Summary
- My AirPods have been giving me issues after five years of heavy use including buzzing, power drain, microphone problems, and disappointing ANC.
- The AirPods design feels flawed and the earbuds don’t stay in place without aftermarket accessories, not to mention the disposable nature of the earbud design.
- I’ll be waiting for the AirPods Pro 3 with expected improvements to ANC, sound quality, and new features like health monitoring before I commit to a new pair.
I use my AirPods every single day. It’s how I listen to music at the gym, watch YouTube videos while I cook and clean, and prefer to take calls without holding a phone to my head like it’s 1999.
But despite the undeniable convenience and utility, the prospect of coughing up $250 or more for a new pair of AirPods Pro has me questioning things.
My AirPods Are on the Way Out
I wouldn’t be contemplating a new pair of AirPods if my old ones were in great shape. But, after about five years of use, my first-generation AirPods Pro will soon join my original pair of AirPods at the back of a drawer somewhere.
Chief among the problems is an annoying buzzing sound in the left earbud, a relatively new problem that has pushed me to seriously contemplate a replacement. I’ve also experienced some weird power drain issues, where the AirPods will seemingly drain both the case and earbuds randomly while not in use.
On opening the AirPods case near my iPhone, everything is reported as 100% charged. It’s only after I take an AirPod out of the case that things crash to 0%. Over the course of the last few years, I’ve also experienced some issues with pairing, where the AirPods sporadically refuse to pair (though I’ll admit that iOS 18 seems to have improved things dramatically). This problem has been especially prevalent with my Apple Watch, forcing me to take my iPhone running with me even though I’d prefer to leave it at home.
But the problems don’t stop there. Around six months ago, I noticed that the active noise cancellation (ANC), which worked exceptionally well when the earbuds were new, effectively did nothing. There’s a small bump in external audio clarity when I enable transparency mode to talk to someone without taking the earbuds out, but switching between modes otherwise barely yields any improvement.
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On top of this, microphone quality is dismal. I’ve had so many callers tell me that they can’t hear me properly when I’m using my AirPods Pro to take a call that I’ve stopped using them for this purpose altogether. I’m assuming the microphone and ANC issues are closely related, given that noise cancellation depends on an microphone to do its job.
Granted, these are all problems you’d expect to see from earphones that have seen relatively heavy use, but there are other issues that make me wonder whether buying a replacement pair is the right move.
Some Problems Aren’t New
I’ve long been a critic of the overall AirPods Pro case design. While the white plastic chassis is pleasantly reminiscent of the old polycarbonate MacBooks and the smooth edges make for the perfect fidget toy in your pocket, I’ve long believed that Apple chose form over function (shocker, I know).
If you’ve ever dropped your AirPods or AirPods Pro case, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. The second the white housing touches the floor, your AirPods are ejected at high velocity. This isn’t such an issue when it happens indoors, but drop your AirPods on a railway platform or next to a busy road and you face the risk of permanently losing or damaging them.
On top of this, my AirPods Pro have a habit of not staying in my ears. I’m prepared to accept that this could be a personal one, though my partner has the same problem. It’s a real problem when using the earbuds to exercise, something that I’ve fortunately managed to fix with some cheap slip-on silicon “wings” that lodge the earbuds in place.
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Even so, I’m not reaching for the silicon tips every time I want to use my AirPods, especially outside of the gym. As a result, I have visions of an earbud slipping out while I’m hovering over the sink or cleaning the toilet. Replacing a single earbud is possible, but it isn’t cheap. This leaves me wondering if a pair of earbuds like the PowerBeats Pro 2 would be a better option (though I’ve always been wary of how bass-forward Beats can be).
Beats PowerBeats Pro 2
Train with music for up to 45 hours between case charges. The Beats PowerBeats Pro 2 will stay locked in place during workouts and will even track athletes’ heart rates.
There are some broader issues with AirPods as a whole that only Apple can solve. The earbuds feel like Apple’s most disposable product, and stand in stark contrast to admittedly more expensive products like my 13-year-old MacBook Pro and passed-down iPhone X. My old 1080p Apple TV still holds some resale value, and my first-generation HomePod sounds amazing despite being discontinued.
