What are the benefits of earphones with the W1 chip

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What are the benefits of Bluetooth ear/headphones with Apple's W1 chip, vs normal Bluetooth ear/headphones?

Are these benefits restricted to use with iPhones, or will they also apply to Macs and/or iPads?

Best Answer

Headphones with Apple's W1 chip will sync between all of your devices using iCloud. That means if you pair W1 headphones with your iPhone, they're instantly available on all your other devices like Macs and iPads. (This requires an iCloud account and macOS Sierra, iOS 10, or watchOS 3.)

W1 headphones are also easier to pair than their Bluetooth counterparts - simply holding the headphones in proximity of a compatible device and pressing a button will allow the headphones to be paired.

These benefits are available on some iPhones, iPads and Macs - though not all devices support them. It's worth noting that even if your device doesn't support the benefits provided by W1 headphones, you can still use them as normal Bluetooth headphones.

In addition, the W1 chip also includes a more robust bluetooth implementation that is supposed to provide a more reliable connection and better battery life. This applies when using W1 embedded headphones with non-Apple products.

According to Apple's webpage on AirPods:

It produces extremely efficient wireless for a better connection and improved sound. And the W1 chip manages battery life so well, you can listen for 5 hours on a single charge.

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