Have you noticed that your AirPods charge extremely quickly?
According to Apple, just 15 minutes of charge time can give you up to 3 hours of music, and your AirPods can charge from zero to 100 percent in under an hour, depending on your exact model.
So, what sort of magic is this, and how are AirPods able to charge all the way up so fast?
In this article, I’ll cover everything that you need to know!
How Do AirPods Charge So Quickly?
So, what’s the secret behind the AirPods’ fast charging times?
Ultimately, it comes down to two things.
1. Their Battery Is Very Small
First things first, the battery of the AirPods is very small.
And the smaller the battery, the quicker it will charge.
Think about it this way – let’s pretend the iPhone’s battery is 10 times smaller than it actually is.
If this were the case, it would take the same amount of time for this smaller battery to charge from 0 to 100%, as it would for the normal battery to charge from 0 to 10%.
This of course assumes that they are receiving the same amount of power from the charger.
Since the AirPods have such a tiny battery, it is able to charge all the way up to 100% extremely quickly, even if you’re starting at zero!
Ultimately, this makes more of a difference than any additional charging optimizations that have been put in place by Apple. While rapid charging technology is very cool, the effects wouldn’t be as noticeable if the AirPods had a much larger battery.
2. They Use Very Little Power
This one has less to do with the charging time itself, but more with the amount of audio you’re able to get out of the AirPods, relative to their charging time.
As mentioned earlier, even 15 minutes of charging can deliver several hours of music – which is very impressive!
This is made possible by the fact that AirPods use very little power, relatively speaking.
After all, they are simply two tiny speakers utilizing Bluetooth. Unlike an iPhone, there is no screen, no resource-hungry processor, or other internal components that need to be powered on.
So, it takes very little battery to use them – even for lengthy periods of time.
This is part of what makes AirPods so convenient. Not only are they quick to charge – even when running out the door, but they can also last for your entire trip out without needing to be charged a second time!
Many Bluetooth Headphones Are Similar!
Although it’s quite amazing how quickly AirPods can charge, this actually isn’t all that unique, to be honest.
Many other high-end Bluetooth headphones are able to charge up just as quickly – or at least, deliver the same amount of listening time per minute charged.
For example, I own a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones that I purchased a few years ago. In just 10 minutes of charging, they are able to deliver 5 hours of listening time!
Again, the same principles apply. Although the battery is a bit larger on these bigger headphones (meaning that the percentage charged after 10 minutes is lower than AirPods), they are still able to deliver many hours of music after such a short charge. The battery is still small, and they still don’t use a whole lot of power, leading to very quick charge times.
Regardless of the headphones or earphones that you use, this is wonderful.
After all, a few extra minutes before you leave can provide you music or podcasts for your entire trip!
Conclusion
The secret of AirPods rapid charging times aren’t just due to Apple’s technology. In fact, the real reason is much more simple – the battery is very small, and AirPods don’t actually use that much power.
This allows the battery to fill up very quickly, so the AirPods can provide audio to you for hours and hours before needing another charge.
I hope that this article provided a bit of insight. If you have any other questions about AirPods, ask them below and I’ll be happy to help!
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister