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Apple introduces AirPods: Truly wireless headphones for the iPhone 7

Updated Sep 7th, 2016 3:00PM EDT
iPhone 7 AirPods Wireless Headphones
Image: Apple

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Apple’s iPhone 7 event is underway in California and Apple just unveiled one product to courageously replace the 3.5mm headphone jack. Truly wireless AirPods.

DON’T MISS: Oops: Apple just listed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on its website

The AirPods are truly wireless, and they look stunning. Just think about them as EarPods without any wires. These are the wireless headphones you’ll immediately want.

Apple has a new wireless chip to handle the audio from the AirPods, the Apple W1 that will be found in new wireless Beats headphones as well. The chip handles audio and wireless connectivity, and the AirPods have up to 5 hours of battery life. Their case is used for charging the AirPods, and the case alone is good for five charges, bringing over up to 25 hours of battery life.

Infrared sensors will detect when the AirPods are in your ear, and motion accelerometers can detect a touch to activate Siri. Furthermore, voice accelerometers can improve your voice calls. In case this sounds familiar, that’s because some of this technology has already been described in some of Apple’s patents.

The best thing about the AirPods is that you can easily set them up. You just open the case near the phone. “There’s no Step 2,” Phil Schiller said on stage. It goes exactly the same for the Apple Watch. iCloud is used to propagate the setup to multiple devices.

The Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones will do 40 hours of wireless music. A new line of Beats S wireless headphones is also in the works.

The only problem with the AirPods? You might lose them faster than you’ll lose that Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter.

Finally, the AirPods will cost you $159. So you may want to think about buying them for a second or two. Is it expensive? Yes. But it’s a lot cheaper than what Apple could charge for the incredible technology in them.

Looking for more coverage from the Apple iPhone 7 event? Check out our hub!

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.