Apple Airpods: New wireless headphones come with 50% more charge and 'Hey Siri' feature

Apple also revealed the price and release date of its latest AirPods, saying, 'the world's best wireless headphones just got even better'

Apple has announced the next generation of its hugely popular AirPods wireless headphones, which it claims are smarter and more powerful than their predecessors.

A new Apple-designed H1 chip fits inside the new AirPods, allowing faster connection times, more talk time, and the ability to summon Apple’s virtual assistant Siri hands-free.

The new chip helps extend the headphones’ battery life by around 50 per cent – or one hour of extra talk time – compared to the original Apple AirPods.

“AirPods delivered a magical wireless experience and have become one of the most beloved products we’ve ever made,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

“They connect easily with all of your devices, and provide crystal clear sound and intuitive, innovative control of your music and audio.”

He added: “The world’s best wireless headphones just got even better.”

The headphones also come with a new wireless battery case, allowing Apple to finally deliver on its promise to provide this functionality for its AirPods.

Each case holds enough additional charge to provide up to 24 hours of total listening time.

AirPods 2 with a standard charging case will cost $159 in the US and will be available for pre-order from Apple’s website from today, 20 March.

The AirPods 2 with the wireless charging case can be bought for $199, while the stand-alone case will cost $79. The headphones and charging case will also be available in Apple Stores starting next week.