Headphones and earbuds · Apple
The few owners on record used their AirPods 1 every day for years and kept them until the battery gave out, with one calling them worth the money.
Most owners who mentioned durability were positive. One owner used a 2021 pair daily for about four and a half years, through plenty of rough handling, before upgrading. There are too few accounts for the site to give a verdict.
No theme here leans negative. The closest thing to a complaint comes from that same long-serving pair: after years of use, the battery now lasts somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the temperature outside. There are too few accounts to call this a pattern.
AirPods (1st generation) are Apple's first wireless earbuds. They came out in 2016 and come with a small case that also charges them. They're for people who want a simple cord-free way to listen to music and take calls, especially with an iPhone.
| Type | Wireless earbuds with charging case (Apple W1 chip, dual beamforming microphones) |
|---|---|
| Noise cancelling | |
| Battery life | Up to 5 hours listening per charge; more than 24 hours with the case |
| Charging | Lightning connector on the case; 15 minutes in the case gives 3 hours of listening |
| Bluetooth and codecs | Bluetooth (Apple W1 chip); codecs not stated |
| Weight | 4 g (0.14 oz) each earbud; case 38 g (1.34 oz) |
| Water resistance | |
| Warranty |
From the maker's spec page, checked October 10, 2026. A blank row means the maker does not state it.
5 hours means roughly a long flight's worth of music before they need to go back in the case. The case holds enough power to recharge them several times, so you get more than a day of listening in total. If you're in a hurry, 15 minutes in the case gives you about 3 hours. Each earbud weighs about as much as a sheet of paper, so you'll barely notice them. Apple's spec page lists no noise cancelling and no water resistance rating.
Newer model
AirPods 5 replaces this one. AirPods 5 add active noise cancelling and a transparency mode, so you can block out or let in the sound around you. They have an IP57 rating for dust, sweat and water, which the original AirPods don't list at all. The case charges by USB-C instead of Lightning, and one version also charges wirelessly. Battery is up to 6 hours per charge with noise cancelling off (7 hours with the wireless case).
Pick up to three. You get a page with just those, side by side, on the subjects owners raised.
For the owners here, AirPods 1 became an everyday habit. They wore them daily for years, and one owner looks back on that pair with real pride. Another is happy to keep using theirs until they stop working before buying a newer model.
The adjustment comes late. As the battery wears down, listening sessions get shorter, and one owner found they also depend on the weather. Several of these owners have since moved to Pro models, and their first-generation pair has become the older set they may no longer reach for.
What lasts is the pair itself. One set went through about four and a half years of daily use and still works, and another owner's pair is still going strong enough that they are waiting for it to fail before upgrading. What wears out is the battery: it shrinks to a few minutes per charge, and owners respond by replacing the AirPods instead of repairing them.
The long-term evidence is thin. Only a handful of owners described how their AirPods 1 aged, which is too few for a verdict on either theme. One of them was not even sure whether their old first and second generation pairs still work.
From 2 owner accounts that said how long they have had it. Own one? Add how long yours has lasted.
Nothing with a clear majority yet. Owners who raised these subjects were split, or too few to judge.
Nothing has a clear majority against it yet. Counted from the owners who raised each subject, not from everyone. A subject is judged once at least 4 owners raise it.
10 more subjects came up from fewer than 4 owners each, which is not enough for a fair reading. To see how it stacks up, compare it with another machine.
The same owner, asked again at each point. Fills in as owners answer.
Two questions: how long you have had it, and anything you would like to say about it. Then we ask again as it ages. This helps our mission.
More in headphones and earbuds: Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony XM6, Sennheiser M5.
Among the 2 owner accounts here that gave a duration, 0 described a failure.
Before you buy one used, ask the seller: how old it is, whether it was ever repaired and by whom, and whether any of the parts above have been replaced. Ask to see it run. A receipt tells you the warranty start date; most makers honour the term only for the first owner.
Public discussions we read and summarised in our own words. Nothing here was submitted to Still Kicks.
Counted from public accounts by people who said they own it, and summarised by Still Kicks in its own words. Not a manufacturer claim, a lab test or an estimate.
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