AirPods 2 have a lot to live up to, given that the original AirPods became hugely popular all over the world. What's new, and better, in these second-generation devices?

Faster and smarter

AirPods 2 are smarter where Siri is concerned; they're the first Pods to feature hands-free Siri. That means you simply have to utter the magic words “Hey Siri,” to stir your digital assistant into action. Meanwhile, the revolutionary Apple H1 headphone chip delivers faster wireless connection to your devices.

Auto-on, auto-connect

As soon as you remove AirPods 2 from their charging case, they're ready to use with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.

More magic from the H1

The H1 brings a new dimension to AirPods 2. If you're using one AirPod, or both of them, the H1 chip automatically routes the audio and engages the microphone. And when you’re on a call or talking to Siri, another speech-detecting accelerometer works alongside beamforming microphones to filter out external noise and focus on your voice.

Lots of listening, and talking

The new chip is also behind AirPods 2 great battery power. It delivers five hours of listening time and three hours of talk time on a single charge. The charging case holds multiple charges for more than 24 hours of total listening time. When you need a quick charge, just 15 minutes in the case gives you three hours of listening time or two hours of talk time.

What's lacking?

This earbud doesn't support active noise cancellation, which AirPods Pro features. Furthermore, there's no wireless charging case included as standard.