Apple EarPods Lightning Connector Review: Clear Calls

Setting up the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector takes one push of the plug into the phone. It's Apple's wired pair, with its own microphone and a remote for calls, music and volume. The music then starts at once, clear and loud, with voices that stay easy to follow. Calls go just as smoothly, because the microphone keeps speech clean and the remote answers them.

Working life is where it falls short, however. Some pairs give out early, while others last for years. Even so, it's a very good pair for a Lightning iPhone, priced in the budget tier.

Plays clear and loud

Vocals come through clearly, with solid mids and crisp highs. That balance holds across music and video alike. Apple's own pitch is speakers engineered to maximize sound output and minimize sound loss. The pair also plays loud when the volume goes up.

The bass has some punch, although it stays level with the mids and highs. I'd call the tuning balanced. Spoken word comes through cleanly too, which suits long stretches of audiobooks and podcasts. As everyday sound, it does the job well, although it doesn't excel at any one thing.

The Apple EarPods Lightning Connector also sounds like the EarPods that once came in the iPhone box. That matters most when it replaces a pair that was lost or has grown old. In pairs that hold up, the sound also stays the same over months of daily use.

Lets the room in

The buds sit at the opening of the ear without sealing it. As a result, some of the room comes through under the music. In a loud room, however, the same openness lets the noise in with it. Turned up, the volume can cover much of it. In some ears, the room fades further on its own.

Sends a voice through cleanly

The microphone is the pair's strongest part, and the one with the fewest caveats attached. Speech comes across cleanly, so a voice reaches the other end of a call clear and simple to follow. Incoming voices on a call sound just as clear. Apple's pitch is a microphone that precisely captures your voice, so you're always heard loud and clear.

The remote on the cord handles the rest of a call. It answers and ends calls, pauses and skips tracks, and changes the volume. The controls are easy to learn, and they respond as they should. Meanwhile, the phone can stay in a pocket for the whole conversation.

With the mic and the remote together, the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector works as a hands-free headset. It suits calls taken at work or on the move. Online classes and webinars are another good fit.

Sits comfortably in many ears

The shape comes in one size. Apple says the design follows the geometry of the ear. In many ears, the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector stays comfortable through hours of wear. Small and sensitive ears are among them.

In the ears it suits, it also stays put through walks, commutes and light workouts. Over a long session, it doesn't tire those ears either.

Other ears can't hold it, however. In those, it works loose again and again and needs pushing back in. In a few ears it aches instead. How well it sits comes down to the size and shape of the ear.

Hangs long enough for a pocket

The cord is a comfortable length. It lets the phone ride in a pocket while the remote handles music and calls. Coiled up, these wired earbuds are also small enough to carry in a bag or keep at a desk. It packs easily for travel, too. In many pairs, the cable on the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector feels sturdy enough for daily use. However, the cord can still get in the way at times.

Plugs straight into a Lightning port

The phone picks it up at once. Nothing needs pairing first. The plug goes straight into the Lightning port, with no adapter in between, and it seats firmly there. For an iPhone with no headphone jack, that's the direct way to listen on a wire. Once in, the connection stays steady. A few pairs, however, drop the connection at times, or the phone stops recognising them altogether. Music plays the moment it's in, which makes the pair a ready standby in a bag or at work. It needs no charging of its own, which also suits long travel days.

Apple lists the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector for devices with a Lightning connector running iOS 10 or later. The iPhone, the iPad and the iPod touch are all on that list, along with iPad models on iPadOS. Checking the port on each device before ordering covers what's left of the setup.

Arrives as a genuine Apple EarPods Lightning Connector

New pairs come in Apple's own packaging. It's neatly done, in the same style as Apple's other boxes. Inside, the buds come with the usual paperwork, and the pair is the genuine article. It's the familiar EarPods design, and it's well made. Its plain white look also counts in its favour. The wired, classic style is part of the appeal as well.

Used and like-new offers of the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector are a gamble, since a secondhand pair can arrive looking worn. A few pairs arrive faulty or quit within the first week. Those cases fall inside the return window.

Lasts months in some pairs, years in others

Early failures take a few forms. The cable wears through, the sound turns to static, or one earbud goes silent while the other keeps playing. Where a pair wears out early, it usually goes between six weeks and nine months in. Snags, pulls and other accidents also end some pairs early. Careful handling helps, although it doesn't save every pair. Other pairs keep working for two years and longer with daily use.

The price sits in the budget tier. That matters on the Apple EarPods Lightning Connector, because a short-lived pair costs little to replace. After the return window, warranty help for a failed pair can be hard to get. A spare pair covers that gap for a small outlay. Keeping more than one pair around, in a bag and at home, is a sensible way to own it.

Pros: What we liked

• Pro: Clear, balanced sound that plays loud, for music and spoken word alike
• Pro: A microphone that sends a clear voice through on calls
• Pro: Plug-in setup, with a remote that handles calls, playback and volume from a pocket
• Pro: Comfortable for hours in many ears
• Pro: Comes in Apple's own packaging, with the paperwork, when bought new
• Pro: The budget price keeps a spare pair affordable

Cons: What could be better

• Con: The one-size shape slips out of some ears and aches in a few
• Con: Working life varies: in some pairs one earbud goes silent, or the sound turns to static, within months
• Con: Warranty help for a pair that fails after the return window can be hard to get
• Con: A Lightning plug, so a phone or tablet without that port can't use it

Specification	Details
Type	Wired earbuds with a built-in remote and microphone
Connector	Lightning
Compatibility	Devices with a Lightning connector on iOS 10 or later, including iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; iPad models with iPadOS (per Apple)
Controls	Built-in remote for volume, music and video playback, and answering or ending calls
Microphone	Built-in, for phone calls, FaceTime and Siri (per Apple)
Size	One size
Color	White
Part number	MMTN2AM/A

Final Verdict

That one-push start sets the tone, and the pair stays simple to use from then on. Working life is the heaviest count against it. Still, I'd accept the risk of a short-lived pair for the microphone alone.

On a Lightning iPhone or iPad, the microphone and the sound make it a pair worth buying again whenever one wears out.