Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Apple AirPods are among the most popular ( and most deservedly loved)wireless earbudsandheadphoneson the market . But conducting wire - free listening , prodigious sound quality , and cut - edge interference cancellation are laurels that would n’t be honor without shelling power .
The lithium - ion cells that run your Apple bud and cans are finite energy sources , and not every AirPods shelling behaves the same . So now you ’re in all likelihood wondering how long your Apple AirPods are going to last . That ’s a serious dubiousness , with a ton a variables . And you belike should start up by read ourAirPods 4 review , and ourAirPods Pro 2 revue .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
But there ’s a sound bit that ’s universal , no matter which pair of AirPods you stone .
Battery life of the AirPods
With each new AirPods product and genesis , Apple provides estimates for how long both the AirPods and level case should last on a full charge . Most of the clip , these figures are based on AirPods lift to half - volume , and with feature like ANC and Apple’sSpatial Audiodisabled . This mean you ’re last to get less playback time if you ’re the type of person who has ANC turned on all the meter , or your earbuds loudness crank to near the maximum .
That being pronounce , here are the average barrage life numbers for every AirPods merchandise you may buy in 2024 , include the AirPods Max earpiece :
AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
charge your AirPods Pro ( 2nd Gen ) for 5 minutes in the commove case will get you up to an extra hour of listening and talk time .
AirPods (3rd Gen)
Charging your AirPods ( 3rd Gen ) for 5 minutes in the charging fount will get you up to an extra time of day of listening and talk time .
AirPods Max
tear your AirPods Max for 5 minutes will get you up to an extra 1.5 hr of listening time . handily , the AirPods Pro Max will embark a downhearted exponent fashion if left stationary for more than 5 minute . And if they ’re not used for more than 72 hour , both Bluetooth and find oneself My are mechanically handicapped to preserve battery life .
If you put the AirPods Max in the Smart Case , they ’ll immediately enter low - power style . After 18 hour in the case , both Bluetooth and Find My will be disabled .
AirPods Pro (1st Gen)
AirPods (2nd Gen)
institutionalise your AirPods ( 3rd Gen ) for 15 minutes in the charging instance will get you up to an extra 3 hours of listening time , or up to 2 hour of talk time .
Life expectancy of the AirPods
Generally speaking , your AirPods ( including the AirPods Max ) should last between two to three years . As we said up above , agent like overall mass , ANC , Head Tracking , and Spatial Audio will bear on the relative frequency and duration of armorial bearing round . Noise canceling is n’t what ’s going to savvy a grave accent for your AirPods , though ; instead , we ’ve got to hand that shovel to the lithium - ion stamp battery that the AirPods are powered by .
You see , every time we reload our AirPods , the lithium - ion cellular phone turn a loss a little moment of lifetime . And after about 500 bursting charge cycles , the charge capacities of both cells drops to about 80 % .
How to preserve AirPods’ battery life
It ’s a fact of life sentence : Your AirPods are going to pall at some distributor point . It could be two age after you buy them , or possibly a fiddling over three . However , there are a few things you’re able to do to maximise the animation of your audio supplement .
For starter , it ’s a good musical theme to keep all your Apple software program up to date . machine such as iPhones , iPads , Macs , and MacBooks all experience occasional computer software updates . While most of these patches are designed to improve the public presentation of the equipment being updated , there ’s often a trickle - down effect to accessories like AirPods . And in some sheath , updates may directly address AirPods features and compatibility .
The well your iPhone runs , the better your AirPods run . It ’s a mantra to hold out by .
Another thing you’re able to do to get the most life out of your AirPods is to avoid the extremes . Do n’t place your AirPods ( and/or charging sheath ) in super - raging and topnotch - chilly positioning . Do n’t listen to them with the volume bend all the way of life up . Don’talwayshave ANC , Head Tracking , and/or Spatial Audio enabled . You get the idea .
Repairing your AirPods battery
The inevitable has unfortunately occurred , and your AirPods are completely deadened . Unless you ’ve feed them through the laundry one too many times , or stomped them by accident , the likely cause of death is probably the shelling . Now , you ’re probably wondering : Is it worth having my AirPods repaired?That ’s a good question , and the response is a bigmaybe .
If your AirPods are protected by an optional AppleCare+ two - year protective covering design ( $ 29 for AirPods and AirPods Pro ; $ 59 for AirPods Max ) , you ’ll just want to pay a $ 29 service fee , and the fee ’s applicable sales revenue enhancement . For those without an AppleCare+ architectural plan , the numbers are a bit ugly .
permit ’s say you send your AirPods Pro ( 2nd Gen ) in for shelling repairs . You ’re wait at $ 89 for Apple to fix your earbuds . justly now , thesame exact AirPodscost around $ 190 at retailer like Amazon and Best Buy . For half the price of a new solidifying of AirPods , it ’s still probably worth send your dead ones in for a non - AppleCare+ repair .
Under AppleCare+ , the most you would have drop for the same repair is somewhere in the area of $ 60 ( $ 29 to buy AppleCare+ , and one $ 29 armed service fee with applicable sales taxation ) .
It ’s up to you to determine if it ’s worth repairing or instantly replacing your AirPods . Non - AppleCare+ repairs for older AirPods models will cost less ( in most vitrine ) than the $ 89 repair toll for the AirPods Pro ( second Gen ) . But if you ’ve been think about upgrading your earbuds or headphones anyway , the death of your honest-to-goodness model may finally motivate you to spend the dough on something stain - new .
