AirPods Lite Review: How they differ from AirPods and AirPods Pro?
AirPods Lite is an anti-crisis version of Apple branded headphones. In this article I will try to figure out if it makes sense to buy the most affordable TWS companies. The difference with the simplest version of regular AirPods is more than 30%. For this money, by and large, you get almost the same thing.
AirPods Lite Design
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| AirPods Lite on the left and AirPods on the right |
AirPods Lite is almost identical in form to the look of classic AirPods. They are made in the usual white color, the shade of which looks a little colder than before. Most likely, a simpler version of the material is used, which also made it possible to reduce the price.
Headphones differ in dimensions:
- AirPods Pro: 30.9 × 21.8 × 24.0 mm, weight 5.4 g;
- AirPods: 16.5 × 18.0 × 40.5 mm, weight 4 g;
- AirPods Lite: 18 × 20.0 × 45.5 mm, weight 5.5 g.
Despite the fact that AirPods Lite is slightly larger and heavier than classic AirPods, the difference is felt only during direct comparisons. They repeat the ergonomics of the very first fully wireless headphones from Apple, which began to be sold at the end of 2016.
By the way, if you put AirPods Lite and AirPods side by side, you can immediately see that the former use fewer sensors, which we will talk about later. Moreover, each TWS-headphone has a physical button that is designed to control playback and call the Siri voice assistant, which can be launched in another way.
Moisture protection
AirPods Lite is IPX4 moisture proof (IEC 60529). They are not afraid of sweat, so they will be able to intensively engage in active sports. Moreover, they are not so scared to get in the rain - most likely, they will survive this adventure without any consequences.
Interestingly, the AirPods Pro headphones are protected by the same standard, but the classic AirPods, even in the second revision, Apple did not bother to award with any standards. This suggests that in the near future - I think that after the pandemic and the crisis connected with it - the company will release the third version of regular AirPods, which will also be officially protected from moisture.
Otherwise, it is not clear why the relatively budget version of the headphones overtakes the more expensive colleague in the TWS branded line. However, Apple simply can also position AirPods Lite for young people who are more active.
In fairness, you need to understand that neither AirPods, nor AirPods Pro, nor the new AirPods Lite can be completely immersed in liquid. Moreover, they are not intended for any entertainment and sports related to water.
The moisture protection of each earphone is ensured by a special membrane covering the speaker, as well as elastic gaskets at the joints of the case. The latter lose their effectiveness over time. They shrink and begin to leak water. This process is accelerated when direct sunlight falls on the headphones, as well as any cosmetic products that you can use.
Comfort fit
AirPods Lite are open-type in-ear headphones. Unlike AirPods Pro, they are not inserted into the ear canal, but remain in the shell itself. In this they are similar to the classic AirPods. Despite the increase in size, the headphones still sit comfortably in your ears.
The maximum time that I spent in the new product during the test reached five with a tail of hours. After that, the headphones were completely discharged and went into the case for “refueling”. I did not manage to experience any discomfort at this time. Actually, part of this review was written for the latest Grimes album from AirPods Lite.
AirPods Lite is more than suitable for me. But this does not mean that they are compatible with your ears. The situation is exactly the same as with classic AirPods: some can wear them for hours and take them off only for recharging, while for others they fly out of their ears and cause discomfort.
Sound Quality:
Unfortunately, I got a test sample in my hands, which will have to be given to other journalists who can also share their impressions of AirPods Lite on other portals. That is why I did not have the opportunity to disassemble the new product to see how it works purely technically.
Nevertheless, at least in terms of sound quality, Apple branded headphones with the Lite prefix do not differ from their classic counterpart. The novelty plays in exactly the same way as those AirPods, which were shown to us together with the rejection of the 3.5 mm audio output in the iPhone 7.
Yes, like AirPods, AirPods Lite is definitely not intended for music lovers who bother with the small nuances of musical compositions.
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Many for some reason say that branded TWS from Apple give them a lot of musical pleasure, but even Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless, which I also use for several years, play many times better. It is impossible to make the earbuds with an open design play as good as the in-ear headphones. But you can also say that AirPods Lite play poorly. No, they just have a fairly average sound, as for this TWS segment.
By the way, we are not talking about any use of active noise reduction (ANC) here. At the moment, this chip remains the prerogative of AirPods Pro, and this is unlikely to somehow change in the near future. The Lite model does not protect against external noise, but it does not broadcast to everyone else what you hear.
Offline Work
According to official data, when using ANC, AirPods Pro can work for about 4.5 hours on a single charge, and classic AirPods without active noise reduction demonstrate 5 hours of autonomy, after which they are requested in a case to recharge energy.
