We start our examination with these curious markings on the boxes. We're seeing multiple references to something called "AirPower" ... ?

Wonder what that is, @apple?

Next we X-ray the box to confirm if it's safe to open. Oh, who are we kidding—we're opening it regardless. Safety third, we always say.

Meanwhile, we rummage through our ancient tech drawer and pull out a set of first-gen AirPods for a quick comparison.

While you may not think of two-year-old products as ancient, reports say these first-gen AirPods (left) are aging fast.

The new case (right) looks shinier, but that might just be due to wear on the Gen 1.

We also note a relocated pairing button, and a newly placed external LED charging indicator.