The $200 version of the AirPods includes a new case that can be charged wirelessly. That means you can place the case on a wireless charging pad, which uses an electrical current to generate a magnetic field, creating voltage that powers up the case. This method relieves the Lightning port of eventual wear and tear.

The new case worked well with several wireless charging pads I tested. But because you will have to spend about $20 on a charging pad, I recommend buying the AirPods with the special case only if you already own other devices that support wireless charging, like newer iPhones.

Like the first-generation AirPods, the new ones last about five hours when you listen to music. But for phone calls, they can now go about three hours, up from two hours previously. When you return the earbuds to the case, it has enough juice to recharge them multiple times; as a result, you will get about 24 hours of listening time before having to replenish the case. Over a week of testing, I recharged the case only once.

The audio quality of the new earbuds is about the same as the first generation’s. Music sounds O.K. through them, good enough for playing podcasts and songs on your commute. But if you want wireless earphones that sound louder and richer with deeper bass, consider earbuds from Jabra or some of the other recommendations from Wirecutter, a product review site owned by The New York Times.

The AirPods also include a new chip that lets people use them to interact with Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant. To summon the assistant, you say, “Hey, Siri,” followed by a command like “Play some music” or “Schedule meeting for 3 p.m. on Thursday.”

While that’s a neat feature for tasks like adding items to your calendar, I couldn’t get in the habit of talking to Siri via AirPods — especially in public, where I still occasionally get dirty looks from people just for wearing the earbuds.