Is a Screen Useful on AirPods? Check Out This Knockoff With a Display

[lovehateapple]

A screen may or may not be useful, but what I know for certain is it isn't worth the added cost.

 

[seek3r]

It's pretty amazing from the company that had little exterior lights to see the battery status on laptops two DECADES ago

All I can think is that they cheaped out

That and the “breathing” sleep light are two things I legit deeply miss on modern macs

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

@HobeSoundDarryl

Do you have some knockoffs you recommend?
Please do share a link if so

See link in original post #15. That's the one I purchased as temp cheapies (until APP4 launch) but now may be permanent bargains unless the battery fails sooner than expected.

 

[turbineseaplane]

See link in original post #15. That's the one I purchased as temp cheapies (until APP4 launch) but now may be permanent bargains unless the battery fails sooner than expected.

$20!?
Wow..

 

[Jamie0003]

I just want to see some actual innovation in an Apple product line that's existed for more than a few years. I can't believe some random manufacturer in China putting a touchscreen on their AirPods clone is the most exciting thing I've seen in the AirPod world in ages. 😩

...maybe I'm asking too much. At least Apple is making the iPhone 16 camera layout vertical instead of diagonal. I like to think somewhere, Phil Schiller will look at the relocated camera lens, and a single manly tear of joy will roll down his eye as he says "now THIS is innovation."

You’re easy to please, this looks awful

 

[CarAnalogy]

I'm generally an Apple-everything guy myself and bought them with classic pessimism. I was basically hoping they could be "good enough" while waiting out the rumored APP4 arrival. So imagine my own shock at these discoveries:

• They look, fit & feel about the same (classic Chinese cloning machine).
• The case is same width & height but thicker by maybe 25% or so. However, it also promises more battery storage than APP2 case and has that handy screen in it. While thicker, it still fits in my pocket just as easily.
• Subjectively, they sound at least as good as APP2 to my good ears.
• Microphones pick up as good as APP2 in my testing.
• Noise canceling seems as good to my ears.
• Connection to my iDevice seems FASTER than APP2. However, they tend to "marry" themselves to last device vs. (usually) correct guessing if I want to use them on a different device (requiring only a selection in a bluetooth menu to switch them). That may be partially why they connect faster... faster than I can get both in ear.
• Evolves the switch from Lightning to USB-C now.

The remaining test is simply time. Namely does the impressive battery (so far) last? A big change vs. APP2 is that the LED percentages make it much easier to know when it really needs a full charge, reducing the number of charge cycles. With Green:Amber APP2, I typically needed to best guess and would just charge it vs. finding out it was nearly drained (hello Amber) when I wanted to use them. Now I know at a glance and change them accordingly. Instead of charging APP2 when they might have been at 40%, 60%, 80% or more already, I can let these drain down towards about 15% before a full charge, knowing when they are in that vicinity at a glance. Conceptually, that means less charge cycles and thus longer battery life. But that's a real world TBD.

Do they just die at some point or stop connecting, etc? All TBD. But, as I offered in the previous thread, even if these only last 1 year instead of about 2.5 like the APP2 lasted me, $20/yr is a LOT less than about $169 every 2.5 years. If you are curious, buy them and hear for yourself. If we search hard and/or nitpick hard, I'm sure we will find something but if someone just wants great sound and good microphone use buds, these seem (as) great so far to me... so much so, APP4 is already scratched from my buy list unless these dramatically disappoint by that launch. IMO (right now anyway), sometimes "good enough" is in fact good enough.

It sounds like they're an exact clone of the first generation AirPods Pro. Plus the display. Maybe Apple's margin is higher than I thought.

 

[TheMountainLife]

I'll take anything at this point to verify that BOTH pods are charging when I put them away. My case doesn't always alert when it didn't make a secure enough connection and get to the gym with a pod that has been draining all day.

Equalizer would be nice too. The same preset applied everywhere isn't satisfying enough

 

[ChrisA]

I have an Apple Watch and Airpods. Sometimes I do use the watch interface. A tiny screen can be usful but mostly I'll reach for the iPhone as a larger screen can be even more usfull.

