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?
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.
Top Rated Comments
...maybe I'm asking too much. At least Apple is making the iPhone 16 camera layout vertical instead of diagonal ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/02/19/first-iphone-16-molds-vertical-camera-layout/'). 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." :apple:
While I expected “you get what you pay for” sound or microphone disappointment, neither has proved to be the case over about 45 days so far. Unless battery degrades fast, I’m no longer paying far more for APP4… which is completely unexpected.
Since sound & mics seem as good, I have to assume battery will conk much faster than the approx 2.5 years I got out of APP2. But if it lasts at least 1 year, $20/yr is a LOT less than $169 or so every 2.5 years.