Apple users primarily opt for the Apple AirPods for better integration and enhanced music experience. These have become a must-have for iPhone and iPad users who often spend a lot of time attending calls or listening to music. Well, it’s a good time to grab the Apple AirPods 2, as the retail price is discounted to $89, which is down from $129. Moreover, there’s a $20 discount on the Apple AirPods (3rd generation), which are retailing for $149, down from $169.

Apple AirPods 2 Deal Details

Launched in 2019, the AirPods 2 are still worth the price, considering the quality and features. The price of the AirPods 2 is down to $89 for the first time this year. It was available at a similar price during the festival season last year. It features an H1 headphone chip, offering low latency, clear sound, and touch gestures. Users can play and pause the song by double-tapping, and more such gestures are part and parcel of the AirPods 2.

Grab Apple AirPods 2

Moreover, the second-generation Apple AirPods offer about 24 hours of battery backup once fully charged. It is a deal worth grabbing, as the AirPods still offer good quality features and premium sound.

The discount is not only limited to AirPods (2nd Generation); there’s a $20 discount on the Apple AirPods 3, which are on sale for $149. There’s a total 13% discount from the usual retail price of $169. There are slight improvements, including enhanced sound quality and increased battery life. There’s also a deal ongoing for the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro, which are currently retailing for $199. It offers noise-cancellation features, premium sound, H2 Chip, and a MagSafe USB-C charging case.

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Apple has been regularly releasing new software updates and firmware versions for its portfolio of products. The company recently concluded its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), showcasing several new and upcoming features.

Now, the company has started rolling out a new beta firmware version for several AirPods models, including the Apple AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Max.

The new beta version for the AirPods lineup bring released by Apple carries version numbers from 5A5282d to 5A5304a. As of now, the new firmware is limited to developers and can be downloaded from the Apple developer website.

Also, to install this new beta firmware for the wearable audio products, the user needs to be running the Apple iPhone with the latest iOS 16 beta operating system or a Mac device with the macOS Ventura beta along with Xcode 14 beta for the supported AirPods.

Apple claims that this new beta firmware version includes improvements to the Automatic Switching as well as some bug fixes and stability improvements. Once the testing is completed, the software will be released to all the AirPods, which could be in fall this year.

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A lawsuit has been instituted by the parents of a Texas teenager who was alleged to have been injured by a pair of Apple Airpods. The 12-year-old boy whose identity is concealed was reported to have had his eardrums ruptured when a loud Amber Alert was received in his Airpods. Amber Alerts are automatically sent to smartphones alerting residents of a possible child abduction emergency.

The incident occurred in 2020 when the boy was watching a Netflix movie on his iPhone while using AirPods Pro. The Amber Alert was a high-pitched sound that reportedly damaged his eardrums. The court documents detail how the sound tore apart the boy’s eardrums, and damaged his cochlea, leading to permanent hearing loss in one ear. The boy is referred to as B. G. in the court papers and he has suffered from several health conditions since then.

The lawsuit claims that the boy’s injuries were a result of a defective AirPods that couldn’t automatically lower the volume for alerts. It also claims that Apple did not issue any warning to users of the AirPods about the potential for hearing loss or damage. There had been several reports from AirPods users that Amber Alerts were known to be very loud. This was due to the Alert not equalizing with the prevailing audio levels.

The plaintiff is demanding damages from Apple, among several other prayers. They claimed that the behavior of Apple was not acceptable and the lawsuit should serve as a deterrent to others. It is unclear when the lawsuit was instituted and the stage it has gotten to. Apple has not made any statement yet concerning the lawsuit.

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(via)

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In an interesting move, the Xiaomi Youpin platform has now started selling Apple’s true wireless earbuds — AirPods lineup in China. As said, while the move is interesting, it is not surprising given that Youpin is just another e-commerce platform. In addition to Xiaomi, Mijia, and other Xiaomi ecosystem products, Xiaomi Youpin has a lot of third party products too.

Apart from the AirPods series, the company is already selling a few other Apple products on its e-commerce platform, including Apple Watch Series 5, Apple Watch Series 4, iPad Air, and iPad Pro among others.

Coming to the AirPods, there are three models listed on the platform — Apple AirPods 2 and Apple AirPods Pro. The company is selling both the variants of the AirPods 2, with and without a wireless charging case.

As for the pricing, the AirPods 2 without wireless charging case costs 1,246 yuan, which is roughly $175. On the other hand, the one with wireless charging support is priced at 1,558 yuan that roughly converts to $219. The newly launched AirPods Pro have been listed for 1,999 yuan which is around $281.

Launched in October last year, the Apple AirPods Pro is the latest product in the lineup. The biggest difference between the standard AirPods and the AirPods Pro is the silicone ear tip and support for Active Noise Cancelation (ANC).

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The software-backed dual-microphone setup adapts continuously, removing background noises to offer an immersive audio experience. Apple claims the ANC adapts audio signals 200 times per second.

Apart from ANC the AirPods Pro also sports Adaptive EQ that automatically tunes low and mid-range audio frequencies according to the shape of an individual’s ear canal. It also has Transparency Mode that disables ANC, in case they want to hear background noises while listening to music.