AirPods Lite runs as much as 5.5 hours on a single charge. Nevertheless, as stated by Apple, along with recharging in the case, all AirPods models will be able to work for about 24 hours. It's hard to say for sure, but the AirPods Lite case can just use a less capacious or less energy-efficient battery.
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In my manner of using AirPods Lite, they work a little more than 5 hours on a single charge, but I never squeezed 5.5 out of a couple of days of tests.
The fact is that within the company, Apple engineers check the battery life at a volume of no more than 50%. But this is not enough for me - most often I listen to music at a volume of 70–90%. Nevertheless, 5 hours with the possibility of recharging in the case is an already excellent indicator, which even justifies a slight increase in the size of the new inexpensive Apple headphones. By the way, fast charging, as in older AirPods, is not supported in Lite.
Charging Case of AirPods Lite:
All Apple branded TWS headphones have different charging cases. Like the classic AirPods, the AirPods Lite case has a vertical orientation. But it is heavier and slightly larger, which are still suitable for the fifth pocket of most popular jeans.
Cases differ in dimensions:
- AirPods Pro: 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm, weight 45.6 g.
- AirPods: 44.3 × 21.3 × 53.5 mm, weight 40 g.
- AirPods Lite: 54.2 × 25.7 × 64.5 mm, weight 47 g.
The pairing control key has moved to the front of the chassis. It is not recessed, and next to it is a pair of diodes that show the current state of the case. When you see an orange light, the case is charging, if it is green, charging is over. By the way, there is no option with Qi.
Interestingly, the AirPods Lite charging case has a flat bottom, which makes it possible to put it on the table. This turned out to be quite convenient - especially while working at a computer. I just put it near the laptop and put the headphones in it when they were not needed.
Ease of Connection
The heart of the AirPods Lite is a special Apple H1 chip, which is designed to quickly connect headphones to the iPhone. When you open the cover of their case, a prompt appears on the smartphone’s screen to connect with a new accessory. After that, the headphones automatically pair with all Apple gadgets that are tied to the same Apple ID.
You do not need to do this separately, and switching can be done through the devices themselves. On a Mac, you need to select the headphones in the sound item in the menu bar, and on the iPhone and iPad this is done in the “Control Center”.
By the way, headphones can be used with mobile devices based on Android or computers on Windows. Yes, it's hard to say that it will be just as convenient, but in this regard, AirPods Lite is unlikely to be different from other wireless headphones.
Controls
To control the AirPods Pro, squeeze the legs of fully wireless headphones. In order to control the classic AirPods you need to tap on one of them.
Each AirPods Lite earphone has a special physical button, the action of which can be configured through the menu "Settings"> Bluetooth> AirPods Lite on the iPhone. Using each of the buttons, you can start and stop playback, switch songs, and also launch Siri voice assistant. For the last action, it is most logical to use button hold.
It's a pity, but the volume control on Apple headphones traditionally forgets to add again and again. Apparently, the company believes that you can do it louder or quieter through the iPhone or using the Apple Watch. Siri will also help with this, but asking her about it every time is not for me.
There are no elements on the headphone body that are responsible for automatically determining their location in the user's ear. Yes, if you pull them out of your ears, they will not pause automatically. Nevertheless, for this it will turn out to use all the same buttons on their case.
Work with an Assistant
Like other modern Apple (and Beats) headphones, AirPods Lite supports activating an assistant using the “Hello Siri” voice command. This is convenient when the hands are busy, but you need to switch the track or perform any other action. But I myself do not use Siri at all, because she does not always understand me.
To summarize
In sum, I liked AirPods Lite. If I didn’t have classic AirPods, I would consider buying them, including them. Nevertheless, when my TWS fail, I will still look in the direction of AirPods Pro because of the active noise reduction, which will definitely not hurt me.
For AirPods Lite they are actually asking for half as much as for AirPods Pro - only 9,490 against 20,990 rubles. What is there, the new product is 30% cheaper than the classic AirPods with a charging case without Qi for 13,490 rubles.
For the opportunity to save, you get slightly increased dimensions of the headphones and the case, as well as the lack of sensors to automatically determine the location in the ear. For someone, this will turn out to be critical, but all these same actions are quickly done manually using a special physical button that is duplicated on each of the headphones.
Strengths of AirPods Lite :
- Nice value.
- Great battery life.
- Pleasant sound quality.
- Formal moisture protection.
Weak sides of AirPods Lite:
- The increase in the size of the headphones and case.
- Lack of ear detection sensors.
- No case with Qi support.
- Final rating: 7 out of 10
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