Apple’s Air Pods tested hands on: What’s hot, what’s not

Apple’s new wireless earbuds or "AirPods" have just gone on sale for $269.*

The short story

• No, they don’t fall out
• Yes, they do look stupid (sample Facebook comment fielded by reviewer David Pogue: “My grandma has those ear-rings”)
• Sound quality is great
• They don’t suffer the patchy quality/receptions issues of a lot of other Bluetooth earbuds
• They’re easy to set up and use
• Audio pauses when you take them out of your ear
• They only come in white
• They work with any iPhone with iOS 10
• Battery life is a so-so five hours but they come with a clever mobile charger/carrying case that handles five charging cycles

The longer story

Fall out? The AirPods look as if they will fall out of your ears at the drop of a hat — or the swish of a high collar — because of their dangling stalks (the shape of the buds themselves is exactly the same as Apple’s regular, wired earbuds). But in a quick play with a pair in a hotel toom back in September, I found I could shake my head and they stayed in place. New York Times alumnus David Pogue danced wildly on Facebook Live this morning and also failed to dislodged them (see video below). Everyone’s ears are different. In Mr Pogue’s case, he lacks the antitragus – or the bit of cartilage that is usually so useful for keeping earbuds in – but he couldn’t shake them loose. Hawke's Bay man Rod Drury says he mountain biked over cattle stops and his new AirPods stayed in.

Easy to mislay: Having said all that, the AirPods are so tiny they're easy to lose if you don't put them straight back in their case. Mr Pogue's Facebook Live session was comically marred by his right AirPod going AWOL; an assistant could be seen crawling around the floor in the background trying to locate it. There is no "Find my AirPod" option.

No manual controls: There are no volume switch or skip buttons on the AirPods. All controls for music or hands-free calling are via Siri (which you double-tap either AirPod to access) or your iPhone.

Optical eye: A sensor on each AirPod allows it to pause audio when you take it out of your ear and resume it when you pop the earbud back in.

Comfort: Again, the shape of the earbud is the same as Apple’s regular earbuds that come free with an iPhone. So, if you find those comfortable, you’ll find the AirPods comfortable.

Sound quality: The audio is excellent by earbud standards (the often grumpy Mr Pogue calls it “pristine." Bluetooth earbuds have had a bad rap for patchy reception but Apple has an undisclosed “secret sauce” that makes the AirPods maintain a strong, consistent connection to an iPhone or other Apple device (the AirPods will work with any Bluetooth device but lose the secret sauce in transition).

Switch between devices: The AirPods can switch between audio from different devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) as you come into proximity. Though note that's only one device at a time and there's no automatic changeover for taking calls. When NBR Radio phoned early-adopter Rod Drury, his AirPods were connected to his MacBook and had to fuss around switching them over to his iPhone to take the call. (If you've listed to the audio that goes with this story, the break at the start was actually twice as long in real-life; it was edited down so people didn't think there was dead air and abandon the clip.)

Recharging: The AirPods combined carrying case/recharger (itself charged via USB) carries enough juice for five charges and the buds slide in and out magnetically. Very nicely done.

Can’t listen and charge: The AirPods have a Lightening connector only (plus an adapter for connecting to pre-iPhone 7 handsets), so you can’t listen and charge.

Trade up: If you want the convenience of wireless but don’t like the idea of earbuds – let alone ones that look a bit silly – trade up to Beats Solo 2 full earphones for $460 (Apple bought Beats by Dr Dre** for $US3 billion in 2014). For a hook-over-the-ear alternative, try the Powerbeats3 ($300).

*  And in the US, ex-tax, $US160 or $NZ218 – or $NZ251 if you allow 15% for GST.

** An earlier version of this article forgot about Dre