AirPods (1st generation)
Cord-free earbuds that pair with an iPhone in one tap.
Overview
AirPods were announced next to the iPhone 7, the phone that dropped the headphone jack, and shipped in December after a delay. Each bud has a short stem that holds microphones and a battery, and the pocket-size case recharges them while storing them.
The W1 chip was the real novelty. Opening the case near an iPhone showed a pairing card on screen, and the connection then synced across every device signed in to the same iCloud account. Sensors paused music when a bud was removed from the ear.
Controls were limited to a double tap, which woke Siri by default. Sound quality was acceptable rather than outstanding, but the convenience made AirPods one of the fastest selling Apple accessories and kicked off the true wireless earbud market.
Why it mattered
Launched the AirPods line and normalised true wireless earbuds with effortless pairing.
At a glance
- Announced
- September 7, 2016
- Released
- December 13, 2016
- Discontinued
- March 20, 2019
- Launch price
- $159
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- W1 chip with instant pairing
- Five hours of listening
- Pocket charging case
- Ear-detection sensors
- Double-tap for Siri
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Audio
- Noise control
- None
- Spatial Audio
- No
- Microphones
- Dual beamforming microphones, voice-detecting accelerometer
Chip
- Chip
- Apple W1
Battery
- Listening time
- Up to 5 hours
- Total with case
- Up to 24 hours
- Quick charge
- 15 minutes in case gives about 3 hours
Connectivity
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Charging
- Lightning case
Design
- Water resistance
- None
- Weight
- 4 g per earbud
Features
- Controls
- Double-tap on either earbud (Siri, play/pause, skip)
- Sensors
- Dual optical sensors, motion accelerometer
Software
- Launch OS
- iOS 10
How it compares
More in the AirPods family
AirPods (2nd generation)
Hands-free Siri and faster switching arrive with the H1 chip.
AirPods (3rd generation)
A shorter-stem redesign with Spatial Audio and sweat resistance.
AirPods 4
A new open-fit shape and an H2 chip at $129.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
Open-fit earbuds that can still cancel noise.
AirPods 5
Open-fit earbuds with noise cancellation at the entry price.
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case
The same ANC earbuds plus volume swipes and a wireless case.