. Afterwards, you can just ask Siri to do anything for you with a relevant voice command.
Pros & Cons of Airpods:
Pros:
- The sound quality is exceptionally good
- Faster connectivity, thanks to the in-built H1 chip
- You can find their location if you accidentally lose them
- They charge pretty quickly
- Music pauses automatically if you take out one AirPod
- Seamless connectivity across all Apple devices
Cons:
- Cost a bit more than other TWS earphones
- Can get dirty easily
What’s the Difference Between AirPods and AirPods Pro?
Since the first-generation AirPods are already discontinued, you only have the option to compare the AirPods Pro with the AirPods Gen 2 as they are the cheapest that Apple offers at the moment. So, what should you go for?
In all ways, the Apple AirPods Pro is a better option to pick due to the variety of features you get on them. The Apple AirPods Pro features an Active Noise Cancellation feature that no other brands offer to this date in a TWS earphone format. On top of that, the sound quality, and call quality offered by the AirPods Pro is quite better than AirPods.
Speaking of build quality, the AirPods Pro even comes with a Sweat-resistant IPX4 rating which is a big relief for most people. It helps you use them while workouts and even they can survive water splashes for about 10 minutes before getting damaged.
In addition, you will notice that AirPods Pro has a different design, and comes with replaceable ear tips which allow the users to adjust them to have a perfect fit. While the AirPods have a solid design which not everyone finds comfortable to use.
Conclusion
We hope you got all your answers regarding AirPods and AirPods Pro in this article. Well, as far as the microphone is concerned, yes, all the AirPods models do come with microphones, and they do perform quite well. However, if you compare the quality of sound of AirPods with AirPods Pro, the expensive ones are surely better and come with the Active Noise Cancellation feature that is missing on all other models of AirPods. In case you found this article informative, don’t forget to share it with your friends. Moreover, if you have any other doubt regarding AirPods, you can ask us directly by commenting down below.