The trouble wikth the screen on the case is that I don't take the case with me when I walk the dog or "whatever" so I'd never use the screen on the case.

Finally, As a want-a-be amatuer designer, I don't like their screen design. I think the border of the LCD needs to be white and the background color of the display needs to be white. this way you do not see the LCD screen as a thing that is stuck onto the case, but as part of the case. It blends with the white plastic case. I know "'dark mode" is the current fad, but in this case, white mode would look better so the screen completely disappears except when in use

 

[turbineseaplane]

The trouble wikth the screen on the case is that I don't take the case with me when I walk the dog or "whatever" so I'd never use the screen on the case.

If the case had a screen (and perhaps even built in storage), you might take it with you though, no?

I just know, for me personally, I'm always looking for ways to use my phone less and/or not take it with me at all.

With that in mind, some way to use Airpods fully on their own would be incredible for walks and other fitness stuff.

 

[mjs916]

Wow! What a massive display! /s
Imagine the horror this would result when placed inside the pocket or backpack.

iPhones do ok in a pocket or backpack, but I understand your point. It’s small enough to coexist with keys or lose change which people tend to keep away from their phone screen.

New market for AirPod screen protectors I suppose.

 

[joloriquelme]

There's enough space in the AirPods case to put a little useful and elegant things called:

REAL BUTTONS

Put a Prev/Pause-Play/Next in the front of the case. Volume Up and Down in the back.

No tactile buttons. Real ones.

That's REALLY handy, useful, doesn't waste battery and very convenient.

Not revolutionary. But EXTRAORDINARY useful. Seriously. Imagine carrying the case in your pocket and you will have the choice to put the hand and with the finger go to the next song.

For the next year? A 16 GB storage included in the case. There you go: the all-new AirPod Shuffle.

Cheers!

 

[Surf Monkey]

There's enough space in the AirPods case to put a little useful and elegant things called:

REAL BUTTONS

Put a Prev/Pause-Play/Next in the front of the case. Volume Up and Down in the back.

No tactile buttons. Real ones.

That's REALLY handy, useful, doesn't waste battery and very convenient.

Not revolutionary. But EXTRAORDINARY useful. Seriously. Imagine carrying the case in your pocket and you will have the choice to put the hand and with the finger go to the next song.

For the next year? A 16 GB storage included in the case. There you go: the all-new AirPod Shuffle.

Cheers!

Yeah. All true. And to reiterate, companies are already making and selling wireless buds with “smart cases” and have been for a while now. There absolutely is utility in having controls and a screen on the AirPods case. That isn’t even in question since customers are already buying and using that kind of case. So Apple is actually doing more catching up than anything.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

It sounds like they're an exact clone of the first generation AirPods Pro. Plus the display. Maybe Apple's margin is higher than I thought.

Not exactly. The case is noticeably thicker...

...but the promise of that is "more battery" (which seems to have proven out so far) and that LED stuff on the outside. The buds themselves are slightly different. If you click that link back in #15 and look at pictures, you'll see visible differences.

BUT, in what matters most to me- sound & mic quality- I'm perfectly pleased with them. If they can last, no APP4s for me (and thus, about $149 stays in my pocket). And by last, I mean they only need to last upwards of about a year to feel like a very good (relative) buy.

 

[iSayuSay]

At first, we were happy with Walkman, there a tiny MP3 player with no screen (iPod Shuffle), then there's iPod, and iPhone. Then we have wireless earbuds and we have Apple Watch which acts like control screen for the AirPods. But nooo, we have to look at another concept of tiny screen on an AirPods case so we can control music and whatnot.

Might as well pick up the phone or Watch instead of pull up an AirPods case to just to control music LOL.

 

[entropys]

I might have missed it in the video, but do real AirPods Pro fit and charge in that case?

 

[groove-agent]

It feels redundant if you're carrying around a phone ... and a smartwatch.

 

[OnePieceIsReal]

Most wasteful thing I have seen yet, literally useless. Imagine losing it too lol

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

depends. Will it have peek and pop?