Some of these problems are inherent to the product’s design. Apple won’t replace the battery on an individual AirPod, instead opting to replace the earbud outright for a service fee. The company’s official stance is that these batteries are not user-replaceable. iFixit has an AirPods battery replacement guide but notes that the process is “very difficult.” There was once a company called PodSwap, which later became The Swap Club, that was offering a swap-out option for AirPods users but the service seems to have shut down.
This means that even if your AirPods hold up over time in all other regards, battery issues will eventually be the death of them. Responsibly recycling and swapping out AirPods is the only path forward, though it’s not like Apple is the only company with this issue. Many similar “true wireless” earbuds suffer from the same problem.
Even so, $250 feels like a lot of money to spend to simply throw these things away. It should go without saying that there’s no resale value here (please don’t buy used AirPods). Instead, it might help to think about AirPods as a lease on convenience. I’ve paid $50 per year to enjoy truly wireless audio, and though my last year of use has been deeply impacted by issues, that might just be worth it.
It’s Going to Be Hard to Leave AirPods Behind
The problem with truly wireless earbuds is that once you’ve gotten used to them, it’s almost impossible to go back to wires. I have a pair of regular old wired headphones that I’ve had for going on 20 years. I occasionally use them plugged into a guitar amp to avoid disturbing everyone at antisocial hours. Even sitting within arm’s reach of the amp, the trailing cable is a nuisance.
If you’re as sensitive to the bane of cables as I am, you’re going to have a hard job rejecting this convenience. At some point there’s a price you’re willing to pay even knowing that the second you take those earbuds out of the box that the clock is ticking on their eventual demise. You might have better luck with an over-the-head design, but that’s just not practical for my uses.
If you’re going the wireless earbuds route and you’re invested in Apple’s ecosystem, AirPods (or Beats) are the way to go. Apple makes pairing the earbuds a breeze, with automatic switching between devices that works almost like magic. There’s also compatibility with spatial audio in Apple Music, which is nice but not a deal-breaker.
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While I could save some money and opt for a cheaper alternative like Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 4 or spend roughly the same amount on a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultras, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t coming around to the idea of just buying another pair of AirPods and sucking it up.
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Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Wireless Earbuds
The Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 NC Wireless Earbuds are the perfect budget wireless earbuds, with good noise canceling, plenty of battery life, and surprisingly good sound.
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds feature some of the best noise-canceling you’ll ever hear in a set of earbuds, and as the name implies, they’re comfortable enough to wear all day.
Maybe things will be different this time?
I’m Waiting for the AirPods Pro 3
One thing is for sure: I’m not replacing my first-generation AirPods Pro until Apple introduces a new model. The company has already made some big improvements in the revised model, including improved ANC, a switch to USB-C, wireless charging, and a new H2 chip. The next iteration will further build on these improvements.
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Apple AirPods 4
The fourth generation Apple AirPods feature a more comfortable design, an improved H2 chip, better sound quality, and the option for Active Noise Control.
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Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
Enjoy significant enhancements to the Apple AirPods Pro with this 2nd generation release, powered by Apple’s H2 processor. Delivering twice the active noise cancellation, spatial audio, USB-C charging, and more.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is planning to introduce the AirPods Pro 3 in 2025. It’s been nearly two years since the second-generation model made its debut, with Apple typically releasing new AirPods alongside the latest generation iPhone. I’m expecting new AirPods Pro to arrive in September alongside the iPhone 17.
The new model is rumored to feature health-related features like heart-rate monitoring and temperature sensors (though the Apple Watch already does this), as well as a “new” design, better sound quality, improved ANC, and likely a faster (presumably H3) chip. I’m crossing my fingers for improved battery life too.
It would be great if Apple could do something about the disposable nature of the earbuds, but I won’t be holding my breath. A case that stays shut when you drop it would be nice, but I’m guessing I’ll have to buy some sort of snap-shut cover to solve this issue. Ear hooks in the box for active pursuits would be nice, but Apple would likely point to the PowerBeats Pro 2 for that sort of usage.
For now, I’m just going to hope that my dodgy AirPods Pro make it to September. I’ll put up with the pesky buzzing and almost non-existent noise cancellation for a few more months. I’m also happy to admit that this might be my last AirPods rodeo.
