Before the AirPods 3's release, there was a deal for the AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case for $129, the same price as the current AirPods 2 with the regular case. I didn't know that until I checked Honey price history a long time after; and I was still giving hopes on the AirPods 3 until I find out that it is not fitting my ears.

Nowadays (as of January 2022), while we see a lot of deals for the AirPods 2 with the regular case (like even around $90 which is a great deal), I never ever found a deal for the one with the wireless charging case for around $130. They're still available from third-party sellers (I mean for the brand-new one; I will never consider refurbished or used), but they are usually more expensive than the discounted AirPods 3, or even the discounted AirPods Pro. I've only seen Best Buy selling it for $149, until some point in December 2021.

Will we never ever ever see a deal for the brand-new AirPods 2 with the wireless charging case? I used to have one since 2019 but lost it two years ago. Although wireless charging is not a deal breaker, I still prefer to have it so my experience will not be downgraded.

No dispute for getting the 3 or Pro please - I have a Pro already, and 3 never fits my ears.

I decided to make this review because I honestly feel that the vast majority of Reviews that come out for any new technology, especially new Apple products, come out within days of the product release and focus primarily on surface level interaction (specs, looks, feels etc.). While a lot of the reviews that do come out are certainly well done, comprehensive, and very entertaining (specifically looking at the recent review of the AirPods 2 by iPhonedo) they are not able to really give you a good look at what it looks and feels like to live with these products as your every day device for any significant amount of time.

Now, I realize that I have already raised a "hypocrite" alarm from most of you by stating that my review is after only having owned the AirPods 2 for a week, which is hardly a significant amount of time. While this is true, I was one of the first few who were able to purchase the first AirPods when they were initially released in December of 2016. So my overall time with AirPods has amounted to almost two and a half years now. The reason I feel comfortable giving my two cents now is that there was not that big of a change between the first and second generation AirPods. After a week with the new generation a can safely say that I have explored and experienced the few, but interesting changes from the first generation. I also want to try and add in a review from a regular user to the mix for those of you out there who are thinking about investing into the latest edition of the Apple eco system.

Obligatory, Your Mileage May Very.

Observations that apply to both AirPods 1 and 2.

• I am not one of the fortunate ones who has hears that the AirPods fit perfectly into. I do have to readjust them somewhat regularly throughout the day if I wear them for long periods of time, but not enough to where it becomes an annoyance. I cannot work out with them either, as the not-so-great fit combined with the sweat means they will begin to fall out almost immediately.

• The AirPod battery life debacle is real. There was a noticeable difference in the battery life of my AirPods after regular use for two and a half years as apposed to when I just got them. It was actually one of the biggest motivating factors in decided to buy the newer ones despite a lack of new features ( :'( Black AirPods).

• Both of my AirPods (1 and 2) lids did not *exactly* line up. Before we start AirPod Lid-gate 2019, let me just say that this is an extremely small annoyance that is only noticeable upon very close visual or physical inspection. They function perfectly fine.

• AirPods are most certainly the most convenient means of listening to music in a casual setting. They may not be the best sounding, the cheapest, or the most fashionable wireless earbud option on the market, but they have a convenience that simply cant be beat. I own a wide variety of music listening devices; Beats Studio 3, Bose Soundsports, Steel Series headphones, and a bundled tangle of wired Apple earbuds I haven't used in years. I use AirPods exclusively when it comes to any sort of casual listening while walking around, riding my bike, or just simply wanting to pass some time on my phone. The small form factor and magnetic snappiness of it all just makes taking them out, putting them in your ears, and then returning them to their housing and putting the whole thing back into your pocket/bag or whatever a complete breeze. Although I would caution you from putting them in the pockets of clothing with slick texture since they are also very slick themselves from their glossy texture and it can lead to very scary moments of backtracking through parking lots and buildings.

Observations of the new AirPods 2 with wireless charging case.

• There is a noticeable decrease in the amount of interruption you will get from other wireless devices, but it is not completely gone. One of the only areas I experienced this problem at is in a communal study area where there can be up to 100 students in a somewhat spacious area. The AirPods 1 were almost unusable in this area due to the amount of interference I would get. It comes in the form of momentary dropped connection that will last a second or two at most and can get quite aggravating with the frequency of the drops. With the AirPods 2 these momentary "drops" have now be scaled down to maybe once or twice in a 2 hour session. While still not perfect, it is a huge improvement.

• The reduced time for switching between devices seems negligible. One of the slowest connection switches that I experience from day to day is switching the input from my MacBook Pro 2018 to my iPhone X and vice versa. This is not an instantaneous switch and takes a noticeable amount of time. I was hoping that this would be dramatically reduced once I moved to the new AirPods 2, but I honestly can't say I noticed a difference. I'm sure it is faster, but I didn't feel "wowed" the first time I started playing around with it.

• The wireless charging case is a very welcome change. With having to plug in my old AirPods I would frequently just elect to lazily put them back onto my tech shelf without taking the time to plug them in because I knew they would still have plenty of battery left for the next day. With wireless charging, now I just plop them down on my AirPower charg.... too soon? On my off-brand amazon bought wireless charging puck and they immediately light up and are charging up. I do have a concern that with the increased frequency of charging I will only be crippling my battery life that much faster, but for now it works and does the job well. Only time will tell when it comes to the battery life.

• There is no noticeable difference in sound quality. I feel like I don't need to go any further in depth than that since other reviews that I have already mentioned have gone much more in depth than I ever could.

• The wireless charging warms the AirPods and makes them feel quite pleasant when you put them in your ears. It's like when you first lay down on fresh out of the dryer sheets and blankets, but for your ears!

So thats about all I can speak to. I love my AirPods and it has been a very long journey with them. I wouldn't trade them for anything and I can certainly understand why Apple did not want to make a big deal about them on their release. The change from AirPods 1 to 2 is not a big deal, and other than the few problems with slow switching between my MacBook and iPhone, and the interference I get from studying in an environment with probably 50-100 people each using a slew of their own wireless devices, I can't say that I would have noticed any difference at all other than the obvious wireless charging capability.

That being said, if you are already the proud owner of a set of AirPods, great. Enjoy them for the amazing product they are. But unless you are experiencing any of the problems that I have described or that Apple said the newer version would remedy, save your money. Wait for a sale, or if you can (battery life being the main issue) wait for the next generation which will hopefully come out in matte black. If you have't joined the millions of us walking around with tiny white hairdryers sticking out of our ears yet, I highly recommend you look into picking up this product. Even Unbox Therapy who openly criticized the AirPods 1 in his initial review recently uploading a new video admitting to the fact that he uses them way more than he though he would simply because they are so darn convenient.

And as always, have nice day.