Good news if your AirPods are slowly dying:
The new Apple-designed H1 chip, developed specifically for headphones, delivers performance efficiencies, faster connect times, more talk time and the convenience of hands-free “Hey Siri.” AirPods come with either a standard charging case or a new Wireless Charging Case for convenient charging at home and on the go.
Here’s a bit more on the H1 chip, which replaces the W1 in the old models:
Powered by the all-new Apple H1 headphone chip, AirPods deliver a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices — up to 2x faster when switching between active devices, and a 1.5x faster connection time for phone calls. The H1 chip also drives voice-enabled Siri access and delivers up to 30 percent lower gaming latency. So whether you’re playing games, listening to music, or enjoying podcasts, you’ll experience higher-quality sound.
I assume this chip will slowly replace the W1, and I would love to know why they changed the brand.
The case is perhaps even more interesting. Again, from the press release:
The new AirPods come with either the standard charging case or the new Wireless Charging Case. Each case holds additional charges for more than 24 hours of total listening time, ensuring AirPods are charged and ready to go whenever you are. The Wireless Charging Case is designed to offer the freedom of wireless charging with Qi-compatible charging solutions. An LED light indicator located on the front of the case conveniently shows the charge status with just a glance. Existing AirPods customers can purchase the standalone Wireless Charging Case.
Notably, there’s not a single mention of AirPower, despite a recent report from Guilherme Rambo saying support for the ill-fated charging mat is more robust than ever in the latest iOS 12.2 beta.
Then there’s this:
The only reference to AirPower that was on https://t.co/2hpwHPHyeW was a photo on the AirPods page. Now the AirPods page has been updated, that’s gone too :/
— Benjamin Mayo (@bzamayo) March 20, 2019
The new AirPods with the traditional case will be $159;1 $199 will get you a pair with the wireless charging case. If you want the case for your old busted AirPods, that will be $79.
- The same price as the originals. ↩