Apple introduced AirPods in 2016 and released them in the market by 2017. We can see Airpods (gen 1), Airpods (gen 2), Airpods pro, and Airpods max. Another TWS earphones/earbuds with an apple branding with better sound quality and a hefty budget. Whenever a user buys TWS earphones, he expects a good Battery backup along with proper connectivity. Apple AirPods deliver a standard battery backup as it contains a lot of features that eat battery like munchies. In this article, we will try to know How long do Airpods last? What are the factors affecting battery life, and what we can do to extend the lifespan of AirPods?
Contents
Battery life of AirPods
Let us look at the battery life of different models of AirPods
Airpods 2nd Generation on a single charge runs for:
1. up to 4.5 hrs of talk time.
2. up to 5 hrs of listening time.
Airpods pro on a single charge runs for:
1. up to 5 hrs with ANC off. (ANC stands for Active Noise Cancellation)
2. up to 3.5 hrs of talk time with ANC on.
3. up to 4 hrs of listening time with ANC on.
The Charging case on a single charge gives:
1. Upto 24 hrs of listening time.
2. up to 18 hrs of talk time.
Note: The above data is the performance of New Airpods. Battery degrades with Usage.
The Lifespan of the AirPods
AirPods, a TWS earphone, Provides an average power backup as stated above. The above data is Single charge performance data. Users are worried about ‘What is the lifespan of AirPods or How long do AirPods last?’ and the answer depends on many factors. So we will try to discuss some major issues which affect the Life of Airpods.
The battery inside the AirPods is a lithium-ion cell type battery and its life averages to be around 2-3 years. In a technical language, 300-500 charging cycles. Since the User almost uses the AirPods daily, Charging cycles may reach around 500 cycles earlier. Hence it all depends on usage and the care a user takes.
If a User uses a single daily charge cycle, it takes around 14-15 months to reach 500 cycles of charging. Since the Airpods 1st gen was released in 2017, user reports point in the direction that Airpods lasted for almost 2 years. After 2 years, Battery backup of AirPods provided only 1 hour of listening time. This happens with every TWS earphone and varies with usage.
Battery drains its capacity with every single Charge as a chemical reaction occurs between two terminals (Anode and Cathode). This Chemical reaction is reversible and drains a fraction of the battery backup which is a longer period results in major degradation. It results in Lesser and weaker connectivity along with poor response and a poor battery backup. Listening time drops by half after 12-13 months.
Factors Affecting the Lifespan of AirPods
There are plenty of external factors like temperature, handling, exposure to the environment, usage of a cheap USB cable, Charging the Case in a wrong manner, etc. We will discuss some important factors which can further be controlled to get the maximum out of a battery.
1. Charging time
We all have a common habit of using any electronic device at a very low charging cable which is hardly above 30-40%. After a warning, AirPods with a 5 minutes charging gives 40-50 minutes of listening time. This seems fun but damages the battery life of the device, AirPods in this case.
Some of the Users try to keep the Airpods at a full charge which also degrades the Battery life when noticed for a longer period. Huawei technicians suggest that 30-70% of battery backup provides maximum lifespan to the battery.
Even Few of the Users who travel early in the morning tend to Charge the AirPods overnight to avoid wastage of time. Although when Charging is complete, the connection is automatically cut but Temperature rise may affect the battery of the AirPods.
2. Discharging Airpods Completely
A few Users tend to use the complete juice out of a battery till it stops responding and then they put the AirPods to get full till 100%. Try relating this behavior to humans. When we do not eat enough, we starve and hence can feel Weakness, and simultaneously if we eat beyond our capacity, we feel the impact in the form of bloating.
We shall avoid Overcharging or Complete Discharging of the AirPods to enhance the battery lifespan.
3. Smart Features
Smart features are offered through Apple AirPods that make a User rich experience. For example, Active noise cancellation, Automatic ear detection, spatial audio, Automatic device switching, etc suck all the juice from the Battery. These smart features disturb the Battery lifespan by irregular consumption of battery.
We need to get smart and turn these smart features off to increase the battery life. Turn off the ANC when alone in the room. Spatial Audio and automatic ear detection etc features must be avoided.
How to Extend the Battery lifespan of AirPods?
The question of ‘How long do AirPods last?’ has been answered above. The above mentioned were the major reasons why the lifespan is limited to 2 years and the question arises, how to extend the battery life of Airpods? The answer is simple. There are some simple steps to follow to expand the Battery lifespan of Airpods.
1. Avoid Overcharging or discharging completely to avoid unnecessary degradation of the battery.
2. Avoid using Cheap cables and high rating charging adapters to charge the pods.
3. Stop using Smart features unnecessarily as it affects the lifespan.
4. Keep the Battery percentage between 30 and 70% and below 80% to get the maximum life out of the battery.
5. Try not putting AirPods in the charging case to avoid an unnecessary charging cycle.
6. Always keep Airpods away from high voltage appliances as the EM waves may hamper the battery.
7. Keep the volume at the maximum level of 70-80%. It reduces battery consumption as well as protects your ear from any damage.
Also Read: Airpods Case Not Charging? Here Is How to Fix It
Conclusion
Apple itself declares if a part is repairable or not and reports state that if the battery gets damaged, you may get a new battery for $47-$50. Users may also replace the new AirPods, if in the warranty period while paying some charges.
Anyway, the User may extract the maximum battery life by using some simple steps mentioned above. We hope you liked our content. Kindly share this article with people who are planning to buy Airpods and are worried about How long do AirPods last?
Leave a Reply