The Airpods will warn you when one goes missing, so hopefully you’ll go back and pick it up from where you dropped it. I’d say its vital to keep them in their case at all times, not like I do with my earbuds coiled up in my pocket. I’m still plenty happy with my iPhone 6 Plus and have no intention of upgrading until I have a reason to.
“Hey brother left AirPod. . . .”