Meanwhile, there are reports that claim that Apple is not yet done with launching AirPods and is reportedly planning to launch a new version of the AirPods Pro. They are currently being referred to as AirPods Pro Lite, indicating entry-level earbuds and lower pricing than the current AirPods Pro.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi’s Surge Chip development reportedly abandoned, shifting focus to Low Power BL and RF chips

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The true wireless earbuds market has grown quite significantly this year. Most smartphone manufacturers have announced at least one TWS earbuds in 2019 and a lot more are coming our way in the next few months. Realme also joined this party a few days back and the company is targeting the affordable segment of the market with its Realme Buds Air, which is priced competitively at Rs. 3999 (~$56). Like a lot of TWS earbuds, the Realme Buds Air takes its inspiration from the best selling Apple AirPods series. Today, we take a quick look at how closely the Buds Air resemble the AirPods 2.

I would like to start this article by saying that the Realme Buds Air is no way an AirPods clone. While it definitely takes its inspiration from the best in the industry, there are a lot of differences to set it apart from the AirPods 2. The earbuds come in three different colors which include white, black, and yellow. We’ve got the white one for review, which is the ideal color for this comparison.

Realme Buds Air vs Apple AirPods 2: Earbuds

Like every other TWS earbuds in the market, the Realme Buds Air package consists of two parts – the two earbuds (L & R) and the charging case. The earbuds come very close to mimicking the AirPods’ design but it’s not an exact clone.

The Realme Buds Air feature relatively round and large heads in comparison to the slightly smaller, oval shape of the AirPods. So despite having a similar sensor layout as the AirPods, it’s very easy to distinguish between the two based on the shapes alone. Another big differentiator for the Buds Air is the absence of the mesh at the back.

While both the earbuds feature a similarly sized stem, they have significantly different charging connectors. The AirPods feature a metal round connector at the bottom of the earbuds while the Realme Buds Air feature an open design with two connector pins at the bottom. The microphones are located at the back of the stem on both the models.

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Editor’s Pick: Apple leads the True Wireless Earbuds market, Xiaomi in second place

Realme Buds Air vs Apple AirPods 2: Charging Case

When it comes to the charging case, the similarities between the two earbuds end. The Realme Buds Air comes with a much more compact and rounder charging case. When you keep the two cases side by side, you can see that the AirPods 2 case is slightly longer and thinner than the Realme one. To be honest, the AirPods case looks a bit more refined than what Realme offers but that’s expected given the huge price difference.

The Realme Buds Air charging case features a pairing button on the front with an LED light. On the other hand, the AirPods 2 case features the button at the back with the text: Designed by Apple California. Similarly, the Realme case features the text: Designed by Realme on its back. But I wish Realme had implemented a better design for opening the case. The back design looks pretty cheap.

You can charge the Realme case with a USB-C port at the bottom, while the AirPods 2 case takes in a lightning connector.

While there are some similarities between the Realme Buds Air and the AirPods 2, the former can really stand up on its own as competitive TWS earbuds in its price segment (Rs. 3999 on Flipkart). We have been testing them for the past few days and our first impressions have been quite positive. Wait for our full review of the Realme Buds Air in the next couple of days.

Till then, you can check out our latest review of the Huawei Freebuds 3 where we pit it against the industry leader: AirPods Pro. We feel the Freebuds 3 with active noise canceling sounds amazing for a wireless headphone and is a competitive alternative to the AirPods Pro that’s way more expensive.

UP NEXT: Huami Amazfit TWS earbuds to launch at CES 2020 next month

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Apple was expected to launch its AirPods 2 wireless earphones in October but that didn’t happen. But it seems that the launch of Apple AirPods 2 is now far away as they have reportedly passed through the mandatory Bluetooth SIG certification.

Listing for the new Apple AirPods on the Bluetooth SIG mentions the device using the model numbers A2031 and A2032. Further, the listing also reveals that the next-generation AirPods will come with support for Bluetooth 5.0.

Further, reports related to the device’s trademark filing hints that the upcoming next-generation AirPods will have much more to offer than just audio. There are reports indicated that Apple could introduce health and wellness features in the AirPods 2, including support for heart rate monitoring.

Last year, Apple won a patent for sports-oriented AirPods with biometrics and noise cancellation features. Recently, the company renewed trademark filings from Hong Kong and Europe indicating that Apple is updating the AirPods classifications to specifically include aspects like ‘wellness sensors’ and more.

The specific notion for the “‘General wellness instruments” under trademark filing for the new AirPods mentions following:

CLASS 10: GENERAL WELLNESS INSTRUMENTS, NAMELY, HEALTH, FITNESS, EXERCISE, AND WELLNESS SENSORS, MONITORS, SPEAKERS AND DISPLAYS FOR MEASURING, DISPLAYING, TRACKING, REPORTING, MONITORING, STORING, AND TRANSMITTING BIOMETRIC DATA, HEART RATE, BODY MOVEMENT, AND CALORIES BURNED.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple AirPods could come with support for hands-free Siri access that allows buyers to easily summon the AI-driven virtual assistant. It could also come with the much demanded water resistance support. Some rumors indicate that Apple could also launch an optional wireless charging case for the AirPods that would be compatible with Apple AirPower charging mat.

Read More: Apple launches a new MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID, USB-C, and thinner bezels

Further, the upcoming Apple AirPods 2 is expected to come with improved battery backup, better range of operation, and improved audio quality. Rumours indicate that the new AirPods will be announced alongside the StudioPods, a premium over-the-ear headphones.

(Via)

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