AirPods Struggle with Long Term Battery Life
AirPods haven’t been around for very long – the first generation models are only three years old at this point – and users are discovering that the batteries don’t actually last that long. As many reviewers have documented, the AirPods that they acquired for their first reviews don’t work anymore. If you’re having the same problem, you’re far from alone.
The primary issue here is the lithium-ion batteries that AirPods use. Lithium-ion batteries are an interesting and revolutionary thing: they work very well at certain sizes, like the pack used for phones and tablets, but they tend to lose a lot of efficiency if they become too large or too small. In the case of AirPods, the tiny lithium-ion batteries used appear to have low longevity. They struggle to hold a charge after a year or two, and their charging process runs into issues.
Visit any AirPods community online, and you will quickly find cases of reported “case drain” where AirPods are losing – or at least not gaining – charges even when in the case, or the case’s battery has suffered so much that it’s unable to effectively charge their AirPods anymore.
Accessories that aren’t usable after a couple of years is a tough sell, especially when they’re selling for $200 or more.