Oliver Haslam·

Apple AirPods 2 Announced With New H1 Chip, Hands-Free Siri, More Battery, Engraving Option And More, Old AirPods Get Standalone Wireless Charging Case

After months of hoping and wishing, Apple has today officially announced updated AirPods, along with the Wireless Charging Case which is surely an indication that AirPower is around the corner too.

The AirPods look exactly the same as the first version, and will presumably sound the same, too. That means that if you didn’t enjoy their sound or couldn’t make them fit in your ears before, it’s unlikely to change this time around.

There is one internal difference however, with the new H1 chip used to improve efficiency and pairing speeds. The H1 also means that “Hey Siri” comes to AirPods for the first time.

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.”

You’ll apparently see around 50% more talk time if you upgrade to the new AirPods, although we can’t imagine that will be the driving force for many upgrades here.

Pricing is the same as previous AirPods at $159, assuming you don’t want that Wireless Charging Case. If you do, you’ll have to hand over $199 and if you want to add the case to your old school AirPods, that’ll be $79. The option to get the case without having to buy whole new AirPods is great, but at that price we wonder whether it’s worth upgrading to new AirPods as a whole, if only to get some earbuds with fresh batteries inside.

The new products are available for order today, with free engraving available online. Shipping and in-store stock is expected next week.

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