I returned my Airpods.

After 4 days of using it, I decided to return my Airpods. This is the first time that I had to return an Apple item because I was unsatisfied with it, and also because the money could be better spent elsewhere. Knowing that the less satisfaction I get using a product, the less often I will use it. So before it gets to that point, I decided to use the opportunity to return it and get a refund.

The Airpods, back from my initial impressions that I wrote a few days ago, is an amazing product to use. I really love it, from the design to the ease of use and the above average sound quality that is coming out of the earbuds. But after using it for several days, especially during my daily commute to and from work, there is something that Airpods lacked that I didn’t realise it could be that critical for me until I start to miss it. It is none other than noise isolation. In a crowded, noisy train, the Airpods, to me personally, just fails in the audio department when there is so much outside noise polluting the audio that is coming out from the earbuds. It got to the point where I no longer enjoy listening to music anymore. While I admire how easy it is to use the Airpods, the compactness of the entire package and how the earbuds just ‘disappear’ in your ear after a few minutes of wearing it, nothing beats having good audio quality coming out of a pair of earpiece or headphone.

There is just nothing else that is more important than choosing earphones or headphones by how good they sound. You can design the lightest, smallest, easiest to use earphones, but if the sound is terrible, I am not buying it. So after evaluating my needs and priorities, I came to a decision that the Airpods were simply, not for me.

I went down to the Apple store, where I collected my Airpods, told the staff that I was here to return an item. After giving my name and assigning me to a staff member, I waited until it was my turn to be served. One of the staff members approached me and asked me what was the item in question. I told him that I was here to return the Airpods. He was then curious as to why I decided to return it and I told him that it was simply not for me, as I placed audio quality the highest when it comes to earphones or headphones. I told him that without noise isolation, it was a no deal for me and despite trying very hard to get used to the idea of having outside noise polluting whatever music I was hearing, it dawned on me that having a noise isolating earphones was a way for me to find peace and a way to shut out all the noise from outside. It was something very much overlooked, but was essential, when I realised I was starting to miss it.

He checked the item to make sure that everything is intact and there wasn’t any visible damage to the item. I returned within the 14-day window. I was a little concerned as to whether they will take the product in and give me a refund, as the Airpod case was showing some visible scratches. If was made of plastic after all. But he accepted it and within minutes, the refund was confirmed and he informed me that the money should be reflected within 5 business days. No fuss, no trouble. Perfect.

Maybe the day will come when they might release Airpods version 2 or something, something beefier, this time with noise isolation. Till then, I will stay away from any audio related products from Apple.