New AirPods have longer battery, wireless charging, and hands-free Siri

Apple has overnight announced a second generation pair of AirPods with a whole bunch of tweaks and improvements.

While the new AirPods look the same as the originals, there are plenty of changes under the hood. The most notable is the addition of a new in-house "H1" chip developed specifically for headphones. Apple says this chip delivers performance efficiencies, faster pairing, and enables hands-free Siri access. Rather than tapping an AirPod to launch Siri, you're now able to say "hey Siri" for voice controls. These let you request a track, adjust volume, and more.

The new processor also means the second generation AirPods have an extra hour of talk time per charge (three hours, up from two on the first model). You'll still get five hours of music playback. And when combined with the charging case, you'll get as much as 24 hours of playback time or 18 hours of talk.

If you want to go completely wire-free, the new AirPods are available with an optional wireless charging case, compatible with any Qi charger.

The second generation AirPods will set you back $249 with a standard case, or $319 with a wireless charging case. If you've already got a pair of first generation AirPods and just want the new case, you can buy it separately for $129.

Second generation AirPods are available to order online now, and will be in stores next week.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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