 

[I7guy]

AirPods have the potential to become the new iPod, specially if given an improved Siri with a local LLM that can understand natural language and find music and give you info on the playing song. The iPod shuffle worked great without a screen and it didn't even have Siri. Note that HomePod doesnt need a screen.

There's a growing movement, specially and surprisingly in younger generations, to get less screen time (touch grass) and some of the teens in my family deliberately leave their phones at home and go "low-tech". The moment seems primed for a return of the iPod and having it built into AirPods seems like the right way to do it. No screen needed.

I’m at the stage of my life when I don’t want to be out of contact. That doesn’t mean I need an iPhone 24x7, but I do need a cellular connection.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I’m at the stage of my life when I don’t want to be out of contact. That doesn’t mean I need an iPhone 24x7, but I do need a cellular connection.

If you live in a city with good coverage you have nothing to worry about.

 

[ipedro]

I’m at the stage of my life when I don’t want to be out of contact. That doesn’t mean I need an iPhone 24x7, but I do need a cellular connection.

I often leave my phone at home these days, but I'm always connected with my cellular Apple Watch Ultra. It's impossible to get lost in your watch like you do on a phone, but it can access communications and information on the internet.

 

[lk400]

I just want to see some actual innovation in an Apple product line that's existed for more than a few years. I can't believe some random manufacturer in China putting a touchscreen on their AirPods clone is the most exciting thing I've seen in the AirPod world in ages. 😩

...maybe I'm asking too much. At least Apple is making the iPhone 16 camera layout vertical instead of diagonal. I like to think somewhere, Phil Schiller will look at the relocated camera lens, and a single manly tear of joy will roll down his eye as he says "now THIS is innovation."

I don’t think anyone is holding tweaks to mature product lines out as innovation, other than perhaps cynical internet posters.

 

[Isamilis]

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to use AirPods with a display, well, a Chinese manufacturer made a fake version of the AirPods complete with a screen that we decided to test out. Would a touchscreen actually be worthwhile on AirPods?

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The display on the fake AirPods activates when the case is opened up. It shows connectivity status, the time, the battery level of each earbud, noise control options, "Find My" settings, and equalizer presets. Other additions include customizable wallpaper, a flashlight, and a feature for controlling the iPhone's camera.

You're basically only able to control settings with the display, which is mildly useful. Actual AirPods need to be controlled through an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, with some options available through the Control Center/Status Bar and others buried in the settings app.

The touchscreen on the fake AirPods is, to put it politely, garbage. It doesn't register touches some of the time, the sound is mediocre, there are non-functional buttons, and the equalizer settings just make everything sound worse.

So why did we buy these earbuds? Apple patented a similar concept back in 2021, describing a set of AirPods with a built-in touchscreen display that can be used to manage settings and also control playback. In Apple's patent description, there are options for adjusting volume, favoriting songs, playing and pausing, skipping songs, and more.

Apple suggested that the touchscreen could offer tactile feedback and provide a more convenient way to control wireless earbuds.

We don't recommend counterfeit products, of course, so you should not go out and buy these. The fake AirPods do give us some idea of the utility of a touchscreen and how it could be used, which is interesting to imagine. Would you want an AirPods case with a touchscreen? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: Is a Screen Useful on AirPods? Check Out This Knockoff With a Display

That would be very interesting if the AirPod can store offline music and operate independently from iPhone or whatever devices (call it as “iPod mode”). Hence, the display is required for song / playlist information. Something more than that will be unnecessary, IMO.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I don’t think anyone is holding tweaks to mature product lines out as innovation, other than perhaps cynical internet posters.

Judging by Apple’s marketing they are “holding tweaks to mature product lines out as innovation.”

 

[Surf Monkey]

That would be very interesting if the AirPod can store offline music and operate independently from iPhone or whatever devices (call it as “iPod mode”). Hence, the display is required for song / playlist information. Something more than that will be unnecessary, IMO.

Again, check out what IKKO is doing. That’s exactly how their wireless smart buds work. The case has a SIM